Rivalry games

You’ve got to love rivalry games no matter what the outcome of the last meeting was, or how long of a streak your foe may have against you. But you especially have to love when these clashes come during tournament time.

Last night’s boy’s games in Andover are a perfect example. The early game featured a matchup between Wichita’s two Catholic schools, Kapaun and Bishop Carroll, which is pretty much all the set-up you need. The teams had split their matchups earlier in the year, with the games being decided by a combined six points.

You get to see the top players shine in their biggest games. Take Carroll’s Blake Bell and Kapaun’s Dillon Knox for example, who both scored 17 points apiece in the game. The Eagles would get the best of their counterpart, holding off a late rally from Kapaun to take a 51-43 win.

Then it was Andover against Andover Central. Needless to say, it felt like the whole town was out to watch this clash of cross-town rivals. Central had gotten the best of Andover earlier in the year, winning both games during the regular season.

This one was a wild game of runs, where Andover scored 14 of the games 19 points during a stretch in the second quarter, before Central closed out the third quarter on a 9-0, including five straight points in the last 10 seconds of the frame.

The ballgame came down to the very end, with a bucket for Andover to tie the game with under 10 seconds left, followed by a furious drive by Central that resulted with Marshall Miller drawing a foul with 0.3 seconds left. Miller made one-of-two from the line, sealing a 48-47 victory for the Jaguars.

So not only do Carroll and Andover Central punch a ticket to the state tournament with their wins, they get the ultimate bragging rights over their rivals by ending their season…at least until next year when we get to do it all over again.

That’s what makes rivalries great, they keep coming back. Every year you know you’re going to get a shot at knocking off that one team that you really want to beat. Start circling your calendars now.