While the point can certainly be argued, when it comes to making the claim as the toughest Class 1A basketball league in the state, the Twin Valley League brings plenty of firepower to the debate.
 
Last year, the TVL swept the Class 1A girls state championships with Doniphan West capturing the Division I state title and Hanover going undefeated in Division II. Frankfort, meanwhile, finished third in Division I.
 
While the boys couldn’t duplicate that showing – Axtell’s fourth-place finish in Division II was the lone placer – three TVL teams qualified overall.
 
This season, not a whole lot has changed. When the league tournament is played next week in Onaga, starting with play-in games this Saturday, the path to the title appears as tough as ever. Particularly on the girls side where defending champion Hanover comes in as just the No. 5 seed overall.
 
“We knew the TVL was going to be super-tough again this year, and it may be even better than I thought it would be,” Clifton-Clyde girls’ coach Kieran Wurtz. “This is why some of us in the league are working so hard to get KSHSAA to seed the lower sub-states. We feel that the TVL has some of the top teams in our classifications, and many get left home from the state tournament each year because we have to play each other in the sub-state.
 
“We had high expectations coming into this year and it was one of our goals to be undefeated before the TVL Tournament and get one of the top seeds. I told the girls multiple times this year’s TVL Tournament will be as tough or tougher than the state tournament. That is not a knock on the other teams and I still think Little River is the best team in our division, but we have three or four that are right there with them.”
 
Wurtz’s Eagle squad paid heed and did the work during its pre-tourney schedule to indeed claim the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. Clifton-Clyde is 9-0 overall, including 4-0 in league play.
 
As strong as the record is – the lone win by less than 11 points was a 51-48 win over Sacred Heart to start the season -- the Eagles have yet to face any of the teams seeded sixth or higher in this year’s bracket. No. 2 seed Valley Heights, meanwhile, comes in with a 7-0 mark, also 4-0 in league play, but has wins over Frankfort (44-41) and Doniphan West (57-48).
 
The Mustangs’ win over Frankfort is the lone loss for the Wildcats, who enter the tourney as the No. 4 seed coming off its biggest win of the season. On Jan. 5, Frankfort handed Hanover its first league loss since the 2021-22 season with a 49-38 victory, snapping the Wildcats’ 20-game league winning streak.
 
“Any time you can get a win in our league, it’s a positive,” Frankfort coach Brian Ebert said. “Sometimes, it’s a little sweeter over certain teams and Hanover would be one of those teams. I’m sure that teams feel the same way when they beat us.”
 
Centralia brings an unbeaten league mark and 6-1 overall record into the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Defending champion Hanover, meanwhile, slipped to the No. 5 seed after its loss to Frankfort and is 5-2 overall, its other loss coming to Division I No. 1 Little River.
 
Hanover and Frankfort could meet in the tourney’s quarterfinals – a battle suitable for the tourney title in different circumstances.
 
In addition to being undefeated in league play, Valley Heights – the lone 2A school in the league -- also has solid wins over 3A programs Riley County and Marysville in getting to 7-0 overall.
 
“I’ve been pleased with how we have played this year, but we still have a long way to go,” Heights coach Jordan Broxterman said. “We have good experience from last year and I think that has helped us win some close games, which we weren’t always able to do last season.. The Twin Valley League is consistently competitive every year and there isn’t a night off in the league on the girls’ side. This should help us be prepared for the difficult games that we will see in postseason play.”
 
In the latest KBCA girls rankings, Clifton-Clyde is No. 2 in 1A Division I with Frankfort No. 4 and Centralia No. 7. Hanover slipped from No. 1 to No. 3 in Division II while Linn is No. 8. Valley Heights is No. 7 in 2A.
 
The competition on the boys side likely will be just as fierce.
 
Clifton-Clyde has secured the No. 1 seed with a 4-0 league record and is 8-1 overall, its lone loss 60-57 to Sacred Heart in the season opener. The Eagles picked up a huge win last Friday, knocking off Division II No. 1 and then-unbeaten league rival Axtell with a 50-34 victory.
 
Clifton-Clyde held the Eagles to just three field goals and 10 points in the first half. In the game, Coy Steinbrock became Clifton-Clyde’s career leader in 3-point field goals made, sinking the 109^th of his career to pass Eric Germann for the top spot in program history.
 
“Coy started seeing time during his sophomore season and being an unknown player, he took advantage of that and hit 43 of 91 3s,” Eagle coach Justin Steinbrock said. “As a coach/dad, I’m proud to see other parts of his game evolve as he’s garnered a lot more attention from opponents over the past two seasons. He’s extremely unselfish and doesn’t force shots and takes what the defense gives. But from a coach’s perspective you want a kid that shoots it that well to get more shots, but he’s very patient and doesn’t force which is also good.
 

 
“I told him at a young age anyone can become a shooter, it just takes reps and he took that to heart. He routinely makes over 10,000 shots a summer on the shooting machines.”
 
Hanover is 7-0 and the No. 2 seed in the boys tourney while 5-2 Centralia (3-0 in league play) is the No. 3 seed and Axtell (6-1) is No. 4.
 
Semifinals for the TVL tournament will be held Jan. 18 (boys) and 19 (girls) with the finals being played on Jan. 20.
 
OTHER BASKETBALL STANDOUTS
 

• De Soto’s David Cobin set the program’s single-game scoring record in going for 37 points in a win over Topeka West on Jan. 5. Cobin moved within 32 points of hitting 1,000 points in his career in the game as De Soto improved to 8-0 before suffering its first loss to Piper on Wednesday. The 8-0 start was the best for the Wildcats in program history. Cobin averaged 26 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5.5 steals in wins over Lansing and West to start 2024.
• Ellsworth’s Will Cravens scored a season-high 34 points last Tuesday against Larned, pushing him over 1,000 points for his career. Cravens is averaging 22.1 points per game in leading the Bearcats to a 7-1 mark.
• Maur Hill’s Bohdan Korbelik scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Ravens to a 54-50 upset of previously undefeated Horton on Jan. 5. Horton was 8-0 going into the game and with the win Maur Hill moved to 4-2 with the two losses each two-point decisions.
• Seaman’s Holden Finley scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Vikings to a 60-55 win at Leavenworth to start 2024. Finley was 8 of 11 on field goals, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and also went 5 of 6 on free throws.
• Seabury Academy’s boys moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2019-20 with an 81-46 rout of Veritas Christian. Jace Smith had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals while Chase Honarvar added 16 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocks.
• Cair Paravel’s Simon Everhart went off for 28 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Lions to a 68-52 win at Maranatha on Jan. 5.
• Hayden’s girls scored their first win over Washburn Rural since 2015 with a 46-38 win over the Junior Blues on Jan. 5. Lauren Sandstrom scored 22 points, hitting 8 of 10 shots from the field and 6 of 8 free throws as the Wildcats ended a 12-game losing streak to the Junior Blues.
• Beloit’s girls opened 2024 with a 40-38 upset of previously undefeated Hoisington on Jan. 5.
• Abby Laird and Emily Langley combined for three double-doubles in two games as Jefferson County North swept McLouth and Valley Falls. Laird had double-doubles in both games with 10 points and 10 rebounds against McLouth and 15 points and 13 rebounds against Valley Falls. Langley came one rebound shy of matching her, getting 13 points and 9 boards against McLouth and 10 points and 11 rebounds against Valley Falls.
• Mission Valley freshman Kai Jacobson hit 5 of 7 3-pointers in an 18-point outing in a 42-21 win against Council Grove. Abby Packard had 4 blocks.