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Perry-Lecompton’s players fall down on the court floor after struggling with defenders over trying to take possession of the basketball during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
In a game played at breakneck pace from start to finish, the Perry-Lecompton Kaws were derailed 65-63 by the visiting Northeast Kansas home-school Knighthawks.
Trailing by two with 10 seconds remaining in the final frame of Tuesday night’s home clash, sharpshooting junior guard Easton Graves’ potential game-winning 3-point attempt was halfway down before rimming out.
“They guarded the play really well,” Kaws head coach Matt Simmons said. “We still got the shot we were looking for, so we can live with that.”
Perry-Lecompton (11-6 overall) got off to a blazing start — pouring in 15 points over the opening four minutes of the non-league tilt. Also distributing the wealth evenly on the offensive end in the opening frame, the Kaws received scoring contributions from Graves, junior forward Kayden Baker, senior guard Colby Krein, junior guard Houston Habiger, junior forward Thomas Marcellino Jr. and senior guard Dayton Tucker.
The Kaws grabbed a 30-21 lead after opening the second quarter on an 8-3 spurt, punctuated by junior guard Rawlin Welch’s fast-break assist to Tucker.
NEK stormed back into the contest courtesy of Kieran Sandstrom’s long-range marksmanship. The senior guard’s trio of triples helped whittle the Knighthawks’ deficit to a point late in the half.
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Perry-Lecompton’s Easton Graves attempts a 3-point shot during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
But Perry-Lecompton utilized impressive shooting from 3-point land, including a 3-ball from Krein at the top of the key in the waning seconds of the second quarter, to give the Kaws a 33-29 halftime advantage
Perry-Lecompton knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half — including two apiece from Krein and Graves.
After being held mostly in check over the opening 16 minutes of play, NEK’s talented sophomore forward Caleb Holloway detonated for 15 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter.
The third quarter featured numerous ties and lead changes, as Holloway’s tough bucket from underneath the basket kickstarted the seesaw affair, handing NEK a 34-33 lead. After the Kaws temporarily went ahead on the scoreboard, Holloway responded with another score, this time from the low-post while earning a trip to the charity stripe and giving the Nighthawks a 39-37 lead.
Perry-Lecompton looked to cool Holloway by deploying a zone defense, but often found itself out of position on the defensive glass.
“We were struggling to defend the post,” Simmons said. “With the zone, we were trying to position a player in front of Holloway, while also bringing backside help.”
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Perry-Lecompton’s Houston Habiger flys through the air on a layup attempt during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
Holloway’s fastbreak lay-in midway through the third put NEK in front 48-44. Habiger sliced the deficit to a point with a 3-pointer on the other end.
Graves was also scoring in droves, dropping in eight of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter. On one of the Kaws’ many transition run-outs, Graves drove into the teeth of three NEK defenders, scoring at the rim as Perry-Lecompton trailed 51-50.
“Easton got into the lane whenever he wanted,” Simmons said, adding that the star guard “made the right decision most of the time.”
Trailing by three entering the fourth quarter, Graves promptly knotted the score at 53 after driving hard into the lane, scoring, and absorbing contact for the and-1 conversion.
With around two minutes remaining and the score tied at 59, Holloway completed a traditional 3-point play to give NEK a 62-59 edge.
“Defensively, we were lost several times throughout the game, and that turned out to hurt us a little bit,” Simmons lamented.
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Perry-Lecompton’s Dayton Tucker elevates for a contested mid-range jump shot during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
The teams traded 2-point buckets, leaving the Nighthawks clinging to a 64-63 lead with around 25 seconds remaining. After Graves misfired on a 3-pointer from near the right corner, Tucker corralled the rebound near the baseline, but promptly stepped out of bounds with 4.5 seconds remaining.
NEK held on for the victory as Holloway finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
“(Holloway) did a really good job of sealing off defenders and then drawing contact for several and-1s,” Simmons said. “They are a really good team that has beaten public schools.
“This was a tough game, but we can learn a lot from it.”
Perry-Lecompton was paced by Graves with 21 points, including three 3’s. Habiger and Baker both concluded with nine points.
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Perry-Lecompton’s Kaden Baker, right, prepares for an inbounds play during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
Despite the loss, Simmons is pleased with his squad’s play of late as the Kaws entered Tuesday’s matchup fresh off a 63-57 road victory over Hiawatha, which is ranked eighth for 3A in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings.
The Kaws return to the court on Wednesday for a rescheduled midseason tournament matchup with Valley Falls.
“They’ve got two kids who can go out and get 20 to 30 points on any given night, and they also have a lot of role players around them,” Simmons said. “Hopefully, we learned from tonight’s game — going against three strong post players.
“It came down to the glass, and (NEK) outrebounded us. We usually win the games where we out-rebound our opponent.”
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Perry-Lecompton’s players celebrate a score during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
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Perry-Lecompton’s Colby Krein launches a high-arcing pass over a defender during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
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Perry-Lecompton head coach Matt Simmons puts his hand to his face in reaction to a play during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
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Perry-Lecompton’s student section celebrates a big-play during a boys basketball game against Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Feb. 3 at Perry-Lecompton High School in Perry.
