Fort Hays State wins MIAA men’s basketball title ... and more games ahead for the Grills
Leave it to the nation’s top scoring defense to win a basketball championship with a stop.
Fort Hays State survived a good last-possession look from Central Oklahoma and held on for a 72-71 victory in the MIAA Tournament men’s championship game at Municipal Auditorium on Sunday.
The second-seeded Tigers took the lead with 26 seconds remaining on Kaleb Hammeke’s two free throws, then had to withstand UCO last attempt in the tournament.
Isreal Hart sent a cross-court pass to Matthew Willenborg on the wing, but his 3-pointer clanked off the iron and there wasn’t enough time remaining to secure a second shot.
The Tigers, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring defense, secured their first MIAA tournament title since 2011.
Hammeke finished with 22 points and was selected as the tournament’s most outstanding player.
The Bronchos were bidding to become the first No. 8 seed to win the MIAA tournament.
What it means
Fort Hays State takes the MIAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Tigers became the first time other than Northwest Missouri State to win the conference tournament in Kansas City since Pittsburg State in 2015.
Washburn, which won the title in 2021 at Northwest, will be the regional host and top seed for the event that begins on Friday.
The field for the Central regional and seeds: No. 1 Washburn, No. 2 Minnesota State-Moorhead, No. 3 Winona State, No. 4 Minot State, No. 5 Concordia St. Paul, No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State, No. 7 Fort Hays State, No. 8 Harding.
The regional begins Friday.
More hoops for the Grills
FHSU got a big game from Kyle Grill, who finished with 17 points and hit a huge 3-pointer from the corner with 56 seconds remaining.
Nobody in the building was happier than his brother, Caleb, who was sitting in the second row behind the Tigers’ bench.
Caleb Grill is the sharp-shooting guard for Missouri, which is headed to the SEC Tournament in Nashville later this week (and the NCAA Tournament the week after that).
The Division II regional begins Friday, Also this week is the Kansas 6A boys high school hoops tournament, where the third Grill son, Alec, will be playing for Maize High.
That team is coached by the Grills’ father, Chris.
Pitt State wins women’s championship
Fort Hays State looked to make it a sweep of championships, but the Tigers were denied by Pittsburg St. The Gorillas captured their second straight MIAA tournament title with a 81-73 triumph.
Grace Pyle led Pitt with 23 points. Karenna Gerber added 19 points and was selected as the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Improving to 29-3, Pitt State matched a school record for victories and gets the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Gorillas will host the regional as the top seed.
The rest of the field and their seed: No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul, No. 3 Fort Hays State, No. 4 Missouri Western, No. 5 Minnesota State, No. 6 Southern Nazarene, No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State and No. 8 Harding. The event begins Friday.
This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM.