CHANUTE, Kan. — After fighting their way past two state-ranked opponents on their way to the championship, Carthage came up short of the title. 
The Tigers fell to the Bishop Miege Stags, 77-57, bringing home second place in the 50th annual Ralph Miller Classic.
The Ralph Miller Classic, touted as one of the toughest mid-season tournaments in the state of Kansas, hosted four top-15 ranked teams in their respective state and class.
Carthage coach Nathan Morris speaks with an official during the championship game of the Ralph Miller Classic on Saturday night at Chanute High School in Chanute, Kansas. Photo by Huntyr Schwegman.
"If this doesn't get you ready for what you're gonna see in your conference and district games, then I don't know what will," Carthage coach Nathan Morris said of the Ralph Miller Classic as a whole. "For us to come over here and beat two state-ranked teams and go toe-to-toe with another one, we'll take that."
Sophomore Justin Ray, juniors Max Templeman and Clay Kinder, and seniors Caden Kabance and Joel Pugh took the floor to start for Carthage.
The Tigers were on their game early, knocking down four 3-pointers on the way to a 16-point first quarter, trailing by just three. Carthage's 9-for-20 performance from deep was good for 44% on the night.
"I feel like we came out and shot the ball well to start the game," Morris said. "Our kids did an excellent job executing the scouting report."
The second quarter is where things started to get interesting. 
After two Tigers took an elbow to the face on the same play, and a crowd uproar from numerous missed calls against Bishop Miege, Carthage started to slip. Although he was visibly, and audibly, frustrated with the officials during the game, Morris refuses to blame a loss on officiating.
Carthage's Joel Pugh puts up a jumper against Bishop Miege during the championship game of the Ralph Miller Classic on Saturday at Chanute High School. Photo by Huntyr Schwegman.
"I think the game got a little wild there for a little bit," Morris said. "I told our guys in the locker room… continue to do what you're taught to do and how you're coached, and I thought our kids did a good job of keeping their head in the basketball game."
Even as the Stags tried to pull away, Carthage held it together until the intermission. The half ended with the Tigers on the Stags' heels, 32-28.
"I didn't think we played very well in the second quarter, and to only go down four was huge for our basketball team," Morris said.
Bishop Miege hit a hot streak after halftime, out-scoring Carthage 25-11 in the third frame on the way to a score of 57-39 with just eight minutes to play.
Pugh led the Tigers on offense, notching a team-high 23 points.
Templeman added 16 points, while Kinder had 11.
Although Carthage managed three players in double-digits, bench production was non-existent. 
Carthage struggled on the boards in this matchup, allowing numerous offensive rebounds by the Stags. 
This, alongside their inability to contain Bishop Miege's transition game, ultimately led to the squad's demise.
"I feel like the game was played extremely physically, and it kinda wore us down as the game went on," Morris said. "I felt like we gave up way too many easy baskets."
With a 2-1 showing at the Ralph Miller Classic, Carthage sits at 14-3 overall.
  
RALPH MILLER CLASSIC TITLE GAME
Bishop Miege 77, Carthage 57
Carthage           16 12 11 18 – 57
Bishop Miege: 19 13 25 20 – 77
CARTHAGE: Joel Pugh 23, Max Templeman 16, Clay Kinder 11, Justin Ray 5, Caden Kabance 2.
BISHOP MIEGE: Christian Bowen-Webb 28, Daegan Jensen 16, Mack Martin 8, Aidan Wing 8, Kellan Boylan 8, Xavier Hall 7, Team 2.

Carthage Knocks Off Top-Ranked Andover Central For Second Straight Signature Win
Carthage 62, Andover Central (KS) 54
CHANUTE, Kan. — For the second straight night, the Carthage Tigers earned a statement victory.
Carthage took control as soon as overtime arrived, and the Tigers knocked off Andover Central 62-54 on Thursday night at the 50th Ralph Miller Classic.
Andover Central entered the night ranked first in Kansas' Class 5A. 
The win comes one night after the Tigers beat state-ranked Shawnee Mission South in double overtime.
Thursday's pool play clash was tied at 47 at the end of regulation.
Carthage scored the first seven points of the extra session, as Clay Kinder hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key before Max Templeman put in four straight, a drive through the lane and two free throws. 
The Tigers would never relinquish the lead in OT. 
Carthage improved to 14-2. 
Templeman scored 19 points to lead the Tigers, while Kinder had 17 points and Joel Pugh added 10. 
Kobe Smith scored 24 points to lead Andover Central. 
Neither team could pull away during regulation.
Hoops from Pugh and Templeman gave Carthage a 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. 
A back and forth second period was deadlocked at 25 when Carthage's Tyler Willis scored inside, giving the Tigers a two-point cushion at halftime. 
A jumper from Justin Ray, a trey from Pugh and two charities from Templeman gave Carthage a 39-32 lead at the end of the third period. 
In the fourth quarter, the Tigers led 43-35 after four straight points from Kinder, but the Jaguars scored seven straight to trim their deficit to one with 1:51 left.
Kinder sank two foul shots, but Andover Central's Skyler Clevenger hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just over a minute to play. 
Both teams had empty possessions down the stretch and the game went into overtime.
The Tigers outscored the Jaguars 15-7 in overtime. 
Carthage will take on Bishop Miege at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the tourney championship game. Bishop Miege is ranked third in Class 4A. 

Carthage Finishes Strong, Knocks Off State-Ranked Shawnee Mission South (KS)
Carthage 80, Shawnee Mission South 72, 2OT
CHANUTE, Kan. — The Carthage Tigers wouldn't be denied. 
With a gritty overall performance and a strong finish, the Tigers knocked off one of the top teams from the state of Kansas on Wednesday night. 
Carthage earned a hard-fought 80-72 victory over Shawnee Mission South in double overtime in the opening round of the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School. 
Shawnee Mission South (6-2) is ranked seventh in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. 
The game was deadlocked at 59 at the end of regulation and was tied at 70 at the conclusion of the first overtime before the Tigers outscored the Raiders 10-2 in the second OT.
Carthage took the lead for good in the second extra session when Justin Ray drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Joel Pugh hit two free throws. 
The Tigers also drew a pair of charges early in the second OT and went 7-for-8 from the foul line to earn what could be described as a signature win. 
Receiving votes in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association's Class 6 poll, Carthage improved its season record to 13-2. 
Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers. 
A sophomore guard, Ray scored a game-high 24 points and hit six 3-pointers to lead the Tigers. Junior guard Max Templeman scored 20 points, while junior guard Clay Kinder had 18 points with three treys and senior guard Pugh added 12 points with two 3-pointers. 
Mason Close and Harrison Hughes scored 18 points apiece for the Raiders from Overland Park, Kansas. 
The Tigers made four 3-pointers in the opening period, with Ray and Pugh hitting one apiece and Kinder knocking down two treys, but Carthage's lead was just 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Carthage went up 26-20 late in the second quarter before the Raiders scored five straight to end the first half. With that, the Tigers led 26-25 at intermission.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Templeman gave Carthage a 38-36 lead late in the third period, but the Raiders hit a 3-pointer on the other end to take a one-point advantage into the fourth quarter. 
Kinder and Ray hit key 3-pointers for the Tigers late in regulation, but the Raiders responded each time.
In the first OT, Caden Kabance made a short jumper and Templeman scored on a baseline drive to give Carthage the lead, but the Raiders tied it up with two seconds left.
The Tigers scored the first five points of the second overtime and then converted more than enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Shawnee Mission South's only points of the second OT came on two free throws, as the Tigers held the Raiders without a field goal in the final session. 
Carthage returns to the Ralph Miller Classic on Thursday, where they'll take on Andover Central at 7 p.m. Andover Central is ranked first in Kansas' Class 5A.