A few thoughts as we cross the midway point of high school basketball and wrestling seasons ...

1. Record watch: In the last few years, several area players and teams, namely Hill City's Lexi Hardiek, have broken state basketball records. This season, the Hoxie girls, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, Division I, and Atwood senior Hillary Chvatal have opportunities to break other records. Hoxie, last year's state runner-up, has outscored opponents by an average margin of 68.9-31.2.

The Indians' plus-37.7 is within striking distance of the state mark of plus-40.9 set by Little River in 1996. As well, Hoxie is approaching the state mark for scoring defense of 26.2 points allowed per game set by Rexford-Golden Plains in 1974. Chvatal, a four-year standout for the Buffs, is putting up her usual terrific numbers with 24.8 points and 15.9 rebounds a contest. For her career, she has 1,156 rebounds and is closing in on the state record of 1,336 set by Sublette's Shalee Lehning from 2002-05. If she stays on her current pace, Chvatal would break the record in sub-state.

2. Importance of the Bob Kuhn Prairie Senior Classic: Last weekend's Bob Kuhn Prairie Senior Classic at Hays High School is one of Kansas' top wrestling tournaments. This year was no exception as the field included Hays High, McPherson, Kansas City-St. Thomas Aquinas and Goodland, all top teams in their respective classifications.

To me, the Bob Kuhn Classic has always signified the "unofficial start" of wrestling season, much like the Goldsmith Relays, held around May 1, signal the "unofficial start" of track season. Here on in is where the wrestling gets even stronger. Goodland coach Joe Sramek agreed with my sentiment, saying, "Every year, we have done well here, we have done pretty well at the state tournament. It's kind of a good preview for you."

Goodland finished eighth at the Classic and is position for a top-three finish and team trophy at Class 3-2-1A in late February.

3. Hays High boys' shooting woes: Indian coach Rick Keltner has built a strong program in his 26-plus seasons as Hays High's coach. This year is his youngest and most inexperienced squad of his career. Hays High has opened 4-8, including four straight losses. The Indians have lost four games by at least 17 points, but have lost four others by 10 or fewer -- including contests by two and three points.

Hays High could have a .500 record if the Indians could score more often, especially from the free throw line. HHS was expected to be a 3-point-heavy team, but the Indians have made just 29.7 of its treys this year. However, Hays High's foul shooting has been problematic, too.

The Indians have converted only 49.6 percent of their free throws. Generally, most high school teams are between 58 and 66 percent. If HHS had shot just 60 percent from the line, that would give the Indians 13 more points -- and possibly one or two more victories.

4. The next Victoria?: Last year, the Knights boys' basketball team, a .500 team, had a surprising run in sub-state and the Class 1A, Division I state tournament. Victoria defeated four straight ranked squads in Quinter, Stockton, Downs-Lakeside and Hanover en route to a fourth-place finish at state.

Victoria was solid on defense all season, improved offensively down the stretch and posed matchup problems with its athleticism and dribble-drive offense. This year, two boys' squads -- Ellis and surprisingly, Victoria -- and the Phillipsburg girls' squad could have a similar run in sub-state.

The Ellis boys can give teams fits with their defense and height, especially with 6-foot-5 junior Thatcher Brown and 6-4 junior Luke Lohrmeyer inside. Ellis (8-6) gave undefeated Plainville a run on Friday, but lost, 59-51. Ellis is in the same sub-state as Plainville and Ness City, but will get to host the sub-state. The Railers' offense has no standouts, but several players that can score.

Victoria returned only one player (senior guard Corey Dinkel) that played significant minutes from last year's squad. The Knights have played well on defense, but still need to improve offensively, especially with shooting the ball. Last year, Victoria's offense improved down the stretch when it started to take fewer, but higher quality shots. The Knights averaged 48.8 shots per game last season. This year, they are at 43.5 shots a contest.

"We don't shoot the ball enough," Knights coach Stuart Moeckel said. "I don't if it's because of our age or timid. We had a half one time this year, we shot 12 shots in a half. It wasn't anything they were doing to us. We shot 12 shots in a half."

If Victoria improves offensively, it could get through a sub-state where the toughest competition is likely to be Central Prairie League rival Otis-Bison. The Phillipsburg girls' program has never made the state tournament, but could be a surprise this year. The Panthers are 10-4, have three players in double figures, including sophomore Mattison Dusin, who averages 12.4 points and 12.5 rebounds a game.