Saturday morning before substate play is kind of like a mild version of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament.
In most cases, we already know where our favorite high school basketball teams are headed, but there’s always some tiebreakers that cause some drama. Plus, once the KSHSAA brackets are released, everyone can start coming up with hypotheticals, which is pretty much what I do with these looks.
So here we go. Five thoughts on the smallest three classifications’ substate assignments on the boys side. Next week, we’ll learn the three biggest classifications.
Geography benefits Sterling
Teams in our listening area often get punished due to geography (see Class 3A below), and there have been plenty of years that was the case for Sterling. But this year, geography was kind to Sterling.
Yes, Sterling fans would have to travel all the way to Sublette (about 330 miles round trip) if the Black Bears make it to the substate championship game. Had they been assigned to the closer Moundridge substate, the trip would have been just 83 miles.
But Sterling is the top seed in the Sublette substate. Phillipsburg will have to make the long trek for Tuesday first round, and then either Thomas More Prep out of Hays or Medicine Lodge will travel to Sterling for the semifinals. The matchup with TMP wouldn’t be easy for Sterling.
However, it sure beats the alternative. Had Sterling been in the Moundridge substate, the Black Bears would have been the No. 3 seed and would have had to likely gotten past undefeated Salina Sacred Heart to get to the state tournament.
The curious case of Central Christian
For reasons not fully understood, the Class 1A substate brackets were released Wednesday. Before most teams had finished their regular season.
Central Christian only had its first 18 games counted when the bracket was released. As such the Cougars are 8-10 for 1A Division 2 substate purposes, seeded ninth in the Dighton substate, and will have to travel Monday to Otis-Bison, which also sports an 8-10 substate record.
However, thanks in part to the recent bad weather, many teams in all classifications had games postponed this week. Thus, many teams in the smaller classifications squeezed in games Thursday and Friday. For 1A, that meant playing games after the bracket was released.
A lot has changed since then. Central Christian beat Burrton and Pratt Skyline, improving to 10-10. Otis-Bison beat Macksville but lost to Ellinwood, and Otis-Bison is now 9-11.
Wheatland/Grinnell also is 8-10 in the substate standings. The Thunderhawks had one game canceled this week and won their other, making them 9-10.
Cheylin was 9-9 in the substate bracket but lost its only game after the bracket was released. Since then, Cheylin lost to Oakley.
Thus, the regular-season records among those seeded 6-9 are: Central Christian 10-10, Cheylin 9-10, Wheatland/Grinnell 9-10, Otis-Bison 9-11.
That would severely alter the matchups. Central Christian would get a home game instead of traveling, and the Cougars would play No. 11 Chase, which is 1-17. Wheatland/Grinnell would remain the 7 seed, but Cheylin would drop to 8 and would play Otis-Bison.
These aren’t minor changes. This would completely alter the bracket. Plus, Central Christian would get one more home game this season.
Kudos to Elyria Christian
Anyone who has been to Elyria Christian, a tiny 1A Division 2 high school just south of McPherson, knows the gym isn’t big enough to host a substate tournament.
So why is Elyria a substate host? Because Elyria will host the championship games at Central Christian College in McPherson.
This harkens back to the unified 1A days where regionals were at host sites, but substates were at a neutral site. Although not completely neutral as Elyria would have a partisan crowd that doesn’t have to travel far, this is a great opportunity for teams to play in a college gym.
The mini state tournament continues in 3A
Look, it was a step in the right direction. There’s no doubt that by going with four big substates (two tournaments in each substate) that it will alleviate the problem of having one jaw-dropping stacked substate.
But some of the problems remain. The 3A boys Halstead substate is filled with teams that could win trophies in Hutchinson.
Only two teams will go to state from Halstead, but the top five teams are all state-championship contenders, including top seed Cheney (18-1), No. 2 Hesston (17-2), No. 3 Nemaha Central (17-2), No. 4 Haven (17-3) and No. 5 Wichita Collegiate (15-4).
I mean, one of Haven and Wichita Collegiate won’t even play in the substate championship game.
There are always deserving teams left out of the state tournament, but it seems like the problem is worse in central Kansas in Class 3A.
Don’t ignore Trinity Catholic
Trinity Catholic enters substate with an unspectacular 7-13 record and the No. 11 seed. Yet, the Celtics have had a brutal schedule and a 7-8 record after an 0-5 start.
The Celtics have played well down the stretch. Their losses have been to some of the best teams in 2A, such as Sterling, Berean Academy, Moundridge and Salina Sacred Heart. Meanwhile, the Celtics have a quality win over Bennington and several blowout wins.
This is not a proclamation that the Celtics are going to win their substate, but rather a don’t-underestimate-them proclamation. They hit 15 3-pointers on Friday in a 20-point win at Inman. Their full-court pressure defense has caused its share of trouble for opponents. They have one of the best scorers around in Max Ryan, 5-foot, 10-inch guard Aaron Gust is scoring at the basket like a 6-10 center, and overall, the team is playing with loads of confidence.
Trinity travels to Remington on Thursday in a rematch of a game Remington won 62-60 this season. I won’t say to expect a Trinity win. I’ll just say don’t be surprised no matter what the result is.
