Kansas: It's a North-South Split

The 3-point attempt by Jordan Cyphers with 10 seconds left felt good.

It looked good too.

It just wouldn’t go in, however, and the North boys held on for a 116-111 win over their South counterparts Wednesday in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star game at Lee Arena in Topeka.

Had the former Wichita Southeast standout made the shot, the score would have been tied late in the game. Instead, Cyphers scored a team-high 24 points and his team fell short.

 “I was kind of sluggish because I haven’t played in a couple of days, but it was all right the second half,” Cyphers told the Topeka Capital Journal. “We’re not that disappointed (that we lost). We’re just having fun.”

The North jumped on top right out of the gate and held a 32-25 advantage at the conclusion of the first frame. The winners held leads of 14 points twice in the game.

After scoring just six points in the first half, Cyphers led a second-half rally by connecting on two 3-pointers and burying a couple more shots after feeds from high school teammate Adonis Gantt.

The Utah recruit’s hot hand helped the South cut the deficit to 92-84 going into the final quarter. Then with 1:36 left, the South took a 110-109 lead.

But Liberal’s Marquez Patterson buried a pair of free throws with 1:09 left to put the North back up for good.

While the South appeared to have the quickness and athleticism to win, a size advantage helped the North prevail.

Manhattan’s Jackie Carmichael, a 6-foot-9 standout, who is headed for a prep school in South Kent, Conn., led all scorers with 27-points on 12-of-18 shooting. He also had eight rebounds.

For the winners, Patterson added 20 points, Atchison’s Anthony Downing 13 points, while Topeka Highland Park standout Adrian Herrera and Kensington’s Ethan Kuhlmann added 12 each.

Highland Park’s Ty Modupe connected on a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to clinch the win.

All three Wichita Southeast stars on the South scored in double figures,. Gantt had 15, and Cortez Barnes 12. Wichita Heights’ Kelton Marshall tallied 17 points and Wichita South standout Lance Russell added 12 points.

GIRLS

South 86, North 75

In the girls game, Hutchinson Central Christian’s Megan Patrick made seven of nine points and scored a team-high 17 points to lead the South to victory.

Patrick, a Class 1A first team all-stater, had little doubt she belonged in the game.

“I was pretty confident,” Patrick told the Topeka Capital Journal. “I’ve played with and against some of these girls, so I know I’m as good as they are even though they go to a way bigger school than I do. My dad told me that I was asked to be on this team for a reason.”

The South used a 9-0 run to end the first quarter to take a 26-15 lead into the second quarter.

The spurt was keyed by Missouri-bound and former Labette County standout Kendra Frazier, who had six points. Neodesha’s Stevi Schultz ended the run with a 3-pointer.

Then Patrick began the second quarter with a 3-pointer to put the victors up 29-15.

The South took a 63-43 advantage early in the second half when Frazier and Patrick combined to score nine points in a 15-6 South run that all but put the game away.

Frazier and Emporia’s Sadie Webb joined Patrick in double figures for the winners with 13 points apiece. Maize’s Heather Robben added 10 points.

Holton’s Melissa Nelson paced the North squad with a game-high 19 points. Lawrence’s Danielle Bird and Sacred Heart’s Katie Pratt added 14 and 10 points respectively in defeat.