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.