Shawnee Mission Northwest defeats Washburn Rural

On certain rare occasions in basketball, a made field goal is worth more than just two points on the scoreboard. Connor Chmielewski’s tip-in for Shawnee Mission Northwest just before the halftime buzzer Friday was one. The Cougars have a 45-40 win to show for it.

The Cougars had let a five-point lead slip away and were tied at 19-19 with Washburn Rural, a Kansas Class 6A semifinalist last year, as the second quarter was ending. The Cougars had the last possession, but a hurried shot misfired.

Fortunately for SM Northwest, 3-0, the errant shot was taken with a few seconds left, so the Cougars had several chances to put in the rebound. Three failed before Chmielewski, a 6-foot guard, tipped the ball home, giving his team a lead it would not relinquish.

“We got three or four tries at it,” SM Northwest Ben Meseke said. “To have a little guy go up there and get it was huge. We take time in practice to work on tipping the ball. It paid off.”

The tip ignited a 10-2 run that gave the Cougars the largest lead, at 29-21, either team would enjoy all night. It was also emblematic of the rebounding advantage that SM Northwest earned over a Junior Blues team that didn’t start a player shorter than 6-2. The Cougars held a 30-19 edge on the boards.

“You just gotta block out,” Meseke said. “It’s always a game goal of ours to outrebound the opponent. We knew it would be a challenge tonight against a big team.”

Foul trouble nearly caught up with the Cougars, because Washburn Rural went 19 for 26 from the foul line, keeping it close despite the Junior Blues’ 33-percent shooting from the field.

Washburn Rural was within striking distance at 40-37 when SM Northwest broke a full-court press and freshman A.J. Spencer made a layup with 52 seconds left and iced the game.

“That one very easily could’ve gotten away,” Meseke said. “But our kids did a good job” handling the pressure.

submitted by DAMIEN MARTIN - 2007-12-08 00:29:02

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