When the Dodge City High School-Hays girls’ basketball matchup was canceled on Thursday night, it could have an effect on the seedings for next week’s Class 5A sub-state tournament, where Salina South is the host.
That’s something to contemplate this weekend sometime as sub-state play begins next week.
The cancellation had no effect on the Western Athletic Conference standings, where Dodge City repeated as conference champions, leaving Great Bend and Hays to battle it out for second place.
The WAC runner-up will be determined tonight — when the Lady Panthers and Hays do battle in Hays. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., with the boys game following.
Great Bend is currently 8-11 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Hays, which will finish with one fewer game than the rest of the conference teams because of the cancellation, takes a 9-9, 4-2 mark into tonight’s game.
So whoever wins is the bridesmaid, which is a lot better than third in a five-team conference.
 “We thought we started the week off right OK, beating Hoisington,” Lady Panthers head coach Tatkenhorst said of Great Bend’s 43-32 win at Hoisington on Tuesday night. “It would be a bigger game and victory with Hays.
“We’re still looking for that game where we put it all together for four straight quarters and maybe this will be the game. If we can do that, you think we would have a little breathing room down the stretch.”
In their most recent meeting, in Great Bend, the Lady Panthers registered a 51-48 victory. GBHS also beat Hays in season-opening Hays City Shoot-Out.
“One of the things that we’ve done in the Hays games this season is that we’ve been able to score a few points in both games,” Tatkenhorst said. “That’s really been a big part of our victories.
“Certainly, if we can come out and play the defense that we expect and score like we have in the first two games (against Hays), we like our chances.”