Game Wrap Up: Boys’ Basketball vs. SM North

The Lancers picked up their third win of the season on Friday night by beating Shawnee Mission North 50-44. It was a hard fought game by both teams, and midway through the third quarter, it was any one’s game. The Indians only fell behind late in the third quarter, and were unable to come up with a big enough run to come back in the fourth.

In the first quarter, the Indians were putting a lot of pressure on the Lancer guards as soon as they would cross half court. They were also emphasizing their defense on junior Vance Wentz, as they would double-team him almost every time he touched the ball. The key source of offense for the Lancers was in the paint coming from junior Billy Sutherland. Sutherland’s size caused a mismatch for the Indians, and he was able to take advantage as he finished the game with 15 points. At the end of the first, the Lancers were on top 11-9.

The second quarter was pretty evenly matched, and seemed to just be going back and forth. Senior guard Josh Wilkes was able to get a couple of three-pointers for the Indians and helped to jump-start their offense. The Lancers continued to go inside to Sutherland, and also tried to establish Wentz on the offensive end. He continued to be double-teamed, and struggled to find open looks. Going into the half, the Lancers remained ahead 24-23.

Right after halftime, it was a display of lock down defense by both teams, and neither scored for the first three minutes. However, the Lancers were able to break this cycle with their guard play. Senior guards Andy Hiett and Alex Schoegler got the transition offense going, and jump-started the Lancer run late in the quarter. The Indians were outscored 13-6 in third, and at the end of the quarter the score stood 37-29.

The Indians were able to generate more offense in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit they had gotten themselves into. Any time it appeared that they were starting to make a run, the Lancers would answer back with a basket of their own. After the defeat last Friday against Shawnee Mission South, the Lancers have rebounded nicely and have won back-to-back games. The team now stands at 3-1, and it appears that their season is back on track.