Pleasanton drops Jay-Linn

Sunday, February 26, 2006
Pleasanton's Derek Brown (23) moves by Jayhawk-Linn's Derek Early during the second quarter of Friday night's game at Mound City, Kan. Brown scored 19 points and hauled down 14 rebounds to lead the Blu-Jays over the Jayhawks in league play.

MOUND CITY, Kan. -- Pleasanton's boys finished the regular season with a 50-37 win over rival Jayhawk-Linn in Three Rivers League play Friday night.

The Blu-Jays finished up 3-5 in the league and 8-12 overall. They have a long haul Tuesday night as they are required to travel to Class 2A Sub-State Tournament host St. Marys for a 7 p.m. first-round game against the No. 4 seed.

The Jayhawks (3-5, 5-15) are the No. 6 seed in their own Class 3A Sub-State, so although they are the host school, they must travel to Richmond to take on former league rival Central Heights Monday at 7 p.m.

With most other things in this game being even, it was Pleasanton's transition game that was key. The Blu-Jays ran the floor better than the Jayhawks while also holding the home team to 25-percent field-goal shooting on 13 of 51.

The first quarter ended in a 12-12 tie but only after Pleasanton ended it with a 9-1 run, the last five points scored by Chris Kuchenbrod.

Nick Lawrance scored the first basket of the second to put the Jayhawks ahead. Kuchenbrod and Rylan Bortzfield scored consecutive hoops for the Jays to put them back in front.

Free throws helped Jayhawk-Linn go back up, 19-16, with 2:11 remaining. Derek Brown, who struggled to get going offensively, scored his first points of the game with 1:41 to go for the Jays and Jason Toms followed with a three-point goal with six seconds remaining to put Pleasanton back in front, 21-19, at the half.

Brown, who led all scorers with 19 points and also had 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead the Blu-Jays in all those areas, kept on clicking in the second half, helping his team pull away. His three-point goal with 5:10 remaining started a 9-3 run to end the period and extend the margin a bit to 34-26.

Ian Sutherland scored an old-fashioned three-point play and followed that up with a three-point goal to bring Jayhawk-Linn within 37-33 with 5:12 left in the contest. But Brown's tip-in just a few seconds later started a 8-0 run that sealed the deal for the Jays.

Sutherland and Lawrence each scored 11 points for Jayhawk-Linn. Josh Beckman scored 10 points and hauled down 11 rebounds.

Kuchenbrod finished with 12 points for the Jays while Toms and Zac Peters each had 10 boards.

Pleasanton shot 36 percent from the field, making 19 of 43 field-goal attempts. Jayhawk-Linn made only 13 of 51 fielders for 25 percent, going six of 30 in the second half.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: