Shiney Hughes takes it to the hoop against El Dorado (Eric Rinehart photos)

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — It was a tough one for the Crusader boys basketball team losing 56-51 in a fourth-quarter collapse. Earlier, the Wellington girls defeated El Dorado 41-22.

Reminder: Wellington is hosting Wichita Trinity today in a boys-only game at 4 p.m. with the junior varsity playing at 2:30 p.m.

The boys’ game was tough to take for any devoted Crusader fan. Wellington held a 48-36 lead near the tail end of the third quarter, only to see El Dorado close out the game by going on a 20-3 run in the final 10 minutes.

“We have to play 32 minutes of good fundamental basketball,” said Wellington head boys coach Joe Newman. “These close games come down to two to three possessions. We had many opportunities to put this one away and didn’t take advantage.”

This was one of the most bi-polar performances of the season for the Crusaders who were hitting on all cylinders for the majority of the first three quarters.

Tanner Meyer led Wellington with 24 points.

Wellington opened with a 19-9 first-quarter lead and was holding a 32-27 advantage at the half. Wellington upped the lead to 48-36 in the third quarter. But much like the Winfield game a week ago in, Wellington looked shaky going into the fourth.

El Dorado would score the final four points of the third to make it 48-40. Wellington was also called for an intentional foul.

The Wildcats would erase the lead in the first two minutes of the fourth taking the lead on a Jaydon Sundgren 3-pointer from the corner with 6:11 to play. The two teams remained scoreless for over three minutes.

At the 1:48 mark, breaking a drought that lasted over eight minutes, Tanner Meyer hit a deuce and free throw to narrow the margin back to 1, 52-51 and end the Cats 16-point run. El Dorado would score the game’s final four points to avenge an earlier loss to the Crusaders in early December.

Meyer led Wellington with 24 points. Banks Hinsaw had 11.

Wellington is 7-7 going into its game with Wichita Trinity today.

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Ashlyn Gerten scores 7 against El Dorado.

The Crusader girls have had some classic games over the years. This wasn’t one of them. But Wellington got the win nevertheless.

Wellington, which hadn’t been at home since Jan. 22, got off to a very slow start. Neither team could score and it was 4-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Crusaders and Wildcats found the basketball hole much easier in the second quarter. Still, Wellington was unable to shake the Wildcats leading 17-14 at the half. This was the same team Wellington routed in El Dorado 65-27 in December.

Early in the third quarter, El Dorado stuck around within the five-point deficit range, when Wellington head coach Eric Adams called a timeout to give his team a loudly-put lecture about their play and with life. From that point on it was all Wellington. The Crusaders led 30-17 at the end of three and would go on to win 41-22.

Wellington, now 8-5, will host Rose Hill on Monday in a game that has been postponed twice. From this point on until tournament time, the Crusaders will play nothing but league games the rest of the way.

Wellington 41 El Dorado 22
El Dorado —     0   14    3   5 — 22
Wellington —   4   13   13   11— 41
El Dorado: M Parsons 7, G. Baer 6, B. Camien 4, B Motter 3, R. Lattey 2. 5 (1) 6-10 22. Wellington: Zeka 13, Rusk 10, Gerten 7, Hughes 5, Reichenberger 3, K. French 2. Total: 6 (5) 13-19 41.