Sid Duplessis' late free throws lift Salina Central boys basketball over Abilene, 55-53

Dylan Sherwood, Salina Journal
·3 min read
Salina Central’s Sid Duplessis IV (0) puts up a one handed layup while being guarded by Abilene’s Cooper Wildey (23) in Thursday’s game at Central gym.
Salina Central’s Sid Duplessis IV (0) puts up a one handed layup while being guarded by Abilene’s Cooper Wildey (23) in Thursday’s game at Central gym.

Sid Duplessis had to have a short memory after missing three free throws in the first half of Salina Central's Salina Invitational Tournament opening-round contest with Abilene on Thursday.

He made them when it counted the most.

Duplessis' two free throws with 3.6 seconds left helped the Mustangs beat the third-seeded Cowboys, 55-53, at the Central gym.

Central improved to 5-4 and advanced to the championship semifinals to face Andover at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mabee Arena. It will be the second meeting of the season after the Trojans won 61-49 on Jan. 7 in Andover.

"I like to stay confident in my game, " said Duplessis, who finished with 18 points. "I knew I was going to knock down those free throws."

Central coach Ryan Modin called a timeout with 23.2 seconds with the game tied at 53 and wanted the ball in Duplessis' hands.

"I wanted to do whatever to help my team win," Duplessis said.

Modin said even when Duplessis gets frustrated, he can forget about it in an instant.

More: 'It was going to take all of us tonight': 10th-ranked Southeast of Saline girls upset No. 1 Hugoton to advance to tournament final

"He never feels like we're out of it," Modin said. "He made some stops there in the fourth. What he started doing well in the fourth was attacking the basket. He really did a nice job of that and he was hitting shots with guys covering because his outside (shots) weren't finishing."

Even as the No. 6 seed in the SIT, the Mustangs were not intimated by Abilene, which is ranked fourth in Class 4A.

More: Salina Central girls basketball cruises in 67-34 victory over Abilene

Central led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter before the Cowboys flipped the scoreboard to go up 30-28 at halftime on two Kaleb Becker free throws.

Neither team led by more than three points in the second half.

"I think everyone contributed and I knew we were in it the entire time," said Central senior Nolan Puckett, who led the Mustangs with 19 points. "We really, really wanted to come out and get this one tonight. I think we really left it all on the court."

Abilene stayed in the game by minimizing its mistakes.

Abilene’s Thomas McClendon dribbles up the left wing guarded by Salina Central’s Parker Kavanagh (22) in Thursday’s game at Central gym.
Abilene’s Thomas McClendon dribbles up the left wing guarded by Salina Central’s Parker Kavanagh (22) in Thursday’s game at Central gym.

"We had to trap and pressure them to turn it over," Modin said. "We just stepped up and made plays. This is a game in the past couple of years that we've given away."

Becker led Abilene (7-3) with 15 points. The Cowboys play Liberal in the consolation bracket at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Salina South.

More: PHOTO GALLERY: Southeast of Saline girls upset Hugoton in Sterling tournament semifinals

Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: How Sid Duplessis' free throws lift Salina Central over Abilene