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Kansas Hardwood, Volume 2 1803 Cherry St. Goodland 785-899-3661
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Goodland Cowboys
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oodland returns four starters, and 10 of 12 players from last season. The Cowboys will have a deep bench and solid starting core to help them improve on their first round exit from sub-state last season. When talking to coach Donald Raymer, it is quite apparent how optimistic he is for his team this season. He has nothing but good things to say about his four returning starters. “Gannon Ihrig is a very quick point guard with great handles. He developed a lot last year. Gage Ihrig is a great shooter and great leader. He had a three game stretch last season where he made 16 of 18 shots from behind the arc. The only two missed shots were at the end of quarters. Adam Simmerman is a good shooter and rebounds very well for his size. Taylen Smith is a tough inside player, and very quick for being 230 pounds. He shoots the ball well from 15-18 feet, and can step out and shoot 3’s. Taylen is a rebounding machine.” 2012-13 Record: 8-13 Returning starters: Gannon Ihrig, PG, 5’9”, Sr.; Gage Ihrig, SG, 5’11”, Sr.; Adam Simmerman, SG, 5’8”, Sr.; Taylen Smith, F, 6’3”, Sr. Girls The 2012-13 season saw improvement for the Cowgirls, who compiled an overall record of 3-15 and 1-7 in league under Andy Schoepner, who has coached basketball for more than a decade in northwest Kansas. This season will be his fifth year at Goodland. The Cowgirls posted a win-loss record of 0-21 the season before.
785-637-5481 Gorham, KS
Hillsboro Trojans
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he Lady Trojans will have to rely on the athleticism of their two senior guards, Addie Lackey, and Danae Bina. Lackey and Bina both started last year as their team went 23-3 and finished 3rd in 3A state. Both can play at any guard position, including point guard, and they are the sole starters back for the Trojans from last year’s team. Head coach Nathan Hiebert will most definitely get the most out of his returning starters. In six years he has compiled a 108-39 record in a talented and competitive league. “Our expectations are to finish in the top three of our league, and return to Hutchinson for 3A state,” Hiebert said. “We need to utilize our guard athleticism to gain easy transition offense and frustrate other teams’ offenses. We will also be relying on some new girls to step up and play important roles for our team.” Other players with varsity experience are senior guard, Maddi Duerksen, and sophomore guard/ forward, Alex Ratzlaft. Returning Starters: Addie Lackey, PG/G, 5’9”, Sr.; Danae Bina, PG/G, 5’8”, Sr. Boys Coach Darrel Knoll is a veteran presence with the Trojans and went 13-9 last season. It marked the fifth .500-plus season in the last six years. Senior point guard Brett Weinbrenner was a first team all-league selection who averaged 14 points, three assists and 1.8 steals a game. Hillsboro had three other all-league selections, but all three have graduated.
H olcom b ,KS •277-2073
Hoisington Cardinals
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eteran coach Mandy Mason’s Lady Cardinals finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 11-11. Returning starters are: senior Jordin Greer and sophomore Rylie Koester, both 5’7” guards; and senior Abi Rzina, 5’7” forward. “A few expectations I have for our team is to improve our record from last year, to compete for the championship at both tournaments [at Larned and Hoisington] and to win our league.” Value the basketball, defend every possession and rebound are the three keys Mason stresses to her players “every year and every game.”
Hoisington’s Trent Schremmer protects the ball from a Central Plains defender.
Holcomb Longhorns
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ast season the Longhorns had the misfortune of running into three-time defending champion Scott City. The three meetings ended up in losses for Holcomb, and the final meeting was in the sub-state finals. Despite a solid 18-5 season, the Longhorns came up one game short of the state playoffs. Coach Chad Novack expects a lot from his team this year. The Longhorns only return two starters, but also bring in a solid group of younger guys. It seems the key will be getting them assimilated into varsity roles. Novack is optimistic that will happen and his team will have another good season, and a deep run into the postseason. “We have a very solid group of kids coming up this year that have played a lot of basketball, but just not much varsity,” Novack said. “I expect us to be good, and make a deep run into the post-season.” “We are going to have a number of players step up and fill in some big shoes. We lost seven seniors from last year’s squad. We will not be a very big team, so speed and athleticism are going to have to carry us on both ends of the floor.” Novack has had a successful career. In 11 years he has compiled a 113-77 record, and in his three years at Holcomb he has gone 33-13. It should be expected that Novack will have his team poised for another winning season. Returning starters: Heath Tucker, G, 6’3”, Sr.; Blake Richmeier, G, 6’2”, Jr.