6 Great Bend-area Seniors in the Spotlight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The small towns surrounding Great Bend have seen some prolific production from a couple of players the past three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ellinwood combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1080178' first='Britton' last='Dutton'] (pictured) has been going off since his freshman year, when he averaged 18 points and 5 rebounds. He's just one point shy of 1,500 in his career. The only thing left for Dutton, who recently committed to play at University of Illinois-Springfield, is to get the Eagles to the state tournament. They have had their hearts broken at sub-state too many times.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, just up the road at Pawnee Heights, [player_tooltip player_id='1212165' first='Alec' last='Carlson'] has torched opponents for over 1,200 points in his career. Like Dutton, Carlson is a prolific scorer who gets it done in a variety of ways. He can score at the rim, in transition, or bomb away from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Dutton and Carlson are setting records, there are plenty of other good players in the area to watch. Here are six other Great Bend-area seniors who will be in the spotlight this season (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1378395"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the top 1A teams to watch this year will be Macksville, which was third in 1A Div. I last season. They are loaded with experience and talent, with Barron one of the team's senior leaders. He's an athletic guy who can play a multitude of positions. He was good for 11 points and 6 rebounds as a junior for a team that didn't look to any one player for production.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1378400"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Ellinwood is blessed with some long players who can play inside and out in support of Dutton. Behnke is a long, unselfish forward who passes well. He dished out 4.5 assists as a junior to go with 9 points and 5 boards. He has good hands and good vision.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1561992"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Stafford put together a fine season last year, led primarily by juniors. Pounding away in the paint was Hildebrand, a long athlete with coordination and size. He uses the skills that make him a fine football receiver on the court. He runs the floor and cleans the glass, racking up 10 points and 9 boards on a balanced team.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1378397"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Haxton is a gamer who gives the Cardinals leadership and solid production across the board. He contributed 9 points, 5 boards and 3.5 assists as a junior. Hoisington will miss Bralen Thompson, so Haxton will have to provide even more offense. He brings football-type of toughness to the court and is dangerous from deep.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1213186"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Somewhat similar to Hildebrand, Kuckelman is a football stud who gets after it in the paint come basketball season. He averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds for the state-bound Mustangs last year. He's a smart, hard-working big man who attracts attention, giving his young teammates freedom to roam.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1378393"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Scheck is a rugged, hard-working forward who gets after it in the paint and runs the floor in support of Dutton and company. He is more than just a banger. He moves in and out to receive passes, set screens and dive to the hole. He contributed 12 points and 4 rebounds as a junior. He's a tough defender too.rnrnu0026nbsp;","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /-->