CHANUTE, Kan. — The Carthage Tigers wouldn’t be denied.
With a gritty overall performance and a strong finish, the Tigers knocked off one of the top teams from the state of Kansas on Wednesday night.
Carthage earned a hard-fought 80-72 victory over Shawnee Mission South in double overtime in the opening round of the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School.
Shawnee Mission South (6-2) is ranked seventh in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
The game was deadlocked at 59 at the end of regulation and was tied at 70 at the conclusion of the first overtime before the Tigers outscored the Raiders 10-2 in the second OT.
Carthage took the lead for good in the second extra session when Justin Ray drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Joel Pugh hit two free throws.
The Tigers also drew a pair of charges early in the second OT and went 7-for-8 from the foul line to earn what could be described as a signature win.
Receiving votes in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 6 poll, Carthage improved its season record to 13-2.
Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers.
A sophomore guard, Ray scored a game-high 24 points and hit six 3-pointers to lead the Tigers. Junior guard Max Templeman scored 20 points, while junior guard Clay Kinder had 18 points with three treys and senior guard Pugh added 12 points with two 3-pointers.
Mason Close and Harrison Hughes scored 18 points apiece for the Raiders from Overland Park, Kansas.
The Tigers made four 3-pointers in the opening period, with Ray and Pugh hitting one apiece and Kinder knocking down two treys, but Carthage’s lead was just 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Carthage went up 26-20 late in the second quarter before the Raiders scored five straight to end the first half. With that, the Tigers led 26-25 at intermission.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Templeman gave Carthage a 38-36 lead late in the third period, but the Raiders hit a 3-pointer on the other end to take a one-point advantage into the fourth quarter.
Kinder and Ray hit key 3-pointers for the Tigers late in regulation, but the Raiders responded each time.
In the first OT, Caden Kabance made a short jumper and Templeman scored on a baseline drive to give Carthage the lead, but the Raiders tied it up with two seconds left.
The Tigers scored the first five points of the second overtime and then converted more than enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Shawnee Mission South’s only points of the second OT came on two free throws, as the Tigers held the Raiders without a field goal in the final session.
Carthage returns to the Ralph Miller Classic on Thursday, where they’ll take on Andover Central at 7 p.m. Andover Central is ranked first in Kansas’ Class 5A.
