By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Larned Indians beat Ellsworth Thursday
Kylier Greene
Kylier Greene - photo by Janet Fleske Special to the Tribune
Updated: Feb 14, 2025, 5:06 PM
Published: Feb 13, 2025, 10:11 PM

cBY BUDDY TABLER

Special to the Tribune

ELLSWORTH —  Larned's Cassidy Wachs scored eight fourth-quarter points and Cammy Upson scored on a rebound basket to rally past Ellsworth 41-37 in Thursday's non-league basketball victory.

Despite Lainey Peschka’s 26 points, the Larned girls outlasted Ellsworth. Peschka dominated the scoring, but Larned countered with better balance as seven players scored.

Larned (8-8) featured Jadyn Crosby and Karley Lemuz with seven points and Lauren Sleder and Cammy Upson with six apiece. The Indians converted 14 of 38 field goals (37%) and added 7 of 13 free throws.

“We shot it better in the second half," said Larned coach Jerrod Smith. "As usual, our defense was good, although we lost Peschka on a few occasions. Upson’s putback was big for us. We did a good job of controlling the ball in those final minutes.”

Both teams struggled as Ellsworth grabbed a 13-10 halftime advantage. Larned made four field goals (19%) and Ellsworth shot 12% with a trio of field goals.

Things heated up in the second half as both teams found their shooting eyes and Ellsworth moved to a 29-24 third quarter lead behind the scoring of Peschka.

Larned continued to pound the ball inside, getting baskets or fouls on Ellsworth. The strategy began paying dividends as the Indians grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter behind the inspired offensive play of Wachs.

Ellsworth (11-5) recovered from 12% first half shooting for 12 of 40 shooting (30%) with 10 of 18 free throws. 

Larned  8 2 14 17 — 41

Ellsworth 8 5 16 8 — 37

LARNED (8-8) (FG 3 FT TP)—Wachs (2) 2-2 8, Crosby 3 1-2 7, Reynolds (1) 0-0 3, Brooke Simmons 1 1-2  3, Lemuz 2 3-5 7, Sleder (2) 0-2 6, Upson 3 0-0 6, Totals 14-38 (6) 7-13 41

ELLSWORTH (11-5) (FG 3 FT TP)—Peschka 9 (3) 5-6 26, Lindsley 0 4-6 4, Place 1 0-0 2, Moore 2 1-4 5, Totals 12-40 (3) 10-18 37

LARNED 42, ELLSWORTH 36 — Larned's Carson Shaver scored on a rebound basket and Carter Crosby converted a pair of free throws as the Indians held off Ellsworth 42-36 in Thursday's non-league basketball game.

Balanced scoring was the highlight for the Indians featuring Tristan Regan (9), Carson Shaver (8), Anthony Gonzalez (7), Kylier Greene (6) and Deacon Martin (6). Larned (6-10) made 15 of 37 field goals (43%) and converted 12 of 19 free throws. 

“Our defense was good tonight," said Larned coach Luke Steinlage. "We were doing well early in our man-to-man, but we were getting too many fouls. They weren’t scoring on us, but we kept putting them on the free throw line. We switched to a zone and it was effective. We got scoring from a lot of guys tonight and that was good.”

Ellsworth's Dax Leiker scored 12 points and Jace Thomasson added 11 points.  Ellsworth (7-10) converted 14 of 46 field goals (30%) and  3 of 9 free throws. 

Larned's boys gained revenge for two 2024 losses to the Ellsworth Bearcats. The low-scoring affair played right into the hands of the defensive-minded Indians.

Larned took advantage of Ellsworth’s cold shooting to forge a narrow 9-7 first-quarter margin and a 19-19 halftime tie. The Indians then made their first three shots of the third quarter for a 32-26 edge moving into the final stanza.

Larned took advantage of a height advantage and posted a number of inside baskets and also turned two Ellsworth turnovers into points early in the fourth quarter to keep their margin at 4-to-6 points. The Bearcats returned the favor and after a Larned turnover, scored on a breakaway to cut the Indians lead to just two points as the game moved into the final three minutes.

Larned 9 10 14 10 — 42

Ellsworth 7 12 7 10 — 36 

LARNED (6-10) (FG 3 FT TP)—Regan 2 5-6 9, Shaver, 2 2-4 8, Gonzalez 3 1-1 7, Deacon Martin 2 2-2 6, Crosby 1 2-4 4, Greene 3 0-2 6, Pinkston 1 0-0 2, Totals 15-37 12-19 42 

ELLSWORTH (7-10) (FG 3 FT TP)—Leiker 4 (2) 2-3 12, Thomasson 4 (3) 0-0 11, Goss 3 1-4 7, McGowan 2 0-0 4, Cameron Gardner 1 0-2 2, Totals 14-46 (5) 3-9 36
Oilers lose third-place game to South Gray
SPT_LF_ Coaching timeDSC_47272.jpg
Coach Ryan talking to the oilers in the final game of the 1A DI state basketball championship against South Grey. - photo by Lori Farmer
Updated: Mar 17, 2025, 2:13 AM
Published: Mar 16, 2025, 1:28 AM
BY JIM MISUNAS jmisunas@gbtribune.com DODGE CITY — South Gray converted a trio of 3-pointers in the final minute of regulation and outlasted Central Plains 65-56 in overtime for third place in Saturday's 1A Division 1 state basketball tournament. The Rebels were down 49-44 and the Oilers converted 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute of regulation. But South Gray's Dyson Winfrey and Gavin Wahl made uncontested 3-pointers before Gavin Wahl made a tying 3-pointer despite hustling defense by Oiler Aiden Hekele. The Rebels' Gavin Wahl scored the first basket of overtime and South Gray converted 10 of 10 free throws for a 65-56 lead. The game finished with a unique twist after Hekele committed a foul with 14 seconds left in overtime. South Gray's Zachary Hendrickson was assessed a flagrant foul and ejected for shoving Hekele to the ground. After a brief discussion, game officials Ricci Tucker, Marty Steinert and Wyatt Dautel waved off the final four free throws and allowed the Oilers to inbound the basketball. Crites capped a superb sophomore season with 22 points. Hekele scored 15 points. Camden Stiles scored 11 points. The Oilers distributed 16 assists on 19 baskets. Crites dished out six assists South Gray's Gavin Wahl scored 17 points and Moore added 14 points. The Rebels converted 19 of 19 free throws. The intense battle featured 11 lead changes, eight in the first half. Central Plains took control with a 16-5 scoring burst for a 38-29 lead in the third quarter. Stiles, Crites and Hekele scored all 16 points. At that point, the Oilers had executed a near-perfect game plan guided by coach Michael Ryan. But the Rebels responded with a quick 13-4 burst fueled by a trio of 3-pointers for a 42-42 tie. Stiles converted a 3-pointer and Crites scored off a steal for a 49-44 lead. But the Rebels made their trio of 3-pointers for a 53-53 tie after four quarters. The Oilers return four starters and graduate Hekele, Logan Stroede and Ethan Grubb. Two-time state champion Central Plains (18-6) is 11-4 all-time at the state tournament. The Oilers lost 44-34 to eventual state champion Olpe in the 1A semifinals. Central Plains 13 15 12 13 3— 56 South Gray 11 13 13 16 12 — 65 CENTRAL PLAINS (18-6) (FG 3 FT TP)—Crites 8-15 (2-5) 4-4 22, Stiles 5-11 (4-8) 0-0 14, Hekele 4-9 (2-4) 5-6 15, Siemsen 2-6 (0-1) 1-2 5, Peyton Dody 0-1 0-0 0, Daniels 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 19-43 (8-19) 10-12 56 SOUTH GRAY (20-5) (FG 3 FT TP)—Gavin Wahl 4-14 (2-6) 7-7 19, Moore (2-8) 8-8 14, Winfrey 2-3 4-4 10, Briscoe 5-8 0-0 10, Cameron Wahl 3-4 (2-2) 0-0 8, Totals 18-43 (10-25) 19-19 65 Rebounds—CP 22 (Siemsen 9); SG 26 (G. Wahl 7). Assists—CP 16 (Crites 6); SG 13 (Moore 7). Steals—CP 4 (Crites 4); SG 3 (C. Wahl 2). Flagrant foul—Z. Hendrickson 1A DIV. 1 BOYS 3-15—1ST—Olpe 47, South Central 34; 3RD—South Gray 65, Central Plains 56 (OT); SEMIFINALS—Olpe 44, Central Plains 34; South Central 64, South Gray 49; FIRST ROUND—Olpe 57, Little River 53; Central Plains 54, Frankfort 44 (OT); South Central 52, Clifton Clyde 38; South Gray 66, Quinter 47 OILERS STATE (11-4) 2025—Oilers 54, Frankfort 22; Olpe 44, Oilers 34; 3RD—South Gray 65, Oilers 56 2019—Oilers 55, Macksville 30; Oilers 59, Caldwell 41; 1ST—Oilers 40, St. John 28 2018—Oilers 58, Inman 42; Oilers 58, Salina Sacred Heart 36; 1ST—Oilers 47, Pittsburg Colgan 34 2015—Oilers 67, Jackson Heights 42; Oilers 69, Olpe 44; 1ST—St. John 49, Oilers 45 2016—Oilers 77, Lawrence Seabury 56; Salina Sacred Heart 62, Oilers 52; 3RD—Oilers 56, Hill City 25 CLAFLIN STATE (6-12) 2007—Olpe 60, Claflin 44 2006—Claflin 61, Lebo 54; Claflin 70, Brewster 55; 1ST—Macksville 55, Claflin 45 2000—Macksville 67, Claflin 64 1993—Frankfort 72, Claflin 64 1992—Pike Valley 67, Claflin 57 1986—Northern Valley 80, Claflin 55 1985—Highland 60, Claflin 56 1984—Pretty Prairie 59, Claflin 42 1983—Oswego 47, Claflin 45 1980—Garden Plain 79, Claflin 53 1977—Claflin 60, Hutchinson Trinity 58; Lebanon 60, Claflin 58; 3RD—Claflin 68, Mankato 50 1956—Claflin 62, Oswego 52; Claflin 56, Pretty Prairie 48; 1ST—Inman 67, Claflin 66 QUIVIRA HEIGHTS STATE (4-5) 1999—Lebo 69, Quivira Heights 47 1995—Brewster 64, Quivira Heights 67 1989—Spearville 88, Quivira Heights 60 1983—Quivira Heights 55, Inman 50; Thayer 64, Quivira Heights 43; 3RD—Quivira Heights 45, Brewster 40 1917—Bushton 28, Potter 6; Bushton 30, Macksville 8; 1ST—Winfield 23, Bushton 21
Would you like to keep reading? Only $6.25 a month online or FREE with a subscription to the newspaper.
You have 2 free views remaining. Use one of your views to read more.