The sub-state ahead…
Sumner Newscow report — It is sub-state basketball week – the most important one of the year. That is, unless you win your sub-state, then it is the second most important week of the year.
Here is the schedule and some analysis for Sumner County teams for the week ahead. All games are single-elimination.
Wellington freshman Kirstyn Gregory in the Circle game earlier this month.
Class 4A – Wellington
Girls: #16 Ulysses (4-16) at #1 Wellington (19-1), Tuesday, 6 p.m.
What’s ahead: Winner takes on #8 Buhler (11-9) vs. #9 Scott City (10-10), on Friday, time TBA.
Analysis: Quick. When was the last time the Wellington girls lost a sub-state game? That would be in 2021, victims of a last-second buzzer beater in Clearwater. Wellington has won four straight and is looking for its third consecutive trip to Salina this week.
Wellington should win the sub-state. Ulysses lost to Goodland 64-32 on Feb. 16. That’s a team Wellington beat 51-34 in the Orange and Black Classic semifinals in Colby. If the Crusaders are winners Tuesday, they will battle either Buhler or Scott City in the sub-state championship on Friday. Buhler could be problematic in that it defeated Circle 55-45 last Thursday. Scott City also lost to Goodland 45-34.
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Boys: #10 Wellington (12-8) at #7 Mulvane (14-6), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
What’s ahead: Winner takes on #2 Hugoton (18-2) vs. #15 Augusta (6-14).
Analysis: Wellington has lost to Mulvane twice this season. The first one was the season opener, and all bets are off with season openers. The second one was in the semifinals of the Chaparral Tournament. That was the game Mulvane guard Kaiden Abasolo got hot beyond the arch to take out the Crusaders.
Let’s remember last season when Wellington was smoked in the regular season by Circle, only to go up there and administer a beatdown on the Thunderbird in the sub-state championship. We are not saying it will happen here, but Wellington has played some of its best ball in the last couple of years in the sub-state games.
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Class 2A – Belle Plaine, Conway Springs at Sedgwick sub-state.
Girls: #6 Belle Plaine (5-14) at #3 Wichita Classical (10-10); #5 Garden Plain (6-14) at #4 Conway Springs (9-11). Both games on Monday at 7 p.m.
Analysis: It is not a bad matchup for either Sumner County team in the sub-state first round. Conway Springs beat Garden Plain on Feb. 2 41-37. If the Cardinals survive here, the second round could be very problematic as they will probably battle Wichita Independent, which destroyed them in the regular season 58-35.
Belle Plaine meets up with Wichita Classical. The two teams met on Dec. 8 with Classical winning 41-28.
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Boys: #2 Conway Springs (12-8) vs. #7 Belle Plaine (5-14), Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Analysis: Conway Springs has a shot to make some noise in the Sedgwick sub-state. On Feb. 9, Conway Springs defeated Belle Plaine 62-35. That could set it up for a barn-burning battle with Wichita Independent in the semifinals. Conway Springs eked out a 46-45 win on Jan. 12.
Wichita Classical is the team to beat in this sub-state. It currently has a 17-3 record.
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Class 2A – Oxford at Cherokee-Southeast sub-state.
Girls: #5 Oxford (7-13) at #4 Dexter-Cedar Vale (8-12), Monday at 7 p.m.
Analysis: This should be a fun one. On Jan. 26, Oxford defeated CV-Dexter 44-41 in an exciting game. Getting to the second round for the Wildcats would be an outstanding development for a program that has seen much progress this year.
After that, it is probably a date with Pittsburg-Colgan in the semifinals, which is undefeated at 20-0.
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Boys: #7 Cherokee-Southeast (9-10) at #2 Oxford (16-4), Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Analysis: Oxford, fresh off a South Central Border League title, now starts its post-season. First comes Cherokee-Southeast, the host of the sub-state. The school, located southwest of Pittsburg, has never played a team Oxford played this season. So all we can do is go by their records and the Wildcats have a better one.
If Oxford survives tomorrow it could have a date with Erie, that is 15-5. Pittsburg Colgan is the favorite in this sub-state, which always seems to be the case for Oxford when it is relegated to Class 2A.
🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀
Argonia, South Haven, Caldwell at South Haven sub-state.
Girls: #1 South Haven vs. #5 Cunningham, Friday, 7:30 p.m. #2 Attica vs. #3 Argonia, Friday, 6 p.m.
Analysis: South Haven is looking for a return trip to the Class 1A Div. II State Tournament and it most certainly looks promising. The No. 5 Cardinals will be heavy favorites against Cunningham in the semifinals. That will pit them against either Argonia or Attica, which could be a very interesting game. On Jan. 2, South Haven defeated Attica 45-43 in overtime. On Feb. 16, South Haven defeated Argonia 36-17.
Boys: Cunningham (15-3) vs. Caldwell (8-11), Thursday, 6 p.m. South Barber (12-6) vs. South Haven (9-12), Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Analysis: Caldwell has its work cut out for it with a Cunningham team that has lost three games. South Haven could find itself in the sub-state championship when it battles South Barber. The Cardinals defeated the same team on Dec. 12 with a 51-46 victory. This is one of those sub-states, when anything could happen.
