KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES
ASSOCIATION
POLL
Through Dec. 20
GIRLS RANKINGS
CLASS 6A
1. Wichita Heights
2. Olathe South
3. SM West
4. Dodge City
5. Washburn Rural
6. Maize
7. Olathe East
8. Wichita Northwest
9. Olathe Northwest
10. Manhattan
5A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas
2. Bishop Miege
3. Newton
4. Wichita Carroll
5. Blue Valley
6. Salina South
7. McPherson
8. Shawnee Hts.
9. Andover
10. Emporia
4A
1. Cheney
2. Holton
3. Bashor
4. Circle
5. Colby
6. Abilene
7. Haven
8. Topeka Hayden
9. Ottawa
10. Wellington
3A
1. Jefferson Co. North
2. Effingham-Atch. Co.
3. Holcomb
4. Osage City
5. Hillsboro
6. Smith Center
7. Wichita Collegiate
8. Southwestern Hts.
9. Riley Co.
10. Sabetha
2A
1. Hill City
2. Berean Academy
3. Washington County
4. Oskaloosa
5. Cimarron
6. Oakley
7. Ell-Saline
8. Lincoln
9. Immaculata
10.Republic County
1A Division-I
1. Olpe
2. St. John Hudson
3. Hoxie
4. Little River
5. Satanta
6. Claflin
7. Lebo
8. Cedar Vale/Dexter
9. Minneola
10. Centralia
1A Division-II
1. Argonia
2. Central Christian
3. South Barber
4. Quivira Heights
5. Wilson
6. St. John’s Beloit
7. Frankfort
8. Weskan
9. Thunder Ridge
10. Greely County
BOYS RANKINGS
6A
1. Wichita Heights
2. Wichita East
3. BV Northwest
4. Olathe East
5. Dodge City
6. Olathe South
7. SM Northwest
8. Olathe Northwest
9. Wichita Northwest
10. Topeka High
5A
1. McPherson
2. KC Washington
3. KC Harmon
4. Bishop Miege
5. Gardner Edgerton
6. Andover Central
7. Highland Park
8. Seaman
9. Bishop Carroll
10. Great Bend
4A
1. KC Sumner
2. Basehor Linwood
3. Topeka Hayden
4. St. James
5. Holton
6. Abilene
7. Parsons
8. Wichita Trinity
9. Circle
10. Buhler
3A
1. Collegiate
2. Minneapolis
3. Scott City
4. Riley County
5. Silver Lake
6. Hutch Trinity
7. Sabetha
8. Rossville
9. Hoisington
10. Atchison County
2A
1. Berean Academy
2. Washington Co.
3. Herington
4. Pittsburg-Colgan
5. Inman
6. Meade
7. Plainville
8. Syracuse
9. Lyndon
10. Sublette
1A Division-I
1. Hanover
2. S. Gray-Montezuma
3. Pretty Prairie
4. Quinter
5. Ashland
6. Centralia
7. Stockton
8. Lakeside-Downs
9. Baileyville B/B
10. Macksville
1A Division-II
1. Bird City-Cheylin
2. Caldwell
3. Hope
4. Chase
5. Northern Valley
6. Fowler
7. Quivira Hts.-Bushton
8. Wilson
9. Norwich
10. Weskan
McPHERSON — The prospect of playing in The Roundhouse at McPherson High School is always an interesting sidelight.
McPherson’s boys (5-0) are ranked No. 1 in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings, which only adds intrigue for Great Bend (3-2) tonight as the Panthers trek to McPherson for the first game back from the Christmas holiday.
“McPherson is a really good basketball team,” Great Bend head coach Chris Battin said. “They get after you both offensively and defensively and push the ball hard. Defensively, they run a number of presses at you and do a number of things to try to disrupt you offensively.
“Just playing in the Roundhouse is a unique environment, and there’s not many places like it. It can get really loud in there, and it will be a good environment for us and a hostile environment and it will be a good time.”
McPherson, coached by Kurt Kinnamon, is led in scoring by Jack Pyle, who is averaging 23.4 points per game. Christian Ulsaker is averaging 9.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
The Bullpups beat the likes of Salina South (75-51), Salina Central (95-74), Buhler (69-40), Andover (80-64) and Andover Central (59-56) in December.
The shooting background at The Roundhouse can also be an adjustment for a visiting team.
“Shooting-wise, it’s a little different for some people and for others, it doesn’t bother them at all,” Battin said. “It’s just a neat environment.”
The Panthers beat Scott City and Newton at the season-opening Hays City Shoot-Out in early December before losing to Kearney, Neb., in the championship game.
GBHS returned home and beat Pratt before falling to Manhattan in the final game before the holiday break on Dec. 14.
The Panthers resumed practices on Dec. 28 after a KSHSAA mandatory five-day break.
“Collectively, as a group, we’ve matured a little bit,” Battin said. “It looks like we’ve made some strides in the right direction.”
