first half scoring he put himself in a position to do it, so I just told him let's go get it!”
By GARY VAN CLEAVE
Special to Great Bend Tribune
ELLINWOOD -- The Scoring Monster is sending a message to his own Ellinwood Eagles’ teammates as well as upcoming opponents.
To his mates, hop aboard his back. To Eagle foes, go ahead. Double and triple team him. Make his day.
Friday night, senior Landon Simpson set two school records against Kinsley. Simpson scored 50 points, including 11 3-pointers, as Ellinwood improved to 10-8.
“Still have no words for it, I am stunned,” Simpson said. “I’ve been wanting this for a while now and knowing that I was at 30 at half, I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from getting the record.”
The previous top Eagle mark was 48 set two years ago by Britton Dutton.
After a 20-point, first-quarter barrage, Simpson netted 10 in the second stanza for 30 at halftime.
“My coach said I had to be within five entering the fourth quarter or I was not going to be able to get the record,” Simpson said. “I knew I had to score a lot in the third.”
Ellinwood coach Jaron Lane encouraged Simpson's record quest.
“The record was something he wanted an opportunity at from the beginning of the year," Lane said. "Stay aggressive and keep finding looks for yourself. To do it with a record that was set by a truly phenomenal player in Britt Dutton two years ago, I knew it was going to be a tough goal to achieve. With his first-half scoring he put himself in a position to do i. I told him let's go get it!”
He fired in 16 points, including four 3s in the third period, to give him 46 entering the final stanza.
Simpson, averaging 22 points on 52% shooting from the field, misfired on a 3 that would have broken the record.
“My freshman teammate Kellan Behnke helped me out and slapped the ball back to me,” Simpson said. “I drove in and got to the line.”
Simpson, a 66% shooter from the free throw line, wasn’t nervous at the line.
“When I got to the line, I didn’t even feel nerves at all, but when I hit the first free throw, it all came to me,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t end the game with 49 points so I had to hit the second.”
“He got fouled, stepped up to the line, and didn't touch anything other than the bottom of the net on both of them to get to 50,” Lane said.
The student section showered him with a chant.
“It was an amazing feeling hearing the crowd go wild and starting the chant of ‘THAT’S THE RE-CORD,” he said.
“It was exciting,” Campbell Coleman said. “It felt like he just didn’t miss all night and was really feeling his shot. He was finding his shots and hitting them. Really proud of him, he worked really hard for this and he went out and earned it.”
It marked the seventh game he’s scored at least 30 points this year.
“He just couldn’t miss and hunted his shots really well,” Cade Coleman said. “It was really exciting especially with the home crowd.”
“It was a pretty incredible night for him," Lane said. "He came out early and played aggressive. He was hitting everything.
"Breaking the records for made 3s on the same night with 11 definitely helps getting there to 50. I couldn't be more proud of him. As great a player as he is, he's an even better young man. He absolutely deserved this moment.”
Campbell Coleman concluded with this.
“It’s more of a statement that smaller towns are capable of producing great athletes,” the elder Coleman noted.
ELLINWOOD 79, KINSLEY 39 — Ellinwood all-stater Landon Simpson scored 50 points to break Brit Dutton's 48-point school record in a 79-39 Central Prairie League basketball victory over Kinsley. Simpson converted two free throws to break Dutton's record in 2021.
Simpson's school-record 11 3-pointers also broke the previous school record previously shared by Brett Detter (2007) and Mike Drees (1994). Layton Wirtz added 14 points, The Eagles converted 17 3-pointers to outscore Kinsley 51-3 from long range.
Kinsley's Johnathan Meza scored 15 points.
Kinsley 7 13 13 6— 39
Ellinwood 32 16 25 6 — 79
KINSLEY (2-15, 1-6) (FG 3 FT TP)—Jonathan Meza 6 3-5 15, Anthony Meza 5 0-0 10, Prieto 2 0-0 4, Zambrano 0 1-2 1, Stuckey 1 2-2 4, Lancaster (1) 0-0 3, Anderson 1 0-0 2, Totals 16 (1) 6-8 39
ELLINWOOD (10-8, 4-3) (FG 3 FT TP)—Simpson 16 (11) 7-8 50, Wirtz 5 (4) 0-0 14, Campbell Coleman 1 1-2 3, Heinz (1) 0-0 3, Brack (1) 0-0 3, Hosman 2 0-0 4, Zook 1 0-0 2, Totals 27 (17) 8-10 79
ELLINWOOD GIRLS 59, KINSLEY 24 — The No. 8 state-ranked Ellinwood girls coasted past Kinsley 59-24 in Friday's Central Prairie League basketball game.
Ellinwood (16-2, 7-1 CPL) featured Brynn Widener (14), Julia Schlessiger (12) and Alyvia Batchman (10) in double figures. The Eagles converted 10 3-pointers to outscore Kinsley 30-0 from long range.
Kinsley 6 2 8 8— 24
Ellinwood 19 14 25 1 — 59
KINSLEY (3-14, 1-5)—Kirkwood 5 1-2 11, Holguin 5 0-0 10, Rice 1 1-2 3, Totals 11 2-4 24
ELLINWOOD (16-2, 7-1)—Brynn Widener 4 (3) 3-4 14, Schlessiger 5 2-2 12, Batchman (4) 2 0-0 10, Jacobs (3) 0-0 9, Maxwell 3 (2) 0-0 8, Ritchie 2 1-4 5, Bryant 0 1-2 1, Totals 21 (10) 7-12 59
