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Lady Jays – Blue Jays Defeat Shawnee Heights

The Junction City Blue Jays ( 7-9 )  rallied from six points down in the fourth quarter to defeat the Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds ( 5-11 )  62-55 in overtime Friday night on the Heights court.

The game was tied at 50-50 at the end of regulation, but then the Blue Jays outscored Shawnee Heights 12-5 in the overtime session. In the rally Junction City coach Nick Perez thought his team picked up their full court defense. Offense was also a factor. ” We happened to make some plays on offense. We finally got in the paint. You know it’s amazing how that works.”

A. J. Dickerson led Junction City with 18 points while Xavier Cason scored 15 points for the Blue Jays. Junction City has now won four out of their last five games.

In the girls game Junction City ( 4-12 ) rolled to a 63-52 win over Shawnee Heights ( 5-11 ).

A series of three-point baskets in the second half including three by Briona Jensen and one each by Kiara Patty and Tonnie Smalls-Johnson were big factors in the game for the Lady jays as they opened the game in the second half. Jensen scored scored 19 points in the win, all in the second half.

 

K-State Announces Signings of 24 Student-Athletes for 2018

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder announced Wednesday the names of 24 student-athletes who plan on joining or have already joined the K-State football program as part of K-State’s 2018 Signing Class.

 

Additionally, Snyder announced that junior tight end Blaise Gammon and senior defensive back Colby Moore have been put on scholarship.

 

This year’s class includes 18 players from the high school ranks, five community-college transfers and one FBS transfer in former Michigan State wide receiver Hunter Rison. Of the signing class, eight – Rison, Wayne JonesAidan MillsKevion McGeeDarreyl PattersonLuke SowaEJ Thomas and Samuel Wheeler – are currently enrolled at K-State and will participate in spring practices, which culminate with the Purple/White Spring Game on April 21. The eight players currently enrolled are the most since the 2013 class had nine players already on campus by signing day.

 

“As I’ve stated each year we cannot truly assess any class until the young men have been with us for two or three years,” Snyder said. “I am just now able to truly assess our 2016 class as one of success with 12 presently in our two deep and two entering the NFL. This class, however, appears to meet the vast majority of our needs.  I am pleased with the quality of character of this group as each of them appear to meet the value system of our program and have been well received by our returning players. There appears to be a collective commitment to becoming the best people, best students and best athletes they are capable of becoming.

 

“As always, we are grateful for and appreciate the high school, and community college coaches, staff and administration throughout the state of Kansas and the country for their assistance. I also greatly appreciate our President, Athletic Director, athletic department and support staff and faculty for their assistance in this effort.”

 

K-State’s Class of 2018 includes 12 players on defense and 11 on offense, while one is classified as an athlete. The class is comprised of six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, four wide receivers, three defensive tackles, two defensive ends, two quarterbacks, an athlete, a fullback and a linebacker.

 

The Wildcats put a firm hold on their home state yet again as five signees hail from the state of Kansas, tying with Texas for the most in the class. It marked the fourth-straight year K-State’s class was led by signees from the state of Kansas. K-State continued its recent stretch of tapping into the state of Georgia with four student-athletes inking with the Wildcats, bringing the total to 14 over the last five years.

K-State Football Signing Day Press Conference
February 7, 2018

Head Coach Bill Snyder
Opening statement…

“I think it is a good group of young guys. I think it is a group of young guys that have a strong value system individually. In other words, they are good people. I think they, for the most part, fit our needs. We still have a couple available scholarships that we are processing right now. I think we have maybe six non-freshmen on the list. All of them are not eligible to open the season for us but several are. Obviously, when we take a community-college or a transfer student with the idea that they can step in and help us immediately and that is certainly our hope. How good a class? As I have said so many times, you kind of have to wait a couple of years to really define how strong the group is. I know last year I indicated that we had 16 or 17 young guys that were in that recruiting class that were in our two-deep. I looked through yesterday, we have 12 in the two-deep from last year’s recruiting class and a couple of them have gone on to the NFL or will get into the NFL. It just takes some time to define where they are going to end up in the program and to what degree of success that they will have and consequently how good of a class it may or may not have been. Aside from that, depending on the position, a pretty athletic class. Guys that have pretty decent testing times – 40s, 5-10-5’s, etc. Decent size for linemen. We put some emphasis on the offensive and defensive line and may still take another of either, if not both. We put some emphasis on wide receivers and secondary players (5 and 4, respectively). Now it is just a matter of how quickly they can step in and help.”

On differing his strategy given the new early signing day…

“I cannot say that it really differed. I cannot tell you I have felt this way all along, but as I look back upon it now, it ended up being a positive thing for us because a vast majority of our signees were in that initial early signing. I think we just had five with scholarship papers this morning. There is a positive aspect to that. It allowed us to have a little more attention to 2018 recruiting, but by the same tokens that I reflect back upon it, I think it puts an awful lot of stress on coaches in regards to trying to manage the program during the course of the season and still do due diligence to the recruiting aspect of it. Based on that, I probably am not as much in favor of it. I did not know to begin with, but I think right now I liked it better the way it was. There are plusses and minuses on both sides collectively. I just happen to believe that when you have players that are on your campus that are in your program, they deserve all of your attention. That is kind of one-in-the-hand, so to speak. That period of time made it more and more difficult to make sure that that took place.”

On being able to make official visits this spring…

“We will do that. We have some committed. As I think ahead it also concerns me a little bit because you get into your preference to have those centered around something that is football oriented. You like to have them at ballgames to take visits, but if it is an official visit then that is time that has to be spent. The same is true in the spring as it is in the early signing date. On the early signing date, a young guy comes in and he is going to be there for a weekend and you have to pay a great deal of attention to him, but at the same time you are trying to evaluate the previous game and prepare yourself for the next game. There are only 24 hours in a day and it becomes a hard process. We will do it, but I am not in favor of that kind of scheduling.”

On the recent offensive coordinator change…

“Andre (Coleman) will do the organizational aspect of it and have a verbiage to make the calls in ballgames, but it will be a joint-venture between him and Collin (Klein) in the passing game and between him and Charlie Dickey in the running game. I am pleased with the direction that they are going right now. I have been able to spend less time with them, but they have taken upon themselves to really get invested in it. I think they are putting us ahead of where we might have been at this point in time a year ago. I am pleased with their capacity and capability to work together. There are no egos involved and it is just three guys that care about the same thing.”

On the director of recruiting Taylor Braet…

“Taylor really does a nice job. He is a very gregarious young guy and gets along well with young people. There are some limitations on what he can and cannot do, but those things that he can do, as it relates to the social media aspect of it and the communication online or otherwise with young people that were interested in, he is very detailed, precise and works diligently at it. I appreciate what he does. He is a good communicator and keeps me well informed about everything so we have a constant dialogue. He is a good young guy.”

On adjusting needs for every recruiting cycle…

“We adjust them periodically. It changes on a somewhat regular basis. What our needs were in the middle of the season were probably a little different than the end of the season. As we got into the recruiting aspect of it after the bowl game, needs tended to change. Part of it is through assessment and evaluation and part of it is through movement in your program with young guys moving on. There are lot of different things that enter into it.”

On bolstering the secondary with this class…

“It is important if it plays out the way we hope it plays out. I cannot accurately assess the class itself until we have the opportunity to have them in the program over a period of time. I would like to think we did because that was our hope, that it would assist us in the secondary. We have a lot of returning guys but depth is going to at least be a question. That does not mean we do not have it, it just kind of depends on how some young guys move through the system, how their out-of-season goes and how their spring practice goes. To be able to add a couple of young guys with community-college experience, you would like to think is going to be able to assist us, yet it still remains to be seen.”

On the strategy closing out the class…

“When we got down to four scholarships, we were looking at defensive tackle, a secondary player, an offensive lineman, a wide receiver and a linebacker – that’s five positions to fill with four scholarships. Obviously we couldn’t totally negotiate that as we would like. Still, at this point in time it has worked out reasonably well. We had a de-commitment here recently that put us back in altering our thinking a little bit, but by in large, I think it works out well but you don’t know until you head them out there and see if they can meet your expectations or not.”

On adding a pair of former players to the staff in Zach Hanson and Eric Hickson, and their future impact on recruiting…

“That is important to me, that’s one of the reasons we have so many ex-players in the program. They know the system, they understand the system, they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t buy into the system and weren’t committed to it. It gives them the capacity to speak favorably about the process and the system, which is so important for young people to know and understand, and the value it brings to their lives, to people that haven’t experienced it. It probably is a little different than other places, but they’re people who have been ingrained in it throughout most of their adult life and have a passion for it, that certainly helps you in the recruiting aspect of it.”

On having a handful of new players on campus for the spring semester…

“Having young people in for the second semester of the school year is vital for them. It gives them the opportunity to learn the system – the nuances of the system, the mechanics, the drillwork, the execution of schemes – all those things become viable for them. To get to be a teammate of the entirety of the program, they get to know each other and develop a trust within the ranks, so to speak. I think that’s beneficial. It gets them well prepared for spring practice and that prepares them well for the summer, when they’re doing the same thing without coaches on the field, so they don’t have that constant uncertainty about what they’re doing. All of that prepares them so well going into the proverbial two-a-day time, where you only have 29 days, 25 practices to get ready for the first ballgame. Coaches want to work fast and get everyone prepared. If you haven’t gone through all we’ve just talked about, then so much of it goes in one ear and out the other. It’s just going too fast for the learning process to take place, and consequently it sets them back and doesn’t give them the opportunity to compete and get on the field right away when the season starts. It’s a major benefit.”

On feeling any momentum with the program since the bowl game…

“I’d like to think momentum is created by being enthused about trying to improve your capabilities in order to become the kind of young player that you’d like to be and become the kind of team you would like to be. I get concerned based on our experiences the last couple of years, of getting that, whatever that feeling is, whether its feelings of satisfaction or feelings of anticipation or expectation – I think going into last year it was very obvious we took a lot for granted and talked about some very high goals – and there’s nothing wrong with high goals – but the dialogue was such that we’ve already arrived. Every year is different, it doesn’t make any difference who you’ve got back or how many you’ve got back, the dynamics are different year in and year out, day in and day out. What we’ve got to learn to do is to handle each day as it comes, live the day, make ourselves better every day. I think we got into that feeling that we were good enough to do it and the process got slowed down because it was just a matter of waiting until the season started and then we were good enough now. We weren’t good enough now and consequently we didn’t make the kind of improvement that we should have made and consequently it was very costly to us.”

On making adjustments going forward based on the early signing period…

“I don’t know that change would be the right word, I think we have to figure out exactly how to be able to manage the two major, major priorities during that period of time. The reason I don’t favor it is because it puts so much pressure on the coaches to appropriately manage preparation for a ballgame, evaluation for a ballgame, and at the same time get into the meat of recruiting because of how quickly the signing date comes. It doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, it’s just how do we manage it as much as anything.”

On Darren Sproles earning a Super Bowl Championship with Philadelphia…

“I’m awfully happy for Darren. Knowing Darren, it doesn’t mean nearly as much to him as it would if he were on the field, being a part of it, but it still has its meaning and he helped them get there. He was part of it without any stretch of the imagination and I’m excited. Initially the dialogue was when he got injured that he wouldn’t come back. He and I have had some conversations and he’s shared that he does want to come back and wants to play, more power to him. He’s not just a very, very, fine, fine player, but we all know what kind of young guy he is, just an excellent young person. I’m proud of him, very much so.”

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

Blue Jay Football Players Sign Letters of Intent

( Photo L-R ) Kenson Henderson, Davante King, Xavier Cason and Lucio Norris

Four Junction City High School seniors signed letters of intent Wednesday to play football at the collegiate level.

Davante King will play for Washburn University, Xavier Cason at Emporia State University, Kenson Henderson and Lucio Norris for Coffeyville Community College.

Other members of the Blue Jay football team are still in the process of making decisions on schools where they may play in the future. Wednesday was the first day for national letter of intent signing.

 

K-State at Texas Wednesday Night

 

GAME #24

KANSAS STATE (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) at rv/rv TEXAS (15-8, 5-5 Big 12)

Wednesday, February 7, 2018 >> 7 p.m. CT >> Frank Erwin Center (16,540) >> Austin, Texas

 

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 429-230/20th season

At K-State: 116-75/6th season

  1. Texas: 6-5 (2-2 on the road)

Texas: Shaka Smart (Kenyon College ’99)

Career Record: 209-99/9th Year

Record at Texas: 46-43/3rd Year

  1. Kansas State: 2-2 (1-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (16-7, 5-5 Big 12)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

Texas (15-8, 5-5 Big 12)

G: #2 Matt Coleman

G: #12 Kerwin Roach II

G: #13 Jase Febres

F: #21 Dylan Osetkowski

F: #4 Mo Bamba

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 19-15

In Austin: Texas leads 9-7

In Manhattan: K-State leads 10-5

Big 12 era: Texas leads 15-14

Active Streak: K-State, 2

Weber vs. Texas: 6-5 (2-2 on the road)

Smart vs. K-State: 2-2 (1-1 at home)

Weber vs. Smart: 2-2 (1-1 on the road)

OPENING TIP

  • Kansas State (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) concludes a two-game Big 12 road swing on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Austin, Texas, to take on Texas (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) at 7 p.m., CT at the Frank Erwin Center. Both teams sit in a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings with 5-5 marks, just two games behind co-leaders Texas Tech and Kansas and one game back of Oklahoma and West Virginia. The Wildcats have lost back-to-back games after a four-game win streak, while the Longhorns have won three of their last four outings, including a 79-74 win over No. 12/11 Oklahoma. Wednesday’s game will air on the Longhorn Network and the WatchESPN app with Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Lance Blanks (analyst) on the call.
  • This will be the first meeting between K-State and Texas this season, as the teams will meet twice in the last eight games of the regular season. This will be the 35th meeting between the schools, including the 30th in the Big 12 era, with the Wildcats holding a slight 19-15 advantage in a series that dates to 1971. K-State swept the season series a year ago, winning 65-62 at home on Dec. 30, 2016 before earning a 64-61 win in the last seconds in its last visit to the Erwin Center on Feb. 18, 2017. Before those two games, the Longhorns had won five of the last six in the series.
  • West Virginia owns a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series with K-State with eight wins in the last nine meetings between the schools by an average margin of 8.4 points per game. The Mountaineers are 8-4 in the Big 12 era and are attempting to sweep the season series for the third time in four seasons after earning a 77-69 win over the Wildcats in the first meeting on New Year’s Day at Bramlage Coliseum. In that contest, West Virginia connected on 53.6 percent from the field and had four players score in double figures led by freshman Teddy Allen’s 22 points. K-State was held to just 35.7 percent shooting, as sophomore Xavier Sneed led with 20 points.
  • Wednesday’s tilt continues a stretch of three road games in a four-game stretch, as K-State plays at Texas and Oklahoma State (14-9, 4-6 Big 12) in between a home game with No. 7/7 Texas Tech (19-4, 7-3 Big 12) on Saturday. The Wildcats are 5-5 away from Bramlage Coliseum this season, which includes a 4-3 record in true road games and a 2-3 mark on the road in Big 12 play. The four road wins are the second-most of any Big 12 team this season and only eclipsed by Kansas’ five. The Longhorns are 11-2 at home this season, including 4-1 in Big 12 play.
  • K-State’s offensive struggles continued in its 89-51 loss at No. 15/11 West Virginia on Saturday, as the Wildcats tied or posted season-lows in nine categories, including points (51), field goals made (14) and field goal percentage (29.8). The team has now failed to eclipse 60-point barrier in the three consecutive games since February 2015. The 38-point loss tied for the sixth-largest margin of defeat in school history and the biggest since a 93-52 loss at UMKC on Dec. 30, 2003. It was the largest defeat in Big 12 play since a 104-63 setback to No. 22 Texas on Jan. 12, 1997.
  • Junior guard Kamau Stokes, who had missed the last seven games due to a foot injury, made his return to the lineup at West Virginia on Saturday, scoring 2 points and dishing out a team-best 4 assists in 10 minutes. He is expected to play in the range of 10-15 minutes against Texas.

NOTES ON TEXAS

  • Texas enters Wednesday’s contest with a 15-8 overall record and a 5-5 mark in Big 12 play after a come-from-behind 79-74 victory over No. 12/15 Oklahoma on Saturday night at home. The Longhorns trailed 66-57 with just under eight minutes to play before using a 13-0 run to take a four-point lead with 3:41 to play. The squad then iced the game at the line, hitting on 8-of-10 free throw, to win their third game in four outings. Freshman guard Matt Coleman led the way with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-13 field goals, while junior guard Kerwin Roach II and junior forward Dylan Osetkowski added 19 and 15 points, respectively. Freshman sensation Mo Bamba had a near double-double with 13 points and a game-high 9 boards.
  • The Longhorns are averaging 72.8 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent from 3-point range, while they are allowing 66.9 points on 40.5 percent from the field, including 32.0 percent from long range. The team is averaging 7.0 3-point field goals per game with eight players totaling at least 11 or more treys. They are also averaging 36.5 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 12.4 turnovers, 6.1 steals and 5.7 blocks per game. Texas is one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranking 12th in blocked shots/game, 26th in field goal percentage defense and 49th in 3-point field goal percentage.  The team is shooting 66.5 percent from the free throw line.
  • Junior Dylan Osetkowski paces four players in double figures with a team-best 14.2 points per game average on 40.9 percent shooting and 73.0 percent from the free throw line. The Tulane transfer is also averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Freshman Mo Bamba is averaging a double-double with 13 points on 55.4 percent shooting, with 10.8 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game. Bamba ranks second nationally in blocks, while he is 13th in rebounding. Junior Kerwin Roach II is also averaging double figures at 12.3 points on 50.5 percent shooting to go with 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Freshman Matt Coleman and junior Eric Davis, Jr., are averaging 8.6 points per game with Davis leading the way with 31 3-point field goals. The team is without sophomore Andrew Jones, who was averaging 13.5 points, before being diagnosed with leukemia.
  • Texas is led by third-year head coach Shaka Smart, who has a 209-99 (.679) overall record in nine seasons as head coach, which includes an ultra-successful six-year tenure at VCU (2009-15) with five NCAA Tournament appearance and trip to the 2010 Final Four. Smart is 46-43 (.517) in his third season at Texas, which includes a trip to the NCAA Tournament in his first season in 2015-16.

SERIES HISTORY

  • This will be 35th meeting between Kansas State and Texas on the hardwood, including the 30th in the Big 12 era, with the Wildcats holding a 19-15 advantage in a series that dates to 1971. K-State won the first five meetings with Texas between 1971-84, including a 66-55 victory in the 1972 NCAA Tournament held at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
  • The series has been one of the most competitive since the start of Big 12 play with Texas holding a slight 15-14 edge since the inception of the league in 1997. The Longhorns won nine of the first 14 meetings (1997-2009) in Big 12 play before the Wildcats rebounded to win seven of the next nine meetings (2010-14). Since 2015, Texas has won four of the last six meetings, however, K-State snapped a four-game skid by sweeping the season series in 2017 with a 65-62 victory at home on Dec. 30, 2016 before a last-second 64-61 win in the last trip to Austin on Feb. 18, 2017.
  • Head coach Bruce Weber is 6-5 all-time against Texas, including a 2-3 mark at the Erwin Center.

LAST MEETING: K-STATE 64, TEXAS 61

  • Senior D.J. Johnson’s 3-point play with 1.3 seconds helped lift K-State past Texas, 64-61, in the teams’ last meeting at the Frank Erwin Center on Feb. 18, 2017. The win helped the Wildcats snap a 3-game losing streak and earn their first win at the Erwin Center since an 81-69 victory over the Longhorns on Feb. 23, 2013 to halt a 3-game skid in Austin. With the score knotted at 61-all after K-State called its final timeout with 8.6 seconds, Johnson was able to collect sophomore Kamau Stokes’ miss and hoist up the decisive shot before being fouled by Kendal Yancy with 1.3 seconds remaining. After Johnson hit the free throw, the Longhorns were not able to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
  • The last-second win highlighted a very strange offensive day for the Wildcats, which connected on 53.5 percent (23-of-43) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from 3-point range. K-State shot a season-best 76.2 percent (16-of-21) in the first half, which tied for the seventh-highest field goal percentage for a half in school history, before connecting on a season-low 31.8 percent (7-of-22) in the second half.
  • Senior Wesley Iwundu paced three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 16 points on 5-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, to go with team-bests in rebounds (7) and assists (4) in 35 minutes. Sophomore Barry Brown, Jr., scored in double figures for the third straight games with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Stokes registered double-digit points for the 17th consecutive game with 14 points.

–www.kstatesports.com–

Chapman Basketball Teams Sweep Wamego

The Chapman boys basketball team got double figure scoring from five players enroute to a 70-54 over Wamego on Tuesday night.

The Irish got 15 points from Talor Warner, Zack Loy and Brandon Colston, while Noah Riegal tallied 11 and Izek Jackson 10 points in the win.

In the girls game Chapman defeated Wamego 52-43.

Mckenna Kirkpatrick had 22 points for Chapman while Ashlynn Bledsoe scored 14 points for the Irish.

JCHS Basketball Teams Fall to Hayden

The Hayden Wildcat boys and girls basketball teams came into the Shenk Gym and swept Junction City in the varsity games Tuesday night.

In the boys contest the game surged back and forth in the third quarter with both teams owning the lead. After trailing by one point at the quarter break the Blue Jays ( 6-9 ) began to struggle some on offense and were outscored over the final eight minutes by Hayden ( 9-6 ) by a 16-11 margin.

Blue Jay coach Nick Perez said he felt like Junction City settled for shots in that fourth quarter. “We didn’t try to attack the paint, things we’ve had success with in the past. I’ll give them ( Hayden ) credit. They did a great job of being in the lanes. We’ve got to have guys hit shots. Unfortunately for us I think we just settle sometimes, and we think that we have to shoot it right away instead of having that three to four side, looking inside.” Perez added he was proud of the way the Blue Jays after a rough start that saw the Blue Jays trailing in the contest.

A.J. Dickerson scored 22 points to lead Junction City in Scoring.

In the girls game Junction City went over seven minutes without scoring in the second quarter and went from one point down after one quarter to ten points behind Hayden ( 7-8 ) at halftime.

Alana Kramer scored 24 points to lead Junction City ( 3-12 ).

Eagles Win the Super Bowl

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Zach Ertz grabbed a go-ahead, 11-yard touchdown pass with 2:21 remaining before Philadelphia completed a 41-33 win over New England, giving the Eagles their first Super Bowl title.

Game MVP Nick Foles was 28 of 43 for 373 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to help the Eagles earn their first NFL title since 1960. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 505 yards and three TDs, but he fumbled seconds after Ertz put Philadelphia ahead.

Blue Jays Finish Fourth in Centennial League Wrestling Tournament

The Junction City Blue Jay wrestling team scored 132.5 points to finish fourth in the Centennial League Wrestling Tournament Saturday in Topeka.  Manhattan claimed the league title with 186.5 points followed by Shawnee Heights at 162.5, Washburn Rural 162, Junction City 132.5, Emporia 116, Seaman 74.5, Topeka High 44.5, Highland Park 35.5, Hayden 14 and Topeka West 11 points.

For Junction City Max Bazan claimed a league title in the 132 pound weight class. Terrance Adeleye finished second at 182 pounds, Blayne Danford captured third at 113 pounds, Matthew Whitton third at 126 pounds, Logan Roether third at 138 pounds, C.J. Neuman third at 145 pounds, and Kensen Henderson third at 220 pounds.

Finishing fourth in their weight class for Junction City were Zane Thorton at 120 pounds, and Arturo Chavez at 195 pounds.

K-State Falls to West Virginia

Final Stats


MORGANTOWN, W.Va.
 – No. 15/11 West Virginia jumped out to a quick lead that it never relented, as the Mountaineers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 89-51 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon at a near sold-out WVU Coliseum.

West Virginia (16-6, 5-4 Big 12) led for nearly the entire 40 minutes, as the Mountaineers held the Wildcats to a season-low 29.8 percent shooting (14-of-47), including 22.2 percent (6-of-27) in the second half, while forcing them into 15 turnovers. The 51 points were the fewest by K-State this season and the lowest point total since scoring 50 against West Virginia in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 10, 2017.

Junior forward Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 17 points on 6-of-13 field goals, while sophomore guard Xavier Sneed added 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting with all five field goals coming from 3-point range.

K-State (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) have now dropped back-to-back games to ranked teams since a four-game win streak. The Wildcats have lost five straight games to the Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum.

West Virginia connected on 54.9 percent (28-of-51) from the field, including 60.9 percent (14-of-23) in the second half, and had a quartet of players score in double figures led by sophomore forward Sagaba Konate’s game-high 19 points on 7-of-9 field goals and a game-best 9 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Mountaineers turned up the pressure from the start, forcing five Wildcat early turnovers to take a 9-5 lead with just five minutes into the first half. The lead was extended to 12-7 after a 3-point play by reserve forward Logan Routt before K-State responded with four 3-point fields, including three by sophomore guardXavier Sneed, during a five-play sequence to close the gap to 21-19 at the 11:26 mark.

West Virginia answered with a 10-3 run, which included 3-pointers from junior guard Esa Ahmed and sophomore guard James Bolden to push ahead, 31-22, and force head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout with 6:04 remaining in the half. The lead grew to double digits at 34-24 after a 3-point play by sophomore forward Sagaba Konate with 4:26 remaining.

K-State nearly went the reminder of the half without a field goal before a follow by freshman forward Levi Stockard III with two seconds left ended the drought and closed it to 39-30 at the half. West Virginia connected on 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field, scoring nine points off of 10 turnovers and posting 10 second-chance points off of six offensive rebounds. The Wildcats shot just 40 percent (8-of-20) from the field in the half.

A pair of Bolden free throws pushed the lead back in double figures just seconds into the second half before a foul and technical on junior guard Barry Brown, Jr., gave the Mountaineers a 50-35 lead on the strength of six quick points at the 16:36 mark. Consecutive buckets from junior forward Dean Wade got the Wildcats within 50-39 with 15:20 remaining, but that would be the closest they would get the rest of the way.

Back-to-back buckets, including a 3-point play, by freshman guard Teddy Allen would give West Virginia a 65-42 advantage with 7:49 left. The lead would remain at least 20 points the rest of the contest.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Xavier Sneed – The sophomore guard scored 16 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range to go with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. It marked his 14th double-digit scoring game of the season. He has now averaged 18 points in two meetings with West Virginia this season after scoring 20 points in the first matchup.

STAT OF THE GAME

51/29.8 – Kansas State was held to a season-low 51 points on a season-worst 29.8 percent (14-of-47) from the field, including 22.2 percent (6-of-27) after halftime. It was the fewest points since scoring 50 against West Virginia in the semifinals of the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 11, while it was the lowest field goal percentage since shooting 25 percent (14-of-56) at Oklahoma on Feb. 25, 2017.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE

  • K-State 16-7 (5-5 Big 12)
  • West Virginia 17-6 (6-4 Big 12)

TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

Lady Jays Fall to Highland Park

The Highland Park Scots ( 10-3 ) began to gradually pull away from the Lady Jays in the second quarter and moved on to defeat Junction City 69-51 in girls basketball at the Shenk Gym Friday night.

Highland Park used the outside perimeter shooting of Dariauna Carter who scored 30 [points, and the inside play around the rim of Jae’Mya Lyons, who finished with 21 points.

The Lady Jays ( 3-11 )got 21 points from Briana Jensen and 20 from Alana Kramer.

Junction City will host Hayden on Tuesday.

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