4A Day One Players of the Game

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4A's top talent was on display in Salina Wednesday. Four great teams moved on, while four others went home. But they all left a big impression. Here are some thoughts:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 Hugoton defeated #8 Clay Center 80-63:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clay Center made a valiant effort to come back from a big deficit, but in the end Hugoton was just too deep, too talented and too explosive. [player_tooltip player_id='1080203' first='Ryle' last='Riddlesperger'] was on fire in the first half and made some big shots in the second half. Desean Lewis was impressive running the point, and [player_tooltip player_id='1378394' first='Carson' last='Bennett'] put all his talents on display. Hugoton also has size in I<strong>saac Martin</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1378448' first='Emmett' last='Gaskill'] and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2387756' first='Izeyah' last='Harris']</strong> off the bench. The Eagles played with the kind of fiery attitude of a team on a mission.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1080203' first='Ryle' last='Riddlesperger'], 6-foot-2 guard, 2023, Hugoton:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riddlesperger displayed for the rest of the state just how dangerous an offensive weapon he can be. He lit Clay Center up with 15 points in the first half, finishing with 23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#4 Eudora defeated #5 Baldwin 46-42 (OT):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The closest game of the day, Baldwin stayed in the game by completely shutting down Eudora's high scoring wing [player_tooltip player_id='1461341' first='Logan' last='Sullivan']. Neither team was good offensively, probably due to great effort at the defensive end. Baldwin senior [player_tooltip player_id='1357791' first='Caleb' last='Carr'] was frustrated into poor shooting and just 8 points. Once Eudora got the edge, they hit their free throws to finish it off. Big man <strong>Samuel Darnell</strong> took up a lot of the slack for Baldwin, pounding the paint for 12 points and a lot of rebounds. But it wasn't quite enough.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Player of the Game: <strong>Cole Parker</strong>, 6-foot-2 forward, 2023, Eudora:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eudora senior <strong>Conor Dunback</strong> was really the player of the game. But he made such a big impression, we'll discuss him in a separate article. Parker took up some of the scoring slack from Sullivan, particularly late. He's a smooth scorer in the midrange with a dead-on jumper. He was clutch from the line late and finished with 17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#2 McPherson defeated #7 Wellington 71-49:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McPherson controlled this game throughout. Talented Wellington scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1146299' first='Jack' last='Wright'] did his best to keep the Crusaders in it, but McPherson just had too much firepower. The Bullpups ran like crazy, scored off turnovers, and shot it effectively. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321572' first='Gabe' last='Pyle']</strong> lit it up from deep to give McPherson a lead they would not relinquish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players of the game: [player_tooltip player_id='1461339' first='Cory' last='Muehler'], 6-foot guard, 2024, McPherson and [player_tooltip player_id='1436793' first='Kyden' last='Thompson'], 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, McPherson:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muehler is so good. He is always in control, scores with ease, and is a fine on-ball defender. Thompson was smooth running the point, produced turnovers on defense, and made a couple of eye-popping dunks that got the crowd going.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#6 Bishop Miege defeated #3 Atchison 88-70:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atchison's great run was cut short by the perennial power Miege, which was seeded sixth, but played a rugged schedule that prepared them for the tournament. This isn't the Miege team of 2021, but it has enough of everything to win it again. Guards <strong>McClure Armstrong</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1080167' first='Jason' last='Rodriguez'] were in control against Atchison's tough backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1080169' first='Aidan' last='Wing'], 6-foot-5 forward, 2023, Miege:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wing played with an intensity that would not be denied at either end. He scored from every level, ran the floor with abandon and defended the rim. He finished with 27 points. In a really good 4A tournament, he looks like the best player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->