Wellington splits in Mulvane: boys lose, girls win
Trace Witham vs. Mulvane early in the fourth quarter.
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Wellington’s second trip to Mulvane this season proved to be a bit more difficult for the Crusaders. The Wellington varsity boys fell to Mulvane 61-44 while the girls won 57-33.
Mulvane, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, came back from the extended Christmas break ready to prove their high ranking.
The Wildcats would open up a 17-2 first-quarter. That proved to be the difference in the ball game as Wellington and Mulvane would play even ball the rest of the game.
The Crusaders would match the Wildcats point-for-point in the second quarter and would shave the lead to single digits by outscoring Mulvane 18-11 in the third quarter.
A three-pointer by Trace Witham followed by a steal and layup by R.J. Clift early in the fourth made this a seven-point ball game. Then in a blink of an eye, Mulvane scored seven consecutive point in three consecutive possessions to rebuild the lead bac to 14. Eventally the Cats were back up by 20.
“We struggled to hit shots consistently, and got destroyed on the boards, ” said Joe Newman, Wellington head boys basketball coach. “If we want to win we must play smarter and be tougher.”
Banks Hinshaw led Wellington with 14 points and the only Crusader in double figures. Trey Abasolo led Mulvane with 20 point. Ian Commer had 14 and Landon Coe 13.
Wellington is now 4-4 and travels to Wichita Collegiate on Tuesday.
Boys: Mulvane 61 Wellington 44
Wellington — 2 12 18 12 — 44
Mulvane — 17 12 11 21 — 61
Scoring: Wellington — Hinshaw 14, Meyer 9, Bannister 6, Witham 5, Tate 4, Gill 3, Clift 2, B. Wright 1. Total: 9 (7) 5-11 44. Mulvane — Abasolo 20, Comer 14, Coe 13, Ellis 12, Smith 2. Total: 13 (10) 5-15 62.
Airalyn Frame vs. Mulvane.
The Wellington girls found themselves back on the hardwood in only its second game in a month. At times, Wellington looked ever bit like a team that has played its second game in a month.
Wellington head coach Eric Adams was not in attendence due to non-COVID sickness.
The Crusaders dominated Mulvane but not to the degree it did in its 62-18 season opener. At one point, Mulvane was down by just six points 30-24 with 3:29 to play in the third quarter and had the ball. But Wellington, clearly the better team, would up the margin to 37-29 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Wellington took over going on a 16-2 run as it press eventually wore down the Lady Cats. It would score on three consecutive layups off steals in less than 30 seconds. The Crusaders won 53-31.
Shiney Hughes led all scorers with 13 points and Airilyn Frame had 12.
The Crusaders now start a grind of a week when it hosts Rose Hill on Monday in a make-up from December, travel to Wichita Collegiate on Tuesday and host Clearwater on Friday.
Girls: Wellington 57 Mulvane 33
Wellington — 15 9 19 14 — 57
Mulvane — 4 12 13 4 — 33
Scoring: Wellington — Hughes 13, Frame 12, Rusk 9, Zeka 9, R. French 7, Gerten 3, Reichenberger 2, K. French 2. Total: 11 (7) 14-17 57. Mulvane — Kanaga 12, Young 9, Nolan 4, Klein 2, Garrison 2, Young 2, H. Shaw 2.Total: 11 (0) 11-44 33.
