KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The McPherson High School Boys Basketball season ended on Wednesday, March 11, in the State Quarterfinal at Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) Fieldhouse, falling to unbeaten No. 2 Atchison 73-53.
Atchison took a 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, as their first seven points were scored by junior Jeremiah Thompson, who finished with a team-high 29 points. McPherson battled back to take a 28-27 halftime lead, as senior Jett Pyle caught fire to have 14 points going into the locker room.
However, Atchison had a strong second half, starting by outscoring McPherson 27-8 in the third quarter. McPherson tried to fight back in the final frame, hitting five of their season-high 10 three-pointers in the quarter, but Atchison pulled away to win, 73-53, advancing to the State Semifinal.
Pyle finished with 24 points to lead the Bullpups. Cole Cooper contributed with 12 points. Ashton Malm had 10.
Alongside Thompson’s 29 points, Atchison also had strong scoring efforts with Kael Williams‘ 13 points and Yogi Purdy‘s 12.
McPherson’s season ends with a 16-10 record. The season’s leading scorer was senior Jett Pyle, who finished the season averaging 19.3 points per game. Freshman forward Eli Reasoner was the second-highest, averaging 16.3 per game, despite not playing in the last five games due to injury.
Atchison improves to 26-0. They will head to the Hutchinson Sports Arena on Friday, March 13, for the 4A State Semifinal against Baldwin. No. 6 Baldwin defeated No. 3 Pratt 50-48 on Wednesday evening. The other 4A Semifinal is between No. 1 Rock Creek (26-0) and No. 4 Hugoton (22-4).
