Banking the ball off glass and watching it fall through the hoop was a common move all night for senior Conor Dunback.
Dunback said his ability to get to the rim and score kind of just happened as a result of the defensive looks the Cardinals were receiving from Independence.
“They were in a triangle and two, so two guys were pressuring Logan (Sullivan) and Cole (Parker),” Dunback said. “That opened up gaps for me and other teammates.”
Dunback’s team-leading 18 points helped the Cardinals take down Independence 57-39 in the team’s first sub-state game Tuesday night.
“We played good team basketball and everyone played their role how they were supposed to,” senior Micah Barron said. “I thought it was a good win.”
Head coach Kyle Deterding gave credit to Barron and sophomore Errol Siemon for battling with Independence’s big center, senior Easton Ewing. Ewing was an all-state player last season as well.
“I don’t think he came out of the game, so he had to be tired because Micah and Errol really do a great job battling big guys,” Deterding said. “They were both giving up seven, eight inches to him, so they really battled hard.”
With his tight defense, Barron forced Ewing into some tough looks that he couldn’t convert. Barron said this type of matchup is nothing new for him.
“Everyone I guard is taller than me, so I’m pretty used to being outmatched,” he said. “I just got to be physical and beat them to the spot always.”
The Cardinals didn’t really find their groove in the game until the second quarter. During the quarter, the team outscored Independence 17-4 and five different Cardinals made a basket.
Parker and seniors Kale Hammerschmidt and Maddox Votaw each hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter to contribute to the scoring.
Dunback capped off the big quarter with a buzzer-beating layup on an assist from Parker. The Cardinals led 32-15 at halftime.
After a third quarter that saw the Cardinals only score nine points, Dunback provided the spark to get the Cardinals going again in the game’s final period. Dunback scored six straight points to give the team a 20-point lead and end any chance of a comeback by Independence.
Deterding said he is always happy to get a win during playoff time.
“It was a fun game. I mean, you get to this time of the year sometimes they’re not the prettiest and sometimes they are, but you got to win to play again,” Deterding said. “So we got that objective done so we get to play again.”
The Cardinals will move on to play Wamego in the second round of sub-state. With a win, the team will advance to the state tournament in Salina.
The Cardinals defeated Wamego 46-33 the last time the teams played in early February.
“We kind of know what they do, and they kind of know what we do,” Dunback said. “So we got to maybe switch something up, but we’ll see.”
The game will start at 7 p.m. Friday.
Reach reporter Jack Denebeim at [email protected].
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