Belle Plaine boys reach sub-state finals with 52-48 victory over Sedan
Colten Henning soars over the competition for a deuce.
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — A raucous crowd was on hand to watch the Belle Plaine boys in the Class 1A sub-state semifinals at the Dragon Den. The Brown and Gold did not disappoint.
Staving off a fourth-quarter rally, Belle Plaine defeated Sedan 52-48. The host will now play Wichita Independent, which defeated Garden Plain 57-40 in the other game. The sub-state championship will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Belle Plaine.
Belle Plaine was the fourth seed going into the tournament battling Sedan, the top seed and South-Central Border League Champion. This game was a barn burner.
Sedan opened with a 19-11 first-quarter lead, getting most of its points in the paint. But the Dragons came back with a vengeance. The Dragons fell behind by as many as seven points early in the second quarter, but two 3-pointers and an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Levi Christy tied the game. Issac Bible then nailed a three, and Belle Plaine took the lead, something it wouldn’t relinquish until late in the game.
Belle Plaine’s student body was enthusiastic.
By halftime, Belle Plaine led 31-26. After intermission, the Dragons built the lead into double-digits and Nick Pace, Belle Plaine’s 6-1 sophomore, hit a deuce to give Belle Plaine a 43-32 lead with 1:58 to play in the third.
But the Blue Devils were not done. They would go on a 13-2 run, including 11 consecutive points to tie the game at 45 with five minutes to play. The two teams were knotted at 48 and failed to hit 3-point attempts. Pierson broke the tie with two free throws to give Belle Plaine a 50-48 lead. Sedan turned the ball over, and Bible sunk two more to make it 52-48. Sedan could not get off a decent shot after that.
Isaac Bible hits two critical free throws late.
This was an evenly distributed game, with no one scoring more than 12 points. Bible led Belle Plaine with 12. Sedan’s Justus Norris and Lyndon Sears both scored 12 points apiece.
Belle Plaine will have its work cut for it Saturday, Independent will enter the game 20-2. The two teams met on Feb. 14, with the Panthers winning 90-50.
Happy folks at Belle Plaine after hard -fought win.
Belle Plaine 52 Sedan 48
Sedan — 19 7 10 12 — 48
Belle Plaine — 11 20 12 9 — 52
Sedan — Norris 12, Sears 12, Prince 8, Gooden 7, Blankenship 6, Wade 3. Total: 17 (4) 2-4 48. Belle Plaine — Bible 12, Ouellette 9, Henning 8, Christy 8, Pierson 8, Pace 7. Total: 14 (5) 9-11 52.
