FRONTENAC — The Frontenac Raider boys stepped on to the court for the first round of the 2018 Kansas Army National Guard Invitational and didn’t look back, hammering the Riverton Rams 62-32 Thursday night.
The first quarter looked like it might be a game, with the Raiders ending the period up by just six 12-6, but a 19-11 second quarter put the game effectively out of reach, going into the locker room up 31-17.
Riverton was never really in the game, scoring double figure in just the one quarter and unable to find an answer to Frontenac’s stifling defense.
Raider head coach Ryan Varslona said that defense was the key to the game.
“The kids really played with a lot of energy and effort as we challenged them to,” he said. “I really though our defensive pressure created a lot of turnovers that led to easy baskets. That really got our momentum going.
Momentum indeed, as nine Raiders would score and two — Jake Wilbert and Broc Ginavan would end up in double figures.
By the Numbers
Wilbert was game-high scorer, with 18 points. He was 3-of-9 from the field, 3-of-5 from the arc and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. Ginavan was 4-of-9 from the field, 0-of-1 from the arc and 4-of-6 from the line for 12 points.
As a team the Raiders were 19-of-47 from the line, 3-of-10 from the arc and 15-of-23 from the line.
By way of comparison, Riverton was 10-of-30 from the field, 2-of-13 from the line and 6-of-10 from the arc.
Frontenac Raider Girls 44, William Chrisman (Independence, Mo.) 62
The game was never really in doubt. The William Chrisman, of Independence, Missouri, Bears came out hard in the first quarter outscoring the Frontenac Raider girls, 14-4 and going on a 20-1 run in the first half punctuated by a 4-of-5 three point-performance by Krysta McAlister to put the game out of reach practically before it started.
The second half started much like the first, with the Bears out-scoring the Raiders 14-9. In fact the only period the Raiders won was the fourth — 18-11, mostly on free throws — and that with Chrisman’s starters out for nearly four minutes.
With time winding down, Chrisman’s starters back in, the bears slapped the stall on and ran the clock down, picking up the final 62-44 score.
Raider head coach Martha Harper said the Bears’ defense was the key.
“They were just pushing our guards around,” she said. “They shot well on offense but their defense was tough.”
Chrisman played a tight man defense all night which was something Harper said Frontenac rarely sees and struggled with.
By the Numbers
Frontenac had no players in double figures. As a team the Raiders were 9-of-37 from the field, 1-of-9 from the arc and 23-of-32 from the line. By way of comparison, the Bears were 18-of-52 from the field, 5-of-11 from the arc and 11-of-14 from the line.
— Patrick Richardson is the managing editor of the Pittsburg Morning Sun. He can be emailed at prichardson@morningsun.net, or follow him on Twitter @PittEditor.