ShawneeDispatch.com

St. James Academy’s 56-25 blowout of Turner in the first round of the Louisburg Tournament was a bit of an anomaly in that the Thunder haven’t won by a large margin in many games this season.

At the same time, their 43-32 semifinal loss to Shawnee Mission North was an anomaly in that the Thunder either led or were within striking distance for the entire game but were unable to muster a victory.

Their 65-60 victory against Belton (Mo.) in the third-place game Saturday in the Louisburg gym was a more accurate description of their season. The Thunder were stuck in a close game from start to finish, they battled tough throughout, and in the final minutes they found a way to win a tight game.

The Thunder now are 10-4 this season and are positioning themselves to have the most successful season in the program’s five-year history — all that despite having a roster loaded with players who had minimal, if any, varsity experience entering this season.

The secret to their success at the tournament, and all season, is simple to St. James coach Greg Hohensinner.

“The chemistry of this team is so good,” he said. “They’re all so close; they’re together. When I keep saying this particular team finds a way to win, more importantly it’s because they are a team. We truly are a team. It’s not five people on the floor; it’s a team. We’ve emphasized that all year long, but tonight was another great opportunity for us to say it really, truly is a team. We depend so much on everybody to do well.”

Against Louisburg, St. James leaned on its starting backcourt to do the bulk of the scoring. Sophomore guard Paige Brown scored a career-high 18 points, 14 of them coming in the decisive second half. Junior guard Bethany Smith added 12, and senior guard Megan Spradlin contributed 9 in the effort.

Those three have been among the team’s top scorers each night, but St. James needed more assistance while playing its third game in five days. That’s where two key reserves — senior Maggie Kolich and senior Katie Wolf — came off the bench and played critical roles in the victory.

Wolf helped defend Belton senior forward Danielle Wiese during the second half and slowed her down on her way to a game-high 20 points. Wolf also grabbed numerous rebounds and scored a key bucket in the fourth quarter.

“Katie didn’t come in and score 10 points. She came in and scored two, but she really played tough defense when we needed her to, got a key steal, did what we needed her to do at that particular time,” Hohensinner said.

As for Kolich, she provided a much-needed offensive spark when the team was trailing in the fourth quarter.

“We got down by eight, and Maggie had a huge three and a big two for us when we truly needed that,” Hohensinner said. “It was one of those things where she was doing the little things right, and that’s why this particular team is such an unbelievable team.”

The balanced scoring and the key contributions from everyone helped St. James take control late in a game where it trailed 31-29 at halftime and 46-45 entering the fourth quarter.

ST. JAMES STOPS SCHLAGLE

St. James returned to the court Monday at home against Schlagle and collected another victory.

The Thunder cruised to a 73-57 victory and picked up their 11th win of the season.

St. James opened the game on a 16-10 run and led by double digits at halftime.

Bethany Smith scored 15 points to pace the Thunder. Chelsea Zillner scored 14, Paige Brown had 13 and Megan Spradlin added 11.

The Thunder played Tuesday at home against Spring Hill. Results were unavailable at press time.