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When McLouth made a charge in the fourth quarter, Maur Hill Mount Academy coach Brad Kunecke could see his team getting nervous, but why was the question. His team already locked up the five seed in Class 3A sub-state. Two more games were already won compared to last season’s record. Maybe the members just wanted to win for themselves.
Or maybe it had to deal with black t-shirts with “I helped coach Kunecke get his 300th win” in gold lettering on the back.
When the final buzzer sounded, Maur Hill Mount Academy found itself on the winning side by beating McLouth 41-38 to give coach Kunecke his 300th career coaching victory. Before his time as the Lady Ravens head coach, Kunecke won 215 games as boys coach at Lamoni, Iowa.
This victory didn’t come easy though. The Lady Ravens started the game on a 12-0 run and led 14-3 after the opening period. McLouth countered by ending the first half on an 8-0 spurt to trail 18-12. Both teams traded blows in the third, but Maur Hill Mount Academy still had the advantage, up 30-25. The Lady Ravens pushed the lead out to 10 in the final quarter and held on for the 41-38 win.
Sophomore Avery Lewman paced the Lady Ravens with 13 points and was the Bank of Atchison Player of the Game. Fellow classmate Kaitlyn Miller chipped in 12 points. For McLouth, senior Kayla Steffey led the way with 12 points.
Maur Hill Mount Academy improves to 9-10 on the season and 3-5 in the Northeast Kansas League. The Lady Ravens travel to Sabetha on Tuesday, March 4th. Live coverage of the game can be heard on KAIR 1470 AM starting at seven o’clock. McLouth falls to 5-14 on the season, 3-4 in league play and wraps up the regular season with Valley Falls on Friday, February 28th.
Going into Tuesday’s night game against Maur Hill Mount Academy, McLouth coach Jason Graf described it as a must-win game. With a win, Bulldogs would host Troy in the opening round of Class 2A sub-state. Even more incredible, a victory gives McLouth its first winning season since 1991.
Maur Hill Mount Academy decided to play spoiler. The Ravens commanded the game from the start and cruised to a 72-41 victory. In the opening quarter, MHMA jumped out to a 24-7 lead and had a 44-21 advantage after the first half.
Ten players scored for the Ravens with senior Brian Scott pacing them with 14 points off the bench to earn the Bank of Atchison Player of the Game. Senior Mark McDermed scored 12 points while junior Dillon Kramer chipped in 11. Junior Nic Bair was the lone double-figure scorer with 13 points for McLouth.
Maur Hill Mount Academy finishes the regular season with a 5-3 Northeast Kansas League record, 12-8 overall. Ravens host Hiawatha in Class 3A sub-state on Monday, March 3rd with live coverage starting at seven on KAIR 93.7 FM. For McLouth, the Bulldogs are now 10-9 on the season and host Valley Falls on Friday.
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