As his 23rd season winds down this week as head boys’ basketball coach at Dodge City High School, Dennis Hamilton’s Red Demons are headed to their 10th state tournament appearance during his tenure.
On Thursday, second-seeded Dodge City (19-3) travels to Emporia to play a Class 6A opening-round state tournament game against Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
The sense of urgency starts now.
“I have coached some teams that have been just happy going,” Hamilton said. “It’s a series of three one-game tournaments, as far as we’re concerned.
“We want to take advantage of it and make the most of it. Regardless of what happens, it’s been a very memorable year in Dodge High basketball.”
Of the eight-team state tourney field, half of them were in Dodge City at midseason for the Tournament of Champions.
Wichita Heights, which has been top-ranked all season and the overwhelming favorite to repeat as state champions, have 6-foot-8 sophomore standoout Perry Ellis, an unprecedented 6A player of the year last season as a freshman.
Heights, which beat 5A Gardner-Edgerton in the finals of the TOC, defeated No. 8 seed Manhattan in the first round of that midseason tourney.
Manhattan gets the Falcons again. If the Demons can get past Blue Valley Northwest, they will play the winner of Blue Valley North and Shawnee Mission South on Friday at
South (17-5) was also a member of the TOC field, and lost to Dodge City in the first round of that tourney.
If the seedings play out like they’re ranked, could the Demons be on a collision-course with Heights, a team that eliminated them in the first round in 2009.
“We’d take it,” Hamilton said of getting a potential rematch against the Falcons, although this time it would be for all the marbles.
Yet, it will take two wins to even get to Saturday’s title game.
“There’s no pressure on our kids,” Hamilton said. “That wouldn’t be fair to think that we have to get to the finals to value the success of this season. That’s not necessary.”
Don’t think for a minute that the Demons are overlooking Northwest.
“It’s tough for all eight teams, that first game is,” Hamilton said. “There’s been 8s knocking off 1s. We about did it last year (against Heights).
“It’s a tough game, simply because of the magnitude of the game. It’s the state tournament. It’s the opening round, and everybody wants to play 25 games and you gotta get through that first one to get the two more guaranteed.”
Northwest beat top-seeded Olathe East in its sub-state final to advance.
“They’ve got good size at 6-5 and 6-4 inside,” Hamilton said. “And they have three left-handers. They are athletic, and they can run.
“If they get on a roll from behind the arc, they can make it a long night for any team. I have heard that we mirror each other, to a degree. I would like to think that we’re a little stronger on the interior, maybe physical-wise.”
The Demons, who won the Western Athletic Conference outright with a 7-1 record. They stood firm in sub-state play and are allowing the opposition an average of only 42.3 points on the season.
“We’ve been in a lot of big games in a lot of big atmospheres, and that’s just so beneficial when you’re talking about playing in the state tournament,” Hamilton said. “The facility, White Auditorium, you put 200 people in it and it’s gonna sound like a packed house.”
Defense was the key, according to sophomore guard Rico Hogan, when the Demons beat Wichita Northwest 56-43 last Saturday in Wichita in the sub-state championship game
“I think we played really good defensively,” Hogan said. “We did what we had to do to get the win and go back to state again.
“Four of our players have already been there, so we should do pretty good.
Hogan was referring to himself, sophomore guard Trey Hallman and senior inside players Miles Morin and Landon Head.
The X-Factor could be 6-foot-3 senior swingman Terrance Williams, who led the Demons in scoring with a 13.9 average and causes mismatches with his athleticism and inside-outside game.
“I feel good,” Williams said. “I never had the opportunity to go to the state tournament and this is my first year. It’s amazing. It’s a good feeling. I just want to go up to Emporia and compete, go go hard and then go home.
We compete hard as a team, and that’s what it takes to getting there.
While Hogan is averaging 12.9 points, Head is averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists and Morin is averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 boards.
Hallman is tied for the team lead with Head with 3.6 assists.
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As his 23rd season winds down this week as head boys’ basketball coach at Dodge City High School, Dennis Hamilton’s Red Demons are headed to their 10th state tournament appearance during his tenure.
On Thursday, second-seeded Dodge City (19-3) travels to Emporia to play a Class 6A opening-round state tournament game against Overland Park-Blue Valley Northwest. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
The sense of urgency starts now.
“I have coached some teams that have been just happy going,” Hamilton said. “It’s a series of three one-game tournaments, as far as we’re concerned.
“We want to take advantage of it and make the most of it. Regardless of what happens, it’s been a very memorable year in Dodge High basketball.”
Of the eight-team state tourney field, half of them were in Dodge City at midseason for the Tournament of Champions.
Wichita Heights, which has been top-ranked all season and the overwhelming favorite to repeat as state champions, have 6-foot-8 sophomore standoout Perry Ellis, an unprecedented 6A player of the year last season as a freshman.
Heights, which beat 5A Gardner-Edgerton in the finals of the TOC, defeated No. 8 seed Manhattan in the first round of that midseason tourney.
Manhattan gets the Falcons again. If the Demons can get past Blue Valley Northwest, they will play the winner of Blue Valley North and Shawnee Mission South on Friday at
South (17-5) was also a member of the TOC field, and lost to Dodge City in the first round of that tourney.
If the seedings play out like they’re ranked, could the Demons be on a collision-course with Heights, a team that eliminated them in the first round in 2009.
“We’d take it,” Hamilton said of getting a potential rematch against the Falcons, although this time it would be for all the marbles.
Yet, it will take two wins to even get to Saturday’s title game.
“There’s no pressure on our kids,” Hamilton said. “That wouldn’t be fair to think that we have to get to the finals to value the success of this season. That’s not necessary.”
Don’t think for a minute that the Demons are overlooking Northwest.
“It’s tough for all eight teams, that first game is,” Hamilton said. “There’s been 8s knocking off 1s. We about did it last year (against Heights).
“It’s a tough game, simply because of the magnitude of the game. It’s the state tournament. It’s the opening round, and everybody wants to play 25 games and you gotta get through that first one to get the two more guaranteed.”
Northwest beat top-seeded Olathe East in its sub-state final to advance.
“They’ve got good size at 6-5 and 6-4 inside,” Hamilton said. “And they have three left-handers. They are athletic, and they can run.
“If they get on a roll from behind the arc, they can make it a long night for any team. I have heard that we mirror each other, to a degree. I would like to think that we’re a little stronger on the interior, maybe physical-wise.”
The Demons, who won the Western Athletic Conference outright with a 7-1 record. They stood firm in sub-state play and are allowing the opposition an average of only 42.3 points on the season.
“We’ve been in a lot of big games in a lot of big atmospheres, and that’s just so beneficial when you’re talking about playing in the state tournament,” Hamilton said. “The facility, White Auditorium, you put 200 people in it and it’s gonna sound like a packed house.”
Defense was the key, according to sophomore guard Rico Hogan, when the Demons beat Wichita Northwest 56-43 last Saturday in Wichita in the sub-state championship game
“I think we played really good defensively,” Hogan said. “We did what we had to do to get the win and go back to state again.
“Four of our players have already been there, so we should do pretty good.
Hogan was referring to himself, sophomore guard Trey Hallman and senior inside players Miles Morin and Landon Head.
The X-Factor could be 6-foot-3 senior swingman Terrance Williams, who led the Demons in scoring with a 13.9 average and causes mismatches with his athleticism and inside-outside game.
“I feel good,” Williams said. “I never had the opportunity to go to the state tournament and this is my first year. It’s amazing. It’s a good feeling. I just want to go up to Emporia and compete, go go hard and then go home.
We compete hard as a team, and that’s what it takes to getting there.
While Hogan is averaging 12.9 points, Head is averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists and Morin is averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 boards.
Hallman is tied for the team lead with Head with 3.6 assists.
