By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
The Rock Creek boys basketball team will be in search of a semifinal upset as they hit the road for Concordia on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs come into this game as the 12-seed at 8-12 while the Panthers enter as the 5-seed at 14-6.
While their overall record leaves something to be desired, Rock Creek has come a long way as a team after dropping eight of their first ten contests.
“We graduated eight seniors last year so we started out very inexperienced this season and we had some bumps early on,” Mustang head coach Jim Johnston said. “As the year progressed we’ve gotten better and better and we’re to a point now where the kids have all gotten with the speed of the game and we’re playing longer and longer stretches of good basketball.”
That experience culminated in a 6-4 second half of the season that allowed Rock Creek to gain some steam heading into sub-state.
“The kids know that we lost two or three games early that we probably wouldn’t lose now,” Johnston said. “We played St. Marys to a six-point game down the stretch so we know we can hang with good teams. They’re a lot more confident in their play and it’s good to play a different opponent that we haven’t seen before.”
On the other side of this matchup, Concordia has also been playing their best basketball of late and will carry a six-game win streak into the postseason.
The Panthers have leaned on their dynamic senior scoring duo of Tyler Hobrock and Cav Carlgren to do most of their damage this season, the pairing has combined for 30 points per game throughout the season.
“They’re very athletic and they're big with three players over 6-0,” he said. “They’re strong in the post with Hobrock and we’re going to have to get the ball out of his hands because that offense runs through him.”
Eliminating lapses will be key in Rock Creek's bid for a first-round upset, but if the team can limit Concordia on the glass this could be anyone's game.
“We have to focus and play consistently for long periods of time,” Johnston said. “If we can do that we can play with anyone. We’re not overconfident but the kids are excited and ready to go.”
Tip-off between the Mustangs and Panthers is set for 7 pm in Concordia with the winner advancing to the sub-state final to take on either 14-6 Abilene or 7-13 Augusta.
For continuing coverage of both Rock Creek basketball teams at sub-state stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.