Demons Can’t Handle McPherson’s Hot Shooting in Season Opening Loss

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The McPherson Bullpups shot 59.5 percent from the field on offense and forced 20 turnovers on defense to defeat Dodge City 64-37 at the Cowboy Capital Classic.

McPherson finished as state runners-up last season in Class-4A and are among the favorites to compete for the state title again after graduating just one player off of last year’s team. Veteran coach Kurt Kinnamon has the privilege of having four seniors in his start lineup alongside talented sophomore Gabe Pyle.

Dodge City enters the season after a rough season last year, posting a 6-15 record. The Demons graduated five seniors last year, including scoring leader Isaiah Taylor. Shane Traughber’s squad is led by senior Tochi Okoro, the team’s leading rebounder from last year, and sharpshooting junior Anthony Perez.

The Bullpups came out firing in the opening quarter, shooting 61.5 percent from the field in the frame. McPherson overwhelmed the Dodge City offense on the other end as well, forcing six turnovers while allowing just seven points and two made field goals.

Down 19-7 after the first, Dodge City fell behind further to start the second. They briefly made a comeback after back-to-back Perez threes cut the deficit to nine leading to a McPherson timeout. The Bullpups offense exploded after that point though as Gabe Pyle and Kyden Thompson took over, helping McPherson to a 43-16 halftime lead. Pyle, who finished with 22 points, scored 18 before the halftime break. Thompson finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists to kick off his senior season. 

The Demons came out and played much better basketball offensively in the second half but it wasn’t enough to affect the outcome of the game in the end. Dodge shot 56.3 percent from the floor in the second half and held the Bullpups to 21 second half points but it did little to change the scoreboard as McPherson came away with a 64-37 win at the Dodge City Civic Center.

Okoro was the main offensive threat for the Demons, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds. Jaiden Springer struggled shooting early but finished with nine points, including two made threes. The turnovers were the major deciding factor in the game as McPherson scored 29 points off of Dodge City’s 20 giveaways.

The Demons are 0-1 after the loss, they are on the road for their next game on Friday against Manhattan. The game will broadcast live on Z98 and will have an approximate start time of 7:30 p.m.