Labette County shoots efficiently, knocks off Chanute in sub-state action

The two Southeast Kansas League foes split a pair of regular season matchups. Although Labette County held Chanute under 40 points in both contests, the Grizzlies were ice cold offensively in the last matchup.

“They run a really patient offense, so we focused on how we can stop that,” Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright said. “We knew if we could bring our defense again and make some shots, we’d have a pretty good chance.”

The Grizzlies were much more efficient in this contest, converting on 60 percent of their shots. They opened the game on a 7-0 run en route to a 14-4 first quarter advantage.

“We’ve struggled a little bit with taking care of the ball this year, so we really focused on that tonight,” Argabright said. “When we take care of the ball, we usually shoot at a decent clip.”

On the other hand, Chanute shot 29 percent from the floor. Typically a team that relies on 3-point shooting, the Blue Comets converted on just 3-of-20 attempts from deep.

“We were trying to get the right guys playing downhill and getting paint touches,” Chanute head coach Devon Crabtree said. “I thought they did a good job with that, they just couldn’t quite get the ball to fall in the hole, especially early.”

The Blue Comets finally found their feet offensively in the second quarter, but were unable to make a dent in Labette County’s 25-15 lead by halftime.

“They just did a good job of responding,” Crabtree said. “Everytime we would make a little run, they would hit a big shot or get a good stop on the other end.”

The visitors ignited the 3-point arc in the third quarter, dropping in 5-of-5 shots from deep to extend their lead to 44-27 with eight minutes to play.

“That really helps when you can go on runs like that,” Argabright said.

Frustration began to set in for the Blue Comets during the third quarter, but Crabtree did not think it affected the outcome.

“We wanted to limit paint touches with the big kid in there,” he said. “When we’re trying to make them hit outside jumpers — and then they do that — it just makes them really tough to guard.”

The outcome was not in question for most of the final frame, as Labette County cruised to victory.

Labette County was paced by a pair of 12-point performances from Latraveon Vinson and Griffin Eaton.

“They did a really nice job of being seniors and stepping up in the big moments,” Argabright said.

Eaton also hauled in a season-high seven rebounds, as junior center Hudson Baker was doubled up most of the evening.

“That was another thing we talked about in our game plan, limiting offensive rebounds for Chanute,” Argabright said. “We knew we had a size advantage, but we still had to box out and do the little things.”

Baker still managed 11 points and five rebounds, mainly on putbacks.

Although junior Kaiden Seamster tallied a game-high 15 points and four steals for Chanute, nobody else found double-digit scoring figures.

Sophomore Eliott Stephenson provided eight points and five rebounds for the Blue Comets, junior Jordan Duncan had three steals and knocked down a pair of 3s, and junior Lars Koester scored two from the charity stripe to go with six rebounds, two assists and a block.

The Blue Comets finish the season with a record 14-7.

Senior Departures

This matchup marked the final time Parker Henson, Parker Manly and Rawley Chard would suit up on the Chanute hardwood.

Henson and Manly played all four prep seasons under Crabtree, the first players to do so.

“To see them go all the way through and see how they’ve grown and matured, become better basketball players and better young men has just been a privilege,” Crabtree said. “I just feel grateful for the opportunity to coach those guys. Their impact is going to leave a mark for a really long time.”

Although he played just a single season of basketball for Chanute, Chard’s presence on the team was still felt all season long. Checking in for the final two minutes of play on Tuesday, Chard managed to find a layup for his first, and only, career points.

“We’re glad he came out. He did a lot of really good things for us in practice,” Crabtree said. “I’m glad to see him find an opportunity to score tonight. I just feel lucky I was able to coach him.”

Up Next

Labette County (10-11) will now take on the Bishop Miege Stags (14-6) for a sub-state championship on Friday in Roeland Park.

“We’re gonna watch the film. They’re a great program, and we know they’re gonna be battle-tested,” Argabright said. “We will have our community there and I know our kids are gonna be ready to play. If we can play efficiently like we did tonight we will have a great chance, but it’s gonna have to start with our defense again.

Box Score

Labette County: 14 11 19 9 — 53

Chanute: 4 11 12 8 — 35

Scoring

Labette County: Latraveon Vinson 12, Griffin Eaton 12, Hudson Baker 11, Joseph Paige 9, Zavier Phillips 5, Matthew Boyle 4

Chanute: Kaiden Seamster 15, Eliott Stephenson 8, Jordan Duncan 6, Lars Koester 2, Rawley Chard 2, Brax Peter 2