WINFIELD, Kan. — Eli Sawyers recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds as Southwestern pulled away from Calvary for a 93-40 season-opening victory Friday at Stewart Fieldhouse, giving coach Matt O'Brien his 400th career win.
Hundreds of elementary students from the Winfield community attended the annual Champions of Character game, helping fill a crowd of 671 for the milestone victory.
The Moundbuilders needed time to find their rhythm. Calvary took an 11-9 lead just over five minutes into the game and remained within a point midway through the first half.
"I think it went slow at the start and we were finally able to get out and run a little more," Sawyers said.
Sawyers helped Southwestern take control, scoring the first eight points of a 14-0 run that stretched an 18-17 advantage to 32-17. The Moundbuilders held Calvary scoreless for nearly seven minutes during that stretch and carried a 37-23 lead into halftime.
Southwestern broke the game open after the break, outscoring the Warriors 56-17 in the second half. A 23-0 run pushed the lead to 72-27 with 7:51 remaining, putting the Moundbuilders firmly in command.
"If you play hard and you play for each other, you have a good chance to win every game ... and I thought our guys did that tonight," O'Brien said. "Every guy on the floor was really trying to play for Southwestern, not just themselves."
That approach showed in the numbers. Southwestern finished with 24 assists against seven turnovers, outrebounded Calvary 61-25 and scored 60 points in the paint. The Moundbuilders shot 51.3% from the field while holding the Warriors to 25.4%, including 1 of 17 from 3-point range.
Sawyers made 7 of 9 shots and added four assists. Massimo Malterer scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting off the bench, while Reid Jessen contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
Kelton Coleman finished with nine points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Evan Barber also scored nine points, while Nigel John added six points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Southwestern's bench contributed 41 points. Logan Churchill had seven points and five rebounds, Kaiden Abasolo made both of his 3-point attempts for six points, and Isaiah Williams collected nine rebounds.
Jaylon Armstrong led Calvary with 14 points. Marcus Sampson and Matthew Flores added eight apiece.
The victory moved Southwestern to 1-0 and brought O'Brien's career record to 400-216. For O'Brien, the milestone reflected the persistence he asks of his players.
"I'm really proud to have lasted. You've got to take a lot of hits, you have to be mentally tough, and I've been able to take the hits for a very long time and keep going," O'Brien said. "That's what I try to preach to our guys."
