By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After securing an above .500 season and locking up a home court for the first game of sub-state, the Chapman girl's basketball team will open postseason play on Wednesday when they host a familiar foe in Clay Center.
The Lady Irish come into this contest as the 8-seed at 12-8 while the Lady Tigers enter as the 9-seed at 11-9.
As NCKL rivals, these two saw each other twice during the regular season, splitting the series with Chapman winning 47-43 back in early January before Clay Center got their revenge 42-33 to end the month.
Each team won on their home court and while the Lady Irish are excited to play this game in front of the Chapman faithful, the prospect of playing a team with this much familiarity always brings an element of danger to the matchup.
"We are extremely happy to be hosting a substate game but we don’t want to be satisfied," Chapman head coach Michael Wahlmeier said. "Clay Center will be a tough matchup like every team in the NCKL. We have set the bar high for this postseason and the only way to accomplish these goals is to start with a win against Clay Center. We look forward to the competition."
The winner of this semifinal matchup will advance to the sub-state finals to face either the 1-seed in Wellington (19-1) or the 16-seed in Abilene (2-17).
Tip-off between the Lady Irish and Tigers is set for 6:00 at Chapman High School.
For continuing coverage of Lady Irish hoops throughout sub-state stay tuned to the Salina Post and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.