Small School Seniors to Celebrate in the West

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a previous article, we featured seniors from the big schools out west – five seniors from Hugoton plus <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387770' first='Tochi' last='Okoro']</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1953943' first='Jack' last='Weimer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1300816' first='Emilio' last='Zundt'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now let's take a look at “Small School Seniors to Celebrate in the West,” players from 3A-1A schools:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Goodland Trio:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team that may be ready to pop is Goodland. They return essentially everyone, and have size, shooting, playmaking and defense. Three seniors will lead the team after proving themselves the past couple of seasons. [player_tooltip player_id='1953946' first='Manny' last='Gonzalez'] is a point guard who can lock down on defense. He's physical and tough, knows how to get the ball to scorers, and can really shoot it. [player_tooltip player_id='1580561' first='Noah' last='Shinette'] (pictured) provides a post option on offense and solid defense and rebounding. He's a nice athlete who can run with the Cowboys' stable of guards. [player_tooltip player_id='1270300' first='Cole' last='Linton'] is a dependable guard who can fill multiple roles, shoot and handle the ball. With some really talented juniors, this team could go far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953933' first='Joey' last='Dyck'], 6-foot-2 forward, South Gray: 31</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Arguably the best small school senior out west, Dyck was fantastic in the state tournament, averaging 22 points per game leading the Rebels to a third-place finish. He nearly hit the 20 point/10 rebound average as a junior. He's long and athletic and skilled, making a tough matchup for opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756349' first='Kenton' last='Thalheim'], 6-foot guard, Northern Valley: 43</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After helping his team to a tournament run as a sophomore, Thalheim missed out on the tournament as a junior. He will be back determined to improve the on that finish as the senior leader of the Huskies. He's a versatile stat-sheet stuffer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756348' first='Owen' last='Reece'], 6-foot-3 forward, Hodgeman County: 49</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big double-double candidate, Reece appears poised for a huge senior year as he is tearing up the football field right now. He's big, powerful and skilled. With the graduation of several good big men in the 1A classes, Reece looks to be the best center in the 1A ranks this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other seniors to watch out west:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1378446' first='Carson' last='Shimer'], 6-foot-3 center, Dighton, 66</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756360' first='Eli' last='Lang'], 6-foot guard, Minneola: 73</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953947' first='Brock' last='Keith'], 5-foot-10 guard, Meade: 79</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->