By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
With just one game remaining in the month of December, the Abilene and Chapman boys’ basketball teams will renew their rivalry, each looking for a big win to close out 2022.
Abilene comes into this contest at 3-2, having spent the majority of their season ranked but needing to further climb that ladder after a bounce-back win over Concordia last Friday.
“I was happy with the way our guys came out to play at Concordia,” Cowboy head coach Erik Graefe said. “We had lost two in a row prior to that, but even more importantly Concordia is a tough place to play and they came out and played well.”
On the other side of the matchup, the Irish are in need of a win to establish some positive momentum after dropping four of their first five to start the year.
Despite their struggles, Chapman has continued to put in the work and will be primed to give Abilene their best shot on Tuesday night.
“Our attitude and effort have been great so far,” Irish head coach Drew Gruver said. “We just need to continue to improve each and every day we step on the floor, especially in the little things like passing, catching, and not turning the ball over.”
As tip-off approaches, the residents of Abilene and Chapman prepare for one of the oldest rivalries west of the Mississippi, but one that has been dominated by the Cowboys, who have won every meeting dating back to 2013.
Despite the history between these two schools, both remain focused on the matchup at hand, meticulously scouting one another before the first of two rounds between rivals.
“Abilene is a good all-around team that has good shooters and plays solid defense,” Gruver said. “They set lots of screens on offense and do a very good job of running their sets and getting good looks. They do a good job defensively of speeding teams up and forcing turnovers. We will have our work cut out for us on both ends of the floor.”
To continue their dominance over their area foe and to get back on solid ground before the new year, Abilene will need to find an answer for the Irish play in the paint, and avoid making the same mistakes as in previous contests.
“They have a dominant post player who is trouble, and a freshman who can really play,” Graefe said. “We still need to understand situational basketball a little better, when to attack and when to be patient. We just want to play well, and build on those lessons we’ve learned in the first five games.”
Meanwhile, for Chapman to overturn history and pull off an unthinkable upset, the Irish will need to play their best basketball on both sides of the floor and cut down on costly miscues.
“We need to be disciplined on offense and take care of the ball,” Gruver said. “We need to pound the ball inside to our post players and get as many second-chance points as possible. Defensively we have to find their shooters and prevent them from getting wide-open looks. Rebounding will be a big key as well.”
Tip-off between the Cowboys and Irish is set for 7:30 pm following the girl's game at 6:00.
For continuing coverage of all four teams all season long stay tuned to the Salina Post and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.