By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After dispatching the Ottawa Cyclones 52-45 on their home floor on Tuesday, the Wamego boys' basketball team finds themselves one win away from a spot in this year's 4A state tournament.
Standing in their way is the #3 team in Class 4A in the Eudora Cardinals, who will host this game in front of a ruckus home crowd on Friday night.
The Raiders come into this contest at 13-8 now having won three of their last four while the Cardinals enter at 17-4, riding an eight-game winning streak after bouncing Independence 57-39 on Tuesday.
Defense would win the day for the Raiders in the semifinals, as Ottawa became the tenth team this season to fail to put up 50 or more on Wamego.
"We played pretty solid man-to-man defense and handled their zone well," Raider head coach Troy Hemphill said. "We didn't shoot it particularly well but we got the ball where we wanted to get it and got good shots. We did well at the free throw line late in the game to hold them off and win."
Now, the Raiders turn all of their attention to a rematch with the Cardinals, who defeated them 46-33 in Eudora earlier this year.
The Eudora offense has proven to be ruthless at times throughout their campaign, posting scores of 73 and 75 early in their season.
"They are extremely efficient offensively and have some tremendous shooters," Hemphill said. "All of their guys seem to understand their roles and they get good shots for good shooters."
Meanwhile, on the Wamego side of this matchup efficiency will be the name of the game as the Raiders can't afford to let opportunities go to waste against such a high-caliber opponent.
"We have to maximize our possessions by getting good shots each trip," Hemphill said. "They pressure pretty well on the perimeter and can cause you to bail out and panic offensively if you let them. I think our experience against them the first time will serve us well."
Tip-off between the Raiders and Cardinals is set for 7:00 at Eudora High School with the winner punching their ticket to the 4A state tournament in Salina next week.
For continuing coverage of Wamego boys and girls basketball all postseason long, stay tuned to the Little Apple Post, and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.