Blu-Jays to play for substate title on Friday

Pleasanton's Garret Conley goes up for 2 points against Fairfield on Saturday in the semifinal substate game. (Photos by Billy Roudybush / Journal contributor)

By Billy Roudybush

Journal contributor

The Pleasanton Blu-Jays boys team will play for the Substate No. 1 championship on Friday, March 6, after beating a scrappy Fairfield team, 47-28, in the semifinal. The Class 1A Division I game will be played in Madison, which is about 10 miles west of Burlington. Game time has yet to be determined.

The No. 1 seed Blu-Jays, which have 21 wins and a single loss going into Friday’s game, will face Norwich (20-4). Norwich beat Crest 53-36 to reach the final. The Three Rivers League champions, the Blu-Jays’ only loss came at the hands of the big men of Osawatomie in the Linn County Tournament in early December.

They avenged that 2-point loss by downing the Trojans, 56-49, in the Kenny Holt Memorial Tournament at Uniontown in January. They won that tournament.

Blu-Jay Mario Davis blocks a shot by a Fairfield player.

After a first-round bye, the Blu-Jays hosted Fairfield on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Feb 28. Fairfield, located near Hutchinson, had just come off a close 42-41 win over Pretty Prairie earlier in the week.

The game started off fast, with each team resorting to fast breaks to gain momentum. Pleasanton quickly jumped out to a 11 – 3 lead by the end of the first quarter.

But the scrappy Falcons would not give the Blu-Jays an easy path for a win. Fairfield’s Ryland Perry, with 14 points, led the charge. Perry made a few dunks and 3-pointers to keep the Falcons close.

The Falcons were within 6 points at halftime with the Blu-Jays keeping a 23-17 advantage at the break. If the first half was tough, the second half started even tougher for both teams. The defense for both teams was stifling.

Then Fairfield moved to go into a full-court press, but that tactic allowed Pleasanton to open up on them, taking advantage of the space to run and pass.

Blu-Jay Garrett Conley, who had been a force inside, made the Falcons pay for leaving space to run. Garret ended up with 11 points for the game.

Gage McGinnis battles a Fairfield player to get off a jumper in the paint.

Gage McGinnis was another player who helped the Blu-Jays pull away at the end. His fast-break plays put the game out of reach for the Falcons. McGinnis ended the game with 9 points.

Blu-Jay senior Mario Davis, as usual, flew high and helped lead the team to the win. He ended up with 12 points for the game.

Pleasanton showed some nerves at the beginning of the game. Fortunately, head coach Tim Staton was able to settle his team down and adjust the Blu-Jays strategy, allowing them to exploit the Falcons’ weaknesses.

The Pleasanton boys team posed for a group photo after winning the Kenny Holt Memorial tournament in January. Team members include, kneeling from left, assistant coach Kasen McKee, Kyle Coen, Anthony Sousley, Wesley Hayes, Braydon Hutchison, Kwinn KcKee; standing, assistant coach Trevor Marshall, Aiden Patrick, Kamden Staton, Antonio Bustillos, Mario Davis, Garrett Conley, Ryker Carpenter, Gage McGinnis, Brayden Johnson, and head coach Tim Staton.