BY JIM MISUNAS
MOSCOW – When Ty Josefiak started his basketball coaching career at Pawnee Heights, he started 0-40 at his alma mater.
Josefiak’s Tigers achieved school history with a dominating 70-40 Division 2 substate championship Saturday over Ashland to capture the Tigers’ first state basketball trip since 1972.
“Earning a state tournament trip is something I never accomplished as a player at Pawnee Heights,” Josefiak said. “As a former player it means a lot. Earning a state bid for Pawnee Heights has taken a long time.”
The Tigers employed an effective 1-3-1 trapping defense to force 21 Ashland turnovers, which helped turn the game into a 30-point victory.
“We were really pleased with our defensive effort,” Josefiak said. “We put four quarters together against Ashland, which is nice to see. We had that goal to qualify for state as a goal when we started the year. To dominate two substate games like we did, it really nice to see. It’s gratifying because we lost players to transfer and CO-VID who would’ve really helped us as a basketball team.”
Ashland (7-14) pushed the Tigers (12-9) in a tight 67-65 loss and also lost 61-47 to the Tigers. Ashland’s Kash McPhail scored 31 points and 20 points in the two games. McPhail scored 11 points. Landen McPhail scored 12 points and Call Kellenberger added 11 points.
“As a team, we did a great job defensively against Kash McPhail,” Josefiak said. “He’s the guy who gets that team fired up with his scoring.”
The Tigers’ terrific trio came up big offensively. Point guard Alec Carlson (25), Adam Hands (22) and Braden Colglazier (17) scored in double figures and combined to convert 22 of 37 field goals. Ashland’s Jose Amaya defended Carlson 1-on-1, but Hands and Colglazier found gaps in the defense.
“When our ‘big three’ shows up, we’re a pretty good offensive basketball team,” Josefiak said. “Adam Hands stepped up and delivered. It was nice to see all three guys clicking on the same night.”
Versatile Alec Carlson punctuated the Tigers’ rout with a pair of slam dunks, one off a nifty assist by Felipe Cordero, Jr. Carlson had enjoyed multiple games with slam dunks. Hands knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and led the mid-range game. Colglazier did his damage inside.
Ashland closed a 12-point lead to 24-21, but the Tigers closed the first half on a 8-3 scoring burst to regain momentum. That ‘terrific trio’ combined for 21 third-quarter points for a 53-31 lead.
The Tigers’ official “1A state trip” starts at South Haven (13-5) Tuesday. If the Tigers would pull a road upset, the Tigers qualify for the 1A Division 2 state tournament at Barton Community College.
Ashland 8 16 7 9 – 40
Pawnee Hts 18 14 21 17 – 70
ASHLAND (7-14)—Landen McPhail 5-10 1-2 12, Kash McPhail 4-8 2-2 11, Kellenberger 4-19 3-4 11, Amaya 1-4 0-0 2, Vera 0-1 0-0 0, Grigsby 1-3 0-0 2, Aroz-mena 1-2 0-0 2, Totals 16-47 6-10 40
PAWNEE HEIGHTS (12-9)—Carlson 7-14 10-11 25, Hands 7-12 5-6 22, Colglazier 8-11 1-3 17, Cordero 0-4 0-0 0, Hamby 1-3 0-0 3, Dakota Ryan 1-7 1-2 3, Totals 24-51 17-22 70
3-pointers—A 2-14 (K. McPhail 1-4, Kellenberger 1-4, Grigsby 0-1, Aroz-mena 0-1, Kellenberger 0-4); PH 5-15 (Hands 3-7, Hamby 1-3, Carlson 1-5)
PAWNEE HEIGHTS 68, MOSCOW 27
MOSCOW – Standout Alec Carlson scored 29 points in a dazzling semifinal performance in a 68-27 victory over Moscow in the 1A Moscow basketball substate.
Tigers Adam Hands (17) and Braden Colglazier (15) also scored in double figures.
The Tigers (11-9) would play Ashland Saturday for a state basketball berth, which hasn’t happened since 1963 for the Pawnee Heights school district. The Tigers captured state basketball titles as Rozel in 1960 and 1969 and Burdett in 1954.
Pawnee Heights 6 19 29 14 – 68
Moscow 6 5 10 7 – 28
PAWNEE HEIGHTS (11-9)—Carlson 11-20 4-4 29, Hands 5-11 6-8 17, Colglazier 5-8 4-5 15, Dakota Ryan 2-3 0-0 4, Cordero 1-3 0-0 2, Totals 24-45 15-19 68
MOSCOW (5-13)—Flores 4-12 0-1 12, Garcia 4-16 0-0 8, Castanada 3-13 0-1 7, Johnson 2-9 0-0 4, Rojo 0-4 0-0 0, Granadas 0-3 0-0 0, Dorsey 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 13-58 0-2 27
3-pointers—PH 5-14 (Carlson 3-9, Colglazier 1-1, Hands 1-1, Hamby 0-2); M 1-15 (Castanada 1-1, Granadas 0-1, Rojo 0-1, Johnson 0-3, Garcia 0-4, Flores 0-5)
1A DIV. 2 BOYS QUARTERFINALS TUESDAY
Beloit St. Johns 11-7 at Hanover 20-1
Waverly 11-9 at McPherson Elyria 13-9
Pawnee Heights 12-9 at South Haven 15-5
Northern Valley 13-9 at Wheatland 14-6
1—ATTICA—South Haven 42, Attica 27; South Haven 51, Central Christian 50; Attica 54, Stafford 38; Stafford 56, Cunningham 45; South Haven 64, South Barber 41; Hutchinson Central Christian 57, Argonia 29
2—MOSCOW—Pawnee Heights 70, Ashland 40; Ashland 45, Deerfield 39; Pawnee Heights 68, Moscow 27; Moscow 57, Rolla 41; Deerfield 58, Fowler 29
3—DIGHTON—Wheatland 56, Greeley County 47; Wheatland 59, Weskan 42; Greeley County 48, Western Plains 45; Weskan 41, Dighton 28; Greeley County 47, Wallace County 44; Western Plains 62, Otis-Bison 53
4—REXFORD—Northern Valley 64, Logan/Palco 48; Northern Valley 58, St. Francis 47; Logan/Palco 56, Cheylin 42; Northern Valley 67, Brewster 45; Logan-Palco 53, Golden Plains 35;
5—AXTELL—Hanover 74, Wetmore 47; Hanover 67, Axtell 46; Wetmore 48, Linn 26; Axtell 44, Blue Valley 40; Linn 49, Pike Valley 47
6—WAKEFIELD—Beloit St. John's 32, Natoma 29; Natoma 47, Junction City St. Xavier 24; St. John's 48, Wilson 31; Junction City St. Xavier 42, Southern Cloud 41; Beloit St. John's 71, Wakefield 52; Wilson 66, Tescott 42
7—PEABODY—McPherson Elyria 41, Central Plains 33; Elyria 62, Hartford 32; Central Plains 51, Peabody 47, OT; Hartford 48, Chase 30; Peabody 62, Burrton 22; Central Plains 72, Centre 48
8—ST. PAUL—Waverly 72, Coffey County 41; Waverly 79, Chetopa 22; Coffey County 49, Altoona-Midway 42; Chetopa 64, St. Paul 45; Altoona-Midway 75, Marmaton Valley 31; Coffey County 46, Marais Des Cygnes Valley 42
