Jessie on the spot: Jones ignites for 25 as Vikes topple Blue Comets

Jones detonated for 14 in the opening frame, drilling four triples.

Leading by 5 with 5:50 remaining in regulation, the Blue Comets seemed to be firmly in control. The post-play of JaMarion Washington was key for the Vikings down the stretch, as hard-fought buckets in the paint on consecutive possessions cut the Blue Comet lead to a point.

A frenzied final minute of regulation featuring a Parsons turnover in the halfcourt as well as missed free throws left the door ajar for a Chanute comeback. 

A Lars Koester layup with 8.5 ticks on the clock whittled the deficit to 52-51. Looking to extend the lead, Washington corralled his teammate’s misfire on the front-end of a 1-and-1 and scored on the putback.

Without any timeouts remaining, Koester took an inbound pass and raced up court but was off target on the buzzer-beating 3-point attempt, as the ball caromed off the back rim. 

Parsons head coach Houk said his squad’s sub-par free throw shooting in the fourth was uncharacteristic, as the Vikings knocked down just 1-of-5 attempts.  

“Free throw shooting has been one of our strengths down the stretch,” Houk said. “We’ve been getting to the line a lot and making a good chunk of them.”

With Jones lighting up the night sky, Houk said he was somewhat surprised that the Blue Comets stuck with their 2-3 zone as long as they did.

“I really was surprised,” he said.

Houk said that Jones was exuding confidence prior to tip off.

“Jessie is our lone senior, and he said, ‘I’m pulling an early one,’” Houk recounted. “That first one went down and gave him the confidence to keep firing away.” 

Houk said that the reliance on 3-point attempts prevented his squad from getting into the paint as much as he would have liked.

“It can give you some false confidence and then you start missing a bunch of them,” he said. 

Houk said that his club has come a long way since opening the season with five consecutive losses, adding that the parents were not overly critical during the losing skid. 

“They let us stick with it and we got some little things turned around,” he said. “I just love the way we’ve finished the season off. To make that type of turnaround with only one senior says a lot about our sophomores and juniors.”

The No. 8 seed Vikings (11-9) host No. 9 Topeka-Hayden in the opening round of Class 4A East Sub-State. Tuesday’s evening’s tip-off time will be at 6 p.m.

Chanute head coach Devon Crabtree said that the Blue Comets failed to capitalize on golden opportunities down the stretch. 

“We had multiple chances to keep or extend our lead late,” he said. “We just couldn’t quite make the play to get it done. Parsons did a good job of playing their game and playing their way.”

Crabtree pointed to the early going when the Blue Comets trailed by double-digits. 

“I’m proud of our guys’ effort, especially after that first quarter to battle back and have a chance to win,” he said. “We just couldn’t quite get over that hump tonight.”

Crabtree conceded that he erred by not adjusting his defensive strategy, with Jones raining the 3-balls throughout the opening frame. 

“I made the mistake of starting us in zone,” he said of the 2-3 zone defense. “I should have known better, with Jessie on senior night, and his scoring mentality.”

Crabtree continued to shoulder the blame.

“Looking back, I wish we would have gone to man a little quicker. We had some success with it the last time we played them,” he said. “That’s what it came down to.”

Stephenson drew the defensive assignment of guarding Jones.

“I told ‘don’t let him catch,’ and if he does — do your best to stop him somehow,” Crabtree said. 

Stephenson, however, starred on the offensive end for the Blue Comets, dropping in a team-high 15 points. 

“He did a good job on the offensive end too,” Crabtree said.

Crabtree said he’s had a blast coaching this team.

“It’s been such a fun year. These guys have won a lot of games and in a bunch of different ways,” he said. “Just a fun group to coach and I’m really proud to get the opportunity to coach these guys.”

The No. 5 seed Blue Comets (14-6) host No. 12 Labette County Grizzlies in the opening round of sub-state Tuesday evening.  

BOYS

Parsons 54, Chanute 51

Parsons: 20 6 11 17 — 54

Chanute: 11 14 16 10 — 51

Scoring

Parsons: Jahmarion Washington 12, J.J. Kendrick 5, Tra Mack 2, Jessie Jones 25, Landon Wheat 7, Tra Tullis 3

Chanute: Koester 11, Seamster 9, Manly 2, Henson 10, Peter 4, Stephenson 15