2A Semifinal Standouts

<p>There’s no question, the biggest performance of the 2A tournament Thursday night was turned in by the biggest player. The massive [player_tooltip player_id="946226" first="Harlan" last="Obioha"] bullied his way to 36 points, but it was Wabaunsee that came away victorious. Here are some others who have been big in the 2A field:</p> <p><strong>Tyler Lohmeyer,</strong> junior, Wabaunsee:</p> <p>The Wabaunsee Cinderella story continues. After reaching state with an 8-12 record, they shocked the 2A classification by winning their sub-state. From there, all they’ve done is pull off two more upsets to reach the finals. While Lohmeyer is sometimes in the shadow of talented teammates, he may be the Chargers’ MVP of the playoffs. He scored 19 against Valley Falls, and though just 6-foot was crucial to the defense against 6-foot-7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="889500" first="Nate" last="Hawk"]. On Thursday, he tossed in 20 points on 8-10 shooting against Hoxie.</p> <p><strong>Cade Oliver</strong>, junior, Wabaunsee:</p> <p>The older Oliver lit up Valley Falls with 22 points in the first round of the playoffs. His younger brother Eli earned some headlines with 24 against Hoxie, but Cade was productive with 8. Like the Wabaunsee team, the older Oliver had some ups and downs this season, but he is coming up big in the playoffs. He’s a 6-foot guard who has the versatility to produce in a lot of ways, including defending and rebounding with his smooth athleticism.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080187" first="Brekyn" last="Ratzlaff"], sophomore, Hillsboro:</p> <p>The steady point guard ran the attack against the tough and experienced guards of Lyndon, keeping things under control and leading the way offensively. He hit two 3-pointers and finished with 14 for the Trojans. Ratzlaff is a quick ball-handler who has great vision and court awareness.</p> <p><strong>Grayson Ratzlaff</strong>, junior, Hillsboro:</p> <p>The 6-foot-3 junior had 14 in the opening round win over Belle Plaine, then added 11 more against Lyndon. Despite giving up size to the Tigers’ [player_tooltip player_id="1134453" first="Miles" last="Kitselman"], he battled inside and helped lead to the 51-45 semifinal win.</p> <p><strong>Matthew Potucek</strong>, junior, Hillsboro:</p> <p>Potucek isn’t big at 5-foot-11, but he plays like it. He grabbed 10 rebounds against the physical and athletic Lyndon Tigers to go with his 9 points. In the quarterfinal win against Belle Plaine, he led the Trojans with 18 points.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1134453" first="Miles" last="Kitselman"], senior, Lyndon:</p> <p>The impressive athleticism of Kitselman was on full display in his final high school ballgame. The powerfully built, 6-foot-5 senior knocked down 9-15 from the field for 18 points and also hauled in 14 rebounds, both game highs. The Emporia State football signee can run, jump, move well in traffic and has good coordination for a long and powerful post player.</p>