BY BUDDY TABLER
Special to the Tribune
LARNED —In a wrestling match between two outstanding defensive teams, it came down to an official’s whistle as the St. John Tigers outlasted Larned's girls 40-35 in Tuesday's non-league showdown.
Leading 36-35, St. John missed two free throws. Following a timeout by Larned, the Indians inbounded the ball and executed a set play designed in the timeout. A 3-pointer by Jadyn Crosby was nullified when Larned was whistled for an illegal screen. St. John's Gentri Bright and Mia Meyer combined for four free throws in the final seconds.
“That was a high-level defensive battle between two really good basketball team," said Larned coach Jerrod Smith. "It's too bad it was a violation call that kind of messed up the ending. St. John made it difficult to run our offense but we did the same to them. A fun game for all of the players and coaches. We would've enjoyed it more if we had scored at the end.”
Bright scored 11 points and Jalyn Fisher added 10.
Larned (3-2) was led by Jadyn Crosby with nine points. Cassidy Wachs added seven and Karley Lemuz and Brooke Simmons each scored 5.
It was a close, tightly contested game. St. John led 11-8 after one quarter and 20-17 at halftime. Larned outscored St. John 13-6 in the third quarter to take a 30-26 lead. St. John crafted a 1-point lead going into the final minute of the contest.
Larned made 13 of 34 field goals (38%) with 16 turnovers. St. John made 14 of 37 (37%) with 15 turnovers. St. John converted made 10 of 17 free throws and Larned made 6 of 10.
ST. JOHN 50, LARNED 36 — In a game of streaks, St. John downed the Larned Indians boys 50-36 in Tuesday's non-league basketball game.
The Tigers were able to jump out to a 12-2 first-quarter advantage over cold-shooting Larned but the Indians countered that with a streak of their own, outscoring St. John 15-7 in the second quarter to pull within 19-17. St. John returned the favor with a 16-7 edge for a 35-23 lead.
Both teams struggled with their shooting in the first half but turned up the heat after halftime. St.John was aggressive on the boards and won the rebounding battle as 6-foot-1 Braxton Alpers led the way, providing the Tigers with a number of second chance points.
“We did a poor job of blocking out and rebounding which gave them some easy baskets," said Larned coach Luke Steinlage. "We had 13 second half turnovers that really hurt. Turnovers and lack of rebounds got us behind, and we couldn’t catch up.”
Braxton Alpers had a big night for the Tigers (3-2) with double-figure rebounding and 16 points. Emmett Delp added 14 and Quade Smith eight.
Carter Crosby led Larned (2-3) with 12 points. Carson Shaver added seven and Jimmy Gardner five.
Both teams warmed up after halftime. St. John made 22 of 48 field goals (46%) while Larned converted 15 of 39 (38%). Larned made 4 of 8 free throws and St. John 2 of 10.
St. John 11 9 6 14 — 40
Larned 8 9 13 5 — 35
ST. JOHN (4-1) (FG 3 FT TP)—Bright 3 5-9 11; Jalyn Fisher 4 (1) 1-1 10; Bonner 2 (1) 1-2 6; Meyer 1 3-4 5; Reed 2 0-0 4; Brummer 2 0-0 4; Totals 14-37 (2) 10-16 40
LARNED (3-2) (FG 3 FT TP)—Crosby 3 (2) 1-2 9; Wachs 3 (1) 0-0 7; Brooke Simmons 1 4-4 6; Lemuz 2 1-2 5; Reynolds 2 0-0 4; Sleder 1 0-0 2; Upson 1 0-0 2; Totals 13-34 (3) 6-10 35
St. John 12 7 16 15 — 50
Larned 2 15 7 12 — 36
ST. JOHN (3-2) (FG 3 FT TP)—Alpers 8 0-4 16; Delp 5 (2) 2-4 14; Smith 4 0-1 8; Vieux 2 (1) 0-1 5; Reyes 2 0-0 4; Adame (1) 0-0 3; Totals 22-48 (4) 2-10 50
LARNED (2-3) (FG 3 FT TP)—Crosby 4 (1) 1-1 12; Shaver 3 1-1 7; Gardner 2 (1) 0-0 5; Regan 2 0-0 4; Martin 2 0-2 4; Martinez 1 0-0 2; Greene 1 2-4 4; Totals 15-39 (2) 4-8 36