Steve Eck's intriguing return to Kansas high school basketball coaching has been close to perfect.
 
Kapaun Mount Carmel, where Eck took over this season as the boys coach after 25 years predominantly at the junior college level, is the No. 1 seed for the Class 5A state tournament, which begins Wednesday at Emporia's White Auditorium. The Crusaders (21-1) will play Seaman (15-7) in the opening quarterfinal game at 2 p.m.
 
Eck will try to win his seventh state title and Kapaun will be looking for its fifth this week as state basketball championships are contested at seven sites across Kansas. The 111^th annual boys tournaments and 50^th annual girls tournaments conclude Saturday.
 
Since losing its season opener to reigning 5A champion Maize, Kapaun has reeled off 21 consecutive victories, including a 16-0 run to the Greater Wichita Athletic League title. The Crusaders won the league by two games over 6A state qualifier Wichita Heights, edging the Falcons by two and three points in their season series.
"I think it kind of started in the summer with us," said Will Anciaux, a 6-foot-6 junior who is averaging 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. "This group of guys, I think we've had a strong connection from the very beginning. We've been with each other for a long time now, and we have that brotherhood type of bond."
 
The Crusaders also have one of the winningest coaches the state has ever produced on their side.
 
Eck won all of his state titles in 6A during a highly successful run in the late-1980s and early-1990s at Wichita South. With a bevy of all-state players, including Val Barnes, Steve Woodberry and Johnny Murdock, Eck posted a 227-15 record and won 10 consecutive GWAL titles with the Titans.
 
He entered junior college coaching in 1996 at Butler Community College, and spent most of the next 2½ decades leading the Grizzlies, Redlands (Okla.) Community College, Cowley Community College and Hutchinson Community College to dizzying heights. Eck coached Redlands to the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division II title in 2002, and led Hutchinson to the 2017 NJCAA championship.
 
Eck was inducted into the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019. Last April, prior to coaching Hutchinson in the NJCAA Tournament for the sixth time in 12 seasons, he announced his retirement from the juco ranks. A day later, Kapaun announced Eck's hiring.
 
"I enjoyed junior college, but the 3-hour, 4-hour bus rides and getting home at 3 in the morning, all that good stuff …," said Eck, who has a 999-164 career record at the junior high, high school and junior college levels. "I turned 65 and so I decided to retire from college.
 
"Kapaun opened up, and I'm glad they took me. It's been about what I've thought. I've got a good bunch of guys, and that's what counts."
 
In addition to Anciaux, the Crusaders are led by senior Henry Thengvall, a 6-6 guard who averages 20.2 points and shoots 46% from 3-point range. Slowed early in the season by a collarbone injury sustained in football, Thengvall came on strong after the holiday break. He earned most valuable player honors at El Dorado's Bluestem Classic as the Crusaders won the championship.
 
Kapaun was a good defensive team last season, yielding just 49.5 points a game. This season, the Crusaders have cut that to 41.2.
 
"Having confidence in what we do has been the main thing Coach Eck has instilled," Thengvall said. "It's been awesome. Certainly defensively, he makes us a lot better, and as a team just working cohesively as a unit. Offensively, just moving without the ball, he's taught us a lot of stuff, and we're definitely better for it."
 
Kapaun lost to Maize 48-43 in early December in the GWAL/AVCTL Challenge at Wichita State's Koch Arena. If both can pass tests from Topeka teams on Wednesday – Maize faces Highland Park in the quarterfinals – a rematch looms in Friday's semifinals.
 
"Obviously, we've got to get through Topeka Seaman first, so that's what we'll focus on," Anciaux said. "If that chance arises on Friday afternoon, that's definitely something we'll be looking forward to."
   
CENTRAL PLAINS BOYS MAKE TOURNEY WITH FOUR WINS

Bryce Steiner tried his best to keep team morale high as the losses piled up for the Central Plains boys.  

The Oilers finished the regular season at 1-18, but all 18 losses came against schools in larger classifications. 

"They knew they were going to take some lumps," said Steiner, in his second year guiding the Oilers. "We have some really good teams on the schedule, they knew it. We talked about it quite a bit, there being a light at the end of the tunnel." 

The Oilers found that light in the sub-state tournament, winning on their home floor to reach the state tournament with just four wins on the season. 

"I think they knew that they had a pretty good shot," Steiner said. "They stuck it out. "I've got to tip my hat to them because they just bought in and worked their tails off the whole time." 

The Oilers return to state for the first time since winning their second straight state championship in 2019. They will meet top-seeded and defending state champ Hanover (22-1) at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Class 1A Division II tournament at Barton Community College in Great Bend.  

Central Plains, which has just eight players on the roster, took lopsided wins over Wilson and Tescott before a 46-41 win over Lost Springs-Centre in the sub-state championship game.  

"We got after it," Steiner said. "They worked so hard and they rebounded the ball very, very well those three games. We shot the ball a little bit better. It definitely was different. We weren't getting all the pressure that we were getting throughout the year as well. They just so worked hard." 

Even though the results didn't reflect it, Steiner said he could tell his team was making progress down the stretch of the regular season.  

"We were making a lot less mistakes at the end of the year than what we were doing early ," Steiner said. "Young kids are playing a ton of minutes. Playing high school ball is not the same as junior high, especially when you're playing the Ellinwoods and the Sterlings and Haven and all those guys. They're good."

Steiner said it was rewarding to see the Oilers celebrate a sub-state championship after persevering through the rough regular season.  

"It's hard to take the lumps that they did, because they took some big ones," he said. "That was everything to see their faces at the end (of sub-state) and see how excited the kids were. That was something special." 

Sophomore Peyton Ryan leads Central Plains with 20 points per game. His sister is former Central Plains superstar and current Iowa State Cyclone Emily Ryan.  

Hunter Klima, also a sophomore, has been key for the Oilers lately, Steiner said. 

"He's kind of been forced to play down low," Steiner said. "He's had a couple double-figure games here as of late. He kind of leads the charge in that rebounding aspect. He's all over the place. He's full-go 100 percent of the time and we kind of play off that.  

"And obviously we roll through Peyton Ryan. He's averaging 20 points per game. He's in the top of the state, all classes, in steals per game. He's had some really big games for us." 

Steiner knows the Oilers are in for a challenge against Hanover but hopes the Oilers came carry over some momentum from sub-state.  

"We're going to ride that confidence a little bit," Steiner said. "We're young, and that's kind of big for those guys, because honestly, they don't know any different. Once they got a little confidence, it's kind of sticking. We've just got to be who we are and we just got to work hard. That's what's got to this point. 

"They're long and they're athletic and they're experienced, but they got to come play, too." 
 

– Rick Peterson Jr.
 

SENIORS HELP BUCKLIN END STATE DROUGHT

Amid more than a decade's worth of consecutive losing seasons, the Bucklin boys basketball program suddenly had reason for optimism when a promising freshman class arrived for the 2018-19 season.  

Scott Price, Nate Bowman and Colton Stein all saw action that year as the Bucklin boys finished 4-16 for their 11th straight losing season.  

The Red Aces made huge strides the next two seasons, posting back-to-back winning campaigns to move on the cusp of a major breakthrough.  

Led by its senior backcourt of Price and Bowman, the dream season came to fruition this year for the Red Aces, who will be making their first trip to the state tournament since 1994.  

Bucklin is the No. 4 seed in the Class 1A Division II tournament and will meet Caldwell (16-6) in Wednesday's 8 p.m. quarterfinal at Barton Community College in Great Bend.  

"(Price and Bowman) have done a great job of leading this team and that has helped with another key of ours, which is the buy-in that the players have in what we are doing and how we play," Bucklin coach Derek Bevan said. "The guys love the style of ball we play this year, and they really rally around each other." 

The Red Aces (18-5) don't have a bad loss on their record. They took back-to-back losses to Hoisington and Ellis in the second and third games of the season and fell to Wichita Homeschool in mid-December.  

South Gray handed Bucklin a close loss but the Red Aces avenged it the semifinals of the SPIAA Tournament before going on to win the tourney with a 53-47 win over Hodgeman County in the final. Bucklin's only other loss was against Macksville. Both South Gray and Macksville boast 21-2 records and qualified for the 1A Division I tournament.  

The Red Aces cruised through the Fowler sub-state with wins over Moscow, 85-52, and Ingalls, 80-42.  

Price averages 20 points for the Red Aces while Bowman puts up about 12 per game.  

It will be the fourth state appearance for the program, which also qualified in 1917 and 1974 in addition to the 1994 appearance.  

"There seems to be a ton of excitement about being back at state for the first time in 28 years," Bevan said. "Some of our current players' relatives were on that team so that adds to the excitement as well, but I don't know if there is anyone more excited than our assistant coach, Rob Scott. He is a longtime coach here in Bucklin and was the assistant coach on that 1994 state team as well." 

Adding to the excitement is that the Bucklin girls also made state, marking the first time the Bucklin boys and girls have qualified in the same season.  

The Bucklin girls made it through the Fowler sub-state despite entering with an 8-12 record. They took a 38-34 win over Ingalls in the semis before edging Ashland 31-28 in the final. 

Bucklin will meet top-seeded and undefeated Golden Plains in Thursday's 2 p.m. quarterfinal in Great Bend. It will be the seventh state tournament appearance for the program.  

"A very inexperienced team that progressed as the season went along," Bucklin girls coach Craig Bowman said.  

Syndie Jones averages a team-high 14 points for the Red Aces while Halie Feikert is putting up 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.  
 

– Rick Peterson Jr.
 

GORILLA OFF SOLOMON'S BACK
 
It was put up or shut up time.
 
In his first season as head coach at Solomon – at any school for that matter after graduating from Kansas State in the spring – Kyler Stein made a vow to toughen the Gorillas' non-league schedule. 
 
Then came a call that raised the question, "How bad do you want to make that happen?" It was Hesston, fresh off capturing last year's Class 3A state championship and returning several key pieces from that title team.
 
"We had some tough decisions there when Hesston called wanting to play us," Stein said. "That was a question of 'Do we go take a win against someone else and maybe not improve? Or do we go challenge ourselves?'"
 
Stein and the Solomon administration chose the latter, and also added a quality Class 2A Inman team to the schedule as well. And while the Gorillas lost both games by a combined 46 points, Stein has no doubts his team reaped the rewards.
 
"I think it worked out well for us," Stein said. "It really prepared us and made the guys strive to make themselves better. We're better than a lot of teams, but if you want to get to that sub-state championship and win that to get to the state tournament and do some things there, it takes playing at this level and not playing lower-level teams. That's what it takes to make that jump."
 
The dividends from playing better competition paid off as Solomon ended a 104-year absence from the state tournament for the program. No school in state history has gone longer between state-tournament appearances with the Gorillas' only other state trip coming in 1918.
 
Solomon lost 18-10 to Emporia that season in the opening round of the one-class state tournament.
 
"We actually originally thought it hadn't happened in school history," Stein said. "Once we found out it did and when it had happened, it was crazy."
 
Just as state berths have been tough to come by, this year's was no different. Taking on sub-state host Clifton-Clyde in last Saturday's championship game, Solomon found itself looking at another near-miss, trailing the Eagles by five points with 20 seconds left in the game.
 
But Solomon didn't flinch. Boosted by a raucous Gorilla crowd, Solomon mounted a furious rally with junior standout Makaen Hastings taking over.

Hastings scored on a spin move and was fouled with nine seconds left, converting the and-one to cut the deficit to two. He then stole an inbounds pass after an Eagle timeout, scored and was fouled, converting the three-point play again to put Solomon up one. Hastings capped the incredible rally with another steal and layup at the buzzer as Solomon won 53-50.
 
"We had a great fanbase there, I think a louder one than Clyde did," Stein said. "It was a great atmosphere, loud and back-and-forth game with a wild finish. Coming back on the bus, you could just feel the excitement on the bus. Those bus rides back after big wins are always a good time and it was just different this time. … They're soaking it up and enjoying it right now, but I hope they're still focused on basketball because we're not done yet.
 
"But it's good for them because they deserve it."
 
Solomon (16-7) will take on Norwich (22-1) in Wednesday's 6 p.m. quarterfinal game at the Class 1A Division I state tournament at Dodge City's United Wireless Center, which is just 15 minutes from Stein's hometown of Spearville.
 

– Brent Maycock 

HESSTON TAKES SUB-STATE MOMENTUM INTO 3A TITLE DEFENSE
 
The Class 3A sub-state tournament at Nickerson was a talker all season for its collective strength in the boys and girls brackets, highlighted by reigning state champions Hesston (boys) and Cheney (girls).
 
While Cheney's girls fell to Hesston in the semifinals, Hesston's boys made a huge statement after the tournament shifted to the host site.
 
The Swathers dominated traditional state power Wichita Collegiate 57-27 in Thursday's semifinals before defeating previously unbeaten Cheney 49-41 in Saturday's championship game. Cason Richardson, last year's Kansas Basketball Coaches Association 3A player of the year, scored 13 points to the lead the Swathers, who built a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
 
"They were excited," Hesston coach Greg Raleigh said of his players, who will take a 22-1 record into the 3A state tournament Wednesday at Hutchinson's Sports Arena, where they'll face Hugoton in the quarterfinals. "We knew that was a very tough sub-state, and I'm sure there were some others, but I think it did a lot for our confidence."
 
Hesston won its fourth state title and second under Raleigh last season with a 23-1 record. This season, the Swathers are riding a 13-game winning streak into state since a 39-29 loss to reigning 2A champion Hillsboro in the Trojan Classic final.
 
Even in defeat, that game highlighted the Swathers' tenacious man-to-man defense. Hesston held Hillsboro to a season-low point total, and has limited opponents to 29.9 points per contest.
 
"We spend a lot of time working on defense, and our principles are a little different than a lot of other teams," Raleigh said. "We can be fairly complicated in our schemes. But the main thing is we're going to try to play you man, and that's always been our calling card for the last 12 years."
 
Hesston's top scorers are junior Jake Proctor, who averages 15.2 points, and Richardson, who missed the early part of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament tear last June. Richardson is averaging 15.1.
 
The Swathers avenged their loss to Hillsboro, holding on at home for a 63-62 victory that propelled them to the Central Kansas League title. Their sub-state run served as a good springboard for this week's attempt at a 3A title defense.
 
"We talked about it a little bit at the beginning of the year," Raleigh said. "It isn't something we bring up all the time. It's a new year, and we're not just happy to be there. We want to win it, and if we do, it'll be awesome and then they can talk about being back-to-back state champions."
 

– Scott Paske

 
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE
 
It's not like there wasn't already a little bit of pressure on Valley Falls when it took the court for Saturday's Class 2A sub-state championship game. Even though the Dragons were on their home court, their opponent was an Atchison County team they had already seen – and beaten – three times this season.
 
"To beat somebody three times is tough," Valley Falls coach Caleb Gatzemeyer said. "To beat them four times, it's insane."
 
Right before the Dragons took the court, Gatzemeyer was approached by a father of one of his players with a bit of news.
 
"Hey, Cheney just lost," the dad told Gatzemeyer. "You guys are the only unbeaten team left. Go get this."
 
Class 3A Cheney and Valley Falls had been the only two boys teams in the state to survive the 2021-22 regular season without suffering a loss. And after the Cardinals fell 49-41 to defending champion Hesston in the loaded 3A sub-state at Nickerson, that left Valley Falls as the last one standing.
 
And they're still standing. Valley Falls survived its fourth meeting with Atchison County, pulling out a 53-50 win to improve to 23-0 going into this week's Class 2A state tournament at Manhattan's Bramlage Coliseum.
 
"It's pretty remarkable," Gatzemeyer said. "If you would have told me that at the beginning of the year, I would've said we were going to have a great year, but never would have guessed we'd be the only remaining undefeated team."
 
Valley Falls was a state-qualifying team last year for the first time since 2014, finishing the season 17-5 after losing to Wabaunsee in the state quarterfinals. Gatzemeyer had to replace four seniors and two starters off that squad, but liked the prospects for this year's team to duplicate or surpass last year's accomplishments.
 
And for the returning Dragons, they were determined to get the full state experience this year.
 
"It was awesome making the final eight, but it didn't feel the same because we didn't get to go to Manhattan," Gatzemeyer said of last year's tournament format in which the quarterfinal games were played on the Tuesday of state week at school sites because of COVID concerns. "It felt like we should have gotten to be there. It was one of the big things the boys talked about, 'Hey, we want to get to Manhattan this year and get to play on that court.' That was a driving factor for these kids and they're a resilient group."
 
That resiliency was put to the test by Atchison County in the sub-state title game. After beating the Tigers by 27, 21 and 16 in their other three meetings, the Dragons struggled offensively on Saturday against a Tiger press that fell back into a match-up zone that slowed down an offense that had averaged 65.6 points per game in the regular season.
 
Atchison County led throughout and was up six with 5:44 left in the game before Valley Falls finally found its groove. Ratcheting up a rarely-used, full-court man-to-man press, the Dragons forced seven fourth-quarter turnovers and put together a 15-6 run to finish to the game.
 
"We just struggled to get going but when our backs were up against the wall, the kids rallied," Gatzemeyer said. "When we were down in the fourth quarter I never felt like we were going to lose. I just felt like we were going to do whatever it took. We won two games in overtime this year, beat Perry by three and JCN (Jefferson County North) by seven, so we were battle-tested. I just felt like these guys had what it took to get it done."
 
Valley Falls had known returning commodities in the guard combo of senior Avery Gatzemeyer and junior Dylan Cervantez, and both have performed at a high level. Gatzemeyer is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game and has made 50 3-pointers, while Cervantez is right behind at 14.2 points per game with 45 threes.
 
But some new faces have been X-factors in the undefeated season. Sophomore Zac Evans went from 5 points per game a year ago to 12.8 a contest this season. Senior Brennen Miller took over as the team's point guard this year and is among the state leaders in assists with 7.2 per game.
 
"We had really good point guard play out of Cooper Jepson last year, but Brennen has taken it to a whole different level this year," Gatzemeyer said. "I don't think anybody saw him coming because he didn't play a whole lot last year."
 
Valley Falls' reward for its perfect 23-0 record is a 6 p.m. quarterfinal game against Pittsburg Colgan (14-8) on Thursday. While the Panthers' record is the worst in the field, Gatzemeyer and his players are fully aware the challenge they present.
 
Colgan has captured five state championships in the program's storied history, all coming between 1996 and 2008. Panther coach Wayne Cichon won his 650^th career game this season as well.
 
The last time Valley Falls made it to Manhattan in 2014, they were knocked off in the first round as a higher seed by Colgan, 60-57.
 
"They play a loaded schedule and they have athletes, they have size and they have shooters," Gatzemeyer said. "They're a very, very tough opponent. They beat some really good teams and barely lost to Galena, which has one loss in 3A this year. It will be a very, very tough matchup for us but the kids are excited."
 
Valley Falls got a bit of a mental boost against Colgan, beating the Panthers in last year's Class 2-1A state baseball tournament.
 
"These kids have a great mindset," Gatzemeyer said. "We talked all year long that we had big wins that were the type of wins that not only get you to a state tournament, but get you past the first round. That's what our eyes are set on right now, to take care of business and play two more games."
 

– Brent Maycock 
 

CENTENNIAL LEAGUE FLEXES MUSCLE
 
As the losses piled up for Manhattan and Hayden this season, both Indian coach Benji George and Hayden coach Dwayne Paul refused to be discouraged and refused to let their players feel that way either.
 
Not that it was always easy.
 
Through 15 games, Manhattan was just 4-11 overall and 3-8 in Centennial League play. Hayden, meanwhile, was 3-12 overall and 2-10 in league play.
 
"The Centennial League taught our players this year that you have to bring it every night and when you don't you get exposed," George said. "To keep morale high, it was important for us to really celebrate every win we had and build that confidence because you have to be confident in knowing you can get the job done."
 
What didn't kill Manhattan or Hayden only made them stronger and that strength showed up in a big way in last week as each pulled off a pair of upsets to advance to this week's state tournaments with losing records.
 
Manhattan went into the postseason as the No. 13 seed in the Class 6A west bracket with a 7-13 mark and promptly upset No. 4 seed Wichita Northwest (14-6) in the sub-state semifinals, rallying from 19 points down late in the third quarter for a 68-66 win. The Indians then backed it up with a 61-45 win over No. 5 seed Derby in the finals – both wins coming on their opponents' home court.
 
Not to be outdone, Hayden was the No. 12 seed in the Class 4A east bracket, also with a 7-13 mark and duplicated Manhattan's upset specials. The Wildcats came on strong late to beat No. 5 seed Holton 53-43 in the sub-state semifinals and then rolled past No. 4 seed Wamego 55-37 in the title game – both victories also coming on the road.
 
"Playing in this league does not guarantee you are going to win anything, but it does mean you are battle-tested when sub-state time comes," Paul said. "I have always told my team, 
'I want to win every game, but we need to be the team playing the best at the end of the season, not in the beginning.' I do not know if we are playing our best, but I do think we are close.
 
"I am not a moral victory kind of guy, so coming close means nothing to me. However, what it did teach me about our guys is we will never quit. Never not fight. Never back down."
 
Manhattan and Hayden had company in the upset department in league colleague Seaman. The Vikings were 7-7 through 14 games, but now have won eight straight games and like the other two, pulled off a pair of road upsets to reach the Class 5A state tournament.
 
The No. 9 seed in a deep 5A west bracket at 13-7 entering postseason play, Seaman first knocked off No. 8 seed Maize South 72-65 to earn a showdown with No. 1 seed Hays in the sub-state finals. The Vikings clamped down on Hays defensively from the start and suffocated the one-loss Indians throughout in rolling to a 61-44 victory.
 
"Winning our final six league games gave our team a lot of confidence heading into sub-state," Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "The tough environments that we played in throughout the season also helped us since we had to go on the road for both sub-state games."
 
The somewhat unlikely state qualifying trio gave the Centennial League five out of the league's nine boys teams in the state tournament. Topeka West (21-1) and Highland Park (18-4) also are at the 5A state tournament after dominating performances in their sub-states. Two other league teams – Junction City and Washburn Rural – fell in their Class 6A sub-state championship games with Rural also winning a semifinal as a lower seed before losing to three-loss Dodge City by seven in the finals.
 
"Sending over half of its teams to the state shows how good of a league it really is," George said. "We knew the league prepared us well to face what we would see in high-quality sub-state teams. This league is full of incredible athletes, basketball players and coaches."
 
Paul agreed.
 
"The Centennial League is the best league top to bottom in the state of Kansas and that is not a knock to other leagues because there are other very good leagues in this state," he said. "But top to bottom, the rigors of this league are unmatched. You face every style of play in this league. Teams that want to play fast and press. Some teams play zone. Some teams grind out possessions on offense and really make your guard."
 
The league's girls schools also have a strong state presence with three teams qualifying – Topeka High and Washburn Rural in Class 6A, both with 20-2 records, and 17-5 Emporia in Class 5A. Three other league schools – Seaman, Mahattan and Hayden – all lost in the sub-state finals.

– Brent Maycock

BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST TURN 'WOLF PUPS' INTO ATTACK DOGS

The Blue Valley Southwest boys basketball team went to its first state tournament in 2020, even though the team sported a losing record at the time. This year's team returns to the state tournament, but the team made sure not to take anybody by surprise this season.

With a 70-42 road win over Pittsburg on March 4 in their sub-state final, the 15-7 Timberwolves earned their second state bid with an authoritative win that continued their strong finish to the regular season.

That victory hit a little different for the Timberwolves than their last sub-state championship, and not because the team got revenge for their loss to the Dragons in last year's playoff opener.

"We really felt like this was the fulfillment of an expectation," BV Southwest head coach Dustin Leochner said. "It feels a little different than maybe it did two years ago when we made it and a lot of people were surprised by that fact."

It's not that the team felt like they did not belong the last time around. The Timberwolves proved they belonged when they took an undefeated Andover team to the buzzer in a 60-59 quarterfinals clash, the last set of games before the COVID-19 pandemic brought a premature end to the state tournament.

But this group of players set their sights on returning to state and making a deep playoff run. It took an extra year to return to that level, but Leochner knew he had the roster necessary to get back to this spot.

"This team set this goal for themselves back in the summer," Leochner said. "It's a pretty talented group."

That group is led by five seniors, including four that led the team in scoring with each averaging double-digit points per game. Leochner met these Class of 2022 players when they were in eighth grade. They joined the Wolf Pup Select, a youth program Leochner created when he took over as the Timberwolves head coach in 2017.

"We identified this group, and the juniors and sophomores below them, as kind of a three-year window when we could kind of make some hay," Leochner said.

Leochner credits the early connection in helping these student-athletes get comfortable with the team's system and expectations before they ever even reach the high school building.

But the team has also been able to adapt to its star players as well.

The Schweiger twins have spent the last four years causing havoc in the paint for the Timberwolves. Cooper Schwieger averages 3.0 blocks per game while his brother Carson adds another 1.3 blocks per outing. The senior duo combine to average 20.6 points and 14.4 rebounds per game.

Leochner said the Schwiegers' defensive skills give them the ability to avoid fronting opposing bigs in the post and their rim protection allowed the team to play more zone early in the year.

"We just wall them up and see if they can make shots over the top of 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 (Schweigers) and usually they struggle with that," Leochner said.

On the offensive end, senior guards Jinwoo Kim and Sebastian Hamm give the team perimeter scoring threats who can take the ball to the basket when necessary. Kim averages 13.9 points per game while Hamm sits at 13.2. Both shoot above 37% from 3-point range.

Kim, who is the team's career assists leader, acts as the main distributor for the offense with 3.8 assists per game while still setting the tone on defense with 1.0 steals per game.

"He's just ultra competitive," Leochner said. "One of the best kids I've ever coached from a character standpoint. First in the gym, last out of the gym. His motor and his desire to win is phenomenal."

The Timberwolves enter their state quarterfinal matchup as the lower seed facing De Soto, a team they beat 53-40 Dec. 11 in the Huhtamaki Hardwood Classic. Leochner expects both teams will look a little different during this matchup.

"That was at a point in the season where we thought we were going to be primarily a zone team. That has changed for us," Leochner said. "I'm sure that they've kind of developed their identity as well throughout the season."

The Timberwolves have developed into a team that could hold its own in EKL play, responding from three straight losses at the start of February by earning decisive wins over St. James Academy, Blue Valley Northwest and Blue Valley. St. James Academy is a potential state semifinals opponent for the Timberwolves, while BV Northwest knocked off reigning 6A state champ Blue Valley North to reach state. 

With their recent play against elite competition, the TImberwolves no longer feel like the underdogs as they return to state.

"I think they believe that they are good enough to play in the state championship game," Leochner said.
 

– Mac Moore
 

OLATHE NORTH TURNS LOSING RECORD INTO TRIP TO STATE

The Olathe North boys basketball team expected some rough patches heading into this season.

The Eagles brought in a roster that was thin on experience at the varsity level. After some midseason changes and tough battles down the stretch, the team found a way to win a sub-state championship despite taking a losing record into the playoffs.

Olathe North upset a 15-4 JC Harmon squad in the sub-state opener before taking down another 11-loss team in the sub-state finals, beating Shawnee Mission East 56-47.

Eagles head coach Adam Olerich points to a rotation change late in the season for helping the team play its best basketball in the postseason.

"We made a little tweak in our starting lineup and we went to a sophomore and a freshman in our backcourt," Olerich said.

That move allowed freshman guard Jalen Watson to take the reins of a well-balanced offensive attack, leading the team at around 10 points per game.

However, Olathe North still lost five straight games before closing out the regular season with a 48-47 win over Mill Valley. Six of the team's 11 losses were by five points or less, including a 73-70 overtime loss to Olathe Northwest and a 59-56 loss to Class 6A frontrunner Free State in back-to-back nights as the final stretch of that long losing streak.

Olerich said the team's close battles with top contenders actually allowed the Eagles to maintain their confidence heading into postseason play.

"We'd come up short against a lot of quality teams, but those games were within a possession or two," Olerich said. "We knew we were right there and if we made our shots, we were going to have our chances to extend our season."

The Eagles will play a 20-2 Wichita Heights team in the state quarterfinals 6 p.m. Thursday at Koch Arena in Wichita. 

The Falcons have three players averaging between 12.1 and 13.8 points per game, as well as three players who average at least 1.3 blocks per game and five players who average more than a steal per game.

"We're going to have our hands full," Olerich said. "Anytime you get to this point, you get an opportunity to go to the state tournament, you know you're going to be playing another quality opponent. … But we're going down there to compete."
 

– Mac Moore

O'NEIL ENJOYS SUCCESSFUL DEBUT SEASON AT HUGOTON 

From an X's and O's and standpoint, Trey O'Neil had no trouble adjusting to his first head coaching job with the Hugoton boys basketball program. 

O'Neil was a three-time state champion as a player at Scott City, played college basketball at Fort Hays State and spent the last two years as an assistant coach at Hays High.  

While those credentials armed O'Neil with all the basketball knowledge he needed, O'Neil said the biggest learning curve was handling all the other little aspects that come with running your own program.  

"I was prepared to take over a basketball program with all things basketball – being on the floor, doing the X's and O's and being with the guys," O'Neil said. "All the little things going into the season, that's where I was kind of behind, because it was my first year. You don't really do all that as an assistant. You might order a pizza, but you don't plan every little detail out." 

Fortunately for O'Neil, he had no shortage of well-established coaches in his corner to seek advice from. 

His father, Glenn O'Neil, guided the Scott City basketball team to five state championships and is currently the head football coach at Dodge City.  

Other coaches O'Neil has leaned on include Hays basketball coach Alex Hutchins and Hugoton girls basketball coach Emmanuel Adigun.  

"I have so many mentors that have been so good to me," O'Neil said. "I have a lot of individuals that I can reach out to. I'm fortunate that they're only one call away, or with coach Adigun, just down the hall. We can talk all things about running a basketball program." 

It's been a successful debut season for O'Neil with the Eagles, who punched their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament with a 59-19 win over Chaparral in the sub-state title game on Saturday in Kingman after pulling out a 49-46 win over Holcomb in the semis.  

The Eagles (19-4) will play defending state champion Hesston (22-1) in the first round at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Hutchinson Sports Arena.  

"It's so special going to state. Like I told the boys, not everyone gets to experience a sub-state championship," O'Neil said. "With the success that Hugoton has had in the past, we've been used to the type of feeling, but the guys on our team are new to it. A lot of them it was their first time.  

"Just felt very relieved and happy for our guys for what they've done." 

While O'Neil gained plenty of takeaways from his coaching mentors, he has also focused on developing his own identity as a coach.  

"Each coach is going to be who they are as a person, and we're all different," O'Neil said. "But it would be unsmart of me to not pull things of what my dad has done and not pull things from what we've done at Hays, just because we've had success. Obviously I'm not going to go away from that. 

"But also, I want my team to be an image of me. I feel like we're really starting to become that. We're playing really well on the defensive end of the floor, we're shooting the ball well, we're sharing the ball. Those are the three things I really enjoy." 

The Eagles are led by juniors Ryle Riddlesperger and Carson Bennett. Senior Gavin Williams has been key inside.  

"They have really stepped up, on the court and off the court," O'Neil said of Riddlesperger and Bennett. "They have everything you could ask for as a player on the floor, and I already knew that coming in, being around them in the summertime and playing tournaments. What they've lacked in the summertime to what they've done now is the leadership. They're pulling guys in and they're bought into what I'm doing. They've done a really good job of leading this team to where we are." 

"Gavin Williams has really excelled this year," O'Neil added. "After not really having a huge role on last year's team, he's been a defensive force on the back end of our defense. He does a lot for us, he rebounds well, affects shots. Very proud of what he's done this year." 

The sub-state championship game was a Scott City reunion of sorts. Chaparral is coached by Sloan Baker, who has high school teammates with O'Neil at Scott City. Former Wichita State Shocker and New York Knick Ron Baker, Sloan's older brother, was also on hand for the game. Ron Baker played for Glen O'Neil and also won a state title with the Beavers. 

"It was amazing," Trey O'Neil said. "The last time Sloan and I were on the floor, we were winning 3A state in 2015 in Hutch. It's always good to see people who you grew up with and extended family and all that. Ron and (his father) Neil came up and gave me a huge hug before the game and said they loved me and said they care for me and best of luck. 

"Basketball is a big thing in our lives, but on the outside, it's much more than that. It's bonds that you've created over a long, long time." 

O'Neil's focus is now on Hesston, who made it through a loaded Nickerson sub-state by beating previously unbeaten Cheney in the title game, 49-41.  

"They're defending state champs and they're going to feel like they're going home to a place where they won three games at last year," O'Neil said. "Their coach (Greg Raleigh) does an outstanding job with them. They play hard, they're physical, athletic. The thing that really sticks out to me about them is they play to their strengths.  

"They're not going to be fancy. They're not going to be cute. They're going come right at you and try to cut your head off. … We can't fear the moment. I've been there and had a lot of success in that building as well. I know what it takes. We've just got to go out there with our guys and enjoy the moment and go out there and play basketball." 
 

– Rick Peterson Jr.