Wellington-De Soto State Tournament preview….
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Here are all the things you need to know about the upcoming Wellington vs. De Soto girls state tournament game on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Class 4A Div. 1 Girls Tournament –
De Soto (14-8) vs. Wellington (22-0).
Ticket prices: K-12 $7, Adults $9. Parking fee: No Charge. Community Pep Rally: 9:15 a.m. in WHS back parking lot. Student bus: $10, leaves at noon . School is dismissed at noon.
Follow the game: Internet: Live twitter blogs on this site. Twitter: Follow us at Cueballnewscow. Radio: Garrett Wilson, play-by-play, KLEY-AM 1130. FM: 100.3. Live stats: KSHSAA will also be providing live results on this site: http://www.kshsaa.org/Public/Basketball/State.cfm
How to get there: If you are driving it will take about 1 hour, 57 minutes for a 122 mile trip. If you take the I-135 route get off on exit 90 and turn right onto Magnolia Road, left on Belmont Blvd. and then left on S. Ohio St. Go 2 miles north before turning left on Midway.
Tournament schedule:
Wednesday’s games
Wellington (22-0) vs. De Soto (14-8), 3 p.m.
Paola (20-2) vs. Abilene (18-4), 4:45 p.m.
Bishop Miege (22-0) vs. Andale (10-12), 6:30 p.m.
McPherson (20-2) vs. Labette County (20-2), 8:15 p.m.
Friday’s semifinals
Wellington-De Soto winner vs. Paola-Abilene winner, 3 p.m.
Bishop Miege-Andale winner vs. McPherson-Labette County winner, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Third place, noon
Championship, 4 p.m.
DE SOTO WILDCATS
Record: 14-8. Coach: Ryan Robie.
Kansas Power Index ranking: No. 12.
Significant starters:
Kristen Saucerman (10.5 points, five rebounds).
Julia Johnson (12.5 points, seven rebounds)
Mariah Grizzle (13.7 points, 10 rebounds).
How they got there: Desoto went 12-8 during the regular season. Five of those losses came against state tournament qualifying teams. The Wildcats lost to Shawnee Mission Northwest, Shawnee Mission West, Silver Lake and Baldwin twice. In the Tonganoxie sub-state, De Soto beat Eudora 52-29 and Atchison 68-33.
De Soto (14-8) schedule:
De Soto 15 Olathe Northwest 76
De Soto 45 Shawnee Mission West 49
De Soto 44 Ottawa 37
De Soto over Eudora
De Soto 50 Spring Hill 27
De Soto vs. Lousburg
De Soto 43 Wamego 30
De Soto 35 Bonner Springs 21
De Soto vs. Basehor-Linwood (no score reporte)
De Soto 50 Baldwin 53
De Soto 39 Spring Hill 57
De Soto 43 Ottawa 29
De Soto vs. Eudora (no score reported)
De Soto vs. Louisburg (no score reported)
De Soto 42 Baldwin 59
Sub-state:
De Soto 52 Eudora 29
De Soto 68 Atchison 33.
What Wellington head coach Eric Adams said about De Soto:
“They all look alike, 5-9, 5-9, 5-10. Very lanky and disciplined.â€
Fun facts: This marks De Soto’s first girls state basketball tournament trip in the school’s 32 year history.
WELLINGTON CRUSADERS
Record: 22-0. Coach: Eric Adams.
Kansas Power Index ranking: No. 4.
Significant starters:
Grace Mitchell (21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds).
Lauryn Snipes (12.1 points, 4.8 assists.)
Tayland French (4.3 points, 7.1 rebounds)
Avery Rusk (11.5 points, 1.8 steals).
Shayland French (5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds)
How they got there: Wellington was undefeated during regular season winning the Kingman and Haven Tournaments, and winning the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div. IV. Wellington defeated Mulvane 58-16 and Rose Hill 46-33 in the sub-state.
Wellington (22-0) schedule:
Wellington 47 Kingman 41
Wellington 55 Conway Springs 35
Wellington 56 Sterling 52
Wellington 59 Andale 43
Wellington 67 Mulvane 32
Wellington 69 Collegiate 31
Wellington 51 Circle 47
Wellington 62 Clearwater 23
Wellington 65 El Dorado 27
Wellington 53 Chaparral 16
Wellington 56 Cheney 44
Wellington 47 Goddard 42
Wellington 65 Buhler 41
Wellington 61 Augusta 44
Wellington 46 Winfield 43
Wellington 65 Andale 38
Wellington 65 Mulvane 46
Wellington 60 Collegiate 48
Wellington 51 Circle 32
Wellington 70 Clearwater 27
Sub-state:
Wellington 58 Mulvane 16
Wellington 46 Rose Hill 33.
What Wellington head coach Eric Adams said about Wellington:
“We need to enjoy the experience and keep focused between the lines. My daughter (who played on the 2012 state tournament team) said she doesn’t remember anything about the state tournament. It was all a blur. I can say the same thing when I was coaching South Haven. You can’t let the limelight get you.â€
Fun facts: Of the 128 boys and girls teams in the state tournament, 11 of those high school basketball teams are undefeated including Wellington and Bishop Miege… Wellington has played four state tournament teams this year: Goddard in Class 5A, Andale in 4A Div. 1, Wichita Collegiate in 4A Div. II and Sterling in 3A. Crusaders are 4-0 against those teams… The KPI Index website which uses a formula to determine rankings and predictions, has Wellington finishing fourth at the state tournament. Wellington is predicted to win the first round game against De Soto 52-38, before losing to Paola 53-48 and Labette County 50-49 for third place.
