Kristian Ryan poured in a game-high 31 points, Ty Heitschmidt added 14, and Smoky Valley won their third straight game for the first time this season as the Vikings beat Trinity Catholic 61-53 on Tuesday in Hutchinson.
Trinity Catholic was the team that started strong, leading 12-2 less the 2 minutes into the game. But Smoky Valley settled in, trailing 18-14 after one quarter and building a 32-30 lead at halftime.
The end of the third quarter was the turning point. Tied 43-43, the Celtics had the ball, but a careless turnover led to a Heitschmidt dunk. He was fouled as well but missed the free throw. But Heitschmidt got the rebound and dunked again. Then, in the final seconds, Heitschmidt dropped in a 35-footer at the buzzer.
The Celtics turned up their defense in the fourth quarter, holding Smoky Valley to 11 points, but they couldn’t make a run.
Lawson Dowsey led Trinity Catholic with a career-high 17 points. Beau Towell tied a career-best with 12 points, and Alex Guajardo added 11.
Smoky Valley improved to 8-4, and the Celtics fell to 4-10.
