By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
The #9 Wamego boys basketball team is primed and ready to begin their sub-state run with a Wednesday quarterfinal at home against Coffeyville.
The Red Raiders enter this contest as the four-seed at 13-7 while the Golden Tornado comes in at 7-13.
Wamego went through a rough patch of three-consecutive losses in early January but bounced back well winning eight of their last ten.
“Ball movement and rebounding have been the best thing I’ve seen from this team,” Red Raider head coach Troy Hemphill said. “We have gotten better at spreading the ball around and using all of our weapons on offense. We are not the biggest team so we've really had to work hard on finding ways to battle on the boards and I think we've made improvements in that area.”
Wamego will have to continue showing off that rebounding prowess against a sizable Coffeyville team that has looked good in stretches this season.
“Coffeyville looks like a team that wants to penetrate off the dribble,” Hemphill said. “We will really need to guard the ball and keep them out of the lane. They will be bigger than us inside as most teams are so we'll need to be disciplined with our block-outs.”
It’s been an up and down year for the Golden Tornado who won three of their first five, dropped eight of their next nine, then went 2-2 to close out their season.
Coffeyville’s defense has struggled this year, allowing more than 50 points per game, something a solid Wamego offense should be able to exploit.
“Our key lies in spreading the ball around and finding shots for shooters,” he said. “When we are patient and swing the ball, we usually find something pretty good.”
After missing the state tournament by the slimmest of margins last year, Wamego is out for revenge and dead-set on punching one of eight tickets to state.
“Obviously the state tournament is a goal that we narrowly missed last year, so we are hungry to get back,” Hemphill said. “We believe that if we play to our capabilities the scoreboard takes care of itself, so we focus on us and what we can control.”
While the Red Raiders haven’t lost sight of their goal, the team has done a good job mentally of preparing as they have all season to take things one game at a time.”
“I think anytime you have a "state tournament or bust" attitude you are missing the entire point of the season. We're confident that if we play well we will end the year on a positive note.”
Tip-off between the Red Raiders and Golden Tornado is set for 6 pm at Wamego High School with the winner advancing to the sub-state final to take on either 12-8 Holton or 7-13 Topeka Hayden.
For more on both Wamego basketball teams throughout sub-state stay tuned to the Salina Post.