Wednesday, Jan. 09 2013 9:37AM
Playing with heart
LSN roars back in second half to beat LSW
By Stephanie Yeagle
syeagle@lsjournal.com
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ReprintThe first half was rough for Lee’s Summit North against Lee’s Summit West Jan. 4. The Titans had a solid 27-15 advantage at halftime.
But a strong second half by the Broncos gave Lee’s Summit North a 48-45 victory over their cross-town rivals.
So what happened in that first half? According to Lee’s Summit North senior forward Tyler Anderson, the Broncos were missing a key ingredient.
“We didn’t have the heart,” Anderson said. “None of us had the heart in the first half ... No one played good in the very beginning. At halftime, everyone was talking and yelling saying that we needed to get back in it ...We came out the second half and we played with them.”
The Broncos did have a 6-4 advantage in the first quarter, but the Titans went on a 7-0 run with a free throw by junior guard Monte Harrison, a basket by senior Deron Session, a shot by junior forward Dale Brown and a buzzer three-pointer by sophomore guard Ryan Williams to lead 12-6.
“I thought the first half we played pretty well,” Lee’s Summit West Michael Schieber said. “We were able to get the tempo more or less in our favor and were able to convert on some looks. The second half we were not so successful. Lee’s Summit North was able to control the tempo of the game and convert on post touches and good offensive possessions. We had too many empty possessions and bad offensive possessions the second half.”
After that halftime pep talk in the Bronco locker room, Anderson knew he had to step up. The senior only scored four points in the first half, but put in 11 points in the third quarter alone, helping the Broncos close the gap to 36-31 going into the final eight minutes of play.
“People asked me to step up and play, so that’s what I had to do,” Anderson said. “But I have to give credit to the people that gave me the ball. They gave me a perfect pass and I was just able to do what I do best and that’s drive it. That’s where I got my points and that’s how we got this victory.”
In the fourth quarter, after a basket from Lee’s Summit West sophomore guard Jarred Dixon, Bronco senior guard Devin Woods put in two shots in a row to edge closer to 38-35.
“I had to play smart,” Woods said. “The first half, I really didn’t play smart. I knew I had to come out and play with my skills and that’s drive it and that’s all.”
Williams sunk a free throw for the Titans, but Anderson followed with two free throws of his own and a basket to tie the score at 40-40 with just over three minutes left in the game. After a free throw from Williams, Woods sunk two baskets and a free throw for the Broncos to give Lee’s Summit North a 44-40 advantage, their first lead since the very beginning of the contest.
Lee’s Summit West responded with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Gary Davis, but Anderson hit a basket to make the score 46-43 with less than a minute left in the game. Williams was fouled for the Titans, but missed both free throws and senior guard Ryan Sorrell was fouled for the Broncos and sunk one shot to make the score 47-43.
With less than 30 seconds to go, Dixon hit a shot for Lee’s Summit West to close the gap to 47-45 and a timeout was taken with just 18 seconds left. The Titans fouled Lee’s Summit North senior guard Richard Chapman, who hit both free throws to seal the victory.
“We were ready for them,” Woods said. “We were determined. It was a good game. I’m so happy that we won.”
Anderson led the Broncos, now 7-2, with 19 points, followed by Chapman with 13 points and Woods with 11 points. Sorrell had three points, Andrew Spellman had two points and Caleb Berry added one point.
The Titans, 8-2, were led in scoring by Dixon with 14 points, followed by Brown with eight points and Williams with seven points. Harrison and Davis had five points each, Trevor Gregory had four points and Session had two points.
This is the third time the Lee’s Summit North seniors have beaten the Titans in their high school careers. They lost to Lee’s Summit West last season by two points.
“We wanted this,” Woods said. “This is the biggest, to beat West.”
“Nobody has been talking about us this whole season,” Anderson added. “Everybody was talking about West, but we came out and beat them. That’s one thing we are going to show people. That we can win.”
