Break's half over

Alas, Christmas is over, but the new year still looms. There are no more presents to be had (I made out quite nicely), but New Year's get-togethers are better than presents, anyhow. I will be in Houston on New Year's Eve at a reunion with old friends. I can hardly wait.

I don't make New Year's resolutions, so I won't offer any in this setting. I will list some dates to look forward to as the second half of the winter preps season approaches.

It all starts with Wichita Northwest at Bishop Carroll, a great matchup in any sport, but there's more on the line in this particular edition of the Tyler Road Rivalry. On January 3, Northwest travels the mile to Carroll for a wrestling dual meet. Get this (if you don't already know) - Carroll has won 92 straight dual matches, giving them no losses since 2001. Crosstown Carroll rival Kapaun Mount Carmel holds the state record for consecutive dual match wins with 123. Wichita Northwest is a program on the rise with a sixth-place finish at 6A state last February. I know from talking with wrestlers at Northwest that it is one of this team's goals to end Carroll's streak - maybe not this year, but before their stellar sophomore class graduates. I'll be there watching this match. Match starts at 7 p.m.

Mark January 4 and 5 on your schedules. Set this Friday and Saturday aside for City League basketball at Koch Arena. Starting game times are from 4:00-8:00 on Friday and 12:00-7:00 on Saturday. The feature matchup is 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 5, between Wichita Southeast and East. These are the two marquee teams in the city, state title contenders in 6A. Players on these two teams have this matchup marked on the schedules when Coach hands out the first hard copy. All of them will be up for the game. It will be an intense and full-court, in every sense of the phrase. I can't wait. Earlier in the day on Saturday, Northwest meets Kapaun - another very interesting game. Both teams are solid; both could make the state tournament.

Here are my top teams in each class from the area - boys first, then girls
6A: Wichita Southeast, Wichita Heights
5A: Kapaun, Bishop Carroll (Carroll lost at Kapaun before break, but the Eagles will return the favor at home in convincing fashion, I predict); Bishop Carroll
4A: Andover; Andover Central
3A: Collegiate; Garden Plain

Here are a few more games I am anxiously anticipating:

January 11 - Girls Basketball
Bishop Carroll at Wichita Heights

February 9 - Boys Basketball
Collegiate at Kapaun

February 22 - Boys Basketball
Collegiate at Hesston (Hesston is a team to keep an eye on as they return several starters after the Christmas break, players who were injured in the final football game of the season at Garden Plain.)

February 1 - Boys Basketball
Andover at Andover Central

Note: My segment on the Sports Daily radio show (KFH 98.7 FM/1240 AM) has moved from Thursday to Friday at the top of the second hour - that's 10:00 a.m. every Friday with Bruce and Bob.

Tomorrow I'll comment more on the Chris Harper situation. The Wichita Northwest quarterback has backed out of his commitment to Kansas State.

The January magazine will be on stands on January 4.

Here's to Houston - and my return to Wichita on January 1 to watch the preps back in full force.

Action wraps up for holiday

Drop off a sports ball at Entercom on Woodlawn and 21st for the Sports Daily radio show. They're doing a ball drive for kids during the Christmas season.

On the show this morning, the segment was a bit abbreviated. But I got my weekly dose of Brent Kemnitz, who does every Thursday show, so all is well. My weekly segment may be moving to Friday mornings, so stay tuned on that.

There's a big wrestling meet tonight, a makeup from last week:

Hutch at Derby
Romero Cotton (171) is a four-time football state champ and is favored to become a four-time wrestling champ. I initially thought Roy Oeser, now wrestling coach at Maize High, may have achieved the same feat already. However, while Oeser won an individual state wrestling title four straight years from ‘74-77, he won only three straight football titles. Kapaun's fourth straight football title in '77 was the fall after Oeser had graduated. Still, it was quite a special feat by Oeser.

The Romero Cotton situation cannot be emphasized enough. This is a very special feat he is set to accomplish. Go out and enjoy his performances, because it isn't common to be graced with an athlete like Cotton. His and Hutch's meet tonight begins at 6:00 p.m.

Hutch goes against Derby, who coach has a connection to one of the other stunning pedigrees in Kansas wrestling: coach Bill Ross wrestled in high school under Wayne Jackson at Ark City, the winningest championship coach in Kansas wrestling history with 14 titles from ’82-03
Derby, who finished in the top five at Class 6A state last year, has some nice wrestlers: Alex Feldkamp (171), Blake Long (189), Coty Reinhart (160), all of whom placed in the top four individually at state last year.

Prep basketball mostly wraps up tonight. There are few more games tomorrow, including a huge one between Bishop Carroll and Kapaun Mt. Carmel.

Boys
South at Southeast
After a 12-point loss to Heights to start the season, South is charging, having won five straight. I'm telling you, go watch South's Lance Russell. You'll wonder why he isn't being recruited harder to play college basketball. If South wins tonight, who knows, they may win the City. But I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself. January is when games really start to matter.

Maize at Hutchinson
Who will step up and win the AV-CTL I this season. Maize was outstanding last year, running two platoons of five players and applying pressure throughout. They're unable to run as many guys out onto the court this year, but they could make a case for the league title. They'll have to avoid a letdown at Hutchinson, which has much room to improve, especially come January, when the team's fatigue due to the late end to the football season will have worn off.

Bishop Carroll at Kapaun
It looks like the Carroll boys could return to the state tournament. After a slow start, they beat East last week. Brett Steven, Luke Barnwell and Blake Bell all proved an ability to score. Kapaun, however, is right there with them. Keep an eye on Dyllon Knox, sophomore point guard for Kapaun - very quick and confident with the basketball.

High school sports dates I'm looking forward to after the holiday.

Thursday, January 3
Wrestling
Wichita Northwest at Bishop Carroll

Friday, January 4
Basketball
Southeast at East

February 9
Basketball
Collegiate at Kapaun


My top area teams in 6A-3A:
6A: Southeast
5A: Bishop Carroll
4A: Andover
3A: Collegiate

This morning on the KNSS NewsWatch, Sports with Ted Woodward, and KFH, Sports Daily with Bruce, Bob and Brent, we went here and there. Topics of choice were:

Wrestling

Hutch at Derby (postponed tonight due to weather and power outage in Hutch)
-Hutch wrestler Romero Cotton (171) is a four-time football state champ and is favored to become a four-time wrestling champ; from early research, I believe only Roy Oeser, now coach at Maize, can match Cotton on this. From 1974-77, Oeser was a four-time champ at Kapaun, during which years Kapaun also won four straight football titles. I'm checking on whether Oeser was a football player;
-Derby's wrestling coach has a connection to one of the other stunning pedigrees in Kansas wrestling: coach Bill Ross wrestled in high school under Wayne Jackson at Ark City, the winningest championship coach in Kansas wrestling history with 14 titles from ’82-03

Salina Central at Goddard
-Goddard returns 12 state qualifiers, five finalists and four state champs: Tyler Caldwell, Boaz Beard, Brandon Bonewell, Mitchell Means
-Goddard could have six individual state champs this year, to take back the state title they won in 2006

Wichita South at Northwest (former longtime South coach Dennis Nigg is now at Northwest coaching under Eric Prichard, one of his former South wrestlers)
-Northwest wrestler Kyle Caylor was state runner-up at 6A state to Karl Oeser of Maize last year; he won both the freestyle and greco-roman divisions at Nationals at 215 over the summer

Valley Center at Winfield
-Defending state champ Pete Tapia (152) of Winfield and fourth-place finisher Chad Harding go up against Valley Center, a top 5A program in the area. Brian Shelton and Corey Jones, a two-time champ at Kapaun in the 80s, coach VC. Chase Nitcher (119), Jimmy Stults (119 to 145) and Seth Mertins (130) all placed third last year. Mertins lost in semis to potential four-time state champ Trison Graham of Ark City

Rose Hill (Zac Sparr, 119) at Augusta (Zach Peters, 125; Corey Crawford, 145; Chris Stuart, 171; Jacob Weaver, 189 – all champs at El Dorado tournament on December 1)
-Former Rose Hill coach Darian Eshelman is now coach at Bishop Carroll. Drew Anderson has stepped in. Zac Sparr is a state contender. Augusta 11th at state last year, should finish higher than that this year.

East at Bishop Carroll – 90 dual-match win streak for Carroll, dating back to 2001; Carroll's going for seventh straight City title

BC Wrestling Invite this weekend hosts Andale, Campus, KC Schlagle, Mulvane, Newton, Rose Hill, Salina South, Wichita Heights, North, South, Winfield

Boys Basketball on Friday

East at Bishop Carroll
-Bishop Carroll is coming on, after a narrow 61-58 loss to Southeast Wednesday night. Blake Bell, Brett Steven and Luke Barnwell are already playing well. When Joe Brown returns, they will compete with anyone in the City League.

Wichita South at Northwest
-South upset East Wednesday night 77-73 behind strong guard led by Lance Russell and Marky Nolan. Russell is the purest scorer in the city, which is huge.

Southeast at Heights
-Can Southeast put it together? Does it matter yet? It's only December, but with the best talent in the city, the Buffs should be playing better. Heights is a team to watch in the city, with Kelton Marshall and a trio of strong guards. They also have youth that is contributing.

Wellington at Andale
-Class 4A is up for grabs in this area. Can either of these teams compete with Andover?

Girls Basketball on Friday
Hutch at Derby
-Weather and power permitting, Hutch will travel to Derby on Friday. Nice players on both sides, and each will compete a spot in state this season.

Goddard at Maize
-Rivalry!

It turns out, no one played last night. So I stayed in the office for an extra couple hours. Outstanding.

Instead, I got extra dosage of my off-daily commitment to watching Fox Soccer Channel. The European game is truly where it's at. Whereas, the American pro league and our national team lack creative, vibrant players and brilliant technical skill and field positioning, the European pro leagues do everything right. Soccer played the right way, as they play it, is beautiful. And there are commercial breaks for 45 straight game minutes each half. I can hardly watch basketball and football, anymore, solely because of the commercials. If you've got the digital cable package, check it out - Fox Soccer Channel (250). They've got the English and Italian leagues mainly - the best in the world. The Fox Soccer Report has updates on all the leagues in the world, however. It is truly a way to stay connected. High school soccer players - you've been apprised!

In prep hoops tonight, I like the Wichita Heights at Kapaun matchup - for both boys and girls. Heights' guards versus Kapaun's guards. Believe it or not, sophomore Kapaun guard Dyllon Knox tempts me to put Kapaun guards on par with Heights'. Knox is just as strong, athletic and quick as Heights point guard Terry Webb, though his outside shot may not compare. And Shane Torgler, Kapaun's senior leader, is a fighter at the guard position. I really like this game. I saw Kapaun for a half against Wichita Southeast. They hung for quite a while; with discipline (minimal turnovers, good outside shooting), Kapaun could be a nice squad.

On the girls' side, we'll get to see Kapaun's Darice Fountaine go up against the two-time champs. Damian Smithhisler has a very nice program at Kapaun, but who can contend with Heights' firepower. I will say Heights lacks size, but it may not matter. Kip Pulliam is intent on running and gunning more than ever this year.

For comments on other area games, see my blog from yesterday.

And what's going on with the forum? And why no comments on the blog? I just posted a new poll question on the Central Kansas Web site: Would Bishop Carroll wrestling's record-chasing dual-match win streak hold against Goddard? These are the top two programs in the area - from different classes. It'd be a great matchup, wouldn't it? I'd go, probably over any basketball game the area could offer (except maybe East-Southeast).

BigBro posted in the "Top Talents" Forum yesterday that the fall 2007 football season was the Year of the Logans. I'd have to agree.

Check out Goddard quarterback Logan Watkins' season stats in 12 games: 1,219 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns; 693 passing yards and nine touchdowns (two of which were against Hutch at sub-state, rolling out to the right - he chucked the ball 40 and 50 yards right into his receiver's bread basket in the end zone); 254 kickoff return yards (28.2 avg), including an 84-yard touchdown run; 183 punt return yards (16.6 avg), including a 72-yard touchdown run; and a 45-yard interception return for a score.

And Logan Dold - well, his career and season stats speak for themselves: 7,144 rushing yards in a four-year career at Garden Plain, putting him at second all-time in the state of Kansas behind DeAngelo Evans; his 49 rushing touchdowns this fall is staggering; his 2,388 rushing yards this fall looked easy. Logan Dold is one of our "great ones."

The question is: will Dold, who will win a few more gold medals at the state track meet this spring, play offense or defense next fall when he reports to Kansas State? After watching Jake Sharp, another Kansas high school product, get plenty of time at KU this fall, Dold's thinking he can make a go on the offensive side of the ball at K-State. Coaches have indicated he'll get a shot, as well. Place your vote on the Central Kansas Web site from which you accessed this blog: O or D for Dold at K-State?

Kids rejoice this morning, as there's no school today in Wichita and several surrounding areas. I know Andover and Rose Hill went to school, though - so kudos to them. The water on the streets is free-flowing, people. Go to work. You too, kids.

We're trying out a new thing in the January edition of High School Sports The Magazine. We're running a feature entitled High School Hangouts. After a couple of the photo shoots yesterday for this bit, I'm excited about it. I remember - there were definitely good hangouts and bad hangouts in high school. Post your best hangouts here on the blog or in the forum.

There are a few interesting games tonight in the area, as the City League schedule got pushed back to Wednesday due to weather (?).

Rose Hill at Mulvane - Boys
The Rockets beat Mulvane at their preseason tournament over the weekend. These are two middle-of-the-pack 4A teams in the area. One or both of them could insert themselves into the upper echelon by February.

Wellington at Andover Central - Boys
Andover High beat Central on Friday to put themselves as the local favorite in 4A. Central could still be there by season's end, though. It's early.
Central ended Wellington's season in the sub-state final last March with a final-second three-pointer. Both teams have to replace their best players from last year; they have time to get that done, and this matchup offers an early-season opportunity to get something going.

Maize at Hutchinson - Boys
Maize enters its first run through league, the AV-CTL Division I. Leading up to the mid-season tournament at McPherson in mid-January, the Eagles play Hutch, Goddard, Derby, and the Salina schools. Salina Central is supposed to be very good, with just about everybody back from last year. Maize's mettle will be tested. This league is up for grabs. Maize was definitely the class of the league last year.

A couple pet peeves of mine and "We are the Buffalo"

I want confront the public about a few disturbing trends in high school basketball (feel free to comment in the forum). Three issues need to be addressed in the high school game and beyond. In light of what's been going on in the NBA for the past decade, it was just a matter of time before this happened.

Palming the ball on the dribble, the hippity-hop on the catch-and-shoot, and giving fist pounds to referees and coaches during pre-game introductions - they all need to stop.

I don't know what happened to proper dribbling, but how hard is it to teach a kid to dribble without putting his hand on the side of the ball or under it? And why aren't the referees calling it?

And, I'm sorry, but a hop after the catch before shooting is a travel. Getting set on the catch is a skill and it needs to be encouraged by coaches and referees.

And fist-pounds are cool between buddies. But referees and coaches are clearly uncomfortable when players fist-pound them during introductions, and players appear disrespectful when they do it with them. Handshakes or nothing at all will do.

Has anyone seen the guy at Wichita Southeast sporting events who leads the crowd in this one particular cheer over and over? It goes something like "We are the Buffalo. You are the Buffalo..." - something like that. Anyway, he does it at football and basketball games. He's always on the sidelines, so obviously the sports administration at Southeast gives him permission to be there.

Whatever the case may be, right now, after watching Southeast play a couple times this season, I'm a Buffalo, you're a Buffalo, we're all Buffalos. At least we should be. I won't make a prediction yet on who's going to win the first East-Southeast showdown of the year on January 4 at East, but I know the Buffs are very good.

Jordan Cyphers plays above the rim and beyond the perimeter. Cortez Barnes is long and athletic; his mid-range game could explode if he starts hitting the 15-footer. Adonis Gantt is fast and acrobatic. Cecil Shaw gets to the rim, and DeAndre Tomlin leaps with each step when putting the ball on the floor. Southeast plays nearly 10 guys, and all can contribute.

Their 79-61 drubbing of Derby on Friday night put the area on notice: you can't compete with Southeast. East's big win over Hutchinson reinforced the City League's claim as the tops in the area. The City League reigns again, probably more so this year than last. At least Maize was a formidable opponent last season, comparable to every team in the City League.

I watched Derby point guard Cammi Stith on Friday night. Southeast could do little to stop her. Her shot from eight feet and out off the dribble is a bit lacking, but her drive to the hoop is sensational. She finishes underhanded layups at full speed from awkward angles. Stith is definitely a player to go out and watch - very exciting. If Derby can figure out how to get the ball to Joanna McFarland in the post more, they'll get much better. She seals her defender so well, it's a wonder they can't get points through her on the low block every other possession.

Boys Class 4A is very confusing. Douglass creamed Rose Hill 60-40 Friday night, which was disturbing; then Rose Hill came back to beat Mulvane 52-50, two days after Mulvane had beaten Andale 54-44. Then Andale smoked Douglass 75-47. Class 4A will be impossible to figure out this season. Andover High is at the top in this area. Then comes Andover Central, probably. After that, I have no idea.

Too early to tell in Class 3A? and Sports Daily

Bruce, Bob and Savage were in rare form this morning on a Friday edition of the Sports Daily radio show on KFH. Questioning each other's on-air etiquette, their levels of popularity and, more vaguely, each other's manhood - they hit all the hot buttons. In my weekly segment with the guys, sponsored by Presto Convenience Stores, we talked about local basketball - who's who, who to watch tonight, and who's a surprise this year. Tune in each Thursday at about 10:25 to listen in (Sometimes, I go on at 9:30 on Fridays, instead.)

Boys Class 3A is shaking up already. Wichita Collegiate is a clear favorite in this area, with Thomas More Prep awaiting them at the state tournament. Trinity Academy and Belle Plaine look to be the legitimate competitors in the area.

But how good is TMP? The defending 4A champs narrowly defeated Sunrise Christian on Thursday night 60-55. Sunrise isn't a KSHSAA-sanctioned school, but they're a nice squad, having won their independent league two years in a row. But, still, how good is TMP? HovpenSports has them ranked No.2 behind Collegiate, and the Jeff Lutz at the Wichita Eagle started them out at No. 1.

Trinity shot out to a big lead over Collegiate in the first half of the sub-state final last season, but the Spartans came back to win before taking the 3A state title. But Belle Plaine is right there with Trinity this winter in terms of being able to compete with the Spartans. The Dragons beat Trinity 50-48 on Tuesday night, before rolling Remington 61-40 Thursday night. Belle Plaine travels to Trinity for another matchup on January 29.

Working for the Weekend

Tune in to Sports Daily on KFH (1240 AM/98.7 FM) tomorrow. I will do my weekly segment on local high school sports with Bruce and Bob during the first hour Friday (between 9-10).

The top two teams in the City League step out of Wichita this Friday night. Southeast goes to Derby, and East heads up to Hutchinson. The City League traditionally dominates area teams, so Derby and Hutch have the opportunity to make a statement. Southeast is very talented on both ends of the court, but Derby coach Ryan Herrs feels his team can get over the hump this season. Double-digit win seasons have not been hard to come by during his first three seasons at Derby, but success against the top teams has been. 6-7 Josh Walker plays inside and out for the Panthers, and Seth Hardiman (6-3) has great potential as a scorer.

Hutch will try to put together a nice effort against East after a 72-55 loss to McPherson on Tuesday. East is potent, probably the best in the City League, and Hutch is trying to get going after a late start to the season after football.

Don't forget about our Web site's new forums. Check them out and post your thoughts. Ask questions, give opinions, and I'll integrate them into my blog. Get out and watch some hoops or wrestling; this area is full of talent.

Tuesday night tour

Last night I tried to see as much talent as possible. So I went to three different sites all within five miles of each other. This is one of the great things about Wichita: plenty of good basketball.
I started out at Collegiate, which hosted Andover Central - a classic out-of-class matchup you usually only get at mid-season tournaments. Central pulled it out 72-59, but Class 3A should be on the watch for the Lady Spartans. They're very young, but they're not playing for the future. They can compete on the state level right now. They proved that against one of the top Class 4A teams in the state.
Ashia Woods, a 5-11 freshman, rebounds, runs the court, leads the break, and somehow repeatedly finished shots under the hoop, the motion for which she starts below the waist. She had 22 points going up against Bailey Gee, Missouri signee and Andover Central star.
Kamri Phox, a sophomore guard and daughter of coach Terrence Phox, is also a very nice player, leading the break at times and hitting the mid-range shot.
Add these two young players to senior Kim Alexander's game, and Collegiate will be very good this season. Alexander's up-and-under move in the post is deceiving and powerful.
Andover Central is as good as advertised, though they needed more control in the full-court last night. Sophomore guard Tiffany Bias is extremely talented, and she and Gee should have a strong chemistry by end of year. The screen and roll is perfect for these two.
And senior Britt Chamberlin can really shoot the three-pointer.

I then hopped over to Edgemore to see the vaunted Wichita Southeast Buffs boys team. Again, their talent is very much as advertised. Jordan Cyphers can pull up from anywhere; he and Cortez Barnes both play above the rim; Barnes didn't hit the 15-footer last night, but it looked like he should have; DeAndre Tomlin takes giant strides on the dribble-drive and is very powerful; and Cecil Shaw gives quality minutes at the point, slicing to the hoop.
The one question mark: Adonis Gantt. He is so strong and powerful, yet he seemed out of place at times last night in the first half. I hope he can fit in on the team, because he seems a natural leader and full of enthusiasm. Once Gantt gets on track, Southeast will be formidable.
The Buffs beat Kapaun 81-69, but I like the Crusaders. Shane Torgler is a bull at the guard position, taking on all comers and somehow getting his share of layups against players six inches taller than him. Kevin Booker is an all-around player, and sophomore guard Dyllon Knox is someone to keep an eye on. He's very strong, steady with the ball bringing it up the court and goes to the rim with confidence. A jumpshot off the dribble would make this kid deadly. Booker and 6-5 James Riter worked a nice high-low game, as well. Don't count out Kapaun.

I briefly stopped by the East-Heights boys game. I was so impressed with Heights last Friday night against South. Heights' Kelton Marshall is a very special player, a big guy who's valuable in the open court and half-court. But, apparently, East is just too much. The Blue Aces gave the Falcons a terrible time of it last season, ending their season with two consecutive wins over them.
If I had to pick one reason why East handled Heights 88-76, I'd say senior Eric Hardyway. This is the best point guard around (may be too early to say that). No one from Heights could defend his first step off the dribble. East spread it out and let Hardyway get around his man and break down the defense. He may be un-guardable with tight half-court man defense.

I ended my night back at Collegiate. The boys team avenged their loss at Andover Central last year with an overpowering 68-49 win. It's tough to say this player at Collegiate did this, and this player did that. The team defense and unselfishness in the half-court is enough to make you jealous. I don't know how Mitch Fiegel gets them to buy in, but he does. The double the guy bringing the ball up the court and try to steal the next pass. Or they steal the inbounds pass. They had two instances last night where they scored six points in like 15 seconds.
Their defense is scary, and they work for shots on offense. The only time a guy drives to the hoop is when a quick, hard ball reversal has created a gap to penetrate. They are well-trained and well-versed in what they're trying to do.
Cole Fiegel is probably their best individual player, but it doesn't really matter. Because players only successful as individuals cannot thrive on this team. Junior Quincy Taylor, a transfer from out of state, is another nice guard, able to shoot outside and drive. Fiegel and Clint Cornejo are the two big contributors from the senior class. The rest are sophomores and juniors. Collegiate was just at the beginning a great run with last year's state title.

First Tuesday of Preps

Game Night

Andover Central at Wichita Collegiate

Boys:
I love this out-of-class, non-league matchup. More schools should do this. It's not possible in football, with the nine-game regular-season schedule filled automatically by league and district play, but the basketball schedule allows for some creativity.
Andover Central is no stranger to the Class 4A state tournament, having earned berths in four of the school's seven seasons under coach Jesse Herrmann. Three-point shooting was the name of the game with Jordan McNeil and Coy Potter last season, but it's back to basics now. Central will grind a little more, but they're most definitely still in the state conversation.
It all starts for them tonight at Wichita Collegiate, the defending Class 3A champ. The Spartans know all about grinding. Scoring droughts just happened last year, but it didn't matter. Coach Mitch Fiegel starts with defense and unselfish play and ends with wins. Collegiate is coming off its third state title under Fiegel.
Their guards versus Central's guards. Who will be tougher?

Girls:
The Andover Central girls are... really good. And young - but not as young as last season, in which they placed third at Class 4A state.
Bailey Gee scored 21 ppg last year as a junior and is committed to play at Missouri next year. Sophomore point guard Tiffany Bias is just as highly touted, but this team is more than two players. They're loaded in every class. Look for a return to state starting tonight against Collegiate which is on the rise in Class 3A.

Hutchinson at McPherson

Boys:
Perenially dominant McPherson, the Class 5A state runner-up and coming off a demolition of Goddard, should handle Hutchinson, which got a late start to the season due to the football program's fourth straight run the state title.
Hutch has talent, though. Look for Caleb Walker, a defensive back and wideout on the football team, to develop over the season and get comfortable. If his outside game has improved, he could be one of the best players around.

Valley Center at Maize

Boys:
Valley has tons of mid-sized players, with five starters over six feet. Maize could be down a bit this season, after losing half of it's platoon lineup from a year ago. Maize needs to get on the winning track ASAP after a loss to Lawrence Free State on Saturday. Coach Chris Grill knows that a season is all about momentum.
Maize has some solid guards, but standout football player Brett Soft needs to come along in the post, and Alec Hermanson, a nice 6-4 three-point shooter, needs to develop a post game.
Valley Center could show some mettle and reveal themselves as a solid Class 5A team in this matchup against one of the best 6A teams in the area from last season.

Bishop Carroll at Northwest

Boys:
Northwest surprised people on Friday by playing East to the final minute in a 48-45 loss. Standout Chris Harper did not play.
Harper returns tonight, and now we'll see how Northwest adjusts. Having another scorer, a guy who play one-on-one if you need him to, always changes up the team chemistry. In the long run, Harper will be the star on this team and give them a huge boost. If the Grizzlies can put together the positives from the East game with Harper's game, look out.
Carroll is always a solid team in the City League, especially at home. But this one's on the road, and last year's game at Northwest was a barn-burner, going down to the last second with the Grizzlies winning. Carroll will be out-manned, especially since the football season at Carroll went all the way to the state championship. But never count out the Golden Eagles. They're upset-prone - as in dealing them out.

Kapaun at Southeast

Boys:
How good is Kapaun without Matt Boswell? We should know tonight, as the Crusaders take on everyone's favorite in the City League, Southeast.
Utah-bound Jordan Cyphers can flat-out shoot, and Adonis Gantt is a special point guard. Southeast has tons of mid-sized talent. Kapaun will have their hands full, but Kevin Booker is a nice talent in his own regard. The Crusaders will play hard and organized. How organized? Tonight's matchup will let us know where they're at.

Heights at East

Boys:
East had a disappointing start to the season with a low-scoring win over Northwest 48-45. They need to get out and run in an organized fashion.
Heights, on other hand, got its season off to a running start. Senior 6-7 big man Kelton Marshall was nothing short of fabulous last Friday in the Falcons' 78-66 win over South. He runs the court, tips in misses from awkward angles, pulls off McHale-like up-and-under moves in the post and hinders every shot in the lane by the opposition.

Girls:
Heights looked to be in trouble last week against the rising South girls going down 14-0 after one quarter of play. But they stuck to their guns, as Amanda Orloske starting hitting the threes, after missing five in the first quarter, and Jennifer Lane started finishing on the break.
Keep an eye on Mary Sims, a freshman guard at Heights, who does it all. She is a very special player, who will contribute mightily this winter as Heights marches back to state.