Strathman now winningest girls basketball coach at MHS

Kendall Shaw

The accomplishment on Tuesday flew under the radar as it didn’t even receive a mention from the media, which was probably fine by McPherson High girls basketball coach Chris Strathman as he isn’t one who seeks the limelight.

With the Bullpups’ 76-25 victory over El Dorado, it was discovered that Strathman became the winningest girls basketball coach in MHS history, surpassing previous coach Scott Schaefer.

In typical Strathman understated manner, he downplayed the accomplishment, instead giving praise to everyone who had a part in his 273 wins at MHS. 

Schaefer had compiled a 272-43 record in 13 seasons as Bullpup coach, which included four state championships — including back-to-back-to-back from 1997-99. Strathman, now in his 14th year, is 273-53 with three state titles, of course the most recent coming last year when the Bullpups made a stunning comeback in regulation and eventually defeated mighty Bishop Miege in overtime.

Combine the two over 26-plus years and they are 545-96, probably one of the five-best records in Kansas during that period of time, with perhaps Miege, Hoxie, Little River and Central Plains (formerly Claflin) maybe the others with similar numbers.

“I was fortunate to work with coach Schaefer for 10 years as an assistant,” said Strathman, who came to McPherson after being one of the greatest players in Tabor College history. “He is definitely my coaching mentor, as I learned so much from him about how to manage a team and program. His influence on what we do could still be seen at every practice and game. We are doing a ton of new stuff as well, but a lot of our core defensive principles especially are from the foundation that he laid for our program.”

In fact, instead of focusing on himself as now the No. 1 coach in terms of wins, he chose to talk more about how consistent the program has been with the two of them as leaders.

“Believe me, I am way more proud of what we have accomplished in our 27 combined seasons than an individual win total that happened to surpass his 13-year number,” Strathman said. “He took over a mediocre program and took it to unprecedented heights. My personal goal when I was hired, and we talked about this as my goal in my interview in the Spring of 2005, was to try to maintain the standard of excellence that was established and that is still my goal every year.”

The Bullpups have followed up on last year’s state championship with a 14-1 record going into tonight’s game at Winfield, the only loss coming to undefeated and No. 1-ranked Derby, maybe the best team in all the land.

Strathman, though, has developed his own style. He’s more low-key than Schaefer, but the success has remained the same.

“We go about some things differently, but both of us place a very high priority on player and relationship development, and also stressing the importance of our freshmen and JV team success as they are our future,” Strathman said. “I appreciated that as his assistant and JV coach when I worked with him, and we have continued that approach and I think it has paid great dividends.”

Strathman has had the same assistants for quite some time and they work seamlessly together, including JV coach Mike Reith, and assistants Shelly Prescott and Tim Ellet. Reith took over the first six games of this season when Strathman was dealing with health issues and led the team to a 5-1 record, while his JV team has won an astonishing 89 games in a row.

The Bullpups, under Strathman and Schaefer, have made it to state an amazing 23 times in 26 years, with 16 Final Fours. If all goes according to plan this year, the Bullpups hope to be playing at Emporia in March, the site of the Class 5A Tournament as MHS spent the last 7 years in Class 4A. 

Klieman more and more impressive

Kansas State football fans, relax. I think new coach Chris Klieman is going to be just fine.

Some supporters of the purple are feeling uneasy with the retirement of Bill Moses Snyder, who of course authored the greatest turnaround in college football history.

Klieman’s hiring caused a smattering of rumblings because he wasn’t a former coach or coordinator at one of the Power 5 Conferences.

But he was the head coach at North Dakota State, the sub-division champions. His teams are renowned for being tough, physical and no-nonsense. The man knows nothing but winning and he’s not about to change his ways now.

Tales of Klieman’s recruiting prowess have come out bits at a time, but on Wednesday during National Signing Day he announced a healthy class of 23.

I have a feeling Klieman is going to be like Snyder in terms of evaluating talent, unearthing gems that others overlooked. After all, Alex Barnes didn’t arrive in Manhattan with a lot of fanfare and became the best running back in the Big 12.

Unlike Snyder, though, Klieman is not afraid to be effusive in his praise of his newcomers. You had to do detective work when Snyder would announce recruits, because he kept information close to the vest.

Klieman is gushing about the first KSU signee from Florida in 10 years, Joshua Youngblood. He used the words “electric” and “steal of the class” when describing perhaps the most impact recruit since Tyler Lockett. Even though he was a 2,000-yard rusher, Klieman wants him to be a receiver as he’s a home-run hitter.

Klieman, in fact, has loaded up on skill players. With the loss of the top three running backs, he secured Ball State graduate transfer James Gilbert, who has a big-time reputation and is a proven commodity as he rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his career. Kleiman signed three freshmen running back and Youngblood also can move there if needed. When you watched Klieman’s North Dakota State teams, it was all about a punishing ground game.

He also signed a couple of quarterbacks and a couple of receivers, plus a tight end. He said he wants his tight ends to be “glorified tackles.”

Klieman also did well in state. In what had to be a stunning blow for new KU coach Les Miles, he plucked Lawrence Free State All-Stater Jax Dineen from right under his nose. His brother, Joe, is a future KU Ring of Honor recipient and the younger Dineen may be even more powerful. Klieman also landed mammoth offensive tackle Cooper Beebe from KC Piper — I have a feeling his offensive line is going to be mountainous — and offensive lineman Taylor Poitier from Miege, which is a football factory. It will be interesting to see the in-state battles between Klieman and Miles in the coming years after Snyder basically owned the state the last 25 years.

Of course most recruits look impressive on paper. Coaches have to get them on campus and coach them up. But from everything I’ve seen and heard about Klieman, I believe the Wildcats have themselves a winner.

Wildcats look like Big 12 team to beat

Back-to-back dunking daggers by Cartier Diarra and Barry Brown at the end of Kansas State’s program-changing 74-67 victory over in-state rival Kansas on Tuesday sent a loud signal the Jayhawks’ days as the top dog in the Big 12 Conference have probably come to an end after a 14-year domination.

Diarra’s dunk sealed the deal and while Brown’s dunk didn’t even count as it came after the buzzer, it was retribution for 3 years ago when KU loose cannon Brannen Greene inexplicably dunked on the Wildcats when KU was supposed to be running out the clock, just one of his many bone-head experiences during his colorful, but unspectacular, career.

This outcome should have come as a surprise to nobody except for those KU fans still viewing the season through crimson and blue lenses. The Wildcats were higher in the standings, they were at home and KU has been pathetic on the road. There was no Udoka Azubuike, no Marcus Garrett and nobody to step up and take the game over.

Kansas is officially on the panic list. Heck, if it weren’t for Allen Field House it would be on the NCAA bubble, though its brutal schedule is its cushion with the committee and it is, after all, still Kansas. I can’t even imagine an NCAA Tournament with the Jayhawks as spectators.

There’s still four more road games for the Jayhawks, as well as some tough home games, and this is a team staring right down the barrel at double-digit losses. KU is a sickly 1-6 on the road and probably tired of seeing the opposing fans rush the court.

Give Kansas State all the credit. It harassed KU’s butterfingered young guards into a litany of turnovers and as a team the Jayhawks bungled it away 23 times. KSU played like the veteran team that it is, with three key seniors and a couple of juniors compared to the Jayhawks’ kiddie corps where three freshmen played a bulk of the minutes.

The Wildcats thrive on being a defensive menace. In this day and age of dunks and 3-pointers, it’s refreshing to see a team that desires to get down and guard. The Wildcats’ offense was stagnant early in the year, but remember Dean Wade was out for 6 games and they’re a team with little margin for error. 

With Wade back and Brown playing like a first-team Big 12 performer, the Wildcats should be in it to win it. They can’t afford a letdown against Baylor, which surprisingly is a half-game back but probably won’t be there in the long run. The ‘Cats already have won at Iowa State, a place few teams win at. 

This is all set up to be Kansas State’s year after being in their in-state rival’s shadow for oh so many years.

And what about KU? Where does it go from here? The rift between Bill Self and only senior Lagerald Vick is palpable and could come to a head soon. There’s no Azubuike as an enforcer and who knows when Garrett will get back. It’s a disjointed team with no direction. It has three McDonalds’ All-Americans, but one of them didn’t even get into the game and the other turned it over regularly. Only Devon Dotson lived up to the hype with some fearless play.

Maybe it’s all a big tease. Maybe KU won’t win the Big 12, but then put together an unexpected NCAA deep run.

But I don’t think so. KU fans are going to have to swallow their pride and experience life on the other side of the tracks.

Wildcats will end woes against KU tonight

The Kansas State Wildcats have a chance tonight to apply the dagger to the Kansas Jayhawks’ 14-year rule of Big 12 basketball.

The Wildcats host the Jayhawks at the Octagon of Doom. The ‘Cats currently are tied at the top of the standings with Baylor at 6-2. Iowa State has actually played two more games and is 7-3, while Kansas still has a strong pulse at 6-3.

A Jayhawks loss, though, and that would put them two games back of K-State and overachieving Baylor, who actually meet on Saturday. A 2-0 Wildcat week would have them sitting pretty.

In past years, a two-game deficit at this point wouldn’t be a cause for an outbreak of panic for the Jayhawks, but this is no normal year for Bill Self. Two games back at this point would seem more like four, given how his team has played this year.

He’s lost his rim protector in Udoka Azubuike. Starter Marcus Garrett will miss the game with an ankle injury. The Jayhawks play like jello on the road, having won just 1 of 6 true road games and already have lost at tailender West Virginia, Texas and Iowa State.

The only saving grace for Self and the Jayhawks has been their home dominance at venerable Allen Field House and even in those games, KU fans haven’t been able to unleash the haunting “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” chant in the final minute since many of those wins have been decided right at the end and all the fans can do is exhale.

This is a wounded and unsure Jayhawk team and the heavily experienced Wildcats need to pounce. Other than Dedric Lawson, the Jayhawks are sickly offensively in the paint. On the perimeter, Lagerald Vick and freshmen Devon Dotson and especially Quentin Grimes have been like yo-yos. The bench provides next-to-nothing. Mitch Lightfoot, Charlie Moore, K.J. Lawson and David McCormick barely mark in games.

But then you have the history.

Kansas State has lost its last eight to the Jayhawks and an ego-sapping, almost-stupid 26 of the last 30. KSU coach Bruce Weber, who succeeded Self at Illinois when he left for Lawrence, isn’t exactly a fan of the KU coach. There have been numerous games where the Wildcats have been in position to win, but somehow KU has made the plays at the end.

But Kansas State SHOULD win this game. In fact, it is favored by the odds-makers, which shows the talent the Wildcats have and the troubles the Jayhawks have endured. KU has been simply terrible on the road, which can be chalked up to its youth and the fact no true leader has emerged. The Jayhawks are rudderless as there’s no Frank Mason and Devonte’ Graham to impose their will on the team. 

Kansas State’s senior triumvirate of Dean Wade, Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes has to be weary of never beating the Jayhawks. They want to finally get a win over their in-state rival and the atmosphere is going to be off the charts. KU opponents this year sense the blood in the water and are pouncing like sharks. This is just a KU year unlike any other for Self and I don’t see any signs of a turnaround, though for one half against Texas Tech on Saturday it showed what it can do when it makes shots.

KU could be in dire straits after tonight. Kansas State can’t afford to blow this chance. If it does, the Jayhawks are back in play.

Kansas State 62, Kansas 57

Despite close score, Super Bowl was a yawner

What was that?

It certainly wasn’t the Super Bowl we were expecting.

Sunday’s 13-3 New England Patriots’ snoozer over the Los Angeles Rams had all the excitement of an NFL preseason game in Week 4 when the starters are on the sidelines in baseball caps.

Thanks in part to Dee Ford being offsides when the Kansas City Chiefs apparently had punched their ticket to Atlanta, we were treated to the lowest-scoring, unexciting waste of 3 1/2 hours that we can never ever get back in our lives as both defenses were way ahead of the offenses.

Had the Chiefs been in the game, we know there would have been a passel of points because NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes would have been special and the Chiefs’ defense would have made the game close by not stopping anybody.

Credit New England mastermind Bill Belichick for devising a defensive dragnet that turned Rams quarterback Jared Goff into a confused mess. It didn’t help that Goff received little support from his offensive line, which suffered from severe leakage, while MVP running back candidate Todd Gurley continued his mysterious end to the season as when you look at him, it’s like a blank stare and nobody is home.

To be fair, nobody saw this coming. The over-under was 50 total points and I have to believe the over garnered plenty of support. I, myself, had picked the Patriots to win 31-27, as they had been on an offensive roll while the Rams have put up points in bunches.

But it was evident early both teams’ offenses were in the proverbial quicksand. The Patriots ran the ball well early, then inexplicably got away from it, and when they returned it didn't have the same rhythm. The Rams were stale from the very start and my fear that Goff couldn’t go out and win the game came true as he really struggled against the myriad of schemes offered by Belichick.

The one player unaffected by the malaise was Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who earned MVP honors off the strength of his monster first half. This is a game where I thought a defensive player had a shot to win the honor, perhaps Stephen Gilmore of the Patriots, who had a key interception and some nice defends. 

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski did have their one shining moment, a late pass completion that set up what proved to be the game’s only touchdown. But Brady looked all of his 41 years as he was off his game, while Gronkowski could very well have played his last game. Unless he can get his body back to some semblance of shape, he’s probably done.

I found it interesting today that the first odds came out from Vegas on the 2019 season and the Chiefs are the pick to win the Super Bowl. It’s tough to argue as they came oh so close this year despite a terrible defense that has to get better — it can’t get any worse.

The Rams are the early favorite to get back to the Super Bowl, but in the NFC there are just so many similar teams. It should be an interesting offseason to see which teams make the moves to consider themselves Super Bowl-worthy.

Patriots to regain Super Bowl title

It’s like a tired, worn-out cliche — the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl.

Alas the Pats are here once again, the third year in a row and ninth time in the 2000s. 

This year, though, I’m even more put off by them being here. Once-likable Tom Brady has now become nothing more than an annoyance, trying to hoodwink the public into thinking his team has been an underdog this year.

Who does he think he’s fooling?

As long as he’s the quarterback and surly Bill Belichick is on the sidelines, the Patriots are the favorite EVERY year — although this year I picked the Pittsburgh Steelers at the start of the season before I knew that Le’Veon Bell would pull a no-show. 

The Patriots do have incentive as they felt like they let last year’s Super Bowl get away to Philadelphia and Foles Magic. They won it 2 years ago in what may have been the most exciting Super Bowl ever, roaring back to defeat Atlanta. 

At least the Patriots have a brand-new foil this year. The glitzy Los Angeles Rams, just a couple of years removed from being cannon fodder, have totally changed the culture under young super-nova coach Sean McVay, who is now the template for what teams are looking for in the ever-revolving NFL coaching carousel. McVay has players older than him on his roster, but his new-age thinking has this franchise primed to be good for a long time.

I have to admit I’m more jagged about this game since Brady, Belichick and the Patriots broke the hearts of the Kansas City Chiefs. If Dee Ford had just not picked that one play out of 94 to lineup offsides...

Anyway, a Chiefs-Rams game could have broken all records for points and yards. The teams played a breathless track meet during the regular season, maybe the most explosive game in NFL history. While a rematch may not have approached the 54-51 score, it would have been enlightening.

The problem with the Super Bowl is the 2 weeks between the conference championship games and the ultimate prize. That gives Belichick ample time to go into his lab and concoct confusing schemes for LA quarterback Jared Goff, who I’m still not sure can win the big one. A lot is going to depend on Rams running back Todd Gurley, who looked like Jim Brown for the first 10 weeks of the season, but it was as if an impostor invaded his body against the Saints. He barely was a factor after being a Fantasy Football legend.

I just have a feeling Brady and Belichick are going to run all the way to the bank with their underdog card. There’s no substitute for experience.

New England 31, Los Angeles 27.

Dropoff for Shockers has been stunning

Remember when Wichita State was challenging near-untouchable Kansas for basketball supremacy in the state and in many eyes having surpassed Kansas State for the No. 2 spot?

What’s happened to the Shockers?

After a wildly entertaining 8-year run where they won an average of 29 games — and KU seemingly wanted nothing to do with the Shockers — WSU has face-planted this year.

They did pull out a last-second win over SMU on Wednesday as I caught the end of the game, prevailing on a Samajae Haynes-Jones dipsy-do layup.

Wichita State is just 2-6 in the American Athletic Conference and 9-11 overall. It still has plenty of season to go, but it hasn’t lost 11 games since coach Gregg Marshall’s second year when they were 17-17.

The last 8 years have been golden for WSU. There was the Final Four run in 2013, then they won their first 35 games the following year before losing in the third round of the NCAAs. They dominated the Missouri Valley to the point of boredom and were the template for the so-called “mid majors.”

They were 14-4 in the AAC last year in their first try and 25-8 overall. They had a deep team loaded with seniors, such as Conner Frankamp, Shaquille Morris, Darral Willis, Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown and Rauno Nurger.

A couple of happenings after last season shook the program. I don’t think they really expected to lose standout guard Landry Shamet to the NBA, but it’s turned out to be a good choice for him as he’s flourished with the 76ers. Give NBA scouts credit, Shamet was thought to be a year away from the league and he would perhaps be a Top 10 pick if stayed. But he left and it looks like he’s going to be a solid pro.

Then last year’s sharpshooter Austin Reaves stunned Marshall by announcing he was transferring. He was going to be the hub of the team this year, along with Markis McDuffie. But he’s now an Oklahoma Sooner, sitting out this year for the transfer rule.

C.J. Keyser, who also would have been a starter, also didn’t return, nor did Kaelen Malone. It made a lot of people wonder if perhaps Marshall was difficult to play for.

That left Marshall with McDuffie and Haynes-Jones and a bunch of guys that you need a program to identify. They were hoping that West Virginia transfer Teddy Allen, who could have been their best player this year, would be eligible immediately after applying for a hardship transfer, but the NCAA ruled against him, which was a setback.

The couple of times I’ve watched the Shockers this year I’ve been, well, shocked. They are one of the poorest-shooting teams in the country in terms of percentage. They still play tremendously hard on the defensive end, but their lack of offense is too much to overcome.

WSU’s move to the American Athletic Conference was hailed at the time as the Shockers had outgrown The Valley. But now they’re in with more high-profile programs and Marshall appears to be having trouble recruiting the same type of talent as he has in the past.

Let’s hope it’s just a blip on the radar. It was fun having WSU in the conversation of Kansas basketball, but right now it’s just the third wheel.

MHS boys hope to build off team effort against Collegiate

Sometimes all it takes is one half to flip the switch for the rest of the season.

McPherson High’s boys held a tenuous 30-29 halftime lead over Wichita Collegiate here Tuesday despite shooting 54 percent from the field against their much-taller opponent.

But the Bullpups came out in the second half with their most impressive 16 minutes of the year, outscoring the Spartans 22-10 and then put the jackhammer down in the fourth quarter with a 16-2 domination for a 68-41 victory.

It had to be a sense of relief for the Bullpups, now 9-4, to finish a game so strong after being involved in so many close, tense finishes.

The Bullpups currently are No. 7 in the Class 5A West standings and, of course, the teams with the best records at the end are awarded sub-state home games, unlike previous years where sub-states were pre-determined.

Ahead of MHS are Maize (13-0), Andover Central (12-1, but a team the Bullpups led by 7 at the half in an early season loss), Wichita Heights (13-2), Arkansas City (11-2), Salina Central (10-3) and Maize South (10-3).

Just behind the Bullpups is defending 5A champion Carroll (7-4), while Andover and Goddard Eisenhower are lurking just a game back in the loss column.

The Bullpups’ second half Tuesday was a thing of beauty. They appeared to be having more fun and joy in playing than they have in a long time. They played free, easy and loose, turning it over only 11 times and shooting 52 percent for the game.

The game also proved that Jake Alexander doesn’t have to shoulder the load and score 20 points for the Bullpups to win. He scored half that with 10, but three other players were in double figures.

Max Alexander, the sophomore point guard, was the best he’s ever been. He wasn’t trying to do too much, letting the game come to him instead of forcing the issue. In addition to his career-high 21 points, more impressive was how well he distributed the ball and was a thief on the defensive end with 3 steals and numerous deflections. When he plays that type of game, MHS’ stock rises.

Two traditional non-scorers, Jace Kinnamon and Seth Madron, combined for 28 points and made 12 of 13 shots. Kinnamon had a personal 12-point run, the last 5 of the third quarter and first 7 of the fourth. I don’t know where the Bullpups would have been without the freshman Madron in the first half, as he hoisted the team on his back by going 5 for 5 and scoring 11 points. Collegiate’s up-and-down style played to his strengths, which is in transition in the open floor where he can best utilize his athleticism that is off the charts for one so young.

Inside, Cody Stufflebean scored 5 points on just 5 shots, but he had the biggest rebounding game for a Bullpup in 43 years as his 19 caroms were the most since 21 by Park Estes in 1976. Stufflebean was going to war with players in the 6-9 to 6-6 range and using his brutish strength to snare everything that was coming off the rim.

Kyler Hoppes continues to provide key minutes despite painful tendonitis that limits some of his ability. He does a lot of little things that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet and logged 24 minutes, gutting it out. Cooper Courtney provided his usual length on defense as he’s a disruptor and all the players got into the game in what was a total team effort.

The Bullpups are now without sharpshooting backup guard Hayes Schmid, who was having surgery today as he’s battling health issues. His courage could spur this team as it realizes there’s more things important in life than winning or losing a basketball game.

If the Bullpups can somehow come away with a road win at treacherous Andale on Friday, they could get on a serious roll heading into the postseason. If they do, they’ll look back at the second half of the Collegiate game as the firestarter.

Jayhawks better get it together now

The Kansas Jayhawks have arrived at the fork in the road.

The Jayhawks, who are still a creditable 16-4 though it seems a lot worse, close out January tonight with a road game at Texas before hitting it hard throughout February.

It’s hard to believe the Jayhawks have won just one — that’s right, one — true road game this season. They are 1-4 away from Allen Field House, which can only keep them afloat in the Big 12 race for so long.

The Jayhawks find themselves in a dogfight in the Big 12, as they so often do heading into February. Kansas State, Texas Tech and Iowa State are worthy challengers in what to me is a down year for the conference. I don’t really see a Final Four team, or even an Elite Eight team, coming out of the Big 12. Heck, it may be lucky to have two teams in the Sweet 16.

It’s time for Kansas to shift into its typical overdrive. To do that, it needs to win tonight.

The Jayhawks barely escaped the Longhorns at Allen Field House, but they can say that about a lot of teams. They’ve been the masters of extraction, getting themselves in trouble but finding ways to get out of it.

But just look at this stretch of three games coming up. Given how this team is playing on the road, I give it a 50-50 shot at best at winning tonight. Then it comes home on Saturday to take on Texas Tech, which is a chance to put some distance between itself and the Red Raiders. Then it’s on to the Octagon of Doom in Manhattan, where I don’t like the Jayhawks’ chances at all.

No question the loss of Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending injury for the second time in three years was a killer. But the expected depth of the team was counted on to pick up the slack.

But the bench has shrunk. K.J. Lawson has shown few signs of being the player he was at Memphis and seldom finds his way on the court. Mitch Lightfoot has virtually disappeared, for what reason I have no idea because I like his energy. Charlie Moore, who was to provide instant offense on the bench, is so bad defensively that you wonder if he’s still on the team he gets so few of minutes.

David McCormack gets chances and doesn’t do badly, but it’s obvious he’s not trusted in crunch time because he’s so raw offensively. All that’s left is former redshirt Ochai Abagji, who at times looks good but not playing for such a long time slowed his progress.

Kansas is basically going to go as far as the starting five will take it. It is riding Dedric Lawson as hard as it can offensively since freshman guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes are maddeningly inconsistent. Marcus Garrett and Lagerald Vick can not be counted on game-in and game-out to deliver. Garrett is great defensively, but can’t shoot, while Vick has moments where he looks like he could play in the NBA, then others where he disappears and pouts.

This is just a very un-Bill Self-like team. As much as he tries to get through to this bunch, his voice isn’t being heard as it makes the same mistakes over and over. Kansas fans may just have to accept the fact this year is average by their rarefied standards and hope the Jayhawks return to their Final Four or Elite Eight ways next year.

Classic title could launch MHS girls to greatness

Saturday’s convincing 49-37 victory over previously undefeated Olathe South — Class 6A’s No. 3-ranked team — could very well springboard the McPherson High girls to a deep postseason run as it was a definite confidence-builder.

Last year the Bullpups used their first Classic title in 6 years as the impetus to their run that was culminated by the Class 4A Division I state championship with the memorable overtime victory over mighty Bishop Miege, which will waltz to the 4A title this year with the Bullpups now out of the picture since they’re a 5A school.

The Bullpups had to survive a surprisingly close call with Ulysses in the semifinals as perhaps they remembered crushing the Tigers by 37 points last year and were looking ahead to the finals. Ulysses put up a supreme effort and showed great improvement from last year.

But on Saturday, the Bullpups were poised, ready and at the pinnacle of their game.

They came flying out of the gates with a 19-8 first-quarter explosion and immediately got the loud Roundhouse crowd into the game. Say what you will, but a team can feed off the noise as the Bullpups were scrambling and trapping the Falcons all over the court.

Except for a third-quarter Falcon run that closed the margin within 5 — and the Bullpups quickly pushed it back to 10 — this was the team’s most complete performance of the year.

They did it without starting center Maggie Leaf, who is out with a shoulder injury. It is hoped she’ll be back quickly as she courageously played through the injury on Friday when she came up with 8 offensive rebounds and 9 for the game.

The tournament highlighted the Bullpups’ terrific athleticism. They don’t have an inside presence like Mandi Cooks was last year, but instead rely on their quickness and skillset. You never know from game to game who’s going to step up, and balance was the difference both Friday and Saturday. Very seldom do you see an MHS player score more than 13 or 14 points, as generally there are five or six players in the 8-to-12 range.

I don’t see many potholes left for the Bullpups during the regular season. There’s a road game at Circle that could be worrisome as well as a non-league game next month against Baldwin in Lawrence as the Bulldogs were the state champion last year in 4A D-II and have only one loss.

But this Bullpup team appears to be hitting its stride. The 3-point shooting has come and gone at times, but the defense has remained a constant. As long as they are strong at that end of the court, they’ll be tough to beat.

Class 5A West is really loaded as five teams stand above the rest. Goddard and Maize South are both 12-0, Maize is 12-1, and MHS and Wichita Heights are 11-1, which is why winning out is so important for seeding purposes.

The East is not nearly as strong, with St. Thomas Aquinas easily the best team, while other contenders are Blue Valley Southwest, DeSoto and Schlagle. The strength is definitely in the West where 10 of the 18 teams have winning records. Remember, sub-states are not pre-determined this year as there will be a seeding format this year and those with the best records get the home games.