Seaman Boys Basketball Grasps First State Title
Senior Ty Henry slams the ball in the hoop on the Mar. 12, 2022, game against DeSoto. The Vikings won 66-47, claiming their first state title.
On March 12, 2022, the Seaman boys varsity basketball team made history by becoming the first boys basketball team at Seaman High School to win a State title.
The road to being state champions had presented itself to be a tough ride playing highly competitive teams, but the Seaman boys basketball team made it look easy by battling through the challenges.
From the start of Substate to the end of the State basketball tournament, the boys basketball team was considered the underdog.
Coming into Substate on Mar. 1, 2022, as the 9 seed, the Vikings took on the competitive Maize South Eagles. During halftime the boys were down by one point, but battled back in the third quarter, outsourcing the Eagles 20-12. The final score was 73-65 with junior Kaeden Bonner leading with a top score of 18 points – five of those being three pointers.
On Mar. 4, 2022, the Vikings were against the top 5A West seed—Hays. The boys came out strong, overscoring Hays 27-12 at halftime and keeping the lead in the second half. The top scorers of the night were seniors Mateo Hyman and Ty Henry, who both racked up a total of 15 points. This was when the boys secured their spot in the state tournament.
For the game in the state tournament on Mar. 9, 2022, the number 8 seed Vikings were against the Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders – who were ranked number one. The Seaman boys took the lead in the beginning, finishing the first quarter 15-6. The boys let Kapaun battle back in the second and third quarters before outscoring them 7-2 in the fourth quarter, securing the win with an ending score of 46-34.
Henry had an astonishing 21-point game, putting him as the top scorer of the night. This was the first time since 1941, that a Seaman boys basketball team has made it this far in the State tournament.
Seaman boys basketball head coach, Craig Cox, said, “I am so proud to be the coach of a great group of young men.”
Mar. 11, 2022, started the semi-final game with Seaman playing defending class 5A state champs, Maize—who were seeded fourth. Seaman boys came out strong with a 12-0 start in the first quarter, with Bonner scoring an impressive 35-foot buzzer beater 3-pointer to end the first half putting Seaman ahead 31-18. The third quarter proved to be rocky with Maize cutting Seaman’s lead from 13-7, but eventually Seaman headed off to the state championship with a winning score of 66-54.
The State Championship ended with number eight seed, Seaman, playing number three seed, De Soto, on Saturday, Mar. 12, 2022. From the start, the game appeared to be closer matched with a score of 36-32, with Seaman leading. Riding into the second half, Bonner made another buzzer beater 3-pointer from downtown, placing Seaman ahead by seven leading into the second half. Seaman swept the floor outscoring De Soto 27-15 in the second half with an ending score of 66-47, leading them to become the first boys basketball team of Seaman High School to win a State title.
Not only were Henry and Bonner a key component to winning the state title but also senior Gavin Wilhelm, who put down some three’s, senior Mateo Hyman, who drove through layups, senior Dreighton Griess, who defended vigorously, and junior Aaron Davis, who slammed down dunks.
After the historic win, the boys headed back to the high school to cut the nets off with the Seaman community.
Coach Cox described this moment by saying that, “Our student section and the number of people from our community supporting our team was amazing and then to have so many in the gym to watch the players cut down the nets was awesome.”
The 2021 Seaman boys basketball team has become written in the history books of SHS as one of the most perseverant and determined basketball teams the school has ever produced.
