Back to State: 2A Tourney Teams Return Loaded Lineups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are several teams from last year's 2A tournament with impressive groups of returners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moundridge lost some great seniors, but the return of [player_tooltip player_id='1740754' first='Barrett' last='Moddelmog'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321606' first='Henry' last='Hecox']</strong> and several supporting pieces will have the Wildcats back in the hunt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Marys has only a couple of significant losses, but they will have to rebuild around [player_tooltip player_id='1962890' first='Brady' last='Hurla'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the four 2A state teams that return a significant portion of last year:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Medicine Lodge – finished third in 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians finished off the season with a thrilling win over TMP in the consolation game. They return almost everything from that team, led by all-around athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1962888' first='Keveon' last='Ruiz']. Senior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147816' first='Derrek' last='Randels']</strong> and <strong>Carter Cunningham</strong> are versatile guards who can get the ball to teammates, defend and rebound and produce points. There will be a ton of experience back at the guard position in addition to Randels and Cunningham.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennington - lost in first round to Medicine Lodge in 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Moundridge, Bennington returns two established studs. But the Bulldogs bring back a lot more than that. It all starts with dominant big man [player_tooltip player_id='1270299' first='Eli' last='Lawson'], who's 6-foot-7 frame and fundamental skills make him a beast in the small schools. Add [player_tooltip player_id='1633228' first='Savailio' last='Smith'] (pictured), who goes by “Mister” and you have an athletic 1-2 punch few can match. <strong>Talan Pickering</strong> was really good as a junior, scoring in double figures and stuffing the stat sheet. <strong>Kian Wilson</strong> and <strong>Payge Rodenbeek</strong> were key contributors as sophomores and will be even more experienced.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horton - lost in first round to Wichita Independent in 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horton has a good shot to get its first-ever state tournament victory this year after gaining experience a year ago. Nearly everyone on the floor for the Chargers is back, led by senior <strong>Gannon Becker</strong>. They will feature a balanced team of guys who can score and rebound, including seniors <strong>Cooper Wischropp</strong>, and <strong>Kaden Smith</strong> and juniors <strong>Luke McAfee</strong> and <strong>Donte Masqua</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pittsburg-St. Mary's – lost in first round to Wichita Independent in 2023:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A really talented class of 2024 guided the Panthers to the tournament last year, so expectations are really high for their senior season. They have good size with 6-foot-3 <strong>Tristan Voss</strong> anchoring the back line and several good-sized talents around him, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387765' first='Jack' last='Schremmer']</strong> and <strong>Tucker Harrell</strong>. This group is used to going to state, and they will expect to make a bigger noise next spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->