McPHERSON, Kan. – After a couple of tough losses to begin the McPherson Invitational Tournament, the McPherson High School Boys Basketball team returned home, defeating El Dorado 74-49 on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
McPherson (7-7) was short-handed on Tuesday, but their offense led them to a new season-high in points scored. The Bullpups shot 48% as a team, despite just shooting 4/13 on three-point shots. The team also drew 24 fouls, converting on 18/29 free throws.
After a tightly-knit first quarter, McPherson pulled away to lead 35-26 at halftime. 31 of the team’s 35 points at halftime were combined by senior guard Jett Pyle (15) and freshman forward Eli Reasoner (16), and they only had four different scorers. McPherson foundmore success in their ball movement in the second half, as nine different Bullpups ended up scoring.
El Dorado (3-10) used a physical lineup to force 11 free-throw attempts in the first half, converting on seven of those attempts. The outside shooting was more prominent in the second half, shooting 4/13 compared to 1/8 in the first half, but they only went 1/4 at the free-throw line in the final two quarters. Defensively, they forced six turnovers in the first half, but only forced two turnovers in the second half. The Wildcats finished with 16 turnovers.
Reasoner led McPherson with 25 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Pyle ended with 22 points. El Dorado was led by William Lechtenberg’s 15 points. Nate Lucero hit key outside shots in the second half, closing with 10 points.
McPherson will play for 7th place in the McPherson Invitational against Lawrence Free State on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 1:30 p.m., ahead of the start of the Mid America Classic. El Dorado will have time off before facing Buhler on Tuesday, Feb. 3, as the El Dorado Girls host the Lady Cat Classic.
SCORING BREAKDOWN
McPherson: 20-15-18-21 – 74
El Dorado: 15-11-10-13 – 49
McPherson: Reasoner – 25, Pyle – 22, Ingels – 9, Cooper – 5, Harrison – 4, Becker – 3, Strathman – 2, Buchman – 2, Pelzel – 2.
El Dorado: Lechtenberg – 15, Lucero – 10, Mays – 8, Sheffler – 7, Wight – 6, Klein – 2, Beggs – 1.
