2017 Valley Falls Girls Sub-State Champions (photo courtesy of Bobbi Kearney)

2A Girls Sub-State Championship – No. 1 JCN vs. No. 2 Valley Falls – (Game Broadcast)

For the past two seasons, the Valley Falls girls’ basketball team has had the taste of playing inside Bramlage Coliseum at the 2A state tournament.

Saturday night the Dragons made sure they would experience it for a third time, dominating JCN 52-38 in the Valley Falls sub-state championship to make it back to Manhattan for the third straight season.

Defense was the story of the Dragons in the first half, as they forced the Chargers into 11 turnovers through the first two quarters and gave up just six points total to take a 22-6 lead into halftime.

JCN finally got their offense going in the third quarter outscoring the Dragons 13-11, but the slow start proved to be too much as the Chargers never got closer than 14 points in the final quarter.

The Dragons put the game away from the free throw line, going 19-of-23 in the fourth quarter and finishing 29-of-36 from the foul line.  Valley Falls sophomore Reagan Kirkwood did most of the damage from the charity stripe, going 18-of-22 in the game and 15-of-18 in the fourth quarter.

Valley Falls (20-3) now gets set for the 2A state tournament in Manhattan, as the Dragons are the No. 4 seed and will open up with No. 5 seed Elbing-Berean Academy Wednesday at 4:45.

The Chargers end their season at 20-3 with a co-NEKL championship, and send off three seniors; Julie Schrick, Elaina Tweed and Jentry Seichepine.

Valley Falls: Reagan Kirkwood – 20, Mallory Burns – 8, Allison Kearney – 8, Drew DeLong – 7, Rachel Frakes – 5, Paige Wildeman – 4.

JCN: Josie Weishaar – 11, Annabelle Vaught – 8, Kaitlyn Schneider – 7, Julie Schrick – 5, Ravyn Jobbins – 4, Jentry Seichepine.

2A Boys Sub-State Championship – No. 3 Bishop Seabury vs. No. 5 Jackson Heights – (Game Broadcast)

Backed by seven 3-pointers, the Bishop Seabury Seahawks booked their second straight trip to the 2A state tournament with a 56-40 win over Jackson Heights Saturday night in the Valley Falls sub-state championship.

The Seahawks were red-hot from the perimeter in the first half, knocking down six 3s while holding the Cobras to just 14 points in the first two quarters to take a 34-14 lead into halftime.

Jackson Heights tried to make a run to get back into the game outscoring Seabury 12-7 in the third quarter, but never got closer than seven in the fourth.

The Cobras leading scorer Wyatt Olberding was held in check only notching 11 points despite averaging nearly 22 points a game.

Jackson Heights ends their season at 15-8 overall, and send off four key seniors; Olberding, Mason Thomas, Mason Hamilton and Kaleb Keehn.

Bishop Seabury: Bansi King – 15, Mikey Wycoff – 10, Zach McDermott – 10, Max Easter – 10, Austin Gaumer – 7, Thomas DiZerega – 4.

Jackson Heights: Wyatt Olberding – 11, Braden Dohl – 10, Brady Holliday – 5, Mason Hamilton – 5, Kolby Rethman – 4, Kaleb Keehn – 2.