Another day of the tournament play concluded.  There were also impressive basketball games in which Mill Valley beat Northeast – KCMO, Shawnee Mission South beat Bishop Carroll, Bishop Miege beat Washburn-Rural and Shawnee Mission Northwest beat Saint Thomas Aquinas.  Once again, I went to all four games.

Mill Valley 65               Northeast – KCMO 59

The Mill Valley Jaguars were impressive on the fast break. The team is relatively small and is quick.  Last night they were led by Sterling Roaf, but tonight Senior Max Carroll stepped up to lead the team with 15.  He also hit 18 3-pointers in the free-throw contest.  

The Northeast Vikings, were once again led by Junior Daylen Robinson who scored 23.  He had a couple reverse lay-ups, but bottom line, he is a playmaker.  He is the leader of the team and he is quick to score in the lane.

Shawnee Mission South 50                   Bishop Carroll 38

The crowd played a major part in this game.  The parents from both sides were very vocal and mostly angry.  The play was generally sloppy with an emphasis on fast breaks. It was also odd that both the teams wear green and gold.

SMS was led again by Junior Will Spradling with 25 points.  He is rumored to have orally-committed to KSU to play in 2010.  He is a good ball handler and a great shot.

Bishop Carroll was led tonight by senior Mark Powell who finished with 17. Last night’s star Blake Bell was held to only four points in the game.  

Bishop Miege 65                      Washburn-Rural 44

The first play of the game was a Trevor Releford spin-move for a lay-up.  Miege started with a 15-0 run in the beginning of the game.  That set a tone for double-figure leads in each quarter. The Stags’ were led by Releford who finished with 18 and transfer Rodney Givens with 17.   This team is dangerous on the run, but fun to watch.  The Stag fans awkwardly started a “This is our House cheer,” which is odd since this is not their house.  The Stags are still undefeated on the season and are the defending champions of the tournament.

Washburn-Rural has the most unruly fans.  They were actually almost kicked out. My guess is that it had something to do with the “you let your team down” cheer which was chanted after a bad turnover by the other team.  The team was led by senior Bobby Chipman who scored 20 points.  He has a nice stroke and listed at 6’8” he is a force in the lane.

Shawnee Mission Northwest 56                        Saint Thomas Aquinas 49

The game had a curious start with each team making only 3-pointers for a 9-6 Saints led beginning.

The SMNW Cougars are impressive.  They play as a complete unit and are strong in transition.  Their usual leader, senior Ryan Arel was held to 10 points, but senior Connor Chmielewski stepped up with 19. Arel took hold and made big shots as the Cougars took the lead and slid away.

The Saints played well, but looked tired. They were led by Beau Bourquin with 12, Alex Keith with 10 and Zach Bourquin with eight.  There were a couple debatable charge calls toward the end of the game which added to the emotional atmosphere.

Tomorrow

7^th Place - Northeast vs. Bishop Carroll @ 12 Noon

5^th Place – Mill Valley vs. SMS @ 1:45

3^rd Place – STA vs. Washburn-Rural

1^st Place – Miege vs. SMNW