Postseason Outlook

Look at Heights now. Heck, look at them at any point this season, except for the opening round of the McPherson tournament, where they lost to Hutchinson. Is it possible that a one-loss team hasn't gotten the respect it deserves? Heights started off the season with a 67-62 win over East High at Koch Arena. East was the favorite to win the City League, and Heights was the sleeper. The Falcons reversed that thought in their opener. Then they beat Southeast, the defending 6A champ. Then they beat Carroll. Well, now they've beaten all three of those other City League frontrunners -- East, Southeast and Carroll -- twice. They've swept the season series against every team in the City League. Almost. They finish up the regular season at South High on Friday. That game shouldn't be a problem. On Tuesday, they dominated Carroll, winning 58-43. The win wasn't surprising, but the deficit was. Carroll was hot, coming off their own wins over East and Southeast in the second of the season. Heights obviously didn't care. What the rest of the city should be scared about, and what the rest of the state should take heed of for this season and next two or three seasons, is who provided the bulk of the scoring output for Heights on Tuesday against Carroll. Freshman Perry Ellis scored 16, and sophomore Evan Wessell scored 17. Heights coach Joe Auer likes the way this season and the coming seasons are shaping up. When the sub-state pairings come out for Heights, it will be interesting. They could potentially match up with Washburn Rural, Junction City, Southeast or East. The state tournament is still not a guarantee for Heights, but they have to be considered the favorite to win it all, despite their youth. The northeast has yet to produce a clear contender, though many teams have the potential for shaking it up: several teams in Olathe and Shawnee Mission, and Blue Valley West and Lawrence are coming on late. But no one is dominant. Heights is not the same team which placed fourth at 6A state last season; a new cast of players have come on, outside of their team leader at the point, Dorrian Roberts, who is the steadying force. Wessel and Ellis are brand-new to the squad, and the Rogers brothers from last season left for East High over the off-season. Also, Kelton Marshall, a supremely and diversely talented big man for Heights last season, graduated. But they have to be the favorite. They'll be 19-1 after Friday's game at South, for goodness' sakes. When does any team go through the city with one loss?