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Coming into the 69th annual Dodge City Tournament of Champions, it was clear that two of the favorites in the field were the two Wichita schools, as they featured some of the best all-around talent from top to bottom.
Since both teams were on opposite sides of the bracket, they were set up for a collision course in the finals if both teams could take care of business against their respective opponents.
With Wichita Heights’ defeat of Dodge City and Wichita East’s victory over Hutchinson in the semifinals, the two City League rivals were destined to clash in the finals, as the Blue Aces went for their record-tying 14th TOC title, while the Falcons were looking to continue the nations longest winning streak at 53 games.
Either way, the people of Dodge City were in for a treat as the Blue Aces Jalen Love faced of with Perry Ellis of the Falcons, both talents that will be moving on to Division I basketball next season. Love has signed with Denver University while Ellis will be calling Allen Fieldhouse his home next season when he dons the Jayhawk emblem.
While the two Wichita programs are no stranger to the TOC, they have only met six times in the history of the tournament, with Heights leading the all-time series at 5-1. They have three meetings in the title game, with the Falcons claiming two of those wins, while the Aces only title game victory over Heights coming in 1992.
The matchup between the two Kansas powers was every bit as advertised, as the Falcons overcame a first quarter deficit to blow past the Blue Aces for their sixth TOC title, cruising to a 69-52 victory.
“We were tremendous defensively tonight, I believe they shot under 40 percent from the field and you’ll have a hard time beating us that way,” said Wichita Heights head coach Joe Auer. “The kids paid really good attention to their assignments, anticipated most of the execution from East and when we do that, we’re really hard to handle. Our second half was probably, thus far, our best half of basketball.”
If you thought it was going to be any different from the Ellis/Terrence Moore show for the Falcons, you’d be wrong, as the two monsters combined for 52 points in tearing apart the Aces interior defense.
Wichita East came out and gave Heights their best shot early on, as Love showcased his superior ball handling skills in giving the Aces a spark offensively during the first eight minutes of the game.
The Falcons found themselves down 16-14 at the end of one, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from Ellis, who powered his way past Larry Dennis and Nathan Jackson inside to score a lot of points in the paint.
As the second quarter began, Auer had his boys ready to play as Moore began to establish his dominance on the perimeter, working in combination with fellow Division I talent Gavin Thurman
The Falcons would eventually work their way back into the lead by the halftime break, going into the locker room with a 29-27 lead after a last second Moore layup.
Whatever wind the Aces had in their sails near the end of the first was gone by the third quarter, as Ellis turned the tides in the Falcons’ favor for good, ending any hope that East could tie Dodge City for most titles in the history of the Tournament of Champions.
As Ellis and Moore brought their crowd to their feet with a couple of slam dunks, the Falcons defense stepped up and shut down Love and Jackson, proving that Heights is the team to beat this season in 6A basketball.
Heights would outscore the Aces by 15 in the second half to claim the golden ball trophy awarded to the overall team champion. Ellis would wind up with 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the free throw line, and pulled down nine rebounds for the 11-0 Falcons.
“It was a great environment, all the Dodge City people came out to watch us and we just wanted to come out and play hard and earned the win,” Ellis said. “I had a great time with my teammates and we had a lot of fun during this weekend. This title is great for us because it had a State atmosphere and it will help us as we move on to play in those types of games.”
Moore finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Thurman had nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists, as Heights moves their winning streak to 54 games.
For the Aces, Love finished with 21 points and five assists, while Jackson chipped in with 15 points as East loses to the Falcons for the second time in a little over a week.
“We tell the kids that a tournament like this is all about giving them a peek into the postseason, this is three games in three days, much like what it will be at Koch Arena at the end of the year,” Auer said. “It gives the kids that experience in their memory bank and for us it’s a very important part of the season and there’s a lot of improving to do for both teams.”
Ellis was named Most Inspirational Player for the tournament, as it’s another piece of hardware the talented 6-foot-8 senior can add to his trophy case.
For Auer, it will be a special final few games with Ellis, who has given his program some of their biggest wins in school history.
“I often don’t say a lot about that kid, but he is unbelievable,” he said. “He plays his tail off and he does it with such class and dignity, he’s the greatest high school basketball player I’ve ever seen in the state of Kansas and he’ll never tell you that, but I’ll tell you that right now. His resume speaks for itself, as he’s doing things no one has ever done and it’s a joy and a treat to coach him and be around him everyday and I’m going to enjoy the rest of the games I get to spend with him, cause he’s a special young man.”
Coming into the 69th annual Dodge City Tournament of Champions, it was clear that two of the favorites in the field were the two Wichita schools, as they featured some of the best all-around talent from top to bottom.
Since both teams were on opposite sides of the bracket, they were set up for a collision course in the finals if both teams could take care of business against their respective opponents.
With Wichita Heights’ defeat of Dodge City and Wichita East’s victory over Hutchinson in the semifinals, the two City League rivals were destined to clash in the finals, as the Blue Aces went for their record-tying 14th TOC title, while the Falcons were looking to continue the nations longest winning streak at 53 games.
Either way, the people of Dodge City were in for a treat as the Blue Aces Jalen Love faced of with Perry Ellis of the Falcons, both talents that will be moving on to Division I basketball next season. Love has signed with Denver University while Ellis will be calling Allen Fieldhouse his home next season when he dons the Jayhawk emblem.
While the two Wichita programs are no stranger to the TOC, they have only met six times in the history of the tournament, with Heights leading the all-time series at 5-1. They have three meetings in the title game, with the Falcons claiming two of those wins, while the Aces only title game victory over Heights coming in 1992.
The matchup between the two Kansas powers was every bit as advertised, as the Falcons overcame a first quarter deficit to blow past the Blue Aces for their sixth TOC title, cruising to a 69-52 victory.
“We were tremendous defensively tonight, I believe they shot under 40 percent from the field and you’ll have a hard time beating us that way,” said Wichita Heights head coach Joe Auer. “The kids paid really good attention to their assignments, anticipated most of the execution from East and when we do that, we’re really hard to handle. Our second half was probably, thus far, our best half of basketball.”
If you thought it was going to be any different from the Ellis/Terrence Moore show for the Falcons, you’d be wrong, as the two monsters combined for 52 points in tearing apart the Aces interior defense.
Wichita East came out and gave Heights their best shot early on, as Love showcased his superior ball handling skills in giving the Aces a spark offensively during the first eight minutes of the game.
The Falcons found themselves down 16-14 at the end of one, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from Ellis, who powered his way past Larry Dennis and Nathan Jackson inside to score a lot of points in the paint.
As the second quarter began, Auer had his boys ready to play as Moore began to establish his dominance on the perimeter, working in combination with fellow Division I talent Gavin Thurman
The Falcons would eventually work their way back into the lead by the halftime break, going into the locker room with a 29-27 lead after a last second Moore layup.
Whatever wind the Aces had in their sails near the end of the first was gone by the third quarter, as Ellis turned the tides in the Falcons’ favor for good, ending any hope that East could tie Dodge City for most titles in the history of the Tournament of Champions.
As Ellis and Moore brought their crowd to their feet with a couple of slam dunks, the Falcons defense stepped up and shut down Love and Jackson, proving that Heights is the team to beat this season in 6A basketball.
Heights would outscore the Aces by 15 in the second half to claim the golden ball trophy awarded to the overall team champion. Ellis would wind up with 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the free throw line, and pulled down nine rebounds for the 11-0 Falcons.
“It was a great environment, all the Dodge City people came out to watch us and we just wanted to come out and play hard and earned the win,” Ellis said. “I had a great time with my teammates and we had a lot of fun during this weekend. This title is great for us because it had a State atmosphere and it will help us as we move on to play in those types of games.”
Moore finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Thurman had nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists, as Heights moves their winning streak to 54 games.
For the Aces, Love finished with 21 points and five assists, while Jackson chipped in with 15 points as East loses to the Falcons for the second time in a little over a week.
“We tell the kids that a tournament like this is all about giving them a peek into the postseason, this is three games in three days, much like what it will be at Koch Arena at the end of the year,” Auer said. “It gives the kids that experience in their memory bank and for us it’s a very important part of the season and there’s a lot of improving to do for both teams.”
Ellis was named Most Inspirational Player for the tournament, as it’s another piece of hardware the talented 6-foot-8 senior can add to his trophy case.
For Auer, it will be a special final few games with Ellis, who has given his program some of their biggest wins in school history.
“I often don’t say a lot about that kid, but he is unbelievable,” he said. “He plays his tail off and he does it with such class and dignity, he’s the greatest high school basketball player I’ve ever seen in the state of Kansas and he’ll never tell you that, but I’ll tell you that right now. His resume speaks for itself, as he’s doing things no one has ever done and it’s a joy and a treat to coach him and be around him everyday and I’m going to enjoy the rest of the games I get to spend with him, cause he’s a special young man.”
