Tuesday has a great slate of games, including three that I will be following in particular with huge ramifications for not only league races but also seeding for the sub-state tournament. Those games are the following:
Eisenhower (13-1) @ Andover Central (12-3)
For Eisenhower: A win gives it a 2-game cushion with a tiebreaker, all but guaranteeing the program's first league title. It also would virtually wrap up the No. 1 seed in sub-state.
For Andover Central: A win ties Eisenhower atop the league standings and with each team winning once this season would likely result in a shared league title. It also would reopen the race for the No. 1 seed in sub-state with the Jaguars needing only one Eisenhower slip-up to force a coin toss for the top spot.
East (9-5) @ North (12-2)
For North: A win eliminates one of its stiffest challengers to the City League crown, as well as keeping a 2-game cushion between Kapaun. The Redskins will still lead the league after Tuesday, but a win would be a big step toward their first title in nearly 40 years.
For East: A win gives it a second round sweep of North and Kapaun and would get the Blue Aces within a game of the lead and one slip-up by North away from sharing a league title.
Salina Central (9-5) @ Hays (10-4)
For Salina Central: A win not only would count as Central's second-best of the season, but also draw it to a tie with Hays for the No. 1 seed in sub-state and give it a valuable tie-breaker that could be the difference at the end of the season.
For Hays: A win all but wraps up the top seed in sub-state, as Hays has an easier schedule remaining than Central and giving up a 2-game lead with the tiebreaker would be hard to imagine.
Click the jump to read about the rest of Tuesday's match-up's around the City League and Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel (9-4) @ Southeast (7-6)
For Kapaun: A win would complete a nice season sweep of a good team and would either put Kapaun in sole place of second place or a game within league-leader North depending on the outcome of the North-East game. Either scenario is a positive for the Crusaders, as long as they win.
For Southeast: A win gives Southeast the marquee win it needs to announce itself in the league and would pull the Buffaloes a half-game behind Kapaun for third place in the league with a split on the season.
For Collegiate: A win would be a welcomed relief from the recent slide of 5 losses in 7 games and give Collegiate a solid win on the road over a team that's shown growth recently. A win is also badly needed to keep pace in the sub-state standings, where two games separate the No. 1 seed from the No. 5 seed.
For Maize South: A win would give the Mavericks another quality win at home and restore the momentum gained from its 4-wins-in-5-game stretch in January. A win would keep Maize South in control of the No. 3 seed in the sub-state, as well.
Heights (7-7) @ West (5-8)
For Heights: A win ends a troubling 3-game slide since a quality performance in the McPherson Invitational and gives the Falcons only their second win on the road this season and over a reinvigorated bunch from West. It would keep Heights in the hunt for a 4th place finish.
For West: A win puts the rest of the league on notice that West is no longer a pushover in the second round and would extract revenge for the 28-point thumping it took at Heights in December. It would also keep the Pioneers in the conversation for a possible run at 4th place.
Salina South (5-9) @ Newton (4-10)
For Salina South: A win completes the season sweep of Newton and ensures the Cougars essentially of finishing no lower than 5th in Division I. South hasn't won two games in a row all season and this win would continue to snowball its momentum since the winter break (4-3 in last 7 games) and provide a valuable tiebreaker over a sub-state opponent.
For Newton: A win ends an ugly 7-loss-in-8-game slide and pull a split with South for the season. It's a home game the Railers need to win to move past South in the standings and also jockey for position in the sub-state standings.
Goddard (3-11) @ Valley Center (5-9)
For Goddard: A win would give Goddard back-to-back wins for the first time all season and move it into 4th place in the league standings despite a worse record. A lot at stake for the Lions, including taking another step toward avoiding the No. 7 seed in a loaded sub-state.
For Valley Center: A win virtually locks up a top-4 finish in the league and gives the Hornets a shot at Andover for third. The Hornets also need to keep winning for sub-state seeding, as their sub-state's No. 3 seed and No. 8 seed are separated by just two games.
Wellington (5-9) @ El Dorado (10-4)
For Wellington: A win would the best on the season for the Crusaders and turn some heads over a very good El Dorado team. Wellington also has a chance to move up in the sub-state standings, as it is only one game out of the No. 6 seed.
For El Dorado: A win should be expected, hosting an over-matched team at home. The Wildcats are 6-1 at home this season and taking care of business here sets up a huge showdown this Friday against McPherson.
Maize (4-10) @ Derby (12-3)
For Maize: A win keeps the winning streak going, right now at 2, and would give the Eagles the big-time win they need to play with a lot of confidence. It would be a huge step toward the Eagles finished third in the league also possibly escaping the No. 6 seed in the sub-state.
For Derby: A win completes the season sweep of Maize and keeps Derby on pace for Friday's clash with Salina Central to virtually decide the division title. The Panthers also keep at least a healthy 2-game cushion in its sub-state for the No. 1 seed.
Buhler (1-13) @ Great Bend (5-9)
For Buhler: A win would be a welcomed relief in this difficult season after so much winning the last two years. The Crusaders have lost seven games by single-digits, so they're not far away and this win is attainable against an average Great Bend team on the road.
For Bishop Carroll: A win keeps the positive momentum moving forward and stretch the winning streak to four games, which keeps Carroll in the conversation for a 4th place finish in the City League and also lock up the No. 5 seed in the sub-state.
For South: A win would shock the City League, as the Titans looked a little over-matched in the first round of league play. The Titans could win their first game at home this season and also their first game in City League play under first-year coach Kendall Hope.
Campus (2-12) @ Hutchinson (6-8)
For Campus: A win would be a stunner, although one of the Colts' wins on the season did come on the road. Campus would win its first meaningful game under first-year coach Russell Herman and also chalk up its first win in league play. A win here could be the difference between playing North in the first round of sub-state and playing Garden or Dodge City, a much more manageable task.
For Hutchinson: A win and good performance would get the Salthawks back on track and keep them in third place in the league standings depending on the Maize game. Hutch is 4-2 at home this season and should be expected to win, which is crucial for sub-state seeding and staying alive for a possible third seed and avoiding North in the sub-state title game.
Andover (10-4) @ Ark City (2-12)
For Andover: A win would finish off the season sweep of a league opponent and keep Andover steady after a devastating triple-overtime loss to its cross-town rival last Friday. The Trojans would stay in third place in the league and also keep pace with Kapaun in a race for the third seed in the sub-state.
For Ark City: A win would shock the league and definitely turn some heads, as Andover is a very quality team. The Bulldogs haven't won at home this season and didn't compete like they wanted to in the first of games, so this one would be a huge confidence and momentum-builder.
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