By NICK SLOAN,
NJSloan212@gmail.com
We will be at Basehor-Linwood High School Friday night as the Bonner Springs Braves look to pull the upset against the Basehor-Linwood Bobcats.
Basehor's already clinched a share of the 2011-12 Kaw Valley League title after Lansing was shocked on the road by Mill Valley earlier this week.
This sentence immediately leads me to the first opening point.
1. How hard should Bonner Springs and Basehor-Linwood go in this game? This game has no meaning for sub-state, as the brackets are set - for insane reasoning. Why not play the full season before setting the brackets? The 5A sub-state brackets wait until Saturday. Why not 4A?
Back to the game - the league race is pretty much wrapped up. Basehor can still claim a league title even with a loss, as they would still share it with Lansing. Plus, the two schools will likely do battle next week at sub-state, assuming there are no great upsets.
I would hate having to be Basehor-Linwood head coach Mike McBride or Bonner Springs head coach Andy Price entering this game. It's not a simple answer, really. You may think it's best to bench everyone, but consider this - it can be argued that both Bonner Springs and Basehor are playing their best basketball of the season. While you could be setting yourself up for an injury, you could also be setting yourself up for being rusty. Remember how the New York Giants had to win the last two games of the year to sneak into the playoffs and how Green Bay pretty much had everything locked up even before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs? How did that end up?
I'm not sure what I would do, but I would lean on playing this game like it mattered. To me, there's something to be said about never taking a game off or a day off. Plus, Basehor has absolutely owned Bonner Springs the past few years. If you're Bonner, don't you want some confidence going into that game? A victory - or playing Basehor tight on the road - would do just that. If Basehor hammered Bonner Springs, it could hurt the confidence level entering next week's game.
Sorry for the rambling here, but it's an interesting set-up. You not only have everything wrapped up in the regular season, but you also have the prospect of a third showdown between the two Kaw Valley League rivals.
2. Brett Steuart is the key player of the game for Bonner Springs if the Braves go for the upset. Steuart is much improved from the earlier game between the two teams, which Basehor won by 7 on the road. Steuart's defense has improved over the course of the season and he would have to somehow neutralize the Murphy Twins inside. Good luck with that, but any little bit helps. Steuart's a good player, so don't rule out the possibility of him doing a good job on some possessions.
3. Stevie Williams needs a great game to upset Basehor. Basehor's had Stevie's number the past few years. If Bonner is to win either this game or the possible game next week, Stevie Williams will have to play a very good game. He's looked outstanding at points this year, but he's lacked consistency over the course of the year. He had a tough game against Lansing at home. If he has the same issues against Basehor, the Bobcats roll.
4. The Murphy Twins could enjoy another milestone week. With his performance against Turner, Colin Murphy hit the 1,200 mark. If he can score 26 points against Bonner Springs on Friday night, Ryan Murphy will also hit the 1,200-point milestone. Murphy Twins and milestones? Yawn.
5. Check out the sophomores. Chase Younger for Basehor-Linwood has had quite a few double-figure scoring games lately. Younger is now averaging 9.3 points on the season for the Bobcats, up big time from earlier this year. Jordan Jackson for Bonner Springs just keeps on getting better and better. He's a three-point threat and he made some nice moves in the post in the game I saw against Tonganoxie. However, here's another sophomore who could make an impact soon for Basehor: J.P. Downing. I was at a practice this week at Basehor for two hours and McBride talked him up a bit. In a game that doesn't matter as much, I could see Downing getting more minutes with the core group.
6. Can Ben Johnson keep the fire burning? Johnson has played like a man possessed the past two weeks. His defense has been very nice and his rebounding the past two weeks couldn't be better. He had 10 against Lansing and was key in stopping the Lions in the second half. With a big boulder off of his back following his commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks football program, the lack of pressure there could make him even better on the court.
7. Bonner's defense will need to create some turnovers in this game. When Bonner's defense creates havoc as it did in Bonner-Lansing I, the Braves can beat anyone. Watson, Williams, Steuart and the Jackson brothers can create turnovers. However, that's easier said than done against Basehor-Linwood. The Bobcats are averaging just nine turnovers a game, which is pretty good at the high school level. Even good to great teams can average between 11-14 turnovers a game. It's just over two a quarter and Basehor's starters average just seven a game. Basehor does a good job of valuing the ball, outside of the Sumner Academy game.
