BY BUDDY TABLER
ST. JOHN — Pretty offensive basketball it wasn’t.
Rugged defense it was as Larned went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to edge past St. John’s girls 33-32 in a low-scoring affair.
St. John squeezed out to a 6-point lead, early in the fourth quarter and their fans smelled victory.
But, for the first time, the Larned girls put together a 9-0 scoring run to grab a 4-point lead with a minute remaining. St. John’s Reagan Bonner nailed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to pull within 33-32, but Larned escaped several late-game foul attempts and inbound situations for the win.
St. John's Reagan Bonner scored 11 points while Gentri Bright scored 9, Jayin Fisher 8 and Lillian Brummer 4. Bright had a strong night on defense and led the Tigers with 8 rebounds.
Larned's Jadyn Crosby and Brooke Simmons each scored 10 points. Cammu Upson scored 6, Lauren Sleder 4 and Cassidy Wachs 2 on a night where both defenses controlled the play.
Larned led 6-5 after the first quarter as both teams struggled to find any offensive efficiency. They still led 17-15 at halftime but the Lady Tigers had grabbed a 22-19 edge by the third quarter mark.
Larned made 12 of 36 field goals (33%) and St. John shot 9 of 38 (23%). St. John converted 9 of 16 free throws while Larned converted 6 of 9.
Larned’s girls (4-1) travel to Kingman Friday.
ST. JOHN BOYS 77, LARNED 66 — St. John’s Emmett Delp’s 32 points overcame Larned’s Kylier Greene’s 26 points for a 77-66 non-league basketball victory.
St. John's Braxton Alpers had a strong game, leading in rebounding and scoring 14 points. Wyatt Mawhirter scored 14 and Jace Reyes posted 12.
Larned's Andres Martinez drilled 4 3-pointers for 12 points. Tristan Regan had a strong defensive effort and led the Indians in rebounding. He scored 8 points while Grady Pinkston scored 6, Landis Hagerman and Koby Lang 5, and Javon Topps 4.
The high-scoring game was close from the outset as St. John carved out a 20-17 first-quarter lead the Tigers maintained 39-38 at halftime and 56-54 at the three-quarter mark.
The Tigers’ Delp roamed inside and outside canning 3-pointers and scoring underneath to keep St.John in the slim lead. Meanwhile Larned’s Greene was bullying his way in the paint for inside baskets, keeping Larned close.
Both teams were scorching the nets in the first half as Larned made 16 of 23 field goal attempts for 69% and St.John made 14 of 24 for 58%. Larned committed 11 first-half turnovers or they, perhaps, would have grabbed an advantage by halftime.
The game turned late in the fourth quarter when Delp canned two 3-pointers and Braxton Alpers grabbed another rebound and put it back in and it spurred the Tigers to a five-point edge. Larned had two turnovers on their next possessions and had to begin fouling and the Tigers were true at the free throw line to extend their advantage and seal the win.
St. John made 25 of 47 field goals (53%) and won the game with 18 of free throws. Larned converted 5 of 6 free throws. The Indians had four more field goals in the game than St.John , 29 of 48, for 60%.
Larned (1-4) travel to Kingman Friday.
