SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hutchinson Trinity Catholic High School alum Kaleb Hammeke scored 22 points to lead Fort Hays State University to the MIAA Tournament championship Sunday at Municipal Auditorium.
Hammeke sank two free throws with 27 seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 72-71 lead over Central Oklahoma, sealing the game-winning points and sending FHSU to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Hammeke played all 40 minutes of the championship game, finishing with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Over three tournament games, the graduate student averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 38.0 minutes per contest.
His younger brother, Lucas Hammeke, also on the FHSU roster, scored six points and recorded a team-high five assists in the title game. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the tournament.
Kaleb Hammeke, a 2019 Trinity Catholic graduate, became FHSU’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season. The 6-foot guard has totaled 2,048 points and 575 rebounds in 142 career games, all of which he started.
Lucas Hammeke, a 2021 Trinity Catholic graduate, has appeared in 57 career games, averaging 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
The Tigers secured their second MIAA Tournament title and their first since 2011. They enter the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 22-9 record, finishing 12-7 in MIAA play.
Fort Hays State will be the No. 7 seed in the Washburn regional and will face No. 2 Minnesota State University Moorehead (23-8) on Saturday at 1 p.m.