Several CPL teams earned seemingly easy first-round sub-state games. Several more teams automatically advance with first-round byes.
St. John
The Tiger boys completed a perfect CPL season with a 74-35 win at Otis-Bison on Tuesday. The top-ranked Tigers end the season at 19-1 overall with the one loss coming to non-KSHAA Word of Life. Tuesday, St. John again cruised early, leading the Cougars 25-8 after one quarter and 42-16 by the half. Junior Zuriel Reyes hit four three-pointers for a 23-point night. Dean Wade added 15 points and nine rebounds. Ethan Long dished out eight assists. The Tigers are hosting a Class 1A, Div. I sub-state and get a first-round bye as the top-seed. They will see the winner of No. 4 Kinsley (9-11) and No. 5 LaCrosse (7-13) on Friday.
The Lady Tigers also cruised to a 57-20 win on Tuesday. They finish the season at 18-2 overall. Tuesday, the girls led 9-1 after one quarter and 26-10 by halftime. Senior Jamie Waters finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Morgan Osborne added 14 points and Teresa Christie finished with 10 points. The girls have a first-round bye at sub-state. They get the winner of No. 4 Macksville (4-16) and No. 5 LaCrosse (4-16) on Thursday.
LaCrosse
The Leopard boys will hit the post-season on a positive note after picking up a 54-39 win against Kinsley on Tuesday. LaCrosse dominated things from the start, leading 27-13 by halftime and 37-17 heading into the final quarter. Sheldon Schmidt paced the team with 11 points. Kip Keeley made his return and scored two points. The Leopards take a 7-13 record into the St. John sub-state. They will play Kinsley again Tuesday in St. John. The winner gets No. 1 St. John in the semifinals.
The Lady Leopards fell to Kinsley, dropping to 4-16 on the year. They open sub-state in St. John on Tuesday against 4-16 Macksville. The winner will play No. 1 St. John in Thursday’s semifinal.
Otis-Bison
The Cougar basketball teams drew a tough finish as they played host to St. John on Tuesday. The Otis-Bison boys fell to the top-ranked Tigers 74-35. The Lady Cougars fell 57-20. The boys trailed their game 42-16 by the half. Dylan Wissman scored 10 points, and Tyler Maier and Hayden Maier each scored six points. The girls trailed 26-10 by halftime of their game. Hannah Bannister scored 10 of her team’s 20 points.
Both squads enter the Sylvan Grove Div. II sub-state as No. 4 seeds. The girls (4-16) will play No. 5 Chase (3-16). The winner will play Wilson (17-2) on Thursday. The boys (6-14) will also play Chase (5-14). The winner will play second-ranked Central Christian (16-3) on Friday.
Kinsley
Twenty-five points from Nathan Frame was not enough to lift the Coyotes past LaCrosse in Tuesday’s regular-season finale. Despite Frame’s effort, Kinsley still trailed 27-13 by halftime and 37-17 after three quarters before outscoring the Leopards 22-17 in the final quarter. The Coyotes (9-11) enter sub-state as a No. 4 seed against LaCrosse (7-13) on Tuesday in St. John. The winner plays No. 1 St. John in Friday’s semifinal.
The Lady Coyotes already had a No. 3 seed secured in a sub-state with only five teams. Kinsley will get a first-round bye, as will No. 2 seed Victoria. The teams will meet in Thursday’s semifinal game.
Victoria
The Knight boys head into the post-season on a three-game win streak following a 69-59 win against Wilson on Tuesday. Victoria exploded in the middle quarters to outscore the Dragons 47-25 for a 55-33 lead. Wilson answer with 26 fourth quarter points to keep it interesting. Lane Braun went 7-of-9 from behind the arc to lead the team with 21 points. Noah Dreiling hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor to add 14 points. Phillip Nowak also hit double-figures with 10 points. Victoria (12-8) enters sub-state as a No. 3 seed with a bye. They will meet No. 2 Macksville (13-7) in Friday’s semifinal.
The Lady Knights nearly downed No. 3 Wilson. Trailing 28-23 at the half, Victoria outscored the Dragons 15-8 in the third quarter to establish a 38-26 lead. Wilson bounced back with 21 points in the final eight minutes to take the win. Lady Dragon Karlie Steinle scored 34 points. Junior Kristin Huser scored 18 points for the Lady Knights and passed out four assists. Ashley Dome added eight points. Victoria (10-10) is the No. 2 seed at the St. John sub-state. They have a first-round bye and will face No. 3 Kinsley (8-12) in Thursday’s semifinal.
Ness City
The Eagle basketball squads split with Dighton to close out the regular-season on Tuesday. The boys downed the Hornets 71-58. The girls lost their game 61-44. In that contest, the Lady Hornets did most of the damage in the first half, leading 16-5 after one quarter and 33-18 at the break. Jessie Rubottom went off for 23 points in the loss, and freshman Regan Stiawalt finished with 10 points.
The boys enter a tough Plainville sub-state where only two teams have losing records. No. 5 Ness City (13-7) will play at No. 4 Hill City (14-7) Monday. The winner will likely see No. 1 Rock Hills in Thursday’s semifinal. The girls bracket is top heavy with Ellis, Smith Center, and Oakley bouncing up-and-down in the 2A rankings all season. No. 5 Ness City (9-11) plays at No. 4 Plainville (9-10) on Tuesday. The winner will likely see No. 4 ranked Ellis on Friday. No. 3 ranked Smith Center is in the other half of the bracket.
