Resident Halls

Ten physically outmatched guys showed that heart still matters, completing the most improbable of comebacks to bring residence hall bragging rights to Pearson Scholarship Hall in a 46-45 victory over K-Unit, a team made up of Jayhawker Towers residents.

K-Unit led 23-7 in the first half of the game.

It dominated both the offensive and defensive boards, moving the ball around at will.

After Pearson fell behind, the team started taking ill-advised three-pointers in an attempt to make the game close.

At the halftime break, the Pearson team regrouped and adjusted to the Allen Fieldhouse atmosphere.

“It’s a whole different league in here,” Pearson player Chris Janish, Wichita junior, said, “But once you get used to it, there’s nothing better.”

The team rode on Janish’s shot at the start of the half. His six points brought the game closer, then teammate Chris Link made it a ballgame again with five consecutive points.

“We just calmed down and started getting good shots. We quit forcing it,” Link, Hutchinson junior, said.

With three minutes to play, Pearson struck again and made it a two-point game.

The team had energy and started playing a high-tempo offense.

“We started moving around offensively, which got us some easy shots,” Janish said.

Janish hit a three-pointer at the one-minute mark that cut the K-Unit lead to three.

K-Unit called a timeout, and was fouled immediately on the inbounds pass.

It proved to be a good strategy for Pearson, as K-Unit went just 1-of-4 from the line in the final minute of the game.

On the offensive possession, Pearson’s Link passed up a game-tying three-point attempt and found teammate Shawn Atkinson, Hutchinson junior, inside for a two-point basket.

After a foul, K-Unit connected on one of its free throws, giving the team a two-point lead.

Pearson got back quickly on defense and stopped K-Unit on two game-winning attempts.

The team and its fans stormed the court, still in disbelief of the comeback it made.

Pearson won the championship and finished the season with an undefeated 7-0 record. K-Unit finished the year at 4-1.

— Edited by John Scheirman