BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
ST. JOHN — Last year’s 1A state runner-up St. John was down and out when Nickerson dropped the Tigers 58-46 Jan. 24 in the Mid-Winter Classic. Head coach Clint Kinnnamon and standout Tanner Halling (17 ppg) missed that semifinal game with illness.
But the Tigers (21-3) will ride into Dodge City for the 1A state tournament with a 12-game winning streak since that loss. They’ll play Frankfort (16-9) in Wednesday’s 4:45 p.m. game at Dodge City.
St. John coach Clint Kinnamon (363-100) owns four state basketball titles, three runner-up finishes and a pair of third-place finishes in 10 state trips. The Tigers captured state basketball titles in 1974, 1982, 2007, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The 6-foot-7 Tanner Halling scored 26 points as the Tigers downed South Gray 65-52 in the 1A substate championship in a rematch of their 1A semifinal game two years ago. The Tigers also defeated Pretty Prairie 62-43, Stafford 57-29 and Kiowa County 40-34 en route to the state tournament.
The Tigers’ senior class is riding a three-year streak of two runner-up state finishes (2017, 2019) and a third-place finish (2018). Last year, the Tigers lost 40-28 to two-time state champion Central Plains in the 1A state championship game.
Kinnamon tried several zones and matchups against South Gray’s Aaron Skidmore, who scored 27 points.
“We mixed it up defensively. We guarded them pretty well other than Skidmore, who’s easily the best player we’ve seen all year,” Kinnamon said. “Defensively, we played every zone we had and mixed our defense. The key was the job Marshall Wolf and Joel Ortiz did against their shooter Brady Deges. Skidmore made some tough shots, but we did block five of his shots. We’re a complete contrast of styles the way most teams play these days. What I like about our game is our inside game is more reliable than living and dying with 3-point shots.”
Marshall Woolf (10 ppg, 2.4 apg), point guard Joel Ortiz (6 ppg, 2.6 apg), 6-7 Eli Delp (6 ppg) and Trey Fisher (5 ppg) compliment Halling’s inside presence.
The Tigers average 2.5 3-pointers per game because of their selective shot selection. Kinnamon said the Tigers buy into a team-oriented style of basketball where everyone makes an extra pass.
“We want a good quality shot,” Kinnamon said. “We played pretty efficient offense against South Gray. We’re a tad better offensively than what we were earlier in the year. We’re getting the basketball reversed better against defenses and getting our players on the move.”
Kinnamon hopes the Tigers’ patient style of play and Halling’s inside presence is an advantage.
“We’ll see teams like Frankfort, who who are athletic and run well,” he said. “They are a team that can change how they play.”
The Tigers prefer man-to-man defense mixed with zone and pressure schemes.
ST. JOHN TIGERS
0—Marshall Woolf, 6-1, PG, 12
1—Preston Dunn, 5-9, G, 10
2—Joel Ortiz, 5-7, G, 12
3—Hunter Smith, 5-9, G, 10
4—Trey Fisher, 6-1, F, 12
5—Ethan Son, 5-10. G, 9
10—Uriel Calleros, 5-10, G, 10
15—Edwin Fernandez, 5-8, G, 11
20—Adrian Adame, 5-10, G, 10
24—Toby Woolf, 6-2, SG, 11
43—Elijah Delp, 6-7, F, 10
44—Tanner Halling, 6-7, C, 12
1A BOYS DODGE CITY WEDNESDAY
3 p.m.—Little River 21-3 vs St. Francis 15-7.
4:45 p.m.—St. John 21-3 vs. Frankfort 19-6
6:30 p.m.—Berean Academy 24-0 vs. Stockton 14-11
8:15 p.m.—:Lebo 21-3 vs. South Central 20-5
ST. JOHN BOYS HISTORY (29-6)
13 STATE TRIPS (6-3 FINALS)
2020—St. John 59, Frankfort 38; St. John vs. Little River
2019—St. John 53, Hanover 48; St. John 43, Osborne 37, OT; CHAMPIONSHIP—Central Plains 40, St. John 28
2018—2A—St. John 49, LeRoy Coffey County 35; South Gray 43, St. John 37; THIRD PLACE—St. John 81, Centralia 49
2017—2A—St. John 51, Pittsburg Colgan 38; St. John 52, Lawrence Seabury 51 (6 OT); CHAMPIONSHIP—Salina Sacred Heart 59, St. John 51
2015—2A—St. John 83, Ellis 41; St. John 71, Washington Co. 53; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 49, Central Plains 44; Coach—Clint Kinnamon
2014—2A—St. John 69, Washington County 42; St. John 57, Olpe 47; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 71, Plainville 58; Coach—Clint Kinnamon
2013—1A DIV. 1—St. John 68, Burrton 44; St. John 61, Centralia 56; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 70, South Haven 50; Coach—Clint Kinnamon
2008—2A—St. John 58, Syracuse 35; St. John 56, Frankfort 52; CHAMPIONSHIP—Pittsburg Colgan 53, St. John 48
2007—2A—St. John 52, Syracuse 28; St. John 44, Yates Center 26; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 51, Pittsburg Colgan 46; Coach—Clint Kinnamon
2004—2A—St. John 65, Leavenworth Immaculata 57; Pittsburg Colgan 69, St. John 65; THIRD PLACE—St. John 58, Syracuse 49
2002—2A—Pittsburg Colgan 61, St. John 47
1982—2A—St. John 74, Sedan 44; St. John 54, Stan-ton County 53; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 57, Canton-Galva 48; Coach—Loren Wiens
1974—2A—St. John 60, Hillsboro 56; St. John 56, Basehor 47; CHAMPIONSHIP—St. John 48, Frankfort 41; Coach—Ivan Williams
