Defense proves key to No. 9 Chanute’s victory over Labette County

Against a team that typically averages nearly 50 points per contest, Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright was excited to have somewhat kept Chanute in check.

“We always want to play great defense, and I thought we did a really nice job of that by holding a tough Chanute team to 32 points,” Argabright said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the hole tonight.”

The only problem for the Grizzlies — who also average nearly 50 points per game — Chanute’s defense was even better. Labette County juniors Hudson Baker, Zavier Phillips and LaTraveon Vinson were held under their season scoring averages.

“Defensively we were packing it and containing the basketball,” Chanute head coach Devon Crabtree said. “The guys did a good job of executing the game plan we came up with.”

The home team’s 2-1-2 zone left the Labette County offense sputtering early on, as Chanute led 8-4 after a quarter. The Grizzlies were lacking senior Joseph Paige, who was absent on the night with a calf injury. Argabright noted Paige could have helped with the zone-breaking offense.

The momentum shifted in the second quarter, as the Grizzlies outscored the Blue Comets 8-2 before halftime for a 12-10 lead.

Chanute junior Lars Koester found his offensive stride in the third quarter, leading his squad on an 11-2 run to go up seven. Koester was also fulfilling his role as point guard, providing three of his four total assists in the process.

The Chanute defense was also providing plenty of stops, forcing low-efficiency 3-pointers out of the Labette County offense. The Grizzlies finished just 1-of-12 from deep.

“We talked about getting inside to our big, but we had great looks,” Argabright said. “I’m not gonna tell our guys to not be confident in themselves. When you’re down a couple buckets, you need a couple of those shots to fall in.”

The other end of Chanute’s defensive success was the ability to pressure shooters inside. Koester, senior Parker Henson and junior Kaiden Seamster each picked up a block, while Seamster drew a pair of charges in the second half.

“(Kaiden’s) job is tough. We rely on him to do a lot of different things, but he always changes the game with his ability to take charges,” Crabtree said. “I’m proud of him for stepping up.”

Chanute junior Brax Peter came off the bench to provide even more energy for Chanute, diving for multiple loose balls and picking up a charge of his own.

“Brax plays so hard in the role he’s got,” Crabtree said. “I wish we could play six, because he would be out there a heck of a lot more. He knows his job and doesn’t complain, he just does what we ask him to do and we love him for that.”

Koester finished with a game-high 14 points to pace Chanute, with all but three coming in the second half. Seamster had nine points and nine rebounds, Henson netted a pair of first half buckets, Manly knocked down a 3 and junior Jordan Duncan rounded out the scoring with a layup down the stretch.

Baker led the Grizzlies with 12 points, while senior Matthew Boyle had nine.

“Boyle and Baker, they complimented each other well tonight,” Argabright said.

Vinson finished with four for Labette County, while Phillips added two points and three blocks.

Up Next

Chanute (12-4, 5-2 SEK) now prepares for a senior night matchup with the Pittsburg Purple Dragons (11-3, 7-1 SEK) on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies (8-7, 5-3 SEK) are also back in action Tuesday as they welcome the Fort Scott Tigers (6-9, 2-5 SEK) to Altamont.

“We’ve gotta go finish some games,” Argabright said. “We’ve had three games we’ve lost in a row now that have been really close, but we aren’t finishing like we did in the first half of the season.”

Box Score

Labette County: 4 8 2 13 — 27

Chanute: 8 2 11 11 — 32

Scoring

Labette County: Hudson Baker 12, Matthew Boyle 9, LaTraveon Vinson 4, Zavier Phillips 2

Chanute: Lars Koester 14, Kaiden Seamster 9, Parker Henson 4, Parker Manly 3, Jordan Duncan 2