As top-ranked Spearville High School (22-1) held off Syracuse in overtime, 59-58, last Saturday to win a Class 2A sub-state championship at Leoti, Lancers head coach Jerrod Stanford could finally exhale.
"I really do feel that way," Stanford said. "There was a lot of pressure on the guys, and it's good to be a front-runner. It's good to have a target on your back. It means you are the best.
"There was so much pressure that we put on ourselves, not necessarily anybody else. This season didn't mean anything if we didn't make it to the state tournament. All of the success and work is wasted, if we didn't make it to state, we felt like.”
Now, it’s time to take it to the next level.
"We're there now, so let's go win three more games,” Stanford said. “That's kind of the mentality right now."
Spearville meets Seneca-Nemaha Valley (14-9) at 3 p.m. Thursday in an opening-round game of the 2A state tournament at Manhattan’s Bramlage Coliseum on the Kansas State University campus.
"I think their record is deceiving," Stanford said of Nemaha Valley. "They used to be a 3A school, and they play alot of teams that are 3A or 4A schools (in rugged North Central Kansas).
"Most of their games were in the mid-40s to mid-50s. We're excited to be a No. 1 seed and play at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. That's like practice for us. That's when we're usually getting out of school and it's kind of a nice thing. It gives us a chance then to watch the games afterward to get the scouting done,.”
The Lancers are led by senior standout guard Carson Konrade and 6-10 sophomore post player Willie Cauley.
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As top-ranked Spearville High School (22-1) held off Syracuse in overtime, 59-58, last Saturday to win a Class 2A sub-state championship at Leoti, Lancers head coach Jerrod Stanford could finally exhale.
"I really do feel that way," Stanford said. "There was a lot of pressure on the guys, and it's good to be a front-runner. It's good to have a target on your back. It means you are the best.
"There was so much pressure that we put on ourselves, not necessarily anybody else. This season didn't mean anything if we didn't make it to the state tournament. All of the success and work is wasted, if we didn't make it to state, we felt like.”
Now, it’s time to take it to the next level.
"We're there now, so let's go win three more games,” Stanford said. “That's kind of the mentality right now."
Spearville meets Seneca-Nemaha Valley (14-9) at 3 p.m. Thursday in an opening-round game of the 2A state tournament at Manhattan’s Bramlage Coliseum on the Kansas State University campus.
"I think their record is deceiving," Stanford said of Nemaha Valley. "They used to be a 3A school, and they play alot of teams that are 3A or 4A schools (in rugged North Central Kansas).
"Most of their games were in the mid-40s to mid-50s. We're excited to be a No. 1 seed and play at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. That's like practice for us. That's when we're usually getting out of school and it's kind of a nice thing. It gives us a chance then to watch the games afterward to get the scouting done,.”
The Lancers are led by senior standout guard Carson Konrade and 6-10 sophomore post player Willie Cauley.
