WICHITA, Kan. — Top-seeded Sterling left little doubt Wednesday night in their title defense.
The Black Bears rolled past No. 8 seed Douglass 77-29 in the Class 2A boys state quarterfinals at Charles Koch Arena on the Wichita State campus, improving to 26-0 on the season.
Sterling never trailed and seized control immediately, building a 25-11 lead after one quarter before extending the margin to 40-16 by halftime. The Black Bears then put the game away with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Douglass 23-3 to take a 63-19 advantage into the fourth.
Boston Ekart led Sterling with 20 points, while Blake Smith added 12. Zane Farney scored 10, and Jacob Lewis chipped in eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sterling shot 46.9 percent from the field, forced 20 turnovers and turned those miscues into 31 points. The Black Bears also owned the paint, outscoring Douglass 54-10 inside.
Brody Rush paced Douglass with 14 points, while Kane Ast added eight. The Bulldogs finished 13-12.
Sterling advances to Friday’s Class 2A state semifinal and will face St. Marys at 5:30 p.m. at White Auditorium on the Emporia State campus.