By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

On Tuesday night, the Sacred Heart Knights and Lady Knight defended their home floor, sweeping the rival Trojans of Southeast of Saline in a pair of tight matchups.

Girls Game: Sacred Heart 37, SE of Saline 31

On the girl’s side, the Lady Knights got some much-anticipated revenge over Southeast of Saline, defeating the Lady Trojans for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

With this win, Sacred Heart moves to 8-6 overall and 2-3 in league play while Southeast slides to 9-4 and 4-1.

The Lady Knights came flying out of the gates, forcing turnovers at will, and held a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

From there, Southeast battled back, trailing by just two at the half and leading by two after three, but slow shooting allowed Sacred Heart to pull away down the stretch and close out their victory.

The Lady Knights were led in scoring by Avery Eshelman (10), Katie Weiss (9), and Skylar Douglas (8) while the Lady Trojans got ten points out of Aba Pearson.

Boys Game: #6 Sacred Heart 55, SE of Saline 51

On the boy’s side, this game was a dogfight through the final minutes, but Sacred Heart was able to maintain control and put the game away at the line to continue their impressive run.

With the win, the Knights move to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in league play while Southeast falls to 6-7 and 1-4.

The Trojans delivered the first punch of this battle, knocking down three quick triples to put themselves ahead 9-2, but the Knights quickly rattled off 11 unanswered to erase the deficit.

Sacred Heart led by ten at the intermission and extended that lead to twelve after three, but Southeast steadily got themselves back in the game by attacking the basket and earning trips to the stripe.

The Trojans would cut the deficit to as few as two on three separate occasions down the stretch but couldn’t even the ledger as the 6th-ranked Knights pulled away in the closing seconds.

Despite being swept by their biggest rival, Connor Caselman posted a new career high, even with Gannon Jacobson with 14 points, while Sacred Heart got big performances out of Michael Matteucci, Jett Samuelson, Max Ehrlich, and Jason Marrs.

Sacred Heart will travel to Ellsworth for their third game in as many days on Wednesday while Southeast returns to Gypsum to square off with Chapman on Friday.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>On Tuesday night, the Sacred Heart Knights and Lady Knight defended their home floor, sweeping the rival Trojans of Southeast of Saline in a pair of tight matchups.Girls Game: Sacred Heart 37, SE of Saline 31On the girl’s side, the Lady Knights got some much-anticipated revenge over Southeast of Saline, defeating the Lady Trojans for the first time since the 2019-20 season.With this win, Sacred Heart moves to 8-6 overall and 2-3 in league play while Southeast slides to 9-4 and 4-1.The Lady Knights came flying out of the gates, forcing turnovers at will, and held a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.From there, Southeast battled back, trailing by just two at the half and leading by two after three, but slow shooting allowed Sacred Heart to pull away down the stretch and close out their victory.The Lady Knights were led in scoring by Avery Eshelman (10), Katie Weiss (9), and Skylar Douglas (8) while the Lady Trojans got ten points out of Aba Pearson.Boys Game: #6 Sacred Heart 55, SE of Saline 51On the boy’s side, this game was a dogfight through the final minutes, but Sacred Heart was able to maintain control and put the game away at the line to continue their impressive run.With the win, the Knights move to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in league play while Southeast falls to 6-7 and 1-4.The Trojans delivered the first punch of this battle, knocking down three quick triples to put themselves ahead 9-2, but the Knights quickly rattled off 11 unanswered to erase the deficit.Sacred Heart led by ten at the intermission and extended that lead to twelve after three, but Southeast steadily got themselves back in the game by attacking the basket and earning trips to the stripe.The Trojans would cut the deficit to as few as two on three separate occasions down the stretch but couldn’t even the ledger as the 6th-ranked Knights pulled away in the closing seconds.Despite being swept by their biggest rival, Connor Caselman posted a new career high, even with Gannon Jacobson with 14 points, while Sacred Heart got big performances out of Michael Matteucci, Jett Samuelson, Max Ehrlich, and Jason Marrs.Sacred Heart will travel to Ellsworth for their third game in as many days on Wednesday while Southeast returns to Gypsum to square off with Chapman on Friday.

Sacred Heart Sweeps Southeast in Salina

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State senior center and All-American candidate Ayoka Lee has been named to the Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.

The two-time USBWA/Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week recipient this season, has had a strong 2023-24 as she is averaging 19.8 points on a career-best .677 field goal percentage, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average and leads the league and is eighth in the nation for blocks per game.

Lee, a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, has recorded nine games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.

In her career, Lee ranks fourth in school history for points scored with 2,017, second for rebounds with 1,034, the school record holder for career blocks with 284 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 55.

K-State begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, as the Wildcats visit Oklahoma at 6 p.m.

Wednesday’s game can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network including the flagship stations Sunny 102.5 FM and 1350 KMAN, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">kstatesports.com</a>, or on the K-State Sports app.

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State senior center and All-American candidate Ayoka Lee has been named to the Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal.The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.The two-time USBWA/Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week recipient this season, has had a strong 2023-24 as she is averaging 19.8 points on a career-best .677 field goal percentage, 8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average and leads the league and is eighth in the nation for blocks per game.Lee, a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, has recorded nine games this season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.In her career, Lee ranks fourth in school history for points scored with 2,017, second for rebounds with 1,034, the school record holder for career blocks with 284 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 55.K-State begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, as the Wildcats visit Oklahoma at 6 p.m.Wednesday’s game can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network including the flagship stations Sunny 102.5 FM and 1350 KMAN, online at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">kstatesports.com</a>, or on the K-State Sports app.

K-State’s Lee Named to Late Season Top 20 Wooden Award Watch List

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had seen enough of Kansas State's three leading scorers on film that he knew taking away any combination of them would probably mean good things for the Sooners on Tuesday night.

They couldn't stop Tylor Perry. But they completely shut down Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma.

That defensive performance, combined with 23 points from Jalon Moore and 21 from Javian McCollum, helped No. 23 Oklahoma pull away from the Wildcats down the stretch for a 73-53 victory.

“Our guys got a lot of respect for their guys. We watched Kaluma and Carter and those guys, and I thought our guys did a good job on them,” said Moser, whose team allowed Perry to score 23, but never let Carter and Kaluma get going.

The Wildcats' two top scorers were a combined 3 of 20 from the field, 0 for 10 from the 3-point arc and had eight turnovers.

“I thought our guys really took the challenge on,” Moser said. “They knew how good those guys were.”

Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for Oklahoma (26-5, 4-4 Big 12), which actually blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to win its final scheduled trip to Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (14-7, 4-4) didn't score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 16 of 53 from the field (30.2%) and 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. They also turned the ball over 14 times while losing their third consecutive game.

“I'll have to go back and look at the film and see if there's something there,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “Even though we didn't score, I thought we were playing with good energy and got some good looks.”

Kansas State probably couldn't imagine a worse start than its last time out, when fourth-ranked Houston shut out the Wildcats for nearly 6 minutes to begin a 74-52 blowout. But the Sooners held them scoreless through two media timeouts before David N'Guessan finally made the second of two foul shots with 11:49 to go in the first half.

The Wildcats' first field goal didn't come until the 10:30 mark. By that point, Oklahoma had built a commanding lead.

“Players have to make plays, and make plays for each other,” Tang said. “We're not getting enough of that.”

The Sooners weren't great offensively, either. They led just 35-19 at the break. And their failure to capitalize on all of that cold Kansas State shooting nearly cost them as their lead dwindled to 51-44 with less than 8 minutes to go.

That's when the Sooners pulled down two offensive boards and Godwin got a bucket to go. Kansas State misfired at the other end, Oklahoma got another offensive rebound and Otega Oweh ended an 0-for-10 shooting slump with another basket.

The Sooners were off on the run that put the game away.

“We’ve got some hard workers,” Carter said after the loss, “and we’re going to bounce back.”

Oklahoma had lost four of its last six with only a single true road win at Cincinnati, so picking up a win at Kansas State should provide the Sooners with some much-needed momentum for the second half of the Big 12 schedule.

Kansas State was outscored 40-18 in the paint. That doesn't compute when the Wildcats also were so poor from the 3-point arc.

Oklahoma returns home to play Big 12 newcomer UCF on Saturday.

Kansas State heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706700930350.png" alt="Photo K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had seen enough of Kansas State's three leading scorers on film that he knew taking away any combination of them would probably mean good things for the Sooners on Tuesday night.They couldn't stop Tylor Perry. But they completely shut down Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma.That defensive performance, combined with 23 points from Jalon Moore and 21 from Javian McCollum, helped No. 23 Oklahoma pull away from the Wildcats down the stretch for a 73-53 victory.“Our guys got a lot of respect for their guys. We watched Kaluma and Carter and those guys, and I thought our guys did a good job on them,” said Moser, whose team allowed Perry to score 23, but never let Carter and Kaluma get going.The Wildcats' two top scorers were a combined 3 of 20 from the field, 0 for 10 from the 3-point arc and had eight turnovers.“I thought our guys really took the challenge on,” Moser said. “They knew how good those guys were.”Sam Godwin added 11 points and Rivaldo Soares had 10 for Oklahoma (26-5, 4-4 Big 12), which actually blew most of a 17-point first-half lead before using a 12-1 run over the closing minutes to win its final scheduled trip to Bramlage Coliseum.The Wildcats (14-7, 4-4) didn't score for more than 8 minutes to start the game and finished 16 of 53 from the field (30.2%) and 4 of 28 from the 3-point arc. They also turned the ball over 14 times while losing their third consecutive game.“I'll have to go back and look at the film and see if there's something there,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “Even though we didn't score, I thought we were playing with good energy and got some good looks.”Kansas State probably couldn't imagine a worse start than its last time out, when fourth-ranked Houston shut out the Wildcats for nearly 6 minutes to begin a 74-52 blowout. But the Sooners held them scoreless through two media timeouts before David N'Guessan finally made the second of two foul shots with 11:49 to go in the first half.The Wildcats' first field goal didn't come until the 10:30 mark. By that point, Oklahoma had built a commanding lead.“Players have to make plays, and make plays for each other,” Tang said. “We're not getting enough of that.”The Sooners weren't great offensively, either. They led just 35-19 at the break. And their failure to capitalize on all of that cold Kansas State shooting nearly cost them as their lead dwindled to 51-44 with less than 8 minutes to go.That's when the Sooners pulled down two offensive boards and Godwin got a bucket to go. Kansas State misfired at the other end, Oklahoma got another offensive rebound and Otega Oweh ended an 0-for-10 shooting slump with another basket.The Sooners were off on the run that put the game away.“We’ve got some hard workers,” Carter said after the loss, “and we’re going to bounce back.”BIG PICTUREOklahoma had lost four of its last six with only a single true road win at Cincinnati, so picking up a win at Kansas State should provide the Sooners with some much-needed momentum for the second half of the Big 12 schedule.Kansas State was outscored 40-18 in the paint. That doesn't compute when the Wildcats also were so poor from the 3-point arc.UP NEXTOklahoma returns home to play Big 12 newcomer UCF on Saturday.Kansas State heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

No. 23 Oklahoma pulls away from cold-shooting K-State

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night.

All five Kansas starters scored in double figures.

“It was good not to have to stress as much,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We played well. Offensively, we were able to move the ball. We got the shots we wanted and we shared it. Our shot distribution was good. Marko (Elmarko Jackson) saw a couple go down, so there were a lot of good things offensively.”

The Jayhawks, who played without all-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr., cruised throughout the second half. Their lead never dipped below the halftime margin of 18 points.

“Obviously it was a tough night for us, but Kansas had a lot to do with it,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We obviously didn’t play well enough to give ourselves much of a chance.

"They can hurt you a lot of ways. Today, we tried to make them beat us from 3-point range, but they showed us they were capable of beating us from 3 early. That makes it harder to put more attention on Hunter.”

Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Jackson. Dickinson had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Harris had seven assists. Dickinson went over 2,000 points in his career, counting his first three years at Michigan.

Self was pleased with the aggressiveness of Harris, who had his second-most points of the season.

“We wanted Juan to shoot the ball,” he said. “I think he was more aggressive. I told Juan he needs to quit listening to me and he needs to quit listening to everybody else what they think he should be doing to play well. It’s ridiculous, including me.

"All he’s done is won a state high school championship, won a national championship. He wins every pickup game. I tell him, ‘Just play and trust your instincts. Quit trying to do what other people say you need to do.’ He needs to make sure his team wins. And that’s what he does.”

Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7) was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.

Kansas gradually pulled away in the first half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with 11:12 left in the first half on a jumper by Jackson. When Dickinson hit a foul-line jumper to cap a 12-0 run, the Jayhawks led 33-15. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half before taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.

“I looked at it as an opportunity,” Jackson said of playing without McCullar. “We've got a motto here of ‘Next man up.’ You just have to be ready for your opportunity.”

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys, the youngest team in the Big 12 Conference, don't have the depth to compete in the upper tier of the conference at this point.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't miss leading scorer McCullar, who was out with an undisclosed injury.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Kansas State on Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706700825546.png" alt="Photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54 on Tuesday night.All five Kansas starters scored in double figures.“It was good not to have to stress as much,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We played well. Offensively, we were able to move the ball. We got the shots we wanted and we shared it. Our shot distribution was good. Marko (Elmarko Jackson) saw a couple go down, so there were a lot of good things offensively.”The Jayhawks, who played without all-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr., cruised throughout the second half. Their lead never dipped below the halftime margin of 18 points.“Obviously it was a tough night for us, but Kansas had a lot to do with it,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We obviously didn’t play well enough to give ourselves much of a chance."They can hurt you a lot of ways. Today, we tried to make them beat us from 3-point range, but they showed us they were capable of beating us from 3 early. That makes it harder to put more attention on Hunter.”Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Jackson. Dickinson had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Harris had seven assists. Dickinson went over 2,000 points in his career, counting his first three years at Michigan.Self was pleased with the aggressiveness of Harris, who had his second-most points of the season.“We wanted Juan to shoot the ball,” he said. “I think he was more aggressive. I told Juan he needs to quit listening to me and he needs to quit listening to everybody else what they think he should be doing to play well. It’s ridiculous, including me."All he’s done is won a state high school championship, won a national championship. He wins every pickup game. I tell him, ‘Just play and trust your instincts. Quit trying to do what other people say you need to do.’ He needs to make sure his team wins. And that’s what he does.”Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7) was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.Kansas gradually pulled away in the first half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with 11:12 left in the first half on a jumper by Jackson. When Dickinson hit a foul-line jumper to cap a 12-0 run, the Jayhawks led 33-15. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half before taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.“I looked at it as an opportunity,” Jackson said of playing without McCullar. “We've got a motto here of ‘Next man up.’ You just have to be ready for your opportunity.”THE TAKEAWAYOklahoma State: The Cowboys, the youngest team in the Big 12 Conference, don't have the depth to compete in the upper tier of the conference at this point.Kansas: The Jayhawks didn't miss leading scorer McCullar, who was out with an undisclosed injury.UP NEXTOklahoma State: Hosts Kansas State on Saturday.Kansas: Hosts No. 4 Houston on Saturday.

No. 8 Kansas easily defeats Oklahoma State 

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;As construction continues on the transformational Gateway District and a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the Kansas Jayhawks have determined the locations of their home games for the 2024 season.

Kansas Football will play all six of its home games in 2024 in the Kansas City metropolitan area, including its first two home games against Lindenwood and UNLV at Children’s Mercy Park – the home to Sporting Kansas City. The Jayhawks will play their four Big 12 Conference home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium against TCU (Sept. 28), Houston (Oct. 19), Iowa State (Nov. 9) and Colorado (Nov. 23). A full breakdown of the 2024 Kansas Football schedule can be viewed&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/kansas-football-unveils-complete-2024-schedule" target="_blank">here</a>.

The alternate venues enable Kansas Athletics to provide increased fan amenities and a full event experience that would not be possible in a reduced capacity Memorial Stadium. Most importantly, playing the six games outside Lawrence is necessary to keep the Gateway District construction on schedule and ensure that KU can host its 2025 home games in Lawrence.

University of Kansas commencement ceremonies for 2024 and 2025 will still be held in Lawrence at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

“This plan for the 2024 season has an incredible number of benefits for our student-athletes, our fans and supporters, our campus partners and the Kansas Football program,” said Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff. “While we are disappointed we can’t play in Lawrence, ultimately, we want to create the best possible experience for all involved, and playing two games at Children’s Mercy Park and four games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium allows us to do that. It has been a thrill to see construction begin in earnest in Lawrence on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and this decision allows that construction to continue on a necessary timeline while also benefiting the overall budget of the project and the 2024 fan experience.”

Fans looking to support the Jayhawks throughout the 2024 season can purchase a full six-game season ticket package beginning at $275. There will also be a family zone opportunity for $200 per ticket. Renewals for 2023 season ticket holders will go on sale Feb. 6. Full season ticket holders for the 2024 season will have priority for the 2025 season – the first inside the transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a four-game package for the games solely at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, with that package slated to go on sale June 3. Single-game tickets will go on sale at a later date. Those who are not 2023 season ticket holders, but are interested in 2024 ticket opportunities,&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.fanthreesixty.com/2024_ticket_interest_form_waitlist?mnemonic=ku" target="_blank">click here</a>&nbsp;to fill out a ticket interest form.

Kansas Athletics is also working with campus partners to ensure student transportation and accommodations for all six home games on the schedule. Student attendance and participation during the 2024 season is of utmost importance. The student ticket allotment at Children’s Mercy Park will be approximately 3,500, right on par with the student capacity ratio at a full David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. At GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, student numbers will match or exceed the total number available at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Information on fan parking, suites and other premium opportunities at both venues in 2024 will be released in the coming weeks.

Due to season ticket holder demand, single-game tickets are not expected to be on sale for the two games at Children’s Mercy Park in 2024.

“We are excited for the unique opportunity to play our home games in the Kansas City metropolitan area in 2024,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “While we had hoped to play these games in Lawrence, the move to alternate venues is needed to ensure that our fans, student-athletes and all constituents have the best possible gameday experience and that we stay on schedule to complete construction for the 2025 season. We recognize this move is not ideal for some members of the Lawrence community, and we hope they will understand this is a necessary one-year move to ensure the Gateway District can begin benefitting Lawrence as soon as possible in 2025.”

Kansas Football is coming off a 9-4 season in 2023, winning the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against UNLV for the program’s first bowl victory since 2008. The Jayhawks won nine games in a season for just the seventh time in program history. Head Coach Lance Leipold will welcome back several key members of the 2023 team, including running back Devin Neal, receivers Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm and Quentin Skinner and quarterback Jalon Daniels on offense.

Defensively, Kansas will welcome back two-time first-team All-Big 12 cornerback Cobee Bryant, along with the team’s other starting cornerback, Mello Dotson. The team will also return defensive standouts Jereme Robinson, Marvin Grant Jr., JB Brown, Taiwan Berryhill and others.

Kansas Head Football Coach Lance Leipold:&nbsp;“This is an exciting move for our team as these are two well respected and exciting venues to watch a sporting event. I’m confident our fans will be able to create a ‘home field’ that our players will be energized to play in. Our administration has done an excellent job of partnering with both organizations and venues during our construction phase. This will allow the project to continue its path to completion in a timely manner and provide the best competitive advantage for our team during the transition.”

Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan: “We are excited to host Jayhawks football games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium while David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is undergoing renovations. In addition to another huge summer of concerts and the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the stadium continues to serve as a community asset for the region. Our Arrowhead Events team has been working closely with the University of Kansas Athletic Department to ensure that players, coaches, staff and fans feel at-home. We look forward to seeing college football return to the home of the Chiefs this fall.”

Sporting KC President and CEO Jake Reid:&nbsp;“Sporting Kansas City and the University of Kansas are longtime supporters of one another. We’ve worked closely on numerous initiatives in recent years including preparations for FIFA World Cup 2026, playing Sporting KC II matches at Rock Chalk Park and also launching our Sporting U and Sporting U NIL platforms. We look forward to hosting Coach Leipold and the nationally-ranked Kansas Football&nbsp;program at Children’s Mercy Park and welcoming KU&nbsp;students and fans to cheer on the Jayhawks.”

Kansas Running Back Devin Neal:&nbsp;“I know the whole team is excited about having the opportunity to play in Kansas City this season. Obviously, we all love playing in Lawrence at The Booth, but this will be a great experience for our team and it’s what’s best for the future of the program and stadium. I know our fans will show up in a big way at Children’s Mercy Park and Arrowhead Stadium to provide a homefield advantage, the same way they have in Lawrence the past couple of seasons.”

Lawrence Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bonnie Lowe: “We have listened and heard the concerns from our business community, and while we all would rather be cheering on the Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium, we understand that growth of this magnitude comes with challenges.&nbsp;We have an opportunity for our businesses to showcase what they’re known for - their innovation and creativity - in finding fun, new ways to watch and celebrate KU Football.&nbsp;When we think about the new stadium, the Gateway District, and the conference center on the horizon for Lawrence, we will be well posed for future success.”

Turner Construction Operations Manager Joshua Jones: “Our collective Gateway District project team has been diligent in exploring all options for delivering a world class facility for the University of Kansas and KU Athletics. This process is inclusive of strategic reviews of project schedules, early procurement processes, reviews of alternative sequencing of workflow, key decision dates, material production timeframes and overall project budget to meet a final completion of August 1, 2025. Through this team partnership and continued coordination, the project team has recognized that hosting all home KU Football Games in 2024 at alternate locations creates a safer and more efficient environment to complete this project.

The Turner team is appreciative of the efforts that KU and the design team have made to support the safety of the community and our workforce by recognizing the incredible challenges that hosting games in 2024 at David Booth Memorial Stadium would have created. This decision creates the best path forward for our project team to successfully complete the new construction and renovations for the launch of the 2025 football season.”

Kansas Student Body President Turner Seals:&nbsp;“Although we’d obviously prefer to host our home games in Lawrence, we appreciate Athletics working to provide a great alternative venue for our team and school for the upcoming season with games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and Children’s Mercy Park. Student Senate will continue working with our partners at Athletics to ensure accessible bussing and other efforts to make it a great game day experience for our students and fans as a whole.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;As construction continues on the transformational Gateway District and a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the Kansas Jayhawks have determined the locations of their home games for the 2024 season.Kansas Football will play all six of its home games in 2024 in the Kansas City metropolitan area, including its first two home games against Lindenwood and UNLV at Children’s Mercy Park – the home to Sporting Kansas City. The Jayhawks will play their four Big 12 Conference home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium against TCU (Sept. 28), Houston (Oct. 19), Iowa State (Nov. 9) and Colorado (Nov. 23). A full breakdown of the 2024 Kansas Football schedule can be viewed&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/kansas-football-unveils-complete-2024-schedule" target="_blank">here</a>.The alternate venues enable Kansas Athletics to provide increased fan amenities and a full event experience that would not be possible in a reduced capacity Memorial Stadium. Most importantly, playing the six games outside Lawrence is necessary to keep the Gateway District construction on schedule and ensure that KU can host its 2025 home games in Lawrence.University of Kansas commencement ceremonies for 2024 and 2025 will still be held in Lawrence at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.“This plan for the 2024 season has an incredible number of benefits for our student-athletes, our fans and supporters, our campus partners and the Kansas Football program,” said Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff. “While we are disappointed we can’t play in Lawrence, ultimately, we want to create the best possible experience for all involved, and playing two games at Children’s Mercy Park and four games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium allows us to do that. It has been a thrill to see construction begin in earnest in Lawrence on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and this decision allows that construction to continue on a necessary timeline while also benefiting the overall budget of the project and the 2024 fan experience.”Fans looking to support the Jayhawks throughout the 2024 season can purchase a full six-game season ticket package beginning at $275. There will also be a family zone opportunity for $200 per ticket. Renewals for 2023 season ticket holders will go on sale Feb. 6. Full season ticket holders for the 2024 season will have priority for the 2025 season – the first inside the transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a four-game package for the games solely at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, with that package slated to go on sale June 3. Single-game tickets will go on sale at a later date. Those who are not 2023 season ticket holders, but are interested in 2024 ticket opportunities,&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.fanthreesixty.com/2024_ticket_interest_form_waitlist?mnemonic=ku" target="_blank">click here</a>&nbsp;to fill out a ticket interest form.Kansas Athletics is also working with campus partners to ensure student transportation and accommodations for all six home games on the schedule. Student attendance and participation during the 2024 season is of utmost importance. The student ticket allotment at Children’s Mercy Park will be approximately 3,500, right on par with the student capacity ratio at a full David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. At GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, student numbers will match or exceed the total number available at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Information on fan parking, suites and other premium opportunities at both venues in 2024 will be released in the coming weeks.Due to season ticket holder demand, single-game tickets are not expected to be on sale for the two games at Children’s Mercy Park in 2024.“We are excited for the unique opportunity to play our home games in the Kansas City metropolitan area in 2024,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “While we had hoped to play these games in Lawrence, the move to alternate venues is needed to ensure that our fans, student-athletes and all constituents have the best possible gameday experience and that we stay on schedule to complete construction for the 2025 season. We recognize this move is not ideal for some members of the Lawrence community, and we hope they will understand this is a necessary one-year move to ensure the Gateway District can begin benefitting Lawrence as soon as possible in 2025.”Kansas Football is coming off a 9-4 season in 2023, winning the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against UNLV for the program’s first bowl victory since 2008. The Jayhawks won nine games in a season for just the seventh time in program history. Head Coach Lance Leipold will welcome back several key members of the 2023 team, including running back Devin Neal, receivers Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm and Quentin Skinner and quarterback Jalon Daniels on offense.Defensively, Kansas will welcome back two-time first-team All-Big 12 cornerback Cobee Bryant, along with the team’s other starting cornerback, Mello Dotson. The team will also return defensive standouts Jereme Robinson, Marvin Grant Jr., JB Brown, Taiwan Berryhill and others.WHAT THEY’RE SAYINGKansas Head Football Coach Lance Leipold:&nbsp;“This is an exciting move for our team as these are two well respected and exciting venues to watch a sporting event. I’m confident our fans will be able to create a ‘home field’ that our players will be energized to play in. Our administration has done an excellent job of partnering with both organizations and venues during our construction phase. This will allow the project to continue its path to completion in a timely manner and provide the best competitive advantage for our team during the transition.”Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan: “We are excited to host Jayhawks football games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium while David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is undergoing renovations. In addition to another huge summer of concerts and the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the stadium continues to serve as a community asset for the region. Our Arrowhead Events team has been working closely with the University of Kansas Athletic Department to ensure that players, coaches, staff and fans feel at-home. We look forward to seeing college football return to the home of the Chiefs this fall.”Sporting KC President and CEO Jake Reid:&nbsp;“Sporting Kansas City and the University of Kansas are longtime supporters of one another. We’ve worked closely on numerous initiatives in recent years including preparations for FIFA World Cup 2026, playing Sporting KC II matches at Rock Chalk Park and also launching our Sporting U and Sporting U NIL platforms. We look forward to hosting Coach Leipold and the nationally-ranked Kansas Football&nbsp;program at Children’s Mercy Park and welcoming KU&nbsp;students and fans to cheer on the Jayhawks.”Kansas Running Back Devin Neal:&nbsp;“I know the whole team is excited about having the opportunity to play in Kansas City this season. Obviously, we all love playing in Lawrence at The Booth, but this will be a great experience for our team and it’s what’s best for the future of the program and stadium. I know our fans will show up in a big way at Children’s Mercy Park and Arrowhead Stadium to provide a homefield advantage, the same way they have in Lawrence the past couple of seasons.”Lawrence Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bonnie Lowe: “We have listened and heard the concerns from our business community, and while we all would rather be cheering on the Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium, we understand that growth of this magnitude comes with challenges.&nbsp;We have an opportunity for our businesses to showcase what they’re known for - their innovation and creativity - in finding fun, new ways to watch and celebrate KU Football.&nbsp;When we think about the new stadium, the Gateway District, and the conference center on the horizon for Lawrence, we will be well posed for future success.”Turner Construction Operations Manager Joshua Jones: “Our collective Gateway District project team has been diligent in exploring all options for delivering a world class facility for the University of Kansas and KU Athletics. This process is inclusive of strategic reviews of project schedules, early procurement processes, reviews of alternative sequencing of workflow, key decision dates, material production timeframes and overall project budget to meet a final completion of August 1, 2025. Through this team partnership and continued coordination, the project team has recognized that hosting all home KU Football Games in 2024 at alternate locations creates a safer and more efficient environment to complete this project.The Turner team is appreciative of the efforts that KU and the design team have made to support the safety of the community and our workforce by recognizing the incredible challenges that hosting games in 2024 at David Booth Memorial Stadium would have created. This decision creates the best path forward for our project team to successfully complete the new construction and renovations for the launch of the 2025 football season.”Kansas Student Body President Turner Seals:&nbsp;“Although we’d obviously prefer to host our home games in Lawrence, we appreciate Athletics working to provide a great alternative venue for our team and school for the upcoming season with games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and Children’s Mercy Park. Student Senate will continue working with our partners at Athletics to ensure accessible bussing and other efforts to make it a great game day experience for our students and fans as a whole.”

Kansas Football to Play 2 Games at Children’s Mercy Park; 4 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in 2024

Tonight, one of the biggest rivalries in the NCAA takes center stage as Southeast of Saline travels to Salina for round two of their battles with Sacred Heart.

Girls Game: SE of Saline (9-3, 4-0) at Sacred Heart (7-6, 1-3)

With the exception of a brief stumble at Sterling, the Lady Trojans have been rolling, winning six of their last seven games and remaining the only team in the NCAA without a league loss in their ledger.

The last time these two met, Sacred Heart was able to muddy the waters and slow the Lady Trojans down, but fell in a low-scoring 35-25 affair.

“Defensively I liked the things that we did,” Lady Knight head coach Carl Hines said. “Usually if we hold someone to 35 points we'll be on the right side of it, but that wasn't the case down there in December.”

While Sacred Heart looks to once again slow the likes of Maddie Harris and Brielle Ptacek down, the Lady Trojans will be focused on improving their offense, coming off their only other win in which they were held to under 40 points.

“We need to continue to get better offensively,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We’ve had too many slow quarters throughout the year and tonight we need to keep the pressure on. They have some good size on the inside and they always have kids who can score so you have to account for everyone on the floor.”

The girl’s game is set to begin at 6:00 on the campus of Sacred Heart High School.

Boys Game: #6 Sacred Heart (11-1, 3-1) vs. SE of Saline (6-6, 1-3)

On the boy’s side, it’s the Knights who have been the aggressors, bouncing back from their first and only loss at the hands of Beloit to throttle Hutch-Trinity and Republic County in their last two games.

While the pendulum of this highly-anticipated series swung purple in each of the last two years, Sacred Heart will be eager to sweep the Trojans for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign and continue cementing themselves among the upper echelon of Class 2A.

This is our rivalry game, It's fun, it's a great atmosphere, and our kids enjoy it,” Sacred Heart head coach Brian Gormley said. “We're expecting a hard-fought ballgame here, and I hope our kids continue to do the little things well because Southeast will push us and make sure we're on top of our game. You know you don't want to lose one at home to your rival.”

In order to stave off the sweep and get their first win over a ranked foe this year, Southeast will have to put together one of its best 32-minute efforts and get the Knight’s out of their comfort zone.

“We didn’t handle pressure very well in that first game and we handed them some points in transition,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “Offensively they share the ball so well and that allows them to get easy lanes to the basket, defensively they’re just really solid, they communicate well, they rebound well and they’re a tough matchup for a lot of teams.”

The boy’s game will follow the girls at approximately 7:30 this evening in Salina.

- Location: Sacred Heart High School - Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM) - SES Stream: Link Below - SH Stream: Link Below

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Tonight, one of the biggest rivalries in the NCAA takes center stage as Southeast of Saline travels to Salina for round two of their battles with Sacred Heart.Girls Game: SE of Saline (9-3, 4-0) at Sacred Heart (7-6, 1-3)With the exception of a brief stumble at Sterling, the Lady Trojans have been rolling, winning six of their last seven games and remaining the only team in the NCAA without a league loss in their ledger.The last time these two met, Sacred Heart was able to muddy the waters and slow the Lady Trojans down, but fell in a low-scoring 35-25 affair.“Defensively I liked the things that we did,” Lady Knight head coach Carl Hines said. “Usually if we hold someone to 35 points we'll be on the right side of it, but that wasn't the case down there in December.”While Sacred Heart looks to once again slow the likes of Maddie Harris and Brielle Ptacek down, the Lady Trojans will be focused on improving their offense, coming off their only other win in which they were held to under 40 points.“We need to continue to get better offensively,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “We’ve had too many slow quarters throughout the year and tonight we need to keep the pressure on. They have some good size on the inside and they always have kids who can score so you have to account for everyone on the floor.”The girl’s game is set to begin at 6:00 on the campus of Sacred Heart High School.Boys Game: #6 Sacred Heart (11-1, 3-1) vs. SE of Saline (6-6, 1-3)On the boy’s side, it’s the Knights who have been the aggressors, bouncing back from their first and only loss at the hands of Beloit to throttle Hutch-Trinity and Republic County in their last two games.While the pendulum of this highly-anticipated series swung purple in each of the last two years, Sacred Heart will be eager to sweep the Trojans for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign and continue cementing themselves among the upper echelon of Class 2A.This is our rivalry game, It's fun, it's a great atmosphere, and our kids enjoy it,” Sacred Heart head coach Brian Gormley said. “We're expecting a hard-fought ballgame here, and I hope our kids continue to do the little things well because Southeast will push us and make sure we're on top of our game. You know you don't want to lose one at home to your rival.”In order to stave off the sweep and get their first win over a ranked foe this year, Southeast will have to put together one of its best 32-minute efforts and get the Knight’s out of their comfort zone.“We didn’t handle pressure very well in that first game and we handed them some points in transition,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “Offensively they share the ball so well and that allows them to get easy lanes to the basket, defensively they’re just really solid, they communicate well, they rebound well and they’re a tough matchup for a lot of teams.”The boy’s game will follow the girls at approximately 7:30 this evening in Salina.Broadcast Info- Location: Sacred Heart High School - Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM) - SES Stream: Link Below - SH Stream: Link Below<figure>
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Trojans Travel to Sacred Heart for Round Two of Saline County Showdown

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor

Sacred Heart followed up a doubleheader sweep of Hutch Trinity at home last Friday and enjoyed the same success again at home against Republic County on Monday night. 

Sacred Heart girls 48, Republic County 26

In the opener of the doubleheader, the Lady Knights began the game on a 20-0 run and never trailed. Leading 13-0 after the opening quarter, Sacred Heart's lead grew to 28-4 at halftime on the way to a 48-26 win. 

12 different Lady Knights saw playing time Monday night as seven of them scored in the game. Katie Weiss led Sacred Heart with 18 points. Avery Eshleman added eight.

Sacred Heart improves to 7-5 overall and remains 1-3 in the NCAA league.

Sacred Heart completed the doubleheader header sweep although the boys were challenged by Republic County early in the game. 

Sacred Heart trailed three different times early in the matchup, but with the score 8-6, the Knights ended the first quarter on a 13-2 spurt and led the rest of the way. Sacred Heart completed what was a total of a 27-2 run to end the first half.

The Knights surrendered just seven points in the final three periods, including holding the Buffaloes scoreless in both the second and fourth quarters. 

In the 64- 17 victory, Michael Matteucci led the Knights with 14 points. Evan Bogart added 13 and Max Ehrlich scored nine. Will Tuttle added nine more off the bench. 

Sacred Heart is currently 11-1 overall and 3-1 in the NCAA league.

The Knights will now turn their attention to Southeast of Saline as the Trojans will be in Salina for a boys and girls twinbill on Tuesday night. 

Pregame is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. with the girls tipoff at 6 p.m. and the boys to follow. The games can be seen and heard on <a href="http://salinapost.com.">salinapost.com.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692978564223.png" alt="Sacred Heart Knights Logo" />
 <figcaption>Sacred Heart Knights Logo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post ContributorSacred Heart followed up a doubleheader sweep of Hutch Trinity at home last Friday and enjoyed the same success again at home against Republic County on Monday night. Sacred Heart girls 48, Republic County 26In the opener of the doubleheader, the Lady Knights began the game on a 20-0 run and never trailed. Leading 13-0 after the opening quarter, Sacred Heart's lead grew to 28-4 at halftime on the way to a 48-26 win. 12 different Lady Knights saw playing time Monday night as seven of them scored in the game. Katie Weiss led Sacred Heart with 18 points. Avery Eshleman added eight.Sacred Heart improves to 7-5 overall and remains 1-3 in the NCAA league.Sacred Heart boys 64, Republic County 17Sacred Heart completed the doubleheader header sweep although the boys were challenged by Republic County early in the game. Sacred Heart trailed three different times early in the matchup, but with the score 8-6, the Knights ended the first quarter on a 13-2 spurt and led the rest of the way. Sacred Heart completed what was a total of a 27-2 run to end the first half.The Knights surrendered just seven points in the final three periods, including holding the Buffaloes scoreless in both the second and fourth quarters. In the 64- 17 victory, Michael Matteucci led the Knights with 14 points. Evan Bogart added 13 and Max Ehrlich scored nine. Will Tuttle added nine more off the bench. Sacred Heart is currently 11-1 overall and 3-1 in the NCAA league.The Knights will now turn their attention to Southeast of Saline as the Trojans will be in Salina for a boys and girls twinbill on Tuesday night. Pregame is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. with the girls tipoff at 6 p.m. and the boys to follow. The games can be seen and heard on <a href="http://salinapost.com.">salinapost.com.</a>

Sacred Heart dominant in doubleheader sweep of Republic County

Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ad5e7b2d-d121-4292-b2cf-225865bf91c7?elinkdata=4340" target="_blank">Jarrett Brannen</a>&nbsp;was selected as the KCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday.

Brannen's selection comes from a pool of nominees selected by conference athletics communication specialists. The award is presented at the conference level by Equity Bank.

Brannen, who led the NAIA in wins a year ago, had a great season debut as the Coyotes beat No. 21 ranked Texas Wesleyan 12-1 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. In six innings, Brannen held the Rams to only three hits, while striking out seven. He held Texas Wesleyan to only one hit through five innings, and gave up two hits in the sixth but did not allow a run.

The Coyotes went 2-1 in the team's season opening series against No. 21 ranked Texas Wesleyan.

Next up for Wesleyan is a three-game series against Baker, scheduled for Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium in a doubleheader, and a single game on Sunday in Baldwin City.

Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ad5e7b2d-d121-4292-b2cf-225865bf91c7?elinkdata=4340" target="_blank">Jarrett Brannen</a>&nbsp;was selected as the KCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday. Brannen's selection comes from a pool of nominees selected by conference athletics communication specialists. The award is presented at the conference level by Equity Bank.Brannen, who led the NAIA in wins a year ago, had a great season debut as the Coyotes beat No. 21 ranked Texas Wesleyan 12-1 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. In six innings, Brannen held the Rams to only three hits, while striking out seven. He held Texas Wesleyan to only one hit through five innings, and gave up two hits in the sixth but did not allow a run.The Coyotes went 2-1 in the team's season opening series against No. 21 ranked Texas Wesleyan.Next up for Wesleyan is a three-game series against Baker, scheduled for Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium in a doubleheader, and a single game on Sunday in Baldwin City.

Brannen earns KCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week honor

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“I don’t have anything to give you on the injury front yet, we’re getting things going here right now. Great game yesterday afternoon. I thought the players came out and executed well, both sides of the ball and special teams. I thought the coordinators had good gameplans for the guys. There were some great individual performances that took place. You always start with the O- and D-line, whether it was the O-line coming out and setting the tempo there with aggressive play, Trey (Smith) – that whole group, Creed (Humphrey), both tackles I thought did a nice job. Then the running back, (Isiah) Pacheco played hard and aggressive, Pat (Mahomes) did a nice job likewise. All around just a good solid job there. Defensive line really started the fight up front there and had pressure on the quarterback, kept him in the pocket, which was big, that helped out with the backend. The linebackers, who I thought tackled well, then the secondary which stayed aggressive and challenged receivers. Again, I thought George (Karlaftis) and Chris (Jones) did a nice job up front there. Then the guys that had to fill in, I thought they did well when asked to step in and do their job. Then special teams wise, we did a good job there. With that time’s yours.”

Q:&nbsp;When you look back to the loss on Christmas Day to the Raiders and the tough stretch leading up to that. Were there things you saw during that time that led you to believe this was still a team that could make a run to the Super Bowl?

REID:&nbsp;“I think that was a good wake up call for us. They (the Raiders) came out with great emotion, (Raiders Head Coach) Antonio (Pierce) had them ready to go. That emotion was the thing that jumped out at you – that they played with – I think it gave our guys a nice little – for (lack of) a better term a wakeup call that, ‘Listen we need to step things up here. Things aren’t just going to fall in our lap.’ We’re taking everyone’s best shot, here’s a team that went through some adversity, and they stepped up and were able to present themselves like they did. We were able to learn from it and move on. I felt all along though (that) we had the ability to do that, like I said, we need a little kick in the tail there.”

Q:&nbsp;Considering the comments on social media by&nbsp;<a>Kadarius Toney</a>&nbsp;yesterday, has his status with the team changed? Will he be back practicing with the team this week?

REID:&nbsp;“I actually haven’t seen it; I’ve heard people talk about it. Yeah, he’ll be back out there, and we’ll see how he does.”

Q:&nbsp;It seemed as if Kadarius Toney was indicating that he was not hurt on his social media post. Is there any change in his status on that front?

REID:&nbsp;“Obviously, he’s been on the injury report, that part is not made up by any means. He’s been working through some things; he’ll be back out there.”

Q:&nbsp;How much do you think about the legacy that Patrick Mahomes is currently building?

REID:&nbsp;“We see it every day, you’re right, we don’t take that for granted. We respect the job that he does, and we appreciate it, we know we’re seeing something special, and he’s still young in this business. That’s a great thing for the Chiefs, it’s a great thing for the city. It’s somebody you can build around and (General Manager) Brett Veach does a great job with that of making sure that other positions are relative to that. It’s a positive thing that we’re very aware of is the best way I can say it. By the way I just want to put a shout out (to) (Nick) Allegretti too for stepping in and doing the job he did – and (Deon) Bush those were two guys I thought did nice jobs stepping in.”

Q:&nbsp;What will this week look like balancing the players getting some rest while still game planning?

REID:&nbsp;“The way it will look here, the guys will come in today, we have a team meeting a little later today. Then they have a couple of days off, then they will come back on Thursday, and we’ll start our normal week. We’ll try to get everything done here the best we can and once we get down there (to Las Vegas) it’s a good review for us and still keep ourselves in shape, in football shape, so we’re ready to go.”

Q: In your years of coaching, where does this defense stack up and how important was it for you to bring Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in?

REID: “I guess I can start with that; I mean that was important. We have a history together, so I knew what to expect and where he (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) would go with things. He had a young bunch and an older group that was tremendous for us, but they kind of aged out, then we had this influx of new young guys that what he did with them was great – of teaching. All of his guys did that, they did a great job of teaching, and the kids were receptive to it, and you’re seeing the rewards of that now. Is one of the better defenses? Yeah, I’d say it’s one of the better defenses that I’ve been around. We had some real good ones in Philadelphia and some of the early defenses here, I don’t want to slight those guys, they did a nice job for us. Surely, this is a defense that has helped guide this team along as the offense was growing and now that both are playing well, that’s a tribute to everybody involved. What Steve has done and then what (Offensive Coordinator Matt) Nags has done on the offensive side helping them grow.”

Q: How do you go about creating turnovers? Is it something you can coach?

REID: “You have to have a dance partner, so they’ve got to make sure that we’re doing the right things defensively and putting ourself in the right positions to have an opportunity to make a turnover. Then the other side has to give you that opportunity. I would say though, it was great to see – we had a chance for another one too, (Nick) Bolton’s got that cast on, that son of a gun. The fact that he’s even playing is a great thing and making the tackles he’s made. I don’t know how he does it, but he had a chance for another one. The guys are doing a great job, they’re doing job with their eyes right now. That will be real important in a couple weeks here when we play the 49ers.”

Q: Thinking back to training camp, is there anything that has surprised you or impressed you with this team this season?

REID: “I’d tell you yes. It’s a group that has a – there’s a great spirit about them. There’s a certain toughness that they have to where they don’t get down on each other, they challenge each other, they support each other, and it’s been that way through the highs and the lows. I mean nothing has changed. (ESPN Reporter) Adam (Teicher) mentioned that Raiders game, well they just said, ‘Hey, we have to up our game.’ It wasn’t us as coaches jumping up and down on them, they took it within themselves to say, ‘We know what we are and can be, we’ve got to do it.’ That jumps out at me, just that attitude. I mentioned after the Buffalo game, I mentioned yesterday afternoon that there’s a grit to that and maybe you’re not the most talented, maybe you’re not the fastest or the quickest of whatever, but let’s go maximize what we are and let the chips fall where they may.”

Q: After the game, Patrick implied that Travis improved on the third down route that he dove to catch. What was the intention of that play originally?

REID: “He (TE Travis Kelce) was working more across, and he kind of came back on that a bit. Pat (Mahomes) was moving so he had to get himself in position to get there. I mean the fact that he laid out like that, I’ve seen him to a lot of things (but) I really haven’t seen that right there where he had to be in that position parallel to the ground and two inches off the ground to make the catch. That’s tough without the ball hitting the turf there, so that’s a great job by him, something I guess he’s kept in the pocket for a while and showed us.”

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“I don’t have anything to give you on the injury front yet, we’re getting things going here right now. Great game yesterday afternoon. I thought the players came out and executed well, both sides of the ball and special teams. I thought the coordinators had good gameplans for the guys. There were some great individual performances that took place. You always start with the O- and D-line, whether it was the O-line coming out and setting the tempo there with aggressive play, Trey (Smith) – that whole group, Creed (Humphrey), both tackles I thought did a nice job. Then the running back, (Isiah) Pacheco played hard and aggressive, Pat (Mahomes) did a nice job likewise. All around just a good solid job there. Defensive line really started the fight up front there and had pressure on the quarterback, kept him in the pocket, which was big, that helped out with the backend. The linebackers, who I thought tackled well, then the secondary which stayed aggressive and challenged receivers. Again, I thought George (Karlaftis) and Chris (Jones) did a nice job up front there. Then the guys that had to fill in, I thought they did well when asked to step in and do their job. Then special teams wise, we did a good job there. With that time’s yours.”Q:&nbsp;When you look back to the loss on Christmas Day to the Raiders and the tough stretch leading up to that. Were there things you saw during that time that led you to believe this was still a team that could make a run to the Super Bowl?REID:&nbsp;“I think that was a good wake up call for us. They (the Raiders) came out with great emotion, (Raiders Head Coach) Antonio (Pierce) had them ready to go. That emotion was the thing that jumped out at you – that they played with – I think it gave our guys a nice little – for (lack of) a better term a wakeup call that, ‘Listen we need to step things up here. Things aren’t just going to fall in our lap.’ We’re taking everyone’s best shot, here’s a team that went through some adversity, and they stepped up and were able to present themselves like they did. We were able to learn from it and move on. I felt all along though (that) we had the ability to do that, like I said, we need a little kick in the tail there.”Q:&nbsp;Considering the comments on social media by&nbsp;<a>Kadarius Toney</a>&nbsp;yesterday, has his status with the team changed? Will he be back practicing with the team this week?REID:&nbsp;“I actually haven’t seen it; I’ve heard people talk about it. Yeah, he’ll be back out there, and we’ll see how he does.”Q:&nbsp;It seemed as if Kadarius Toney was indicating that he was not hurt on his social media post. Is there any change in his status on that front?REID:&nbsp;“Obviously, he’s been on the injury report, that part is not made up by any means. He’s been working through some things; he’ll be back out there.”Q:&nbsp;How much do you think about the legacy that Patrick Mahomes is currently building?REID:&nbsp;“We see it every day, you’re right, we don’t take that for granted. We respect the job that he does, and we appreciate it, we know we’re seeing something special, and he’s still young in this business. That’s a great thing for the Chiefs, it’s a great thing for the city. It’s somebody you can build around and (General Manager) Brett Veach does a great job with that of making sure that other positions are relative to that. It’s a positive thing that we’re very aware of is the best way I can say it. By the way I just want to put a shout out (to) (Nick) Allegretti too for stepping in and doing the job he did – and (Deon) Bush those were two guys I thought did nice jobs stepping in.”Q:&nbsp;What will this week look like balancing the players getting some rest while still game planning?REID:&nbsp;“The way it will look here, the guys will come in today, we have a team meeting a little later today. Then they have a couple of days off, then they will come back on Thursday, and we’ll start our normal week. We’ll try to get everything done here the best we can and once we get down there (to Las Vegas) it’s a good review for us and still keep ourselves in shape, in football shape, so we’re ready to go.”Q: In your years of coaching, where does this defense stack up and how important was it for you to bring Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in?REID: “I guess I can start with that; I mean that was important. We have a history together, so I knew what to expect and where he (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) would go with things. He had a young bunch and an older group that was tremendous for us, but they kind of aged out, then we had this influx of new young guys that what he did with them was great – of teaching. All of his guys did that, they did a great job of teaching, and the kids were receptive to it, and you’re seeing the rewards of that now. Is one of the better defenses? Yeah, I’d say it’s one of the better defenses that I’ve been around. We had some real good ones in Philadelphia and some of the early defenses here, I don’t want to slight those guys, they did a nice job for us. Surely, this is a defense that has helped guide this team along as the offense was growing and now that both are playing well, that’s a tribute to everybody involved. What Steve has done and then what (Offensive Coordinator Matt) Nags has done on the offensive side helping them grow.”Q: How do you go about creating turnovers? Is it something you can coach?REID: “You have to have a dance partner, so they’ve got to make sure that we’re doing the right things defensively and putting ourself in the right positions to have an opportunity to make a turnover. Then the other side has to give you that opportunity. I would say though, it was great to see – we had a chance for another one too, (Nick) Bolton’s got that cast on, that son of a gun. The fact that he’s even playing is a great thing and making the tackles he’s made. I don’t know how he does it, but he had a chance for another one. The guys are doing a great job, they’re doing job with their eyes right now. That will be real important in a couple weeks here when we play the 49ers.”Q: Thinking back to training camp, is there anything that has surprised you or impressed you with this team this season?REID: “I’d tell you yes. It’s a group that has a – there’s a great spirit about them. There’s a certain toughness that they have to where they don’t get down on each other, they challenge each other, they support each other, and it’s been that way through the highs and the lows. I mean nothing has changed. (ESPN Reporter) Adam (Teicher) mentioned that Raiders game, well they just said, ‘Hey, we have to up our game.’ It wasn’t us as coaches jumping up and down on them, they took it within themselves to say, ‘We know what we are and can be, we’ve got to do it.’ That jumps out at me, just that attitude. I mentioned after the Buffalo game, I mentioned yesterday afternoon that there’s a grit to that and maybe you’re not the most talented, maybe you’re not the fastest or the quickest of whatever, but let’s go maximize what we are and let the chips fall where they may.”Q: After the game, Patrick implied that Travis improved on the third down route that he dove to catch. What was the intention of that play originally?REID: “He (TE Travis Kelce) was working more across, and he kind of came back on that a bit. Pat (Mahomes) was moving so he had to get himself in position to get there. I mean the fact that he laid out like that, I’ve seen him to a lot of things (but) I really haven’t seen that right there where he had to be in that position parallel to the ground and two inches off the ground to make the catch. That’s tough without the ball hitting the turf there, so that’s a great job by him, something I guess he’s kept in the pocket for a while and showed us.”

Chiefs Quotes: 1-29-24

Kansas Wesleyan Coaches&nbsp;Show 6pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kina.com/" target="_blank">910kina.com</a>

Chiefs Kingdom Show 7pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - Listen on KINA and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kina.com/" target="_blank">910kina.com</a>

Southeast of Saline at Sacred Heart Basketball - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - Girls game 6pm - Boys game 7:30

Kansas Wesleyan University at Evangel University - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Pregame Show 5:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - WBB 6pm - MBB 8pm

Southeast of Saline vs. Chapman Basketball - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm - Girls game 6:00 - Boys game 7:30

Sacred Heart at Minneapolis Basketball - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm - Girls game 6:00 - Boys game 7:30

KINA Scoreboard Show 10pm&nbsp; -Audio on 910am/107.5fm and 910KINA.com

Saturday Kansas Wesleyan University vs. McPherson College - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Pregame Show 4:30pm - WBB 5pm - MBB&nbsp; 7pm

MRN Nascar Live 10pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KINA.COM</a>

<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank"></a>PRN The Pit Reporters 11pm - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KINA.COM</a>

<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank"></a>Sunday

MRN Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA&nbsp; 5pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KIINA.COM</a>

MondayKansas Wesleyan Coaches&nbsp;Show 6pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kina.com/" target="_blank">910kina.com</a>Chiefs Kingdom Show 7pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - Listen on KINA and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kina.com/" target="_blank">910kina.com</a>TuesdaySoutheast of Saline at Sacred Heart Basketball - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - Girls game 6pm - Boys game 7:30WednesdayKansas Wesleyan University at Evangel University - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Pregame Show 5:30pm&nbsp;&nbsp; - WBB 6pm - MBB 8pmFridaySoutheast of Saline vs. Chapman Basketball - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm - Girls game 6:00 - Boys game 7:30Sacred Heart at Minneapolis Basketball - Video on Salina Post - Pregame Show 5:45pm - Girls game 6:00 - Boys game 7:30 KINA Scoreboard Show 10pm&nbsp; -Audio on 910am/107.5fm and 910KINA.comSaturday Kansas Wesleyan University vs. McPherson College - Audio on 910AM/107.5fm and 910KINA.com - Pregame Show 4:30pm - WBB 5pm - MBB&nbsp; 7pmMRN Nascar Live 10pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KINA.COM</a><a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank"></a>PRN The Pit Reporters 11pm - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KINA.COM</a><a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank"></a>SundayMRN Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA&nbsp; 5pm&nbsp; - Listen on KINA 910AM/107.5FM and&nbsp;<a href="http://910kiina.com/" target="_blank">910KIINA.COM</a>

KINA Sports Schedule

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor

Sacred Heart begins a stretch of five games in six nights with a doubleheader against Republic County. 

The Knights were originally slated to host the Buffaloes on January 9th, but inclement weather forced the games to be rescheduled.&nbsp;

Girl's game: Sacred Heart (6-5, 0-3) vs.Republic County (0-11, 0-3)

Despite being winless so far this season, the Lady Knights won't be overlooking the Lady Buffs.

"Republic County is better than they were last year," Sacred Heart Head Coach Carl Hines said. "From what I've seen they play a 3-2 zone and extend it a bit. We have to work our offense to get good looks and play with pace to beat them down the court when we can."

Tip-off for the girl’s game is set for 6:00 pm from Salina.

Boy's game: Sacred Heart (10-1, 2-1) vs. Republic County (1-10, 0-3)

Despite their matchup with Republic County looking like a mismatch on paper, the Knights won't be taking Buffaloes lightly.

"Our team has struggled the past couple&nbsp;of years against Republic County," Sacred Heart Head Coach Brian Gormley commented. "We've not shot the ball well. Additionally, they're a young team, and they're in our substate, we're approaching it like a league game and need to take care of business."

Tip-off for the boy’s game is set for 7:30 pm from Salina.

Broadcast Information - Live Stream: Salina Post - Pregame: 5:50 PM

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Sacred Heart begins a stretch of five games in six nights with a doubleheader against Republic County. The Knights were originally slated to host the Buffaloes on January 9th, but inclement weather forced the games to be rescheduled.&nbsp;Girl's game: Sacred Heart (6-5, 0-3) vs.Republic County (0-11, 0-3)Despite being winless so far this season, the Lady Knights won't be overlooking the Lady Buffs."Republic County is better than they were last year," Sacred Heart Head Coach Carl Hines said. "From what I've seen they play a 3-2 zone and extend it a bit. We have to work our offense to get good looks and play with pace to beat them down the court when we can."Tip-off for the girl’s game is set for 6:00 pm from Salina.Boy's game: Sacred Heart (10-1, 2-1) vs. Republic County (1-10, 0-3)Despite their matchup with Republic County looking like a mismatch on paper, the Knights won't be taking Buffaloes lightly."Our team has struggled the past couple&nbsp;of years against Republic County," Sacred Heart Head Coach Brian Gormley commented. "We've not shot the ball well. Additionally, they're a young team, and they're in our substate, we're approaching it like a league game and need to take care of business."Tip-off for the boy’s game is set for 7:30 pm from Salina.Broadcast Information - Live Stream: Salina Post - Pregame: 5:50 PM

Sacred Heart Begins Busy Week Against Republic County

BALTIMORE (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City's defense delivered another masterpiece against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game Sunday.

Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and now the big question at next month's Super Bowl in Las Vegas is whether his girlfriend Taylor Swift will be able to make it there in the middle of her tour. The pop star was on hand again Sunday, and the 34-year-old Kelce was at his best.

Kansas City (14-6) will face either San Francisco or Detroit on Feb. 11, and a win would make the Chiefs the first team to win it all in back-to-back seasons since the New England Patriots 19 years ago.

Swift's presence has turned the Chiefs into even more of a glamour team than they already were, but it's been more of a blue-collar performance on the field this season. Aside from Kelce, Mahomes hasn't had the receiving playmakers he's enjoyed in years past.

Instead, the defense has been a big part of why Kansas City won the AFC West and eventually prevailed in two straight road playoff games against Buffalo and Baltimore to win the conference.

The Chiefs led 17-7 at halftime, and Justin Tucker's 43-yard field goal with 2:34 to play was the only scoring of the second half.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706484917159.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas City Chiefs" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas City Chiefs</figcaption>
 </figure>BALTIMORE (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City's defense delivered another masterpiece against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game Sunday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0eWYWDnUALZR8xBpPCJq6gUZm9rDBMprgao3kty8fHkJnz6GvG6JbKjuWZhVHDwzJl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="590" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and now the big question at next month's Super Bowl in Las Vegas is whether his girlfriend Taylor Swift will be able to make it there in the middle of her tour. The pop star was on hand again Sunday, and the 34-year-old Kelce was at his best.Kansas City (14-6) will face either San Francisco or Detroit on Feb. 11, and a win would make the Chiefs the first team to win it all in back-to-back seasons since the New England Patriots 19 years ago.Swift's presence has turned the Chiefs into even more of a glamour team than they already were, but it's been more of a blue-collar performance on the field this season. Aside from Kelce, Mahomes hasn't had the receiving playmakers he's enjoyed in years past.Instead, the defense has been a big part of why Kansas City won the AFC West and eventually prevailed in two straight road playoff games against Buffalo and Baltimore to win the conference.The Chiefs led 17-7 at halftime, and Justin Tucker's 43-yard field goal with 2:34 to play was the only scoring of the second half.

Mahomes, Kelce are headed to the Super Bowl after Chiefs shut down Ravens

WICHITA -&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ca8058cd-2930-4375-a281-f1be81bdcca3?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Jun Murdock</a>&nbsp;was sensational in his last college basketball game in his hometown.

Another Wichita area product,&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/c7b122b9-4f15-4b8b-9b3e-d747f18c161b?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Alex Littlejohn</a>, was even better though.

Murdock, who played at Wichita Southeast High School, had 19 points and six assists and Littlejohn, a Newton native who played at Bishop Carroll High, finished with a rare triple-double - 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists - as Kansas Wesleyan defeated Friends 86-76 in overtime in a Kansas Conference game Saturday night inside the Garvey Center.

KWU improved to 15-5 and 12-2 in the KCAC while Friends fell to 7-12 and 4-10.

Murdock, the Coyotes' senior point guard, played his freshman season at Friends before transferring to Wesleyan and has surpassed the 1,500-point plateau for his career. Littlejohn is a junior forward who earned NAIA Third Team All-America honors last season.

Their contributions along with others were essential in helping KWU get past the upset-minded Falcons in a grinding seesaw battle.

The game was tied 71-71 at the end of regulation but the Coyotes took control in the extra period with nine unanswered points. Littlejohn scored six in overtime.

"Where we're at the in the conference (tied for second) we're going to get everybody's best shot every single night," KWU coach&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/edd0192f-e3b7-4980-b6c6-c439163b3f9f?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>&nbsp;said. "We saw that Wednesday night against Bethel (a 72-69 victory), we saw that here at Friends and we're going to see it for the rest of the year. Hats off to the guys for responding, being resilient and finding a way to win."

"We know we're going to get everybody's best shot," Murdock said. "We wouldn't want it any other way, we want to be in those type of fights."

The lead changed hands nine times and the game was tied five times after intermission.

A 13-4 run gave Friends a 54-48 lead with just under 13 minutes left, but KWU responded with a 12-5 surge and led 62-59 with 6½ minutes remaining. The Falcons answered against with a 7-0 run and led 68-65 with just under four minutes left but Wesleyan scored the next four and were up 69-68.

Tim Barbieri gave Friends a 70-69 with a basket with 1:13 left before Murdock put KWU back on top with a basket with 46 seconds left. Friends' KJ Spiller, who scored a game-high 24 points, tied it at 71 by making one of two free throws with 24.1 seconds.

Murdock's 3-point shot in the waning seconds just missed, sending the game into overtime.

The teams traded baskets to start the extra period before KWU pulled away. An&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0b387027-0c54-49a9-b1e8-546c6b45c0de?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Easton Hunter</a>&nbsp;3-pointer was followed by a Littlejohn three-point play, a Littlejohn free throw and an&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/8430be81-6b2b-4bd9-b0a1-647cb1a99e47?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Izaiah Hale</a>&nbsp;basket gave the Coyotes an 82-73 lead with 49 seconds left.

WICHITA -&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ca8058cd-2930-4375-a281-f1be81bdcca3?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Jun Murdock</a>&nbsp;was sensational in his last college basketball game in his hometown.Another Wichita area product,&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/c7b122b9-4f15-4b8b-9b3e-d747f18c161b?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Alex Littlejohn</a>, was even better though.Murdock, who played at Wichita Southeast High School, had 19 points and six assists and Littlejohn, a Newton native who played at Bishop Carroll High, finished with a rare triple-double - 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists - as Kansas Wesleyan defeated Friends 86-76 in overtime in a Kansas Conference game Saturday night inside the Garvey Center.KWU improved to 15-5 and 12-2 in the KCAC while Friends fell to 7-12 and 4-10.Murdock, the Coyotes' senior point guard, played his freshman season at Friends before transferring to Wesleyan and has surpassed the 1,500-point plateau for his career. Littlejohn is a junior forward who earned NAIA Third Team All-America honors last season.Their contributions along with others were essential in helping KWU get past the upset-minded Falcons in a grinding seesaw battle.The game was tied 71-71 at the end of regulation but the Coyotes took control in the extra period with nine unanswered points. Littlejohn scored six in overtime."Where we're at the in the conference (tied for second) we're going to get everybody's best shot every single night," KWU coach&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/edd0192f-e3b7-4980-b6c6-c439163b3f9f?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Anthony Monson</a>&nbsp;said. "We saw that Wednesday night against Bethel (a 72-69 victory), we saw that here at Friends and we're going to see it for the rest of the year. Hats off to the guys for responding, being resilient and finding a way to win.""We know we're going to get everybody's best shot," Murdock said. "We wouldn't want it any other way, we want to be in those type of fights."The lead changed hands nine times and the game was tied five times after intermission.A 13-4 run gave Friends a 54-48 lead with just under 13 minutes left, but KWU responded with a 12-5 surge and led 62-59 with 6½ minutes remaining. The Falcons answered against with a 7-0 run and led 68-65 with just under four minutes left but Wesleyan scored the next four and were up 69-68.Tim Barbieri gave Friends a 70-69 with a basket with 1:13 left before Murdock put KWU back on top with a basket with 46 seconds left. Friends' KJ Spiller, who scored a game-high 24 points, tied it at 71 by making one of two free throws with 24.1 seconds.Murdock's 3-point shot in the waning seconds just missed, sending the game into overtime.The teams traded baskets to start the extra period before KWU pulled away. An&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0b387027-0c54-49a9-b1e8-546c6b45c0de?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Easton Hunter</a>&nbsp;3-pointer was followed by a Littlejohn three-point play, a Littlejohn free throw and an&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/8430be81-6b2b-4bd9-b0a1-647cb1a99e47?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Izaiah Hale</a>&nbsp;basket gave the Coyotes an 82-73 lead with 49 seconds left."We had to get (defensive) stops," Littlejohn said. "We were letting them score and that was taking away from our offense. We knew if we got stops the offense was become so much more easy for us."Littlejohn was surprised he had a triple-double."That's crazy," he said. "People were making shots and I was finding them (for the 11 assists). That's all on my teammates, I can't make the shots for them.""He was really good once we got the ball down to him," Monson said of Littlejohn. "Guys did a good job cutting and he did a good job finding them. He was very unselfish tonight, and he did a good job of not settling for jump shots like he did the other night. To have a triple-double is pretty incredible."<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b4045a9f-c803-4cf4-aa8b-bc5a194e32b9?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Thurbil Bile</a>&nbsp;continued his recent offensive surge scoring 15 while Hale, who also hails from Wichita, had 11 points and four rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/6b5a37d3-41e7-4334-aca1-82e539ae059a?elinkdata=4265" target="_blank">Easton Hunter</a>, who's from nearby Andale, had nine on three 3-pointers."It's a special night for a lot of these guys," Monson said. "This program's been built with a lot of Wichita kids."KWU shot 58.2 percent (32 of 55), had 23 assists and committed just eight turnovers.Barbieri added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Friends, which shot 42 percent (28 of 67) and won the rebounding battle 37-31 that included 14 offensive rebounds."Friends came out with some energy and they played really well tonight," Murdock said. "We struggled with some things but I'm glad we were able to come together and get it done in overtime."Murdock said he enjoys playing in his hometown."Every time I come here it's always a special game for me," he said. "My mom's able to come to this game and that's why I look forward to it. I was able to see her and everybody (in the stands) and this being my last game here it was real special."The Coyotes play Evangel at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Springfield, Missouri in their next outing. The Valor (10-9, 8-6 KCAC) defeated Tabor 86-75 Saturday in Hillsboro.