By Jayden Mies
and Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune
There were fist bumps, high fives, and a bit of euphoria for everyone in the gym last Saturday when the Pratt High School boys’ basketball team defeated Hugoton and punched their ticket to a state tournament appearance. The Greenback boys had not competed at the state tournament since 2017. For Pratt Head Coach Chis Battin, the win was especially satisfying after a long, grinding, regular season that was packed with learning experiences for this Greenback team.
“We’ve been fighting and grinding at the highest levels,” Battin said in an interview with Eastes Media after the final sub-state game. “Our kids came to play tonight. Their defense was tremendous. We played lights out honestly. It was just a great game for our guys, this sub-state championship. A great game.”
This season, the Greenbacks entered the 4A West bracket in Sub-State as the #3 seed with a 15-5 record. This meant that they were first matched up against the #14 seed Rose Hill. These two teams faced off against each other on Tuesday, March 4, in the PHS Gymnasium.
Pratt got out to an early lead in the first quarter, and they never looked back. By the fourth quarter, the Greenbacks had widened their lead to more than 20 points. They went on to win by a final score of 76-48.
In the stat book, on number that stood out was Pratt’s field goal percentage, which was a lights-out 72%. Additionally, they shot 75% from beyond the arc, which makes it very easy to win games.
Other impressive numbers included the rebound margin, where Pratt collected 29 to Rose Hill’s 15. The Greenbacks also shared the ball very well with 15 assists, and they added 6 steals and 2 blocks.
“We helped when we needed to; we stayed connected when we were supposed to,” Battin said. “They all worked together. It is a great feeling to break through that door and get down the road to the state tournament. I am very proud of our kids’ efforts.”
With this win, the Greenbacks moved on to the sub-state championship game, which would be against Hugoton. Pratt knew that this would be a tough game, as Hugoton finished last season as the state runner-up. However, the Greenbacks were determined to break the dry spell and earn a trip of their own to the tournament.
These two squads played on Friday, March 7 in a packed PHS Gym. For the first half of the game, it was a low scoring affair with both teams trading buckets. This carried on throughout the third quarter, but Pratt was able to finally establish a solid lead as the fourth quarter went on. This was due to a couple of key threes from Caleb Strong, Owen Schmidt, and Arley Morrell. Pratt won the sub-state championship game by a final score of 47-40.
Overall, Pratt was 45% from the field, as well as 44% from three, which is very efficient. They were also 53% from the free throw line.
Additionally, the Greenbacks tallied 29 rebounds, which was 6 more than Hugoton’s total. They also racked up 10 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
With this win, the Greenbacks will make a return to the state tournament, which will be hosted in Salina. The Greenbacks are the #6 seed out of 8 teams, and they are scheduled to face off against the #3 seed Andale on Wednesday, March 12. If Pratt wins this game, then they will play in the semifinal match against the winner of Rock Creek and Abilene.
