BY CHARLES CHANEY
Welcome to March.
Where the baskets mean a little more and the games get more intense. Most of the schools are still alive in the postseason, with some of the smaller schools starting and ending their postseason runs over the weekend.
Here are the sub-state pairings for all of the boy teams in Butler County.
Andover (17-3)
The Trojans come into the 5A west playoffs as the No. 3 seed and have a favorable draw. They have to open up against Salina Central (8-12) at home. Last year, the two met in the exact same seeding game, with Andover coming out on top, 65-61. Andover would defeat Topeka West in the sub-state final and advance to the state tournament.
If they win, they’ll either play Hays (12-8) or Topeka Seaman (9-11). They have never met either team dating back to at least 2006.
Andover Central (12-8)
The Jaguars were tied with a bunch of teams at 12-8, dropping them on point differential to eighth but they still have a home game and with their shooting, they’re always in games. They were also the eighth seed last year, beating Emporia in the first round before dropping a tough one to Maize South in the finals.
They’ll play Newton in the first round, who they split in the regular season against. They also played them in the regular season finale, winning 82-62. So, they’ll hopefully ride that momentum into the rubber match.
If they win, they’ll play either Great Bend (18-2) or Goddard Eisenhower (6-14). Eisenhower beat Ark City in their last game of the season to eliminate Goddard from the postseason and Great Bend has been one of the best teams in 5A this season. Central is 1-0 all-time against Great Bend, a 68-26 win in 2019 against the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs. They’re 16-11 since 2011 against Eisenhower, winning 10 consecutive games against the Tigers. They haven’t lost to Eisenhower since Jan. 2018.
Augusta (11-9)
The Orioles are young and have been up and down but they know they have the confidence to compete with almost anyone in Class 4A. After starting the season 5-0, they’ve had to adjust to teams scouting them and forcing them into tough situations. They’re hopeful the playoffs can show how good of a team they are.
They’ll start by traveling to Concordia (13-7) on Tuesday night. The two haven’t played each since at least 2006 when records were found. The Panthers, like Augusta, started the season hot and have been trying to recoup that magic.
If the Orioles can pick up the road win, they’ll play most likely play the defending state champions, McPherson (16-4) on Friday night.
Berean Academy (14-6)
Berean won their first round game against Wichita Central Christian last Tuesday and that set them up with a game against Hillsboro (14-6) in the semifinals. Since 2014, the Warriors are 0-2 vs. Hillsboro with a loss in 2014 and one last season.
A win will match them up with either Wichita Classical (13-8) or undefeated Moundridge (21-0) at Moundridge High on Friday night.
Circle (13-7)
Arguably one of the hottest teams in 4A is the eighth seed in the 4A west bracket. Their reward? Winfield who was the last team to beat them and potentially Andale, the west’s top seed.
Circle has won four in a row and seven of their last eight. Winfield is coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, with 11 wins. The 11 wins match their win total for the last five seasons combined and the 11 wins are the most since 2014-15 when they went 13-8. Circle split with the Vikings, winning at home but losing on the road. Circle is 19-2 vs. Winfield since 2011.
Circle hasn’t played Andale since 2022 but they did pick up the win in their last meeting, 63-56. They’re 7-21 vs. Andale since 2006. From 2008-2011, Circle went 5-1 vs. the Indians.
El Dorado (4-16)
The Wildcats are back on the West side after heading East last year. They’ll play Andale, a team who swept them this season. The Wildcats are 1-15 against Andale head-to-head, dating back to 2006. Their lone win came in Feb. 2010, a 68-52 victory.
A win could pit them against Circle (mentioned above) or Winfield, a team they used to play regularly. El Dorado is 3-1 in their last four games against Winfield and are 15-19 against Circle.
Douglass (6-14)
The Bulldogs walked into Uniontown and stunned the hometown crowd last week, winning, 49-48. This moved the Bulldogs onto the semifinals of sub-state in their first sub-state since 2014. Their game against Pleasanton is very winnable. They’re only 12-8 and had a tough time against Eureka in their opening round game.
If they can hold on, it’ll be St. Mary’s Colgan (10-10) or Oswego (16-5) in the finals on Friday night. Douglass has never played any of the three remaining schools. Playing in the very tough CPL has pepared the Bulldogs for these moments.
Rose Hill (5-15)
The Rockets are in the postseason as the 14th seed and they’ll head west and face third-seeded Pratt. A very favorable matchup for Rose Hill. The Rockets have won two of their last three, gaining some momentum into this match up.
Rose Hill will face a Pratt squad who doesn’t play a lot of 4A competition. They’re just 1-1 (win over Wellington) against 4A or better. Credit to the Greenbacks, they’ve won back-to-back first round games and have put themselves in a position to get to state but have come up short every time since 4A consolidated.
A win and they get Clay Center and Hugoton. Both would be tough opponents for either Rose Hill or Pratt. Since 2006, Rose Hill has only played Clay Center once and never played Hugoton.
