Salina Central boys basketball shows pride in 62-58 loss to Andover
All Ryan Modin felt from his Salina Central boys was their pride Friday night against Andover.
Facing Andover for the second time in two weeks and with a spot in the Salina Invitational Tournament championship game on the line, the Mustangs knew they could challenge the Trojans.
However, after Central pulled within one point, 56-55 with 1:06 left, the Trojans were too strong down the stretch and held on for a 62-58 victory at Mabee Arena.
"I just said, 'What you guys showed me is that you have a ton of guts and a huge heart,'" Modin said. "It's hard for them to listen to that because of how disappointing that was. All you can (say) is how proud you are that you got to play hard.
"They have to believe in trusting themselves. I was just so proud of the battle in them and to not back down. If we can do that every game, I think we're really good."
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For every Andover run, Central had a response. After trailing 12-2 early, the Mustangs closed the first quarter on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 14-10. They held a lead in the second period, but the Trojans took a 26-23 advantage to halftime.
Central got as close as two in the third quarter before Andover took a 44-36 lead into the fourth. Andover led by as many as nine in the fourth before Central cut it back to one.
The Mustangs had no answer for Andover's duo of BJ Redic and Eli Shetlar. The two combined for 45 of the Trojans' 62 points.
"BJ kind of took over there for a little bit and we kind of fed him in the post," Andover coach Martin Shetlar said. "He kept making shots and a couple of and-ones. He did a good job of stepping up when we needed him and kind of understood what his position was in the game."
Central got 19 points from Nolan Puckett, 13 from Ethan Waters off the bench and 12 from Sid Duplessis.
"Ethan's been a solid player for us ... but you can see what he adds across the board," Modin said. "He's a smart player and obviously he can shoot it."
More: Updates: High school basketball results from the Salina Invitational Tournament Friday
Now the Mustangs turn their attention to the 3:30 p.m. third-place game Saturday against Buhler at Mabee Arena. Andover will face Wichita South for the championship at 6:45.
Modin said he is impressed with the Crusaders despite their 54-38 semifinal loss to Wichita South.
"They're going to come after you," Modin said. "They do a lot of good things. This third-place game, you've got two teams that are going to be disappointed.
"You've got to come back ready to play. As hard as it is, you've got to shake off a tough game and be ready to play."
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: How Salina Central's boys came close to upset Andover in SIT semifinals
