The neat thing about Class 6A top-ranked Wichita Heights High School center Perry Ellis is the fact he can put up big numbers within the flow of the Falcons’ offense.
The 6-foot-8 Ellis, the top-rated sophomore in the nation by rivals.com, hit all eight of his field-goal attempts and tacked on 7 of 12 free throws for a game-high 24 points to lead Heights to a 60-44 win over Hutchinson Friday night in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions.
Heights (8-2) advances to tonight’s 7 p.m. championship game against Gardner-Edgerton (5-3). Hutch (5-3) drops into the third-place game tonight at 5 vs. Dodge City (8-2).
The Falcons were undoubtedly seeking a payback after Hutch gave the Falcons their lone loss of the season in 2008-09 in the McPherson midseason tournament. Heights went on the win the Class 6A state crown, and is the favorite to repeat.
“This was a difficult game for us,” Heights head coach Joe Auer said. “Hutchinson is as strong and as physical of a team that you will play.
“But I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that we didn’t have last year on our mind tonight. That’s the only team to beat us last year, and it left a sour taste in our mouth.
“They knew they were going to get (Hutch), and they were really excited.”
The impact player he is, averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds enterting the TOC, it was Ellis 8, Hutch 2 just three minutes, four seconds into the game. Ellis scored the first bucket of the game with just 41 seconds elapsed and then had the Dodge City Civic Center crowd buzzing after bursting through the lane and elevating for jaw-dropping one-handed jam.
“He’s a complete player and he’s only 16, so he’s got a lot of getting better to do,” Auer said of Ellis, who also had six rebounds and two assists. “He made some great passes tonight, and he was pretty good in a big-time atmosphere.
“Perry was fantastic early. He attacked the basket, put pressure on the defense and drew some contact. I thought he set a great tempo for us.”
Ellis had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Falcons’ first-round TOC win.
“Before the game, Coach told me, ‘This is your time, so go at them hard,” Ellis said. And, he also told me, ‘Get a dunk. Believe in yourself.’
“So, I just did it.”
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The neat thing about Class 6A top-ranked Wichita Heights High School center Perry Ellis is the fact he can put up big numbers within the flow of the Falcons’ offense.
The 6-foot-8 Ellis, the top-rated sophomore in the nation by rivals.com, hit all eight of his field-goal attempts and tacked on 7 of 12 free throws for a game-high 24 points to lead Heights to a 60-44 win over Hutchinson Friday night in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions.
Heights (8-2) advances to tonight’s 7 p.m. championship game against Gardner-Edgerton (5-3). Hutch (5-3) drops into the third-place game tonight at 5 vs. Dodge City (8-2).
The Falcons were undoubtedly seeking a payback after Hutch gave the Falcons their lone loss of the season in 2008-09 in the McPherson midseason tournament. Heights went on the win the Class 6A state crown, and is the favorite to repeat.
“This was a difficult game for us,” Heights head coach Joe Auer said. “Hutchinson is as strong and as physical of a team that you will play.
“But I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that we didn’t have last year on our mind tonight. That’s the only team to beat us last year, and it left a sour taste in our mouth.
“They knew they were going to get (Hutch), and they were really excited.”
The impact player he is, averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds enterting the TOC, it was Ellis 8, Hutch 2 just three minutes, four seconds into the game. Ellis scored the first bucket of the game with just 41 seconds elapsed and then had the Dodge City Civic Center crowd buzzing after bursting through the lane and elevating for jaw-dropping one-handed jam.
“He’s a complete player and he’s only 16, so he’s got a lot of getting better to do,” Auer said of Ellis, who also had six rebounds and two assists. “He made some great passes tonight, and he was pretty good in a big-time atmosphere.
“Perry was fantastic early. He attacked the basket, put pressure on the defense and drew some contact. I thought he set a great tempo for us.”
Ellis had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Falcons’ first-round TOC win.
“Before the game, Coach told me, ‘This is your time, so go at them hard,” Ellis said. And, he also told me, ‘Get a dunk. Believe in yourself.’
“So, I just did it.”
67th Annual Tournament of Champions
At Dodge City
Dodge City Civic Center
Friday
Semifinals
Wichita Heights 60,
Hutchinson 44
HUTCHINSON (5-3)
Tyler Fee 0-0 0-0 0, Deveon Dinwiddie 3-4 0-2 6, Ben Fangman 0-0 2-2 2, Ronald Boyd 0-4 0-0 0, Geneo Grissom 4-2 0-0 8, Justin Goetz 0-4 0-0 0, Deshawn Dinwiddie 5-7 0-0 12, Scott Weber 2-8 2-2 6, Ted Dower 0-2 0-0 0, Jerome Roehm 0-3 0-0 0, Sean Goodwin 3-7 0-0 6, Trevor Turner 2-9 0-0 4. Totals 19-60 4-6 44.
WICHITA HEIGHTS (8-2)
EJ Dobbins 2-4 0-1 4, Evan Wessel 1-6 2-3 6, Dreamius Smith 3-4 1-1 7, Taylor Countee 0-0 0-0 0, Terrence Moore 4-8 4-9 13, Aaron Degraffenread 0-0 0-0 0, Jay Bradley 0-1 0-0 0, Jalen Owens 1-1 0-0 2, Keith Riley 1-1 0-0 2, Taylor Cross 0-0 0-0 0, Perry Ellis 8-8 7-12 24, Zerrance Brickhouse 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 21-34 16-28 60.
Hutch 8 9 17 10 — 44
Heights 12 14 20 14 — 60
Three-point goals — Heights 2-6 (Ellis 1-1, Moore 1-2, Dobbins 0-1, Wessel 0-1, Brickhouse 0-1). Hutch 2-10 (De. Dinwiddie 2-2, Boyd 0-3, Weber 0-2, Dower 0-1, Turner 0-1, Goetz 0-1). Total fouls — Hutch 20, Heights 12. Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Hutch 34 (Grissom 8, Goodwin 8); Heights 27 (Ellis 6, Wessel 5, Smith 5, Moore 5). Assists — Hutch 13 (Boyd 3, Goodwin 3); Heights 11 (Wessel 4, Riley 3). Steals — Heights 9 (Smith 4); Hutch 5 (Grissom 2). Turnovers — Hutch 12, Heights 12. Blocked shots — Hutch 1 (Roehm); Heights 1 (Wessel).
