Hey, quick don’t get away from me with your March Madness obsession.
I know most of you have penciled in Kansas or Kansas State to reach the Final Four and/or win a national championship. I’m telling you, don’t. Syracuse is ruining everything for both Sunflower teams.
Oh, wait a second. What were we talking about again?
Oh, yeah, let’s have one last glance back at the winter sports season that was.
And what better way to do that than with the omnipresent Cueball Awards.
The Cueball Awards — for those of you who have been dead — are thoughts, observations and special incites of the season past from the crack Wellington News sports staff including me, myself, yours truly, my invisible friend Fred and the bogey monster.
So let’s get going with the Cueball winter awards:
Best headline I did not write: “Take that, Andale!” I thought about using a 90-point font headline saying just that after the varsity Wellington boys and girls beat Andale on homecoming night ending a year of varity futility in all sports to the Indians.
Best dance: Speaking of which on that very night, K-State great and Wellington grad Ernie Barrett did a jig while being introduced with Jerry Wilson recognizing the 1947 State Championship basketball team that was the best dance in that gym this season.
No it’s not football season Andale: Gosh, I’m still obsessed with that one evening, but Andale looked like thugs in the final two minutes after Wellington’s basketball team clearly had the game won which included a tackle that nearly took out Jordan Edwards (and his nose) and the scorer’s table. Save it for the gridiron, Indians!
If only we didn’t have electronic devices: Wellington’s scoreboard buzzer seemed to go off at the wrong time late in the fourth quarter. At Maize South during its sub-state the scoreboard would at inopportune times just shut completely down.
Most controversial ending: Caldwell vs. South Haven boys, regional semifinals, season on the line. A last-second game-winning South Haven basket in overtime was called off because the player allegedly didn’t get the shot off in time. I couldn’t tell from my vantage point, but the official making the call probably would have liked instant replay at that very moment.
Smartest play: Rose Hill girls had cut a six point Wellington lead in half with 4.7 seconds left after a 3-pointer in sub-state. An out-of-bounds Wellington guard Dani Anderson alertly held onto the ball and let time expire without trying to throw it in knowing the Rockets had no more timeouts. That’s a girl who knows the game.
Biggest game in Wellington girls basketball history: I said it once and I’ll say it again. Wellington’s win against Rose Hill in the sub-state semifinals was the biggest win in Crusader girls history. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Time to re-energize: The Wellington High School wrestling program needs to elevate itself somehow, someway and get grapplers back to the 4A state wrestling tournament.
Scary thought: Wichita Collegiate boys just won its second straight state championship, and the girls just missed getting to state after spending the season at No. 1. Wellington gets these two teams twice in league play next year. Sheesh.
Coach of the year: Brian Buchanan, Wellington head boys basketball coach. This was a tough call. It’s hard to not give it to Dixie Brewster, Argonia head girls basketball coach, who took her team to a state championship game, or Kevin Hackerott, who has brought respectability to the Wellington girls basketball program. But I’m giving the nod to Buchanan, who coached a team that was atrocious in December to becoming one of the best in the league by March.
Female athlete of the year: Breanna Bryant, South Haven girls basketball team. Bryant was clearly the senior leader on a basketball team that made the Cardinals clearly the second best team in the South-Central Border League. She’s had a very rich and colorful four years at South Haven including hitting key free throws in a state championship game as a freshman.
Male athlete of the year: Jordan Edwards, Wellington boys basketball team. He clearly took the leadership role and lifted the Dukes on his shoulder to bigger and better things as the season progressed — including a 4-1 league mark in the latter half of the season.
Team of the year: The Argonia Red Raiders. The girls smoked everyone in their paths for 26 straight wins until the state championship game in which they lost a overtime heartbreaker to South Gray. The Red Raiders came into the season with high expectations and accomplished every goal. There’s little doubt this group will be back with a vengeance in 2011. Watch out, state!
