Hayden Barber’s five takeaways: Several Wichita-area teams earn important wins

The boys made splashes in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League on Friday night while two girls teams had impressive City League wins.

Here are five takeaways from all of the hoops action:

1. Eisenhower boys are legit

Tigers coach Steve Blue placed his team in position to win Friday.

After Eisenhower’s 48-46 win against Salina Central to stay undefeated, he cited the scouting report he and his staff put together during the week.

“For us, it was about guarding the three-point line,” Blue said. “Last time they played, against Campus, they had 13 threes.”

Salina Central still hit shots. With five seconds left, the Mustangs hit a three to cut the Tigers’ lead to one, but Central couldn’t connect on the last shot of the game — another three.

Eisenhower’s win expands its lead atop AV-CTL II over Maize South, and as Blue said, is a “great way to start 2018.”

2. Southeast girls earn statement win

Last year, Southeast came up on the losing end of a one-point game on its home court against Heights, but Friday night, the roles reversed in theatrical fashion.

With a large crowd already in place for the boys game, a matchup of first vs. second in the City League, the Southeast girls received a raucous ovation as they topped the Falcons 44-38.

“This was a redemption for our girls,” coach LaToya Randle said.

The Buffaloes entered Friday with a losing record, and Heights had only one loss. Randle said her players believed though they were big underdogs.

“They’ve earned the right to walk out there on that court,” Randle said.

3. Rose Hill boys fall off

After winning six straight, Rose Hill lost 67-50 on the road to Collegiate.

The Rockets’ opponents’ record coming into Friday’s games was 10-26, with six of those wins coming from Hesston. But Rose Hill’s 6-1 start was its best in 10 years.

Rockets scoring leader Koby Campbell didn’t get all the help he needed with only one of his teammates reaching a double-digit point total while three Collegiate players reached 10 or more, including Cody McNerney’s game-high 23.

Rose Hill remains second in AV-CTL IV but faces Andale (7-0) on Tuesday and travels to Andover Central on Friday.

4. South girls’ defense proves unfair

The Titans give up 22.4 points per game. The next-lowest average in the City League is Bishop Carroll at 35.1.

South has gone entire games allowing a dozen points or fewer twice after its 45-12 win over West, and against North, the Redskins finished with 3.

Coach Antwain Scales has his team playing extraordinary defense. The team’s defensive average would be the lowest in Scales’ six seasons.

Although the competition will stiffen in the postseason, the data suggests the Titans recommited defensively after their 44-42 loss in the Class 6A championship game last season. That was the third-most points they had allowed all season.

5. Derby boys show sign of chemistry

With the additions of Tyler Brown and Bryant Mocaby to the Panthers’ roster for the 2017-18 season, talent was not going to be a roadblock.

Derby lost its first two games to McPherson and Maize, which pointed to a lack of chemistry, but since then Derby is 4-0, including a 71-46 road win against Hutchinson on Friday.

The 25-point victory moves the Panthers’ average point differential to 12.7, but that could change soon with games against second-place (AV-CTL I) Newton and second-place (AV-CTL II) Maize South next on the schedule.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Hayden Barber’s five takeaways: Several Wichita-area teams earn important wins."