Shining Risers From the Haven 3A Sub-State Finals

I caught a pair of 3A sub-state finals held Saturday night at Haven high school. Hesston versus Southeast of Saline opened the night and was followed by Garden Plain versus defending state champion Halstead. When the final buzzer sounded Halstead and Hesston left the high energy gym having punched their tickets for their return to the state tournament. Every team had numerous rising talents show their stuff. Get to know them below.    Against a bigger bodied, physically stronger Garden Plain interior Bernal keyed the Dragon defense. Her length, quickness and athleticism were evident. On the offensive end the growth in game with the ball was evident. New to me was seeing her attack defenders from the corners. Off the bounce she used long strides slicing across the lane to elevate for swooping, over-the-rim layups.     In the Trojans loss to a very strong Hesston team Duran and teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1059093' first='Kyiah' last='Samuelson'] showed they were easily the most talented offensive players on the floor for either team. A fast, quick threat in transition Duran hit from three-point land and was strong off the bounce. One-on-one, not one Swather guard could stop her from driving nor had anything for her block game. I love guards with strong block games and Duran puts double and triple moves together with ease. While unranked, temporarily, expect that to change in the next update because she will be a scorer to really watch in 2027.     Haukap is a sophomore who showed flashes of her potential. Like every Owl she can run. What separates her from her back court mates is her ability to push the ball down the floor with strong passes. Off a steal, rebound or outlet pass she immediately looks down the floor. Teammates that look for the ball while running the floor can expect Haukap to hit them on the run for layups. Additionally, while she did not score much, her perimeter shot is quick, smooth and soft. With work over the summer Haukap could become one of the Central Plains Leagues top shooters.     A Swather team already with a lot of size saw Martin join the rotation this season. I had a "who is that?" moment at a MAYB 1A/2A, 3A/4A, 5A/6A event this summer and saw her watching online in an early season loss to rival Silver Lake. Martin has the biggest build of any of the Swather posts and she uses her strong legs and good technique to box out so well she took opponents out of plays. Martin has strong hops and good overall athleticism. She could be a major factor in the Swather run to a 3A title.     The long, athletic and experienced Proctor continues to show growth in her game. The top Swather offensive threat inside she is a real problem for opponents because she uses double post moves to get off her shot, skies well blocking shots and rebounding and boxes out well. Having a year under her belt with senior post guard [player_tooltip player_id='1215999' first='Callie' last='Yoder'] she knows Yoder will find her with quality passes to work with. Connection with the point guard is important and she has it.     Despite a cold shooting night, until the fourth quarter, from every Trojan in the loss to Hesston Samuelson and teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1802149' first='Regan' last='Duran'] showed they were easily the most talented players on the floor for either team. One-on-one not one defender could prevent her from scoring. She was consistently shifty and quick with the ball. Among the weapons she used to get finishes was a high quality step-through move with a long stride. And with her solid length, she extends well on the release.     Schroeder, along with sister Piper and Ottawa commit [player_tooltip player_id='544036' first='Addisen' last='Wills'], are a three-guard front with serious experience and skills. The quick, fast shooter is a big part of the Dragon pressure game and showed diversity in her finishing shots. Among them is a very quick release floater off the drive that also will be a short jumper at times. Her being a two-way threat is one of the reasons the Dragons have fought their way through a tough league and sub-state field to enter the state tournament undefeated with a legitimate shot to repeat.     This state tournament is big for Schroeder. One of the major pieces driving the Dragons to the state title a year ago she was unable to play due to an injury suffered in sub-state. She, along with sister Jordy and Ottawa commit [player_tooltip player_id='544036' first='Addisen' last='Wills'], are a three-guard front who bring serious experience and skills to every contest. None get flustered because of being used to playing some of the strongest teams in the state over the years. Fast, smart with headiness to go at transition defenders to draw fouls she is arguably the Dragons' top on-ball defender. Like Jordy and Addisen, her being a two-way threat is major reason why the Dragons have fought their way again to the state tournament with the inside track to repeat...this time undefeated.     Stuhlsatz is a powerfully built strong rebounder. She gets after the ball with elevation and does a great job of jumping to it. Despite the loss to defending champion Halstead Stuhlsatz and company were difficult to stop from scoring inside due to their size and strength advantage. She, like the rest of the Owls, ran the floor well and was a physical force on both ends. Definitely one to watch as her game grows over the summer.     Zoglman was part of a group of Owls who gave the team a substantial strength advantage inside. She made good use of power dribbles and post moves inside to be a force inside, getting to the line several times because of it. She showed good transition speed and, especially because of how well she jumped to the ball with elevation, strong rebounding ability. As her offensive game grows with off-season work she could turn into a walking double-double by the 2027 season.

I caught a pair of 3A sub-state finals held Saturday night at Haven high school. Hesston versus Southeast of Saline opened the night and was followed by Garden Plain versus defending state champion Halstead. When the final buzzer sounded Halstead and Hesston left the high energy gym having punched their tickets for their return to the state tournament. Every team had numerous rising talents show their stuff. Get to know them below.