Basehor-Linwood overcomes early jitters, wins Kansas 4A DI state opener by 25 points

Basehor-Linwood coach Mike McBride wasn’t sure why his unbeaten team faltered initially in the Kansas Class 4A Division I basketball state tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Salina Bicentennial Center.

The Bobcats won the game 65-40, but McBride watched as his team gave up an early 8-1 run to No. 7 seed Wellington.

“We looked a little nervous, which was a little surprising to me at halftime,” McBride said. “I thought the first half, we came out a little flat, a little nervous.”

Down 14-11 with 2 minutes, 23 seconds to go in the first quarter, Basehor-Linwood ended the period with a 9-0 run — capped by Carson Filger’s three-point play.

Basehor-Linwood’s Joseph Gorman made an early three in the second quarter, but Wellington responded again, getting within 25-20 midway through the quarter.

While Basehor-Linwood was in control, it didn’t dominate until the fourth quarter. With the Bobcats leading 46-32 after a three-pointer, they opened the fourth with a 19-2 run.

“As you can see, we can shovel kids in and out,” McBride said. “I went 10 deep. They’re all fast, they’re all quick, they all see the floor so well. I felt we wore them down.”

Basehor-Linwood forced 28 turnovers and had 14 steals, including five by Jahron McPherson.

Basehor-Linwood shot 27 of 51 from the field, and three players scored in double figures: Patrick Muldoon had 15 points, Carson Filger got 14 and Jack Dale had 12.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Basehor-Linwood overcomes early jitters, wins Kansas 4A DI state opener by 25 points."