By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
PLAINVILLE – The TMP-Marian Monarchs boys and girls basketball teams both earned a seventh place finish this week at the MCL tournament as they closed out the week with a pair of wins on Saturday.
GIRLS: TMP 54, Oakley 46
The TMP girls never trailed and Brooke Koenigsman scored a career-high 26 points as the Lady Monarchs picked up a 54-46 win over Oakley.
The Monarchs (5-8) opened the game outscoring Oakley 21-11 in the first quarter.
Claire Schippers and Koenigsman combined to score 15 of the 21 points as TMP jumped out to a double-digit lead.
TMP’s largest lead in the first half was 12, at 25-13 on pair off Brynn Rebel free throws but Oakley outscored TMP by four in the second quarter and closed to 28-22 at halftime.
The Monarchs held the lead through the third quarter and were up 12 at 43-31 heading into the final quarter.
Oakley (5-8) was able to cut the TMP lead to three, at 45-42 but the Monarchs clinched the win at the free throw line in the final frame on their way to the 54-46 victory.
Koenigsman led all scorers with a career—high 26 points. Teagan Gottschalk and Claire Schippers both added seven points each.
BOYS: TMP 52, Trego 45
The TMP boys rallied from down nine in the second half and beat the Trego Golden Eagles 52-45 Saturday in the MCL boys seventh place game.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams with eight lead changes in the first two quarters. Neither team led by more than four in the first half and there were four ties with the last at 21-21 at halftime.
Trego (2-8) opened the second half outscoring TMP 14-5 as they built their largest lead of the game at 35-26.
But the Monarchs (5-8) wasted little time answering right back with a 19-4 run to end the third and open the fourth quarter for a 45-39 lead.
The run included five straight by Griffin Schumacher to end the third quarter and the Ty Schmeidler capped off the run with a three-point play to put the Monarchs up six.
Trego briefly closed within two but the Monarchs sealed the win at the free throw line in a 52-45 victory.
Ian Nehls led all scorers, matching his career-high of 17 points. Schmeilder finished with nine points and Schumacher added eight for the Monarchs.
TMP coach Bill Meagher notched win number 100 at TMP in the victory.
The Monarchs will return to action on Tuesday at home against Great Bend.