Class 2A State Quarterfinal in Manhattan on Thursday, March 10th 

Some teams just have that knack to find way to win and a will to refuse to lose. But with 1:20 to play and trailing 55-47 against a good Colgan team in the opening round of the state tournament, Valley Falls had zero momentum and maybe not many believers. Yet, for the second straight game a special drive and feeling kicked in as Zac Evans scored five quick points and the Dragons would score 17 points in the final 80 seconds of the contest to complete a 64-61 comeback win and keep their undefeated season alive.

This epic battle for Valley Falls came against a team they beat in another instant classic 15 inning state baseball game last spring. And the Dragons remain the only undefeated boys basketball team in the state of Kansas heading to their sixth state semifinal apperance in school history.   

Valley Falls tied the game for the first time in the fourth quarter at 60 with back-to-back treys by Dylan Cervantez with 30 seconds left. Then took the lead with a three-point-play by Avery Gatzemeyer 63-61 with 21 ticks remaining. Pittsburg Colgan had a travel call with 10 second left and had made only 9 of 13 free throws down the stretch before missing a game tying three-pointer at the end of the contest to finish their season at 14-9. Jalen Vanbecelaere scored all 16 of his points in the second half while Nick Ison added 13 for the Panthers. 

Valley Falls led 12-8 after one quarter and 23-22 at halftime with a big lead of five points in the first half. Colgan went ahead 40-39 at the end of a back-and-forth third period and led by six, seven and eight points through much of the fourth frame.

Evans scored 28 points including 13 in the fourth stanza and a free throw with seven seconds left for the final 64-61 margin. Cervantez scored all 13 of his points in the second half and Gatzemeyer also had 13 points while Trenton Kraxner posted 8 points and rebounds as Valley Falls improved to 24-0 and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 2001. It was just the sixth win by single digits this season, but required a late comeback, just like the sub state championship win against ACCHS (53-50) on Saturday night. 

The Dragons, who made 7 of 10 foul shots in the fourth quarter to help complete a comeback for the ages, next face St. Mary's Bears at 8 PM Friday night in the 2A State semifinals with live coverage on KNZA 103.9 FM.