Cagers Win in a Barnburner
January 20, 2026
Anticipation was high for the clash between the Cagers and Kingsway. Kingsway had handed the Cagers a decisive early season loss. But the Cagers (6-3), winners of their last three games, were starting to find their identity and were playing at a high level. The standing-room-only crowd was treated to an instant classic as the Cagers outlasted Kingsway 66-59 in an old-fashioned barn burner.
From the tip, the Cagers took command of the game starting with a quick bucket by Kinser. Quintin Steiner added a putback off the glass. The Cagers would find Breven Bullard for a soft jumper from the left side and lickety-split, the Cagers had a 6-0 lead. Kingsway (12-5) would counter with a few buckets of their own and before the crowd settled into their seats. The relentlessness on the boards at both ends was the difference maker in the first quarter. Luke Kinser and Quintin Steiner seemed to have dibs on about every rebound. “One of our strengths is rebounding and in that first quarter we limited their second chance opportunities and extended our possessions,” said Head Coach Doug Hamsher. Kinser had a monster quarter by firing in 8 points. Kingsway’s all-everything guard, Wesley Wheeler wasn’t far behind with 6 tallies. By the end of the first period the Cagers led 16-12.
The Cagers stepped it up one notch in the second quarter. Offensively the Cagers looked like a well-oiled machine as they found holes in the Kingsway zone. Kinser would find paydirt from inside the key. Steiner floated one in from the baseline. QJ Anderson hit a short shot. But the play of the quarter saw Brody Shultz get in on the party. The Cagers came up the floor and ran their set offensive. The ball went inside to Kinser who passed it out on the right wing. And then in a flash, a series of passes swung the ball all the way around the horn to find Shultz wide open in the left corner. Without batting an eye, the junior let it fly from behind the arc and found nothing but the bottom of the net for a 3-pointer! That play epitomized the Cagers unity on the floor. “That was the best we’ve moved the ball all year. It was a thing of beauty,” said Hamsher. Steiner and Kinser continued to dominate in the paint, each scoring 6 points in the frame. With a combination of stellar defense and cold shooting by Kingsway, the Cagers ballooned the lead to 34-19 at the half.
The Cagers came out of the gate and continued their torrid pace. Peyton Casto would bury a three. Shultz and Anderson added layups. But Kingsway would keep pace. The rough and tumble game started to get interesting about midway through the third with Wheeler picking up his fourth foul. The officials let the teams play very physical, much to the dismay of the coaches and fans alike. With Wheeler on the bench facing a 14-point deficit, Kingsway ratcheted it up three notches and started clawing back one shot at a time. “Kingsway has several shooters, and they started to get hot and that’s when it got interesting,” said Hamsher. The Cagers held serve 48-37 going into the fourth.
Momentum swings are real, and it was on display in the fourth. A nifty no-look pass from Anderson to Steiner for a deuce put the Cagers up 58-48 with 2:50 to play. Kingsway cranked up the energy and, in the process, cranked up their fan base. In a flurry of play, Kingsway erased that 10-point deficient and took a 1-point lead with 1:38 to go. The place was electric. Kingsway had all the momentum! The Cagers called timeout to set up the press breaker. It worked. The Cagers broke the press and found Shultz on the right block. He was fouled. Shultz would make both foul shots to give the Cagers a 1-point lead. But Shultz wasn’t done. The junior would come up big on the other end drawing a huge charge giving the Cagers the ball. That was clutch! With Kingsway’s press applied, Casto would draw a foul and go to the line. He promptly hit both foul shots to give the hosts a 3-point lead. Kingsway would have one more shot to tie the game but fell short. The Cagers would hit a few more free throws to ice the game. In reference to the BUILT character curriculum that is being implemented throughout the Cager season, Hamsher remarked, “That was one heck of a game. Both teams played hard and the fans were into it. My guys executed the Blueprint, were Unified, and each Impacted the game in some way. They were Level-Headed and Tough down the stretch. Regardless of the score, tonight we won as men.” For the game the Cagers put four guys in double digits led by Steiner with 18. Kinser had 16, followed by Casto with 11 and Shultz with 10. Anderson had 6, Logan Winans added 3 points and Bullard chipped in 2 to round out the scoring column. The Dravenstott’s Big D Player of the Game went to Casto.
