Big Schools Celebrating a Happy Holiday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's Christmas time! So much to be thankful for. So much to celebrate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some big schools that have a lot to celebrate at the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shawnee Mission East </strong>(5-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They may not be a bunch of household names, but after going 9-12 last season, the Lancers are off to a great start. Led by 6-foot-3 senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387721' first='Teddy' last='Saylor']</strong>, they claimed the Championship Classic and added two more victories to get to 5-0. So far, Saylor is the scoring leader of the team. Seniors <strong>Blake Hanson</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580560' first='Abdoulaye' last='Kante']</strong> are bringing athleticism and experience. Kante is a defensive game changer who runs better than just about any big man around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Junction City</strong> (6-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christmas came early for the Blue Jays when football star [player_tooltip player_id='1953932' first='Michael' last='Boganowski'] decided to play another season of hoops. With a bunch of rising talent around him, Boganowski set things in motion for a special season. Sylvester Jackson provides size and hustle in the paint while athletes like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321612' first='Jackson' last='Austin']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2209782' first='Lovell' last='Autry']</strong> keep the tempo revved up. Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2393789' first='Larkin' last='Turner']</strong> has been an impactful leader this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Highland Park</strong> (3-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Scots haven't really been tested yet, but you have to like the start they are off to. After all the talent they graduated, the 3-0 start has been a wild track meet of buckets. Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2314813' first='Tamir' last='Anderson']</strong> was a known shooter before the season, and with increased playing time he's been red hot out of the gate. Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1512900' first='Mikey' last='Williams']</strong> (pictured) waited his turn and is now showing impressive versatility and playmaking ability. The team revolves around athletic big [player_tooltip player_id='1588346' first='Jacorey' last='Robinson'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hutchinson</strong> (5-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hutchinson graduated a special senior class. This sure looked like a rebuild. But some guys have really stepped up to replace the graduates. The fiesty guard play of [player_tooltip player_id='1772982' first='Terrell' last='King'] and <strong>Jax Heneha</strong> has set the pace and long big man <strong>Julian Smith</strong> has provided scoring punch inside and out. The Salthawks have not really been tested yet this year. Maize South will provide a big test right after the break with a match with Great Bend looming.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Scott</strong> (5-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, you might not have seen this coming. The Tigers were 9-12 last year. But they have got some good seniors, including a big man in <strong>Rocco Loffredo</strong> to defend the paint. Sophomore <strong>Kanin Brown</strong> lights it up from deep. They picked up some impressive wins in December, including one over then undefeated Chanute. They look like they could be a player in 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Circle</strong> (6-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Team leaders [player_tooltip player_id='2314781' first='Conner' last='Chadwell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1301597' first='Ethan' last='Koehn'] returned from a really good team, so this one isn't a big surprise. Still a 6-0 start is pretty impressive They are getting balanced offense and good play from big junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2765558' first='Keaton' last='Koenigsman']</strong>. A huge meeting with McPherson right after break will be a test for the Thunderbirds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->