Indians fall short against defending champs

BY NICK CORN

The eight-seed St. Paul Indians met the one-seed and defending KSHSAA 1A-1 state champion Hanover Wildcats in the first round of the state tournament on Wednesday in Dodge City.
The Indians kept the game in check through one quarter of play, trailing the Wildcats 17-11 after the initial eight minutes of the game.

 
The Wildcats began to pull away in the second, but a deep Braven Born triple found bottom of the net before the halftime buzzer to bring the Indians to within single digits at halftime.

 
Hanover proved to be the more experienced team in the third quarter as they found their composure and started hitting more shots that weren’t falling in the first half. In the end, the Wildcats cruised to a 61-40 win over the Indians.

 
Born led St. Paul with 15 points in the contest, the only Indian in double figures. Fellow sophomore Brenden Doherty scored 7.

 
While the Indians’ season abruptly ended, it was one to remember. After winning just four games a year ago, this year’s squad cracked double digits with 11 wins in head coach Rick Haney’s inaugural season at the helm of St. Paul basketball.

 
To make things more impressive, the Indians won their sub-state bracket and made it to state for the first time in over a decade, and they did it without a single senior on the varsity roster. With added confidence and experience, expect the Indians to make waves again in nine months.