A number of area high schools are set to tip off their basketball seasons this week including Iola, Humboldt, Crest, Marmaton Valley, Yates Center and Southern Coffey County.
The top dog team on the boys side in the Tri-Valley League is predicted to be the Humboldt Cubs while the top girls basketball team in the Three Rivers League will be Marmaton Valley.
Iola Mustangs
The Mustangs are coming off a sour 6-15 season. The silver lining is that the team won four of its last six games in Pioneer League play. Head coach Luke Bycroft is hoping that momentum can get his team going a little bit earlier this season.
Iola will be led by Landon Weide, Eli Adams, Mac Leonard and Jake Skahan. Bycroft praises Weide’s solid ball handling and high basketball IQ to know where to go with the ball. Iola will be a team that sticks to speed and good defense to win games.
The Iola girls basketball team will look to focus on scoring more points than they did last season when the Mustangs beat Yates Center in a low scoring affair, 20-18. The girls finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 4-17 record. Team leaders will include Aysha Houk, Jackie Fager and Keira Fawson. Kelci Johnson coaches the girls.
Humboldt Cubs
The Humboldt High boys will rely on their underclassmen to carry the weight of their team with only one senior and one junior starting, Trey Sommer and Sam Hull, respectively. This duo along with sophomore Colden Cook will team up to work at improving from their 13-8 finish to last season.
The Lady Cubs are in a rebuilding phase of their program after having only eight girls on the team last season which jumped to 13 players this year. Karley Wools, Carson Haviland, Kennisyn Hottenstein and McKenna Jones are the starting returners. Humboldt will rely on its quickness and being in shape to outrun opposing teams between ends of the floor.
Crest Lancers
The Crest High boys are locked in on improving after last season and return three starters from last year in Ethan Godderz, Stetson Setter and Karter Miller. It will be an experienced Lancer squad of four seniors getting the opportunity to start on a nightly basis with newly added 6-foot-4-inch Ryan Golden being the go-to guy around the basket.
The Lady Lancers are projected to finish around a .500-record this season, better than their disappointing 2-18 finish to last year. Kayla Hermreck returns as one of the best rebounders in the Tri-Valley League and will be joined by McKenna Hammond as well as Mia Coleman and Kaylee Allen. Crest will use its fight and grit of never giving up as well as their chemistry to win games this season.
Marmaton Valley Wildcats
The Wildcat boys will be a tough team to take down this season with a new head coach in former Pittsburg State basketball player Cornell Walls. A young but talented program will greet Walls, led by sophomores Jaedon Granere and Dreden Ellis as well as junior Chase Smith and senior Dylan Drake.
The Wildcats will also be a fast team that uses full court transition to move the basketball.
