High school basketball preview: Newton Railers (+video)
Schedule
December – 3-5, at Hays tournament; 11, Salina Central; 15, Salina South; 18, at Goddard.
January – 5, at Campus; 8, Derby; 12, Hutchinson; 19, Maize South (G); 21-23, El Dorado tournament (B), 26, Maize South (B); 28-30, at Newton tournament (G).
February – 2, at Maize; 5, at Salina Central; 9, at Salina South; 16, Campus; 19, at Derby; 23, at Hutchinson; 26, Maize.
Boys
Coach: Andy Preston, first season
Last season: 8-13
Top players
Tevin Berry, 6-5, sr., G
Malik McKinney, 5-10, sr., G
Nathan Arens, 6-2, jr., F
One of the main changes Preston has made in his first season is upping the tempo, a significant change from former coach Don Cameron, who was Preston’s coach at Buhler.
Newton lacks height, and while Preston has players who are strong and tough, the Railers need to exploit their talented, quick perimeter players.
“We want more flow, more possessions on offense,” Preston said. “If we can split up the court more, we can have guys run to the rim for rebounds and get easy layups.”
The change will enhance Berry’s game. A natural point guard, he’s also physical and creates mismatches because of his ability to handle the ball, score from outside and create a strong presence in the post.
“We need to get him more shots than in the past,” Preston said. “I’m sure teams will know to try to take him away, but he creates headaches.”
McKinney can run the point, and while he’s relatively inexperienced on varsity, his quickness is his best attribute along with his mental maturity.
“He’s going to be really good at the point,” Preston said. “He’s one of our toughest defenders, and he’s someone we can rely on for leadership and take care of the ball.”
Newton must also get production from Ahrens.
“We need his motor going,” Preston said. “There’s a lot of ability there. He made great leaps last year, and we’re counting on him for a bigger role. He’ll need to step up and defend.”
Girls
Coach: Randy Jordan, 13th season
Last season: 14-9
Top players
Payton Roberts, 6-0, sr., F
Megan Akers, 5-8, jr., F
Taylor Antonowich, 5-8, so., G
Kyndal Bacon, 5-8, so., G
As Jordan pondered the approaching season, the pairing he kept returning to was Roberts with junior forward Abby Schmidt, who is 6-foot-2.
“On the offensive end of the floor, it will give the other team a huge headache trying to match up with that,” Jordan said. “…They both rebound well. They’re big. Abby, she’s got long arms and she’s big. I think for us, we’ve got to get the ball up to the rim and let them go get it.”
Roberts, one of two returning starters, averaged around 17 points in Newton’s final five games. Not only is she strong in the lane, but she can score from the perimeter. Schmidt is left-handed and posts up well, complementing Roberts’ game.
The Railers are deep at guard. Antonowich and Bacon are both young, but they handle the ball well and can score from the perimeter. Newton also has sophomore Jada Berry, who can produce.
“I’ve got some very athletic guards, and they’re long,” Jordan said. “…I would like to be able to pressure the ball up the floor and trap it once in a while. We’ll be deep, especially in the guard position, and it will be in our best interest to pressure the ball 90 feet.”
Roberts, Schmidt and Akers, a returning starter, can run the floor well, too.
“We’re athletic all the way around,” Jordan said. “… And the guards understand that Abby, Payton and Megan Akers, if we give them touches inside, it will help loosen things up on the perimeter for them.”
Joanna Chadwick
This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 9:09 AM with the headline "High school basketball preview: Newton Railers (+video)."