By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Sixteen years is a long time to wait, but for the Sacred Heart girls basketball team, it was all worth it as on Friday, the Lady Knights punched their ticket to the 2A state tournament.
For fifth-year head coach Carl Hines, this is what his program has been building toward for half a decade, and now, they find themselves three wins away from the ultimate prize.
“Being here is huge for our program,” Hines said. “This is where you want to be every year, and we have an opportunity to be one of the last eight playing for a state title, and this is the expectation for us moving forward.”
The Lady Knights have mastered their chaotic, yet smart brand of basketball this season, punctuated by high-pressure defense, smart transition offense and a barrage of three-pointers.
“Our decision-making has gotten even better this year,” Hines said. “We trust each other to make the right basketball play, and we’re unselfish. No one on this team cares about how much they score, and teammates are aware of who has the hot hand. This team has truly gelled; they like being around each other off the court, and they’re really playing for one another.”
The Lady Knight’s schedule tells the tale of one of the best teams in the history of the program, and one capable of doing great things this week.
Sacred Heart’s 22 victories include season-defining wins over teams like Moundridge, Ellsworth, Beloit, Hillsboro, and Southeast of Saline, while all four of their losses came at the hands of teams either competing at state, or that lost in a sub-state championship game.
“Getting big tests is crucial,” he said, “We played nine teams that were in sub-state finals, including four that are at state now. Our schedule has been outstandingly tough; it’s one of the toughest in 2A, and our schedule has set us up to be where we’re at.”
With newly minted 1,000-point scorer Skylar Douglas and the dynamic duo of Addie and Emmy Lee leading the charge offensively, and a defense that has, on multiple occasions, forced more turnovers than allowed field goals, Sacred Heart has been cruising since the winter break.
The Lady Knights have won 13 of their last 14 games, including a three-game sweep at sub-state in which they outscored their opponents 170-66, culminating in a 59-34 blowout of Conway Springs to send them to state.
“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” Hines said. “Our ball movement and pace of play have been great, our players are conditioned and tough and all of our starters are going to hit the floor for a loose ball or a hard rebound. We wear on teams who know they’re going to have to face a defender 80 feet from the basket and we make games long for people.”
The first test for Sacred Heart comes in the form of a Saint Mary’s Colgan team that returns to the 2A state tournament for a seventh-straight season.
The Lady Panthers are led by one of the most prolific scorers in the state in Jakayla Davis, who averages 31 points per game, and notched her 2,000th career point in a 53-point outburst against Cedar Vale.
“Davis can score from anywhere on the floor and you can’t leave her open anywhere,” he said. “She can pull up from 24 in, and she’s the key to their car. We’ll have to squeeze her while being aware of where their other playmakers are and we have to force her to take tough shots without bailing her out at the free-throw line.”
Slowing down Davis will be a herculean task, but if the Sacred Heart can manage on defense and match pace on offense, the Lady Knights can start down the path to their first-ever state championship.
Tip-off between Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s Colgan is set for 4:00 on the campus of Kansas City Community College.
This game will be livestreamed for free on Salina Post and on the Salina Post YouTube page. You can tune in below.