Basketball

Jackson Heights boys fend off pesky Valley Falls squad

Based on Jackson Heights’ last match-up with Valley Falls, JH coach Chris Brown knew offense would be at a premium in Tuesday’s home game against the Dragons. With the Cobras’ offense going cold for long stretches, defensive pressure was crucial and Jackson Heights kept it up for most of the game...

Holton's Taryn Weilert (shown above, at right) pulls up for a jumper in the second half of a game against Riverside last Friday. While defense sparked HHS early, the offense opened up in the second half as Weilert and seemingly every player who entered the game for Holton hit some shots on the way to a 60-26 victory.

Lady Wildcats find defensive rhythm in rout of visiting Cyclones

With a rare bye in the middle of last week, HHS coach Jon Holliday got a chance to turn up the intensity of practices for the girls basketball team. That “boot camp,” as he put it, clearly paid off for the Wildcats in Friday’s match-up at home against Riverside. Not that Holton had been slacking...

Cobra Jordan Wells (shown above, middle) floats a shot up right in front of the basket during Tuesday's league contest against Pleasant Ridge. After a slow first quarter, the JH girls got physical and went into attack mode on the way to a 38-36 victory.

Jackson Heights girls pick up gritty win over Pleasant Ridge

What a difference three days makes. After the Jackson Heights girls faced some of the same struggles early in Tuesday’s game against Pleasant Ridge that it did in a recent loss to Maur Hill, the Cobras made a quicker recovery and managed to pull off a 38-36 victory. The Rams entered the night...

Jackson Heights' Lane Slocum (shown above, middle) goes strong to the basket in a big NEKL showdown with Maur Hill. Slocum's post presence was one of many factors that helped the Cobras pick up a 56-50 victory over the Ravens in overtime.

Cobras shift gears, pull away in overtime for win over Ravens

Defense wins championships. It’s a principle that Maur Hill seems to relish, and one that helped it take control of the Northeast Kansas League title chase through the first half of the season. The Jackson Heights boys were hot on their tails, though, and had Friday’s rematch at home against the...

Wildcat Nils Bergsten (shown above, middle) cuts to the basket for an easy two points in the second half of Friday's league battle against Sabetha. Bergsten picked a good time to have a career-high 16 points, but it still wasn't quite enough as Sabetha weathered Holton's late rally and held on for a 55-52 victory.

Holton boys get close late, but come up short on the road against Sabetha

From the opening moments of Friday’s league match-up between the Holton and Sabetha boys, it looked like fans might be in for a shoot-out befitting a game between the second-ranked team in Class 3A and the eighth-ranked team in Class 4A-DII. The teams traded threes on their opening possessions...

Time playing together, both in school and the summer months, is serving Holton's Garett Beecher (shown above, right) and Trey Tanking (left) well in their senior season.

Beecher, Tanking in sync on the basketball court

Batman had Robin. Johnny Carson had Ed McMahon. Paul McCartney had John Lennon. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. The list goes on and on. In the annals of history, there is no shortage of notable pairs who achieved great things together. As far as Holton High School’s history is concerned,...

Jackson Heights' Zane Richter (shown above, at left) slashes to the basket for two of his 30 points in the championship game of the Thunder Classic tournament against Falls City (Neb.). That effort pushed Richter into the record books, as his 101 total points through the week set a new high mark for points in a single tournament.

Cobra boys put together strong run in Thunder Classic tournament

Heading into Saturday’s championship game at the Thunder Classic, the cards of fate seemed to be stacked in the Cobras’ favor despite the team entering the game as the lower seed. The Jackson Heights boys won the very first midseason tournament in Seneca when it was the Raider Classic back in...

Heights guard Seth Holliday (shown above, middle) drives to the basket before dishing off to teammate Zane Richter (right) for an easy two points in a recent game against Silver Lake. The Cobras got going in transition and never looked back in a 63-48 victory over the Eagles.

Cobra boys race off to strong start in win over Silver Lake

Like any good story, a basketball game has a beginning, a middle and an end and, like a captivating author, the Jackson Heights boys basketball team has drawn fans in repeatedly this season thanks to some enticing introductory chapters. Tuesday night was no different and one of the most dominant...

Holton's Shay Tanking (shown above, second from left) pulls up for a shot in the middle of the lane during the second half of the Wildcats' league showdown with Royal Valley. Tanking had a key basket off a steal late, as Holton's defense helped it pick up a 49-44 victory over Royal Valley.

Turnovers down the stretch prove critical in battle between HHS, RV girls

For the second time in as many games, the Holton girls had to sweat out a win on the basketball court and even trailed for almost the entire second half before pulling off the comeback and securing a 49-44 win over county rival Royal Valley on Friday. When the going got tough, the Wildcats relied...

Cobra Taylor Abel (shown above, back right) pulls up for a short jumper in the second half of Tuesday's game against JCN. Abel and the rest of the Jackson Heights girls put together a strong team effort on the way to a 47-33 victory over JCN.

Jackson Heights girls rally on the road for big win over JCN

David 1, Goliath 0. That’s easily what the scoreboard could’ve read after the Jackson Heights girls basketball team prevailed 47-33 at Jefferson County North on Tuesday night, shaking a particularly pesky monkey from its back in the process. “I don’t know the last time Jackson Heights has beat...