Matchups to Watch at State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You hear the quotes from coaches: “We are all 0-0 at state.” “Every team at state is good.” “Anything can happen once you're in the tournament.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's true. Every team is good at this point in the season. But some games pair more evenly matched teams, and some games set up intriguing contrasts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are four games to keep your eye on in the opening round of state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4A #3 Atchison vs #6 Bishop Miege:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Installing Miege as a six seed is problematic. It forces one of the best teams from the regular season to immediately face the perennial power in the first round. Sure Miege lost six games, but those losses were all to good 5A and 6A teams. They return some experienced players from last year's state champion, particularly playmaking [player_tooltip player_id='1080169' first='Aidan' last='Wing'] and guards <strong>Mac Armstrong</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1080201' first='Daegan' last='Jensen']. This will be an enormous test for Atchison, which has played some good teams, but hasn't faced nearly the tests Miege has. Atchison has some talented guards in [player_tooltip player_id='1756359' first='Trey' last='Carter'] and <strong>Xiomer Hernandez</strong>, toughness in <strong>Jesse Greenly</strong> and length in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2314773' first='Jeter' last='Purdy']</strong>. This could be an intriguing matchup of the perennial power versus the rising program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6A #4 Derby vs #5 Olathe North:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Derby isn't necessarily a big team, but they do run out 6-foot-6 forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1953939' first='Kaden' last='Franklin']</strong>, 6-foot-3 [player_tooltip player_id='1300833' first='Dallas' last='Metzger'] and 6-foot-2 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1454148' first='Kaeson' last='Fisher-Brown']. And those guys are big and play with physicality. How the small lineup of Olathe North will handle that size will be interesting. Aside from forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2209720' first='Cameron' last='Love']</strong>, who stands 6-foot-4, the Eagles generally run a rotation of guys under 5-foot-11. Will Derby be able to run with the ultra-quick Eagles? Will the Panthers' size be too much for Olathe North? This will be a battle of very different rosters and styles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5A #4 Andover vs #5 Maize South:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though these two teams are from the same general neck of the woods, they did not face each other this season. Andover is generally senior-led while Maize South boasts some high quality juniors. Maize South has a traditional center in 6-foot-7 junior Troy Homan, while Andover's biggest player, [player_tooltip player_id='1254402' first='Chris' last='Harris'], tends to float on the perimeter. Highlighting this matchup are the Mavericks' top notch guards [player_tooltip player_id='1080192' first='Isaiah' last='Atwater'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1172929' first='Michael' last='Kates'] and Andover's sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1080189' first='Eli' last='Shetlar'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3A #2 Southeast of Saline vs #7 Perry-Lecompton:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At first glance, a two-seed versus a seven-seed might not seem like an even matchup. But if you are familiar with some of Perry-Lecompton's players, you have to like their chances. The Kaws couldn't solve Sabetha, losing two to the Bluejays this year. Otherwise, they have put together a solid body of work. They have a couple of physical seniors who can get it done at all three levels in [player_tooltip player_id='1454195' first='Gunnar' last='Ball'] and Kameryn Kaniper, an athletic defender in the paint in <strong>Kael Gorski</strong> and a nice supporting piece in <strong>Jack Golden</strong>. Will it be enough to combat the length of [player_tooltip player_id='1080163' first='Eli' last='Sawyers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1378391' first='Nakari' last='Morrical-Palmer'] and the bevy of guards at Southeast of Saline? We'll see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->