Picture courtesy of Tanner Colvin
The Salina South boys basketball team is back on top in the Salina Invitational Tournament.
Five years after their last SIT title, the Cougars turned in a dominating performance Monday night in the weather-delayed championship game, knocking off Great Bend, 63-39, at Kansas Wesleyan’s Mabee Arena.
The top-seeded Cougars, who improved to 11-4, took the lead for good with a seven-point run to end the first quarter and blew it open with a big third period, never letting Great Bend back in it after halftime. The Panthers cut a 27-20 halftime deficit to four on a Jacob Hall 3-pointer after intermission, but South answered with an impressive 18-4 run that featured 3-pointers from Kobie Henley, Easton Wilcox and Sawyer Walker, a Gavin DeVoe traditional three-point play and a driving layup from Jaxon Myers.
South, which had two starters out with the flu the week before the tournament, benefitted from a two-day delay following Friday’s 58-53 semifinal victory over Salina Central. Henley, who missed the first-round victory over Wichita South on Thursday and played sparingly off the bench in the Central game, came back with a vengeance in the championship, leading a balanced Cougar attack with 13 points.
The Cougars also got 11 points each from most valuable player Gavin DeVoe and Easton Wilcox, another all-tournament pick. Wilcox made three of his four 3-point attempts while DeVoe led the team with eight rebounds. Jaxon Myers was South’s third all-tournament pick and finished with six points, plus some nifty assists.
South shot 52.3%, including a torrid 8 of 11 for 72.7% from 3-point range. The Cougars held Great Bend to 37.2% and 3-for-17 from beyond the arc.
No. 3 seed Great Bend, which slipped to 8-7, got 13 points from Hall and nine from Cooper Ohnmacht. Both were named to the all-tournament team.
South is back in action Friday with a home game against Goddard Eisenhower.
SALINA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
BOYS RESULTS
Thursday’s first round
At Salina Central
Buhler 63, Abilene 47
Salina Central 61, De Soto 57
At Salina South
Great Bend 54, Wamego 28
Salina South 64, Wichita South 53
Friday’s games
At Kansas Wesleyan
Semifinals
Great Bend 58, Buhler 49
Salina South 58, Salina Central 53
At Salina South
Consolation bracket
Wamego 57, Abilene 43
De Soto 59, Wichita South 57
Monday’s games
At Kansas Wesleyan
Third place
Salina Central 57, Buhler 54
Championship
Salina South 63, Great Bend 39
At Salina South
Seventh place
Wichita South 55, Abilene 39
Fifth place
Wamego 2, De Soto 0 (no contest)
GIRLS RESULTS
Thursday’s first round
At Salina Central
Wamego 58, Junction City 20
Salina Central 56, Buhler 24
At Salina South
Wichita East 76, Abilene 23
Salina 54, Great Bend 48
Friday’s games
At Kansas Wesleyan
Semifinals
Wichita East 59, Salina South 22
Wamego 43, Salina Central 34
At Salina South
Consolation bracket
Great Bend 60, Abilene 36
Buhler 46, Junction City 39
Monday’s games
At Kansas Wesleyan
Third place
Saliina Central 68, Salina South 50
Championship
Wichita East 69, Wamego 46
At Salina South
Seventh place
Abilene 70, Junction City 47
Fifth place
Buhler 48, Great Bend 33
