Wichita Heights extends streak to 48

Sporting the No. 14 ranking in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, Joe Auer and his Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kan.) boys basketball team left home and headed up Interstate 35 for the first true road trip of the 2011-12 season Saturday.

And Auer didn't hide the fact that his squad played like it in a 54-48 win over Raytown South (Raytown, Mo.) at the 17th HyVee Shootout Basketball Classic at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.

"As a coach, you feel empty when your team turns the ball over 19 times against an opponent that really isn't pressuring you," Auer. "We don't travel much and it really was our first road trip. We seemed to be about a half a step slow and we had no rhythm. It was a good game to survive and win."

Although the Kansas three-time defending Class 6A state basketball champion Falcons are designed to play up-tempo, Perry Ellis and the rest of his Falcon clan found themselves playing grind-it-out, patient basketball for much of the night.

The pedestrian pace seemed to suit the 6-foot-8 Kansas-bound Ellis just fine as he ripped the cords for a game-high 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

"We just have to play within the game," Ellis said. "Some teams will try to play us slow and we have to adjust."

For Raytown South head coach Brad Oestreich, slowing down the pace of the game was a necessity due to the mismatches created by Ellis and the 6-7 Missouri State-bound Gavin Thurman, who transferred from Southeast High School in Wichita for his senior season. Just like Ellis, Thurman is capable of playing just about anywhere on the floor.

"We needed to shorten the contest," Oestreich said. "We had to limit their touches. We played slower than we have, but we felt like we had to. We had to value each of our possessions. Ellis is so tall. He's so big. And Thurman basically plays the point."

Ellis and Thurman, who finished the night with 12 points and 13 rebounds, led the Falcons on an 8-0 run to start the game. Raytown South guard Diago Tyson put the Cardinals on the board for the first time with 4:13 left in the opening period, spearheading a 9-0 Cardinals run that put the hosts up for the first time.

Then, with the score tied, Raytown South's Earl Peterson buried a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Raytown South up 15-12, giving the Cardinals plenty of momentum going into the second period.

"Tyson got active and they made some tough shots," Auer said.

Oestreich said his team's early woes may have stemmed from the fact that he lost four starters from a year ago, including the transfer of Ishmail Wainwright to Montrose Christian in Rockville, Maryland.

All week the Cardinals heard about how they didn't have a chance against Heights, a team that now rides a 48-game winning streak. The Falcons last lost during the 2009-10 season when Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) upended Wichita Heights 75-70 at the HyVee Shootout.

"I'm really proud of our kids," Oestreich said. "If we make a free throw here, or if we don't turn the ball over there the game may have turned out different. We did a great job of executing."

Wichita Heights bounced back to earn a 22-20 halftime advantage and maintained the lead throughout the second half. The Falcons were unable to take advantage of poor Raytown South shooting from the charity stripe. For the night, the Cardinals were an icy 7 of 19 and missed six front ends of one-and-ones.

Raytown South stayed in the game by taking care of the ball, turning it over just 11 times on the night.

"Raytown South is athletic and they definitely attacked the basket," Auer said. "They just didn't shoot free throws very well. We were very, very fortunate to win the game. We missed a lot of layups and with the turnovers we were never able to take advantage of our opportunities and separate."

Tyson led the Cardinals with 22 points, while Peterson rolled in 20 points and had a pair of assists and steals. Joseph JohnsonJoseph Johnson was held scoreless for the Cardinals, but he did dish out a game-high six assists and swiped three steals, another game high. Gabe Lynch scored seven points for Wichita Heights and dished out four assists.

For the game, Raytown South shot 34.6 percent from the field, while the Falcons were 20 of 45 from the field and 12 of 18 from the charity stripe. Heights outrebounded the Cardinals 40-22 for the game.

"This was my third year here," Ellis said of the Shootout. "It's a great atmosphere."

With the win Wichita Heights moves to 4-0 on the season. Raytown South drops to 3-4.