Labette choice to win SEK girls' title
PITTSBURG -- The results of voting for the pre-season Southeast Kansas League girls' basketball poll revealed here Monday appear to indicate that there are three tiers of expectation this season.
Defending co-champions Labette County and Chanute are in the first tier, separated in voting by just one point and the only teams to receive six top-three votes (coaches could not vote for their own teams). Pittsburg and Independence, separated by two points, are the second. Each received four top-three votes.
Fort Scott High, Parsons and Coffeyville form the third tier. The three received one top-three vote among them.
Parity made voting difficult on the boys' side. Intentionally or not, the girls' vote indicates that there are two teams expected to dominate. LCHS, 10-2 in the league and a Class 4A-Division I State qualifier which finished 18-5 overall, received four first-place votes and scored 34 points. Chanute (10-2, 17-5) got the other three first-place votes and scored 33 points.
Labette County head coach Kristi Sinder has her top three scorers back from last season, including sophomore Tristan Gegg. She told the assembled media that she feels her team can go to the ninth or 10th woman on her bench.
Chanute's Dustin Fox had no seniors last season so this is the first team he's had in his five seasons with a senior class that's been through the program with him going into a fourth season.
Pittsburg (6-6, 11-11) has a new coach this season, former Coffeyville head coach Eric Flaton. His team was picked third with 24 points, just two ahead of Independence (8-2, 12-9). He has four seniors back. Indy coach Dale Reynolds has only one returning starter.
Fort Scott and Parsons (both 2-10, 4-17) tied for last last season and tied for fifth in the voting with 13 points each with Parsons picking up a top-three vote. But second-year Tiger head coach Pechone Stepps is optimistic heading into a new season.
"This being my second year, I think we'll have a better feel of out personnel," Stepps said. "Last year, we played a lot of young girls and I think that will bode well for us this season. That experience should help us out."
Senior Ashley Cook, who will be a fourth-year varsity player, will be counted upon to shoulder quite a bit of the load. Abby Denton, who would be the point guard, retore her ACL over the summer, according to Stepps. Shytanna Reed and Cassidy Westhoff are the Tigers' other seniors.
Mike Krull, a long-time boys' coach at Parsons, has taken over the girls' program there. He noted that he is the fifth head coach in five seasons and that has likely affected who comes out for the team. Seniors Shay Kellly and Stacia Dishman will lead a "junior- and freshmen-strong" roster of 17.
Nick Hart takes over from Flaton at Coffeyville (4-8, 10-11). Andre'a Newton is one of the SEK's top players but otherwise, Hart said he "doesn't know what our team consists of."