Basehor-Linwood stays perfect with rout of Tonganoxie at substate

Patrick Muldoon says his mother had always dreamed of having some land and some horses. And found got both on 155 acres in Tonganoxie.

And after two years of commuting all the way to Mill Valley, Muldoon found his own slice of heaven at Basehor-Linwood High School where he helped the Bobcats earn a substate championship berth on Thursday night.

Muldoon, a 6-foot-7 senior, scored 24 points in the Bobcats’ 81-46 victory against Tonganoxie and helped improve their record to 21-0.

Basehor-Linwood will face Piper at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Piper for a chance to go back to the Kansas Class 4A Division I state tournament, which starts Wednesday in Salina.

“I wouldn’t take a minute of it back, and it has been an amazing run,” Muldoon said. “We still have another week and a half to go, so I am looking forward to it.”

The Bobcats got off to a slow start. But they went on an 11-2 run in the middle of the first quarter and took control of the game.

Although Basehor-Linwood had a 42-29 lead at halftime, coach Mike McBride was concerned. He said he saw the same kind of potentially streak-ending flatness that had signaled an early end in a quarterfinals loss to El Dorado last year.

“We definitely felt like we were one of the two or three best teams in the state in 4A last year, but we didn’t come ready to play,” McBride said. “To be honest, we looked like that in the first half and they kind of got in trouble, but I don’t think they will do it again."

The Bobcats did not come out flat in the second half and outscored the Chieftains 39-17.

They were even able to bench their starters with just less than 5 minutes left in the game. It was the 12th time the Bobcats held an opponent to 50 points or fewer in a game and the third victory against Tonganoxie this season.

Muldoon’s effort in the paint was balanced by Jahron McPherson’s 18 points for Basehor-Linwood. Nicholas Fisher joined them in double figures with 10 points off the bench. Brady Swedo led the Chieftains with 12 points.

Although the undefeated record may not have been expected, the Bobcats are no strangers to success. In 11 years at the helm, McBride has compiled a 179-69 record and has two state titles, with the latest coming in 2012.

“Undefeated is surreal,” Muldoon said. “All the hard work is paying off for us, and we are looking for an amazing finish."

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Basehor-Linwood stays perfect with rout of Tonganoxie at substate."