February 26, 2008
The men’s and women’s basketball teams are gearing up for Region VI play-off games this Thursday evening, February 28.
The men’s team, which closed its regular season at 22-8, will host Brown Mackie College at 7 p.m. February 28, at Yost Center. The Larks are the #2 seed in the tournament, while Brown Mackie is the #3 seed.
The men’s team took both regular season games against the Brown Mackie, edging them 68-67 in Salina, January 16. Then the Larks nipped the Lions at home 73-71, February 14.
“We’re excited about what we’ve done this season,” said coach Tim Swartzendruber. “But we have some goals we still want to accomplish. We’ve been playing our best basketball at the end of the season, so that’s positive.
“We hope we have a great crowd to support us Thursday evening,” Swartzendruber said.
In the other Region VI (Division II, National Junior College Athletic Association) contest February 28, #1 seed Johnson County Community College hosts #4 seed Highland Community College.
The two winners of the Thursday evening contests will play Saturday, March 1, for the Region VI championship, hosted by the higher-seeded team.
Meanwhile, coach Joel Kauffman is preparing his 15-13 women’s squad to face Brown Mackie College in Salina at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 28.
The Larks defeated Brown Mackie 73-58 in Salina, January 16, then lost to the Lions at Yost Center 68-59 on February 14.
“We got it backwards,” Kauffman said. “We beat them there, then lost to them here, so in some ways, we should be feeling good about playing them on their court.
“I like the way we’re playing right now,” Kauffman said. “We’re understanding some things we didn’t earlier in the season, especially defensively. But we still have periods of time when we cannot score, so we’ll have to get after it and play hard defensively.”
The Larks are the #3 seed in this tournament bracket, while Brown Mackie is the #2 seed. In the other Region VI semi-final game February 28, #1 seed Johnson County Community College hosts #4 seed Highland Community College.
The two winners of the Thursday evening contests will play Saturday, March 1, for the Region VI championship, hosted by the higher-seeded team.
Hesston College Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball