By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

The Thomas More Prep-Marian girls' basketball team had a discussion after senior Kaylee Hoffman suffered a knee injury on Feb. 19, and couldn't play the final regular season game and in the Class 3A Lakin sub-state. Hoffman led the Monarchs with 15 points, four assists and 3.6 steals. Coach Alan Billinger asked his team: Who is going to pick it up? Who is going to shoulder the load without Hoffman, the school's career scoring leader and University of Wyoming signee?

"I told them each one of them has to shoulder that responsibility," Billinger said.

Without Hoffman, every player has improved, especially senior point guard Sophia Schippers and sophomore forward Rachel Jacobs, and the Monarchs reeled off four straight victories, including three straight at sub-state.

TMP-Marian defeated the state's No. 1 team, Kismet-Southwestern Heights, 51-47, in the sub-state championship game after Southwestern Heights beat the Monarchs in the 2009 sub-state title contest.

"Kind of on cloud nine," Schippers said. "There are no words to explain how exciting it was."

"It's an awesome feeling knowing that we beat the No. 1 team in the state and I feel like we beat a quality program, a quality coach," Billinger said. "Hopefully it will give us a lot of confidence going into the state tournament."

The Monarchs have reached the state tournament for the first time in the nine-year Billinger era and the second time in school history. In 1993-94, TMP-Marian finished 20-4 and lost to Topeka-Hayden in the first round of the Class 4A tournament, 59-46.

This season, TMP-Marian, on a 21-game winning streak, is 22-1 and is 3A's top seed. The Monarchs, who have outscored opponents by an average margin of 61-38, will face Riley-Riley County (13-10) in the first round Thursday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. against the Falcons, a team that has reached the state tournament 10 of the last 15 years and has forward Kamri Nehls, a former Hays High School player. A win for the Monarchs would set the school record for single-season victories, breaking last season's 22-1 mark. The field includes four teams that met at the midseason Hillsboro tournament: TMP-Marian, Riley County, Marion and Hillsboro. The Monarchs defeated Marion in overtime and Hillsboro in the tournament championship.

"We know they are going to be quick and they play a 2-3 zone," senior forward Jessa Stramel said. "We really got to move the ball around and be smart. It will be a good competition."

Since Hoffman went down, the Monarchs have defeated four opponents by scores of 68-35, 69-50, 51-32 and 51-47. Hoffman, known for her constant energy, has served as a positive influence on the team and an assistant coach on the bench.

"It wouldn't have been any good me being down thinking, 'Wow, my high school career is over,' " she said. "It just wouldn't do any good. It would just get them down. The best thing to do was just to yell as loud as I can to get them pumped up and jumping up and down whenever it was something good happening."

Offensively, Schippers, who averages 7.7 points per contest, has scored a career-high 20 points twice in the last four games and has averaged 14 points per game without Hoffman.

"We just knew we were going to have to work together more and make things happen because Kaylee is really good at that," Schippers said. "We usually just kind of depended on her. We all knew that we were going to pick it up and do it ourselves. ... With Kaylee going out I knew I had to pick it up. I think my shot just got a little bit better and my confidence went up, so I felt more comfortable shooting more."

Jacobs, who collects a team-high 15.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, has averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds a contest since Hoffman suffered her injury. Freshman Heather Ruder set a career-high with 19 points versus Larned in the first round of sub-state, while sophomore Jenna Lang and junior Shaunna Ruder have stepped up in supporting roles.

"(Stepping up) is something that we have talked a lot about and we are trying to sell them on the fact that this is what they have to do in order for them to be successful," Billinger said. "I think they have bought into that idea without a doubt because it has paid dividends for us and they know how important it is not only for this team but to be able to do it without Kaylee. It's a very close-knit bunch. I think what's key for them, too, is nobody is really concerned about stats. They are concerned about Ws."

As a team, the Monarchs have cut down on turnovers without Hoffman, committing just 10.8 turnovers a contest, including nine against Southwestern Heights, 11 fewer than the Mustangs. In the first 19 contests, they turned the ball over 11.4 times a game. Hoffman said the team's ball movement "looks amazing."

"Ever since Kaylee went out, we knew we had to be more efficient and that's one way is cutting down turnovers," Stramel said. "We just have been playing smarter and clicking better, especially towards the end of the year. We all know where everyone's going, so it's easier not to turn over the ball as much."

Defensively, the Monarchs have permitted 38 points a contest. They've outrebounded 19 of 23 opponents, including 10 of the past 11.

TMP-Marian has held opponents to 31 percent shooting, including holding Southwestern Heights to 41 percent, including 2-of-9 from long range in an effort that Billinger called "superb." The Monarchs used a 2-3 matchup zone all game versus Southwestern Heights, a defense the Monarchs put in last season and have used often this year. On Saturday, it helped put TMP-Marian back in the state tournament.

"It just seemed like Southwestern Heights was taking so much time off the clock trying to set up for a shot," Billinger said.

"... I think we are moving very good this year and I think the girls are getting a better understanding of what it means to play that. I have had some coaches tell me that their girls have found it to be a little bit confusing because they say, 'We are not sure if (TMP) is in a zone or in a man-to-man.' "