Wichita East edges Olathe East in Kansas 6A boys state semifinal

Despite the fact Olathe East trailed by three points with 38 seconds left in the game, the Hawks were still in a prime position for a comeback with the ball and the possession arrow in their favor.

Olathe East got the ball to Josiah Talbert, who had already hit three three-pointers. But Talbert’s off-balance attempt clanked off the iron and the Hawks lost 59-52 to Wichita East in the Kansas Class 6A state semifinals on Friday. The Hawks will play for third place at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.

“It’s just a tough loss. There’s no other way to put it,” Olathe East coach Jim Super said. “I thought we played well enough to win. It was a dogfight right down to the end.”

Olathe East withstood an early onslaught of three-pointers, as Wichita East drained its first four trey attempts. Wichita East finished six for 19 on three-pointers.

As Olathe East players struggled to find a rhythm, Talbert found his groove with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers and four rebounds in the third quarter. Due largely in part to Talbert, Olathe East held a narrow 40-39 lead after three quarters.

“He stepped up in the third quarter and played really well,” Super said. “He is a capable shooter. We got him the ball, and he put it in, which is what he is supposed to do.”

Olathe East started strong in the fourth quarter with a four-point run, but Wichita East scored nine unanswered points.

Talbert finished six for 11 from the field and three for five from three-point range for a team-high 16 points. Javion Blake added 15 points for Olathe East.

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Wichita East edges Olathe East in Kansas 6A boys state semifinal."