GLEN GRUNWALD
Hutch Post
EMPORIA, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawk boys basketball team used smothering "stick like glue" defense to force 24 Pittsburg Purple Dragon turnovers, which produced 31 Salthawk points en route to an 84-51 win in the Class 5A boys state quarterfinals Thursday night at White Auditorium.
Hutch jumped into the lead by forcing two Purple Dragon turnovers and knocking down two three-pointers in the first two minutes. The early treys helped Hutchinson build a 21-8 lead at the end of one quarter. Hutch went 6-for-13 from beyond the arc before the break to extend the lead to 38-18 after two quarters thanks to Garret Robinson's three long-range bombs, along with Julian Smith's 3-for-3 from long distance off the bench.
Pittsburg got a big night out of Mason English, who paced the Dragons with 22 points. The Salthawks held English below his season average of 29.2 points per game. The Salthawk defense also frustrated English, who committed five first-half turnovers, 10 for the game.
Hutchinson pushed the lead to as many as 35 points in the second half with the Salthawk reserves going 12-of-18 in the fourth quarter, including 4-for-6 from three-point land.
Hutchinson was led in scoring by junior sharpshooter Julian Smith. Smith had a career-high 22 points, including 6-for-7 from three. Garrett Robertson added 17, Dauntay King 13, Nic Lange 12, Terrell King eight, Jax Heneha five, Wade Meyer three, Bradyn Rodriquez and Tai Clark each scored two points to round out the Salthawk scoring.
Pittsburg's English had 22 points and nine rebounds for a near double-double. Nate Mitchell came off the bench to score nine for the Purple Dragons, Daniel Hastings added six, Jayden Brown four and Jackson Turnbull, Jovani Salas and Joseph Cronister each scored two points.
The Pittsburg season ends at 17-6, while the Salthawks roll to 22-1 and face Wichita's Kapaun Mt. Carmel, also 22-1, Friday night at 8 in semi-final action. Former Hutchinson Blue Dragon coach Steve Eck is at Kapaun after a 12-year run for the Blue Dragons. Kapaun eliminated Blue Valley Southwest 58-48 in one of the previous quarterfinal games Thursday. Salthawk head coach Bryan Miller is a former assistant of Eck.
Top-seed Topeka-Highland Park will play Andover in the other boys semi-final game Friday. Highland Park eliminated Basehor-Linwood and Andover beat Maize South in previous games earlier Thursday.
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