By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — We are in the middle of the Christmas holiday break. The only thing bouncing is ourselves off the walls dealing with so many relatives.

So, let’s take a look at where the local high school basketball teams are at this juncture of the season and what’s in store ahead. We have divided this into two parts. Today, we are dealing with the Wellington basketball teams. Soon, we will be analyzing the outer Sumner County teams.

Valerie Norwood is one of Wellington’s leading scorers and rebounders.

Wellington girls

Record: 6-1.

Best game so far: Winfield  – 60-25 win. It is hard to distinguish one victory from another since they all have been blowouts. We chose the Winfield game eight days ago because it was such a commanding performance against a team that has competed with Wellington in years past.

Worst game so far: Cheney – 54-45 loss. It would be interesting to see what would happen if these two teams played again – which they won’t. Wellington traveled to Cheney on Monday after immediately playing Mulvane on a Friday and no practice in between.

Reason to hope: So much to hope for as Wellington is off to another fast start. The junior duo of Britt Zeka and Valerie Norwood are averaging around 15 points per game and getting anywhere from 5 to 10 rebounds and/or assists per contest. Lyndi Barton also does well as a sophomore, getting double-digit scoring and rebounding opportunities.  The younger players continue to make dramatic improvements. Although most of this team is intact from last year, the Crusaders are so young, with a multiple number of sophomores and freshmen seeing playing time.

Reason to mope: Wellington is vulnerable inside, especially with sophomore Kylan Gregory out for the season with a summer knee injury. That could be trouble when it comes up against bigger, tougher teams.

The season ahead: Other than Cheney, Wellington has not played its toughest competition yet. That will change quickly. Wellington travels to Clearwater on Jan. 5 in a gymnasium that has historically given Lady Dukes fits. Also, Clearwater is known for its physicality. It will be interesting to see how Wellington stacks up to such a team. The Indians are 3-1 with a 45-30 victory in Andale.

Andale is struggling early, but make no mistake, it’s Andale. The Indians are 2-2 and graduated a lot from last season. Wellington goes there on Jan. 12.

Then comes the Colby Orange and Black Classic, which will be played in mid-January. Your guess is as good as anyone’s on what is in store for the Lady Dukes in this way western Kansas tournament. One thing is guaranteed. It will feature different opponents. The Colby tournament usually features teams from western Kansas, a team from eastern Colorado, and other teams from across the state. For example, last year, Chanute was in the tournament in southeast Kansas – almost a 400-mile trip.

Colby is a No. 10 team in Class 3A.

The eight-team tournament should be fun. Unlike the Mulvane Tournament from the last two years, it should feature stiff competition for a program that tends to coast against many of the less-competitive Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Division IV foes.

That, of course, will take Wellington into February. The Crusaders have a good chance of securing their third consecutive AVCTL DIV title. Then comes the post-season, where Wellington will be vying for a third consecutive trip to the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. Wellington is currently 6-1 and on top of the Class 4A-West standings. It is always best to be in that position away from such teams as Circle, McPherson, and Clearwater in sub-state competition.

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Morice Ayers vs. Hutchinson Trinity Catholic in the Cheney Tournament.

Wellington boys

Record: 5-2.

Best game so far: Hutchinson Trinity Catholic – 60-40 win for the Cheney Tournament Championship. Crusaders shot 53.1 percent from the field and dominated the paint with 40 rebounds to HTC’s 25.

Worst game so far: Mulvane, 45-30 loss. That was a rough way to start the season. Wellington had no cohesion, couldn’t find the basket, and was outplayed by a smaller team.

Reason to hope: Wellington has one of the best frontcourts in the league. Carter Burnett is averaging 13.8 ppg. while Morice Ayers is shooting 12.3. Ayers seems to be coming into his own. In the Winfield game, he scored 25 points — a career high. Wellington is also having a heck of a year on the boards getting 65.7 percent of the defensive rebounds and 47.6 percent on the offensive side.

We haven’t really seen Burnett and Ayers combine for an explosive game at the same time. If it happens, watch out.

Reason to mope: Wellington’s shooting percentage is abysmal outside the paint. It is shooting just 15.2 percent at the three-point line compared to opponents combined 26.2 percent. The Crusaders must improve at the free throw line as well, shooting just 54.8 percent.

The season ahead: Wellington must win its first game back from the holiday break when it travels to Clearwater in what should be a winnable game. The next two games are tough as nails. Wellington travels to Collegiate and Andale. The last thing Wellington needs is a three-game losing streak going into the annual Chaparral Tournament in mid-January.

Circle, which is currently undefeated, will be in the same midseason tournament. If you remember last year, the two teams played a barn-burner in the tournament championship with the T-birds making a huge comeback winning in the final seconds. That sparked an incredible sequence between the two teams with Circle dominating the Dukes in the February matchup in Wellington before the Crusaders destroying them in Towanda in the sub-state championship game. Go figure.

These two could see one another again in the Chaparral championship. However, Mulvane could have a say in that which is also in Chappy.

Getting a league title, something Wellington boys haven’t done since 1968, may be too daunting, having to play Collegiate and Andale twice. The Rose Hill loss a couple of weeks ago doesn’t help.

As far as the postseason goes, Wellington has a chance to get as high as maybe a fourth seed in the Class 4A-West or as low as a 13th seed. A lot can happen because the standings are a jumbled-up mess (see here). Wellington could make it back for a second straight state tournament provided it can avoid McPherson and Hugoton in the sub-state rounds. The best way to do that is to get in the top four to six.

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