File photo
By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
A five-point quarterfinal game between a No. 2 seed and a No. 10 seed may seem surprising, but the reality is, the competition in the MIAA tournament is just that good.
The tournament’s No. 2 seed Fort Hays State University battled to a 65-60 win against the 10th-seeded Lincoln University Blue Tigers on Thursday. FHSU entered the game 22-6 on the season, while the Blue Tigers had a record of 15-14 and started the tournament with a five-point win over No.7 Emporia State University in the first round.
“I think that says a lot about their team and their coaching staff,” FHSU Head Coach Mark Johnson said. “You saw it against Emporia that those guys just battle and hang around. We did just enough at the end. We hit enough free throws and took care of the basketball just enough.”
The Tigers (23-6) spent most of the first half chipping away at the small lead Lincoln (15-15) built, which at its largest was seven points. The score was tied three times in the first 16 minutes, but it wasn’t until four minutes before halftime that FHSU took the lead. Even then, the Blue Tigers tied it up one last time, but FHSU went to the locker room up 33-31.
Though the Tigers held their lead for the rest of the game, Lincoln kept it close. Their best scoring run of the game came at the end, taking LU from down 10 to down three in just over a minute. Ultimately, they had to foul the Tigers to try and extend the game and FHSU scored their last five points on three throws.
“This is what our games look like and this is what we do,” Johnson said. “We make it hard on the other team and it’s going to be a struggle. Our guys usually are going to find a way at the end to make the big plays and get the big stops, and I thought that’s what we were able to do today.”
The victory was the 11th FHSU has won by 10 points or less this season, one of the previous being another five-point game against the Blue Tigers in January.
“Games like that, when it’s close, builds our experience for everybody to play harder, play smarter and learn from what we did and what we didn’t,” senior Elijah Nnanabu said. “So just taking those lessons and then taking them to the postseason just like now and using them, that excels us.”
Nnanabu led all scorers for the game with 23 points, as well as recording five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Junior Kaleb Hammeke credited the team’s success in close games to their defense, which leads all of Division II.
“When defense is what wins you games down the stretch, and that’s what we do every night and that’s what we do for the full 40, that’s what gets you that edge at the end,” he said. “We know we got to do that, just keep fighting for that and do what we know how to do.”
Hammeke and Bjarni Jonsson were the next leading scorers for the Tigers with 14 points each. Hammeke also pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists, and Jonsson went 3-3 from the 3-point line.
Not only did the three players lead FHSU in scoring, but they also played all 40 minutes of the game.
“Those guys can just keep playing, and not everybody can do that,” Johnson said. “That sounds simple, but it’s not about just being in shape. There’s guys that are in really good shape that can’t consistently play with that kind of effort for 40 minutes. We’re lucky and fortunate enough to have guys that can do that and push through, and they’re not going to let fatigue deter them from winning games.”
Lincoln was led by Trey Boston who had 19 points, and seniors Elijah Farr and DJ Richardson who had 16 and 11, respectively. Blue Tigers Head Coach Jimmy Drew commended his seniors for their efforts.
“They’ve changed the trajectory of our program from when they got here to what it is now,” he said. “They’ve created positive momentum.”
Following the second round of quarterfinal games on Friday, FHSU will face the winner of No. 3 Pittsburg State and No. 6 of Central Oklahoma in the semifinals. Tip-off is set for 8:15 p.m. on Saturday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The game will be broadcast on the MIAA Network, and be followed by coverage from Tiger Media Network.