By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Abilene boys basketball team is on to the state tournament where they will face 5-seeded and 2nd-ranked Bishop Miege in the quarterfinal on Thursday at 8 pm.
The Cowboys defeated Augusta confidently 53-31 before surviving an overtime scare to Rock Creek in the sub-state championship game last week.
“It was pretty special to see our kids make some big shots down the stretch and our resilience was good to see,” Abilene head coach Erik Graefe said. “Rock Creek didn’t give us anything and we had some kids really step up and make shots and stops. It was neat to see them rise to that challenge.”
While Abilene enters the state tournament as a 4-seed this week, the Cowboys will need to play much better than they did last week to survive and advance on Thursday.
“There’s no question that we’re going to have to kick things up a notch at state,” Graefe said. “Everyone is going to find another gear and we’re going to have to do that too to have a good showing in Salina.”
The first opponent on-deck for Abilene will be 16-6 Bishop Miege, but the #2 ranked Stags are considerably better than their record on paper and will present a new level of competition to the Cowboys on Thursday.
“Their record isn’t indicative of the opponents that they play every night,” he said. “They play in a league with some great players and coaches and they’re not a traditional 5-seed.”
The losses suffered by Miege this year are just as impressive as their wins. The Stags kept things close in two losses to #10 St. James Academy from Class 5A, and 6A teams in #4 Blue Valley Northwest, Blue Valley North, and Blue Valley West.
Miege also boasts a resume loaded with big wins over 4, 5, and 6A schools from the Kansas City area, and will be undoubtedly one of the most battle-tested teams in this year’s tournament.
“There’s no question that we’re the underdogs,” Graefe said. “You could poll a lot of people who know high school basketball in the state of Kansas and most of them would say we’re the Washington Generals who are just out here to get stepped on and I’m okay with that. I want our kids to see this as an opportunity.”
The Stags have leaned on a loaded roster all season long with headline-making stars like Aiden Wing, Kellan Boylan, and Christian Bowen-Webb puzzling opposing defenses at all levels.
On their offensive end, the Cowboys will need to remain fundamentally sound to match pace with one of the most potent offenses in Class 4A.
“We need to be patient and move the ball to create great shots but we don’t want to outthink this,” he said. “We need to let our guys play loose and when they get a look they need to let it fly and enjoy the moment.”
While the road ahead will be difficult, Abilene knows that if they can knock off the Stags, there’s no one in this bracket they can’t play with.
“Anybody that can compete with Miege can compete for a state title, there’s no question about that,” Graefe said.
Tip-off between the Cowboys and Stags is set for 8 pm at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina with the winner moving on to the state semis to face 18-3 Eudora or 9-13 Topeka Hayden on Friday.
For continuing coverage of Abilene at state stay tuned to the Salina Post.