It's sub-state championship Saturday and five of our area teams will look to punch one of eight tickets to state in their respective classes throughout the evening.
Here you can find finals and matchup information for the Salina Central, Salina South, Abilene, Chapman, Southeast of Saline, Sacred Heart, Ell-Saline, Solomon, and Bennington boys and girls basketball teams.
State Bound
#1 Salina Central girls
#6 Southeast of Saline boys
#7 Southeast of Saline girls
Abilene boys
Solomon boys
Saturday, March 5th
The Southeast of Saline girls became the fifth and final area school to clinch a spot in the state tournament with a 37-30 win over Riley County. The Falcons will conclude their season at 10-11 while the Lady Trojans are on to Hutch.
The Abilene Cowboys survived a scare from Rock Creek, holding on to win an overtime thriller 64-57. The Mustangs Cinderella run comes to an end at 9-13 while the Cowboys are on to the state tournament in Salina next week.
The Salina Central girls strolled past Hays 63-33 and waltzed away with a punched ticket to the state tournament. The Indians season will come to a close at 13-9 while the Lady Mustangs, still undefeated at 22-0, will head to Emporia next week.
The Solomon boys basketball team is headed to the state tournament for the first time in school history after holding on for dear life in a 53-50 upset win over Clifton-Clyde. The Eagles wrap up their season 15-6 while the Gorillas are on to Dodge City next week.
The Southeast of Saline boys basketball team punched their ticket to the state tournament with a resounding 71-48 victory over Council Grove on Saturday. The Braves finish their season 14-9 while the Trojans advance to Hutch for the first time since 2017.
Friday, March 4th
The Southeast of Saline girls basketball team won their 12th straight game in the sub-state semifinal, defeating Beloit for a third time by a final score of 40-27. Beloit's season comes to an end at 10-12 while SES moves on to play Riley County in the sub-state title game on Saturday.
The Bennington boys basketball team fell short to the #2 team in Class 2A, dropping their semifinal with St. Mary's 78-51. The Bulldogs conclude their campaign 13-9 while the Bears move on to the final to take on Wabaunsee on Saturday.
The Sacred Heart boys basketball team came up on the short end of the stick to Wabaunsee by a final score of 57-51. The Knights finish their 2021-22 season 16-6 while the Chargers advance to the sub-state final on Saturday to take on St. Mary's.
Thursday, March 3rd
The Bennington girls basketball team battled but were outmatched by Valley Heights, falling in the sub-state semifinal 72-40. The Lady Bulldogs conclude wrap up their campaign 12-10 while the Mustangs move on to play St. Mary's, whose Cinderella run continued tonight with a win over Wabaunsee.
The Southeast of Saline boys basketball team bounced back with a huge 57-42 win over Smoky Valley to advance to the sub-state final on Saturday. The Vikings season will come to an end at 11-11 while the Trojans move on to play Council Grove for one of eight tickets to state.
The Solomon boys basketball team made a statement in the sub-state semifinal with a 58-39 win over Washington County. The Tigers conclude their season at 4-17 while the Gorillas move on to the sub-state final to take on Lincoln or Clifton-Clyde.
Wednesday, March 2nd
The Abilene boys basketball team took care of business in their semifinal with Augusta, taking home a 53-31 victory. The Orioles will conclude their season 7-14 while the Cowboys play Rock Creek for a ticket to state next week.
The #1 Salina Central girls basketball team dominated Newton, advancing to the sub-state final by a final score of 60-23. The Railroaders wrap up their campaign at 2-19 while the Lady Stangs move on to play Hays for a ticket to state.
The Salina South girls basketball team hung around late but fell to Topeka-Seaman 46-35. The Lady Cougars finish their season 7-14 while the Vikings advance to take on Andover Central in the sub-state final.
Tuesday, March 1st
The Salina Central boys basketball team battled hard but came up just short at the hands of Valley Center, falling by a final of 63-52. The Mustangs wrap up their season 10-11 while the Hornets advance to the sub-state final to take on Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
The Chapman girls basketball team couldn't defeat Clay Center for a third time this season, falling by a final score of 43-29. The Lady Irish will finish an impressive turnaround campaign 8-13 while the Tigers advance to face Clearwater in the sub-state final.
The Southeast of Saline girls basketball team took care of Lyons in the opening round of sub-state with a convincing 51-25 victory. The Lions will finish their season 6-15 while the Lady Trojans advance to take on Beloit in the semifinal on Friday.
The Sacred Heart boys basketball team defeated Ell-Saline for a third time this season by a final score of 59-40. The Cardinals wrap up their season at 3-18 while the Knights advance to take on Wabaunsee in the sub-state semis on Friday.
The Bennington boys basketball team held on for a 57-50 victory over Republic County to advance to the sub-state semis. The Buffaloes finish their season 0-21 while the Bulldogs move on to play St. Mary's in the second round on Friday.
The Salina South boys basketball team fell to Andover Central on Tuesday by a final score of 55-28. The Cougars wrap up their 2021-22 campaign at 7-14 while the Jaguars move on to the final to face Maize in the sub-state final.
The Abilene girls basketball team was defeated by #5 Andale in the sub-state opener by a final score of 45-22. The Cowgirls finish their season 3-18 while the Indians advance to the sub-state final to take on Augusta for a trip to state.
Monday, February 28th
The Ell-Saline girls basketball team fell in a shocking upset at the hands of 7-seed Wabaunsee by a final score of 43-33. The Lady Cards finish their season 14-6 while Wabaunsee moves on to the semifinals to face St. Mary's who upset Herington earlier tonight.
The Southeast of Saline boys basketball team defeated Minneapolis for the third time this season by a final of 49-20, extending their win streak to 11 games. The Lions end their year 5-16 while the Trojans advance to take on 11-10 Smoky Valley in the semifinal on Thursday.
The Bennington girl's basketball team snapped Sacred Heart's six-game win streak in a narrow 46-44 victory in front of their home crowd. The Lady Knights finish their season 11-10 while the Lady Bulldogs advance to the sub-state semifinal to face Blue Rapids-Valley Heights on Thursday.
Friday, February 25th
The Solomon girls basketball team was defeated by 3-seed Washington County 55-18 on Friday night in the sub-state quarterfinals. The Lady Gorillas wrap up their season 2-16 while the Tigers advance to face 11-8 Mankato-Rock Hills in the semifinal.
Pre-bracket play news
The Solomon boys basketball team wrapped up their regular season at 13-7, good enough to earn the two-seed and a first-round bye at the sub-state tournament. The Gorillas will face the winner of Randolph-Blue Valley and Washington County on Thursday, March 3rd.