Teams to Watch in the Upcoming Season in 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Basketball will get rocking very soon. So, we are taking a peak ahead to teams that might bear watching this season. Next up, 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returners:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pittsburg-Colgan:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers are stocked to make another trip to state, where they were downed in the first round. They have a big three in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387765' first='Jack' last='Schremmer']</strong>, <strong>Tucker Harrell</strong> and <strong>Tristan Voss</strong>, a trio that accounted for about 36 points per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Medicine Lodge:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a fun team the Indians had last year. With just about everyone back, they can hope to get back to the 2A tournament, and perhaps even improve on their third place finish. They have got guards and playmakers in seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147816' first='Derrek' last='Randels']</strong>, <strong>Carter Cunningham</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1962888' first='Keveon' last='Ruiz']. Watch for senior <strong>Jake Fisher</strong> to step forward after a nice final game last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Contenders:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennington:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bennington is listed here as a “contender,” but they are blessed with three really good returners from last year's state team. It all starts with big man [player_tooltip player_id='1270299' first='Eli' last='Lawson'], who is hard to match up with at the 2A level. Equally tough on opponents is [player_tooltip player_id='1633228' first='Savailio' last='Smith'], who's explosiveness at 6-foot-4 is really problematic. <strong>Talan Pickering</strong> might be the x-factor as he can bring playmaking and leadership at the guard position and was probably under-appreciated as a junior. With the loss of just one senior, this team will be loaded for a deeper run this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horton:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After losing in the first round of the state tournament, the Chargers could be looking at a deeper run this year. Like Bennington, they have nearly everyone back, led by senior <strong>Gannon Becker</strong>. He, <strong>Cooper Wischropp</strong> and <strong>Kaden Smith</strong> pose a balanced trio, while <strong>Luke McAfee</strong> and <strong>Donte Masqua</strong> will be improved as juniors after gaining valuable experience last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unknowns:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wichita Independent:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who is left from the state runner-up? They graduated eight seniors, including most of their playmakers and scorers. The Panthers will be tested this season to see if they will be an every-year type of competitor, or whether last year was an anomaly. Who will step in to make that happen? To that point, we were impressed with 2027s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205715' first='Jaylen' last='Phillips-Grey']</strong>, a 6-foot-4 center, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205722' first='Luke' last='Henderson']</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moundridge:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moundridge has long been a basketball school. They've produced a lot of fine players – including college-quality prospects – over the years. So we weren't surprised to see quite a few players from the 2026 class make an impression this summer. Can those guys rise up to contribute? The Wildcats return a few contributors from last year's title team, most notably [player_tooltip player_id='1740754' first='Barrett' last='Moddelmog'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321606' first='Henry' last='Hecox']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->