BUHLER, Kan. – The Buhler girls earned win 17 on the season Wednesday night, dispatching of Abilene in the semifinal round of substate, 62-41. The Crusaders used a 19-0 run late in the first quarter to distance themselves from the Cowgirls.
A consistent effort to feed the ball inside off transition worked well. Buhler shot 62% from inside the three-point line and outscored Abilene in the paint, 50-18.
“When we play like that, this team can do anything,” Head Coach John Darrow said. “It was 12 kids wearing that Buhler jersey and playing our brand of basketball.”
Half of those points in the paint came from forwards Natalya Krafels and Sammie Brooks. Krafels’ 14 points move her past the 800-career point mark. Brooks tied her season high with 14 points.
“When she (Brooks) is playing like that, you gotta love it,” Darrow said. “She works so hard; she is our energy giver.”
Buhler will now prepare to face Circle for a third time this season in Saturday’s substate final. The Crusaders swept the regular-season series against the T-birds by a combined 39 points.
“Always a tough team anytime you see them,” Darrow said. “Very aggressive; we know they’re going to bring their best.”
Coincidentally, it was Circle that Buhler defeated in the substate final in 2020, the last time the team qualified for state.
Tip-off on Saturday is set for 5:00 with pregame coverage from Jim Baker Fieldhouse at 4:40. Listen on 95.9 KWHK and on the Ad Astra Radio app and watch live video at https://www.adastraradio.com/tv.
BUHLER BOYS
It was not the ending Buhler had hoped for on Tuesday, losing at Wellington 60-45 in the substate semifinals. The boys finish the season with a 6-15 record.
Despite the sub-500 record, there was never any quit in this Crusader team. Down 12 points at halftime, Buhler shaved the deficit to just three in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, Wellington was able to use a 13-0 run to stretch the lead back to double digits going into the fourth.
“They withstood our run,” Head Coach Eric Tate said. “Love our fight; love our battle.”
Mitchel McDaniel led Buhler in scoring with 13 points. He is one of three seniors to exit the program, along with Carter Jones and Julian Morrison.
“All great kids,” Tate said. “I really enjoyed working with this crew.”
Wellington will travel to Abilene for the substate final on Friday.
