KBCA Preseason High School Basketball Rankings  - click here (released Nov. 24th) 

Winter sports practices are underway and the basketball season is set to commence next week all across the State of Kansas. With the season on the horizon the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association has announced the preseason rankings and 14 Northeast Kansas area teams will start the season ranked. 

Class 1A between Division I and II features eight Twin Valley League teams in the preseason polls as the basketball season looms close. In Division I the defending boys champs in the Hanover Wildcats start the season ranked number one, coming off a 25-1 season and this year will have to replace eight seniors just like the football team which for the second straight year finished 8-Man DI State runner-ups. The Doniphan West Mustangs who bring back three starters from a State runner-up team that finished 19-8 come in preseason ranked third in Class 1A-DI, while Centralia boys also start the season ranked checking in a eighth after finishing 16-7 last year. The Panthers will have Cole Alderfer taking over for Coach Larry Glatczak this year on the sidelines. 

The lady Centralia Panthers who finished State runner-up in 1A-DI last year posting a 21-5 record start this season ranked second in the polls and has three starters back. The Hanover lady Wildcats were on the cusp of the State tournament last year just missing out finishing 14-9 and start this season preseason ranked eighth and brings back 79% of the teams scoring from last year. 

In Class 1A-DII a pair of TVL girl’s teams are also ranked as the Wetmore Cardinals and Axtell Eagles start the season ranked fifth and eighth, respectively. The lady Cardinals were a quite young team last year and finished 16-9 and made the 1A-DII State tournament this year three starter’s return and the Cardinals look to build off their experience from last year as they start the year ranked fifth. The Axtell lady Eagles start the season ranked eighth after finishing 18-5 last year and bring back four starters and will be almost a mirror image of last year’s team. The Eagles have been on the cusp of a run to State the last two years and with a strong senior class look to perhaps break through to the State tournament. 

The Washington County Tigers have been a top team in Class 2A for the past few years in boys and girls competition and this year both teams set up to be pretty solid again. The Tiger boys will start the season ranked fifth in 2A, after a 21-5 season in which they finished fourth at State. The lady Tigers are starting the season ranked ninth after a 21-2 record, in a season in which they just missed out on the State tournament but won the regular season TVL crown. Washington County girls will have a new coach take over the team this year in Diana Cecrle. The lady Dragons of Valley Falls also will be starting the season ranked in Class 2A and are preseason ranked third, as they finished 22-4 last year and with most of the team back including seven seniors are a team to watch in 2A. 

Sabetha Bluejays from the Big Seven League will be starting the season preseason ranked fourth for the girls and boys in Class 3A. The lady Bluejays are coming off a 21-5 season in which they took fourth at State and this year bring back a trio of starters along with a deep roster full of varsity of experience, while the boys finished 24-2 last year and third place at State, but this year returns only two starters but plenty of experience coming up from junior varsity. 

The only area team in the rankings to start the season in Class 4A-Division II is the Holton lady Wildcats who will start the season ranked sixth. The lady Wildcats finished 13-9 last year and were one win shy of another trip to the State tournament and this year four starters and all five of the team’s top scorers from last year are back. 

The basketball season is set to commence next week and with the season comes the annual KNZA Inc Courtside Guide (pick up your free copy at the many locations - click here), weekly coaches shows with area teams on KNZA, KMZA and KAIR and game broadcasts (basketball broadcast schedule).