Great Tuesday Battles Point to Playoffs

<p>Tune ups for sub-state. Battles for bragging rights. Jockeying for rankings and seedings. They were all on the line Tuesday when some really good teams locked horns.</p> <p>Here are some highlights from top battles across the state Tuesday:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1075931" first="Jace" last="Linenberger"] leads Hays over Dodge City:</p> <p>The big man for Hays continued his dominance in the lane Tuesday as the #3 team in 5A beat the #3 team in 6A. Linenberger is a physical big with a variety of moves in the post and a ferocious will to win. Linenberger missed just three shots from the field Tuesday and finished with 26 points. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and stuffed 3 shots. Hays isn’t as deep as it was last year, but quality seniors may take it father.</p> <p>Topeka West gets by Highland Park without a big night from Brooks:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076260" first="Elijah" last="Brooks"] has been nearly unstoppable offensively all season, but Tuesday the Scots limited him to just 12 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1195609" first="Zander" last="Putthoff"] was there to take up the slack. The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter dropped five 3-pointers and led the Chargers with 17 points. Putthoff is a long guard who can hold his own rebounding and defending, and is a sneaky athlete. His outside shot will have a big impact on how far the #2 ranked Chargers go.</p> <p>St. Marys’ Criqui too much for Wabaunsee:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076411" first="Fred" last="Criqui"] (pictured) took over the game at Wabaunsee from the jump and never gave the Chargers a chance. The 6-foot-7 Criqui displayed a host of moves around the basket, including nice touch on a fadeaway, to notch 18 points in the first half. Ranked #2 in 2A, St. Marys will have a chance in any game when Criqui is that dominant.</p> <p>Upset of the night: El Dorado knocked off Buhler:</p> <p>El Dorado is on some kind of roll. Their sixth win in a row was a headliner. They knocked off Buhler, the #4 team in 4A, 62-55 Tuesday night. 6-foot-2 guard <strong>Jeremiah Kemboi</strong> and 6-foot guard <strong>LJ Berkstresser</strong> each tossed in 18 points. El Dorado may be the type of team that gets hot at the right time. [player_tooltip player_id="1080180" first="Jack" last="Voth"], the 6-foot-5 powerhouse for Buhler, did his best to thwart the upset. He tallied 33 points.</p> <p>1A Ness City tested itself against 2A Ellinwood:</p> <p>Ranked #6 in 1A Div I, Ness City stepped up a classification to play a tune up for sub-state by taking on 2A Ellinwood. The battle of Eagles went the way of Ellinwood, but Ness City kept pace, falling 72-62 in a game that was close throughout. Senior-laden Ness City was led by [player_tooltip player_id="946252" first="Taylor" last="Cable"], who tallied 18. The 6-foot-1 forward gets it down in the lane and the midrange despite lacking great height. He averages 18 and 11 and even blocks several shots a game.</p>