HUTCHINSON, Kan.— Both Derby basketball teams had big second halves on Tuesday night, enabling the Panthers to sweep the Salthawks, 35-16 in the girls contest and 66-52 in the boys nightcap.
GIRLS RECAP
The Hutchinson game plan was simple on Tuesday. Control the tempo and slow the game down and work for a good shot. That worked great in the first half with the Panthers only having a slim one point lead at intermission, 10 to 9. But turnovers plagued the Salthawks in the second half, as Derby promptly took advantage of those turnovers and went on a 15 to 1 run in the third quarter to lead 25 to 10 going into the fourth.
Hutchinson attempted to make a run, but Derby was just too strong and the Panthers cruised to a 35 to 16 win over the Salthawk girls.
Hutchinson Guard Josie McLean went down with an apparent knee injury in the first half and did not return to action. Her knee appeared to give out as she was attempting a layup in the 2nd quarter. The full extent of her injury will not be known until she is evaluated on Wednesday.
Hutch was led in scoring by Grace Posch with 12 points. Aliyah Green had 4 points. No one else scored for Hutchinson.
Derby was led in scoring by Addy Brown with 13 points. Destiny Smith and Jaden Wilson each had 10 points apiece for the Panther girls.
The Salthawk girls loss puts Hutch in a three-way tie for the final home sub-state seed with Maize South and Andover Central all with 14-5 records.
Final standings are determined by: 1. win-loss percentage; 2: head-to-head games; 3. marginal point differential with a maximum of +/- 15 per game.
The Salthawks (14-5) are tied with both Andover Central and Maize South in the win-loss percentage and swept Maize South this season. Hutch trails Andover Central in the point differential.
Hutchinson closes out the regular season by hosting Newton next Friday.
Derby (17-2) hosts Maize on Friday.
BOYS RECAP
The boys game went very similar to the girls contest with the Salthawks only trailing by 4 points at the half to a red hot shooting Derby team 33 to 29. But that was as close as the Salthawks would come the rest of the way, as Dallas Metzger scored 15 of his game high 18 in the third quarter and Salthawk turnovers held Hutch to only 8 points in the quarter, as Derby extended the lead to 16 points to led 53 to 37 going into the fourth.
Hutch could never get it going in the final quarter and suffered their first loss of the 2022-23 season 66 to 52 on Tuesday night.
Hutch was led in scoring by Nic Lange's 14 points. Terrell King had 9, Dauntay King 7, Wade Meyer, Garrett Robinson and Jay Lewis each scored 5. Devon Spiller added 6 points.
Derby was led by Kaden Franklin with 20 points along with Metzger's 18. Karson Fisher-Brown added 8 as well as Mason Anderson off the bench with 8. Jack Ulwelling added 6 in a reserve role.
Hutchinson (18-1) closes out the regular season by hosting Newton on Friday. Derby (14-5) hosts Maize.
The Salthawks still will receive one of the 4 top seeds in the sub-state games that start for the boys on March 1. They are tied at 18-1 with Kapaun Mt. Carmel of Wichita. Kapaun is leading in the point differential.
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