Pictured is Kaleb Becker 

Picture courtesy of Brad Anderson

Bishop Miege 70 Abilene Cowboys 40

Salina – Bishop Miege continued their dominance at the 4A State Boy’s Basketball Tournament, Thursday night, with an opening round 30-point victory over Abilene.  Miege has won 4 of the last 6, 4A State Titles.  There was no champion in 2020 because of COVID.  They have also held a lead of 30 points or more in 10 of their last 11 post-season games.  Last season, Miege defeated Louisburg 94-40 in the 4A Championship game.  It was the most points ever scored in a boy’s championship and the largest margin of victory in a final.

Thursday night, the Stags got off to a slow start but still had a 17-7 advantage, at the end of the opening quarter.  Miege pulled away in the 2nd quarter and led 40-11 at halftime.  They scored the first 2 points of the second half which gave them their biggest lead at 42-11 with 7:11 to play in the 3rd quarter.  The Cowboys would then come to life in the 3rd quarter and outscored the Stags 14-12 but still trailed 52-25 as the two teams entered the 4th.

The Cowboys were led in scoring by Senior, Kaleb Becker, who finished with 14 points.  He finished with 1,133 points in his career which is the 6th best total in school history with records dating back to the late 60s. Becker was the Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game along with fellow Seniors, Cooper Wildey and Braden Adams.  Those three were part of back-to-back State teams for Abilene.  It was the first time the Cowboys have made back-to-back trips to State since 2012 and 2013.  It was also the second straight trip for Abilene Cowboy Head Coach, Erik Graefe, who has guided Abilene to State in both of his seasons at the helm.

The Seniors for the Cowboys will be missed but Abilene will bring back plenty of experience to go along with success at the lower levels J.V. 16-4, Freshman 18-2 and the 8th Grade won the NCKL.