Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Senior Brandon Paxton Closes Career With Double-Doubles In Last 2 Games
Kimball 51,
Morrill 38
Tuesday’s subdistrict first round matchup with Morrill was a game that we took awhile to get things going, but a great finish to the 3rd quarter really opened things up.
Knowing just how capable Morrill could be from the perimeter, our 7 point half time lead was not what we were hoping for after 2 quarters of play. Our shooting was not what we were used to, but our defense and rebounding was keeping us ahead in the game.
We only allowed Morrill to score 11 points in the 1st half and that was definitely a positive. We always tell our players that shooting may come and go game to game, but when you are struggling from the field you need to just dig in and find other ways you can contribute.
Once Morrill cut into our lead to 25-21 in the 3rd quarter, we caught fire to end the quarter as we were able to convert on 6 straight possessions and end the quarter and go on a 15-0 run. This was the run that we needed to open up a 19 point lead and an eventual 51-38 win to advance to the subdistrict championship.
As a team we shot an eFG% of 95% in the 3rd quarter and had a very high efficiency rating of 3.77 in that quarter, helping us to secure the win. It was our 15th win of the season and first time in 10 years with that many victories for our boys’ program.
Individually Brandon Paxton had a huge game with 20 points and 20 rebounds, 15 in the 1st half alone. He also added 2ast, 2stl, and 4 blk.
Bransyn Kiefer had a great night providing the team with some much needed energy and converted on 2/4 from downtown. He ended with 8 points and supplied 2 steals. Kyler Lusche ended with 10pts, 7reb, 2ast, and 2stl. Ryker Behrend added 6pts and Braxton Miller 5pts, both hitting 3 pointers in our big run in the 3rd and both providing the team with 4 assists. Wyatt Cords finished out the scoring with 2 points while Trevor Fuss played some tough defense, taking a charge and swiping to steals.
Bridgport 55,
Kimball 27
On Thursday we got a very tough Bridgeport team that had only lost 1 contest on their home floor all season, and unfortunately for us we shot our worst field goal percentage all season.
Our defense kept us in it for three quarters. However, too many turnovers and a 1/10 shooting performance in the 4th kind of sealed our outcome. Several times we had the deficit down to 6 late in the 3rd, well within striking range, but we never got that run that we so desperately needed in the game and eventually saw our opponents take over the game in the 4th.
Brandon Paxton had another double-double going for 14 points and 13 rebounds. Kyler Lusche also provided 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Our guards, however, really struggled to get anything going offensively and Bridgeport’s defense really stifled us most of the evening. Two days later Bridgeport showed just how stifling their defense could be, holding the defending state champions from one year ago, the Freeman Falcons, to only 23 points in the district final and a bid to go to the state tournament.
We do want to thank the pep band and all the fans that came out to support us at our subdistrict final game. It was a nice sight to see just how much school and community support was displayed at our game that evening and throughout the season.
It was a fun season that saw us continue to make strides and learn lessons along the way. Our players played hard throughout and really made all of us coaches and spectators proud all year!!