By Grant Barrett, Ad Astra Radio
MCPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson Bullpup Basketball teams will tangle with the Circle Thunderbirds on Friday, January 6, in a compelling AVCTL Div. III contest to begin the 2023 portion of the 2022-23 season.
The Bullpup Girls will be in action for the first time since defeating St. James Academy 69-61, in a thriller at the 810 Varsity Showcase. McPherson Head Coach Chris Strathman said, “We have had some good days of practice over break and really look forward to the rest of our season.”
He said, “We headed into the break on a very high note by winning at Winfield and then in K.C. versus St. James Academy, in what was a great test for our girls.” Strathman concluded by saying, “I know we had a long break, but hopefully, we can pick right up where we left off as far as team energy and focus on the court.
Circle’s Girls (4-2) come into Friday’s contest unranked, after defeating Augusta and Mulvane in their only two league games before the break. The Bullpup Girls (5-1) enter No. 4 in Class 4A; their only blemish came to Derby, the 2022 6A Runner-up. When asked about the matchup, Strathman said, “We are going to need to be alert and contest the 3-point shot well on Friday as they really rely on that as a major part of their offense.” He noted that Circle will want to play at a slower pace and said, “We will try to speed them up as much as we can and take advantage of transition opportunities when there.”
In the boys’ game, it will be a battle of top five teams in Class 4A, as Circle Head Coach Jordan Crawford will return to the Roundhouse in his first-ever matchup against his former Head Coach, Kurt Kinnamon.
Crawford, a graduate of MHS in 2007 and AVCTL MVP under Kinnamon, will return to the opposing sideline in the Roundhouse after coaching the El Dorado Girls for 6 seasons before assisting the Circle Girls for the last two seasons. Now, he prepares his undefeated and fourth-ranked team for a matchup against Coach Kinnamon and the top-ranked Bullpup Boys.
When reflecting on the career and coaching philosophy of his former player, Kinnamon said, “Jordan was a student of the game as a player and I can see those things out of his team, as they are fundamentally sound.” He said, “I know that he will be excited to come into the Roundhouse with a number four-ranked and undefeated team.”
Kinnamon said the holiday practices went well and added, “We look to continue the momentum that we had going into the break.” He said, “We are still looking to solidify our rotation beyond the 7th man, and are looking at a few guys to step up and take that role.”
The Bullpup Boys (5-1) will look to continue to build off of an impressive win against an athletic Shawnee Mission Northwest Basketball team in the 810 Varsity Showcase. MHS came out with a 58-56 win against the host school, after defeating Winfield the previous night 84-47. McPherson’s boys, much like the girls, have relied on speeding up opponents, forcing turnovers, and turning those opportunities into easy transition baskets.
Tipoff from the Roundhouse will begin with the Girls at 6 p.m. The Boys will follow around 7:30 p.m. Grant Barrett and Logan Schrag will have the broadcast on 98.9 FM KMCP, starting with the Midway Motors Drive to the Game starting at 5:30 p.m
