1A and 3A Semifinal Standouts

<p>It all comes down to this. The final games are set at the 1A and 3A divisions. 3A pits Galena against Hesston. 1A Div. 1 will see Olpe against South Gray, and Div. 2 matches Hanover against McPherson-Elyria Christian.</p> <p>Here are a handful of top performers from the semifinal games:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080164" first="Tyler" last="Little"], sophomore, Galena:</p> <p>Little is a versatile and talented 6-foot-5 athlete who was efficient in the win over Rock Creek. He hit 7-10 from the field and helped shut down high-scoring [player_tooltip player_id="889475" first="Dawson" last="Zenger"]. He is tough in the lane both as a rebounder and defender, and is elite at running the floor. He moves without the ball, has great eye-hand coordination and is deadly in the post.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="889475" first="Dawson" last="Zenger"], senior, Rock Creek (pictured):</p> <p>So much has been written about Zenger on this site, but he deserves one more shout-out. He wasn’t able to produce the kind of scoring in the final game that would have been required to defeat Galena. But Zenger was a warrior who didn’t go down easily. Though it required 23 shots, the senior recorded 21 points. He had a gutty and determined cast around him, but no one was able to shoulder enough of the scoring load. Zenger was one of the state’s greatest scorers in his illustrious career.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Schulte</strong>, senior, TMP-Marian:</p> <p>The story was [player_tooltip player_id="891932" first="Cason" last="Richardson"] for Hesston, who recorded 36 points in downing TMP. But Schulte finished his career with 23 points in the loss. The 6-foot-1 guard is more than just a scorer, defending with energy and distributing the ball. But when his team needed him, he dropped 5-12 from behind the arc and provided gritty leadership.</p> <p><strong>Brent Penner</strong>, junior, South Gray:</p> <p>While <strong>Aaron Skidmore</strong> has all the accolades and <strong>Brady Deges</strong> frequently gets recognized, it was Penner who was the workhorse on Friday. The 6-foot-2 junior hit 8-11 from the field for 18 points, and hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds while helping to shut down Ness City’s [player_tooltip player_id="946252" first="Taylor" last="Cable"].</p> <p><strong>Dawson Stoecklein</strong>, junior, Ness City:</p> <p>Ness City didn’t have enough to overcome the tough South Gray club. But Stoecklein served notice he’s a weapon to be reckoned with. The 5-foot-10 junior hit 5-8 from behind the arc to lead Ness City with 15 points.</p> <p><strong>Chris Olsson</strong>, senior, Olpe:</p> <p>Yes, [player_tooltip player_id="1134441" first="Jordan" last="Barnard"] had a special game with 24 points in the win over the Redskins. But Olpe is deep and talented and ready to add a basketball trophy to their one from football, and it seems someone new steps up every game. Friday it was the 6-foot-1 forward Olsson who hit 8-10 from the field for 16 points. Little River has talented scorers, but Olsson helped slow them down just enough.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="962478" first="Jayden" last="Garrison"], senior, Little River:</p> <p>Like Zenger, Garrison deserves recognition for his final high school game. An elite multi-sport star at Little River, Garrison went down with a whale of a fight. He took 23 shots trying to keep the Redskins in the game, netting 28 points. His all-out attack saw him get to the line 13 times, where he hit 9 free throws.</p>