Wellington girls clinch AV-CTL DIV crown, boys lose in OT to Collegiate
Sumner Newscow report — The Wellington girls basketball team became undisputed Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div. IV champions Tuesday with a 72-39 victory over Collegiate. The Wellington boys lost 77-70 in overtime.
For the girls, Wellington clinched its second league title in its history. It won league during the 2015-16 season when it went undefeated during the regular season. This year’s girls team will try to match that feat when it hosts Clearwater Thursday evening at home.
The girls improved to 19-0 with another easy victory. The Crusaders led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter and held a 47-13 lead at the half. It would continue to roll the Spartans in the third with an 18-13 output. Collegiate came back in the fourth. They had a girl by the name of Ellen Munds who hit six 3-pointers in the game and scored 26 for the game. She had been injured and returned to the lineup for the first time.
Speaking of which, Wellington had nine of their own – four in the first quarter alone.
Wellington was led by Airalyn Frame, who had 21 points. Ashlyn Gerten had 13, and Ali Zeka 11.
The Crusaders will now battle Clearwater which gave Wellington its toughest game of the season in January, taking the Dukes to overtime before losing 50-46.
Wellington 72 Collegiate 39
Wellington — 30 17 18 7 — 72
Collegiate — 0 13 13 13 — 39
Wellington: Frame 21, Gerten 13, A. Zeka 11, B. Zeka 9, Norwood 7, Nance 4, Cornejo 3, Reichenberger 2, Goodrum 2. Total: 18 (9) 9-12 72. Collegiate Munds 26, Herman 4, Ngunjiri 2, Vincent 2. Total: 5 (7) 8-16 39.
The Wellington boys basketball team has never defeated Collegiate. Someday that day will come, and it almost happened last night.
Wellington and Wichita Collegiate were tied at 62 at the end of regulation. Collegiate would go on a 15-8 run in overtime to secure victory.
“The kids played their butts off,” said Joe Newman, Wellington head boys basketball coach. “I was really proud of them.”
Wellington opened with a 21-15 first-quarter lead and the game was knotted up at 38-all at the half. Neither team could shake one another in the third and fourth quarter and the game went into overtime knotted at 62.
This marked the second consecutive year, Wellington went up there and took Collegiate into overtime. They lost in double overtime up there in a game that was technically supposed to be played in Wellington but had to be moved because of a gas leak.
Collegiate Wesley Fair took over in the extra frame, dropping 8 of the Spartan’s 15 points. He would have 29 points in the game. Wellington was short-handed with Korbin Jones fouling out and R.J. Clift injured going into the extra frame.
Wellington’s Banks Hinshaw led his team with 29 points. Cope Henry had 10.
The Crusaders are now 6-17 and are pretty much locked into the No. 15 seed where they could play either Buhler or Pratt in the first round of sub-state. Buhler lost a stunner to El Dorado on Tuesday and has dropped to No. 2 with Pratt at No. 1.
