COLONY — The 1A-Division I substate tournament began on Thursday at Crest. Marmaton Valley and Crest’s boys basketball teams battled in a tough defensive game but Crest defended home court, winning 44-41.
With the victory, Crest (11-9) advances to take on the top-seeded Olpe squad in the substate semifinals. Marmaton Valley sees its season end at 6-12.
Neither team could find an advantage early in the game, going shot for shot through the first quarter. Crest began to have issues with turnovers though, and the Wildcats capitalized. Despite that, Crest held a three-point lead at the end of the first.
Marmaton Valley’s Jaedon Granere hit a three early in the second to knot things up 11-11.
Going to the break, it was a dead heat, 22-22.
Toward the end of the third, an Ethan Prasko jumper put Crest up 30-29.
Senior Tucker Yocham had an outstanding third quarter, scoring nine points, all coming via the deep ball. That three-point shooting helped Crest go to the fourth up 33-32.
The two teams continued to exchange the lead. Crest’s Keaton Davis came up clutch in the fourth with four points and went 2-2 from the free throw line.
After trading fouls, Crest led by three but Marmaton Valley’s Carter Burton stood on the line for a series of free throws with just two seconds left. Burton missed both shots and the home crowd erupted and spilled onto the floor.
Yocham’s 15 points led the Lancers. Prasko had eight. Davis ended with six. Stetson Setter had four. Holden Barker, Karter Miller, and Matt Beckmon had three each. Ethan Godderz had two.
“We thought we were capable of doing this,” Yocham said, surrounded by his peers. “We have been putting in the work all season.”
Quincy Adams led the Wildcats with 16. Granere had 11. Dylan Drake had six. Burton and Brayden Lawson finished with four apiece.
“We knew coming in it was going to be a good fight and it was,” said Crest’s first-year head coach Dakota Sporing. “It was really physical. In our last huddle before the free throws, I told them it would come down to our work in the weight room and our conditioning.”
