Surviving and advancing is often the name of the game, and that’s just what the top-seeded Pleasant Ridge boys’ basketball team did in a 64-61 win over fourth-seeded Tonganoxie on Friday evening in the semifinal of their 4A substate tournament at Royal Valley High School.
The Rams (19-3) led 58-51 with just over a minute left after a 3-pointer by Matt Hager, who led them with 24 points, but Tonganoxie (13-9) wasn’t letting go without a fight. They nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to five before getting the ball back and making a layup to make it a 3-point game, but PR head coach Pat Battle said that after his team missed some big free throws, they got some big ones from senior Terell Jordan to hold on for the win.
“Our kids did a tremendous job,” Battle said. “They really played hard, we played with a lot of discipline, and we executed really well. ... But it sure was nerve-racking. ... It was a great high school basketball game. If you didn’t enjoy it, you need to be doing something else on a Friday.
“We turned it over a couple times, missed a free throw ... and they were able to score quick and foul us. ... We shot pretty well from the free-throw line, but we missed some down the stretch.”
Both teams were 13-for-20 from the free-throw stripe, but one of the big differences was provided by PR junior John Ernzen, who scored all four of his points in the fourth quarter. The Rams were down by one entering the fourth, but Battle said they had a big two-minute stretch starting at the midway point of the period that put them in the lead for good.
“Greg (List) had a very good layup inside, and John Ernzen hit two big shots...” Battle said. “To me, that was what extended the lead. They were kind of sagging off (Ernzen), and he did it just like he does it in practice every day.”
List also hit a big shot at the end of the third quarter to cut the Tonganoxie lead to 48-47 after Jeremy Carllsle, who led the Chieftains with 24 points, connected from behind the arc to break a 45-all tie.
Tonganoxie played much of the game without top player Keaton Schaffer, who injured his back late in the first quarter. PR — ranked No. 7 in the state in 4A — led 15-8 at that point, however, and Tonganoxie actually outscored them after Schaffer left the game.
