Here are direct links for brackets for each classification for the State Wrestling Tournaments. Class 3-2-1A will be Thursday & Friday, February 23 & 24, while Class 4A, 5A and 6A will be Friday & Saturday, February 24 & 25.

Class 6A (Hartman Arena, Wichita)

Class 5A (Hartman Arena, Wichita)

Class 4A (Bi-Centennial Center, Salina)

By Adam Kadavy

As of February 22

Class 6A

Team

4. Garden City, 8. Dodge City

113-1. Alex Garcia, Dodge City

120-1. Anthony Calderon, Garden City

126-2. Dane Edwards, Dodge City

132-1. A.J. Hurtado, Garden City

138-6. Tyson Phillis, Garden City

145-4. Chris Adler, Garden City

160-2. Jacob Eggers, Dodge City; 3. Jon Heiman, Garden City

170-5. Anthony Gardner, Garden City 

Class 5A

145-4. Ayodale Briamah, Liberal

152-5. Trenton Wilson, Liberal

Class 4A

145-5. Lawson Fiss, Hugoton

152-2. Razzy Morales, Ulysses

220-1. Colton Lissolo, Hugoton

Class 3-2-1A

Teams

2. Scott City

113-5. Keegan Amos, Holcomb

120-1. Alex Kough, Scott City

132-2. Clay Mulligan, Scott City

285-1. Luke Hayes, Scott City

By Jerry Jones

February 21

Here is a look at the latest KBCA rankings for this week that includes several Southwest Kansas Teams.

Class 3A

Boys

1. Scott City (1)

Girls

9. Holcomb (NR)

10.Southwestern Heights (10)

Class 2A

Boys

1. Meade (1)

10. Ness City (NR)

Class 1A Division I

Boys

1. Ashland (1)

9. South Gray (6)

Girls

4. Spearville (4)

5. South Central (6)

6. Deerfield (7)

Class 1A Division II

Boys

1. Greeley County (1)

5. Healy (5)

6. Fowler (6)

9. Dighton (NR)

Girls

1. Ingalls (1)

9. Greeley County (10)

By Adam Kadavy

February 19

In a regional filled with five of the top 10 teams in Class 3-2-1A, Oberlin surprised the field by winning the toughest regional in the classification Friday and Saturday at Lakin Middle School. The Red Devils pushed five wrestlers into the finals Friday night, and added their sixth wrestler to state to help take the regional title, edging Goodland by one point and Scott City by three and a half points. Oberlin, Scott City and Hoxie each qualified six wrestlers for state, Goodland, Oakley and St. Francis each sent five wrestlers to state. Two area teams, Holcomb and Lakin, qualified one wrestler for Hays. The Class 3-2-1A State Wrestling Tournament will take place this Thursday & Friday at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. It is moved a day earlier this year due to the NCAA Division II Regional to be held Saturday & Sunday.

Team Scores

Oberlin 134, Goodland 133, Scott City 130.5, Hoxie 121, Norton 114.5, Oakley 105.5, Phillipsburg 84, St. Francis 81, Plainville 74.5, Ellis 67.5, Rawlins County 53, TMP-Marian 52.5, Holcomb 38.5, Wichita County 29, Cimarron 22, Lakin 22, Sublette 21, Stockton 18, South Gray 15, Elkhart 13, Quinter 11, Hill City 10, Meade 3, Trego Community 1

State Qualifiers

106-1. Branson Addington, Norton; 2. Macrae Migchelbrink, Rawlins County; 3. Lane Hoffman, St. Francis; 4. Troy Juenemann, Oberlin

113-1. Keegan Amos, Holcomb; 2. John Solko, Rawlins County; 3. James Jurgens, Scott City; 4. Casey Keller, St. Francis

120-1. John Risewic, Norton; 2. Alex Kough, Scott City; 3. Austin Avelar, Goodland; 4. Taylor Murphy, Oakley

126-1. Dylan Schumacher, TMP-Marian; 2. Dayton Dreher, Oberlin; 3. Alec Hager, Norton; 4. Trevor Axelson, Plainville

132-1. Clay Mulligan, Scott City; 2. Brent Juenemann, Oberlin; 3. Caleb Studley Phillipsburg; 4. Drew Jones, Hoxie

138-1. Calvin Ochs, Hoxie; 2. Michael Dusin, Phillipsburg; 3. Levi Hefner, Oakley; 4. Mikey Leibbrandt, St. Francis

145-1. Kade Brown, Oberlin; 2. Gage Younger, Ellis; 3. Ross Coomes, Phillipsburg; 4. Seph Iman, Elkhart

152-1. Dalton Snyder, Hoxie; 2. John Peden, Goodland; 3. Dylan Wiesner, Plainville; 4. Dylan Wolaver, St. Francis

160-1. Eric Albers, Oakley; 2. Matt Schneider, Phillipsburg; 3. Steven Yergey-Dible, Hoxie; 4. Cole Renner, Norton

170-1. Riley Hunsicker, Ellis; 2. Jason Berkgren, Oakley; 3. Manuel Turner, Scott City; 4. Nathan Thyfault, Plainville

182-1. Tyler Gastineau, Goodland; 2. Scott Heimann, TMP-Marian; 3. Brandon Salmans, hoxie; 4. Zach Gienger, St. Francis

195-1. Laine Herl, Goodland; 2. Jeff Shaw, Oberlin; 3. Connor Winters, Stockton; 4. Cody Faulkender, Oakley

220-1. Riley Oharah, Goodland; 2. Channing Fortin, Oberlin; 3. Michael McEachern, Scott City; 4. Kane Washington, Hoxie

285-1. Luke Hayes, Scott City; 2. Bradey Chard, Plainville; 3. Montana Fuller, Lakin; 4. Dustin Zahn, Quinter

By Adam Kadavy

February 13

In a tournament that was pushed back one week due to the weather, the Colby Eagles soared to the Great West Activities Conference Dual Wrestling Tournament title on Saturday at Holcomb Elementary. The Eagles went undefeated on the afternoon, while Hugoton finished second, Scott City third, Goodland fourth, Ulysses fifth and Holcomb sixth. Up next for each team is their regional wrestling tournaments Friday and Saturday. Ulysses and Hugoton will travel to Mulvane for the 4A Regional, while Goodland, Holcomb and Scott City will compete in the 3-2-1A Regional in Lakin. Colby's 4A Regional tournament will be in Chapman.

Round 1

Scott City 44, Ulysses 24; Colby 63, Holcomb 6; Hugoton 45, Goodland 33

Round 2

Scott City 63, Holcomb 8; Goodland 36, Ulysses 30; Colby 43, Hugoton 30

Round 3

Hugoton 39, Ulysses 31; Goodland 45, Holcomb 25; Colby 45, Scott City 27

Round 4

Hugoton 66, Holcomb 12; Colby 51, Ulysses 25; Scott City 48, Goodland 24

Round 5

Colby 54, Goodland 18; Hugoton 36, Scott City 33; Ulysses 50, Holcomb 12

By Jerry Jones

February 9

The Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon Basketball teams made it a clean sweep again of the Garden City Busters, with two important Jayhawk Conference victories last night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.  The #2 Lady Blue Dragons revealed their domination and overall talent with a very deep bench in their 84-58 win over the Lady Busters and the Blue Dragon men made plays down the stretch to win in overtime 71-64.  The Garden City women found themselves down

by 15 early in the game, but made a nice run getting back within five on two different occasions and would only trail by six at the break 38-32.  Hutchinson got off to a great start in the second half hitting a couple of 3's and made conventional three point plays to push their lead out 12 points in the first five minutes of the 2nd half.  The Lady Blue Dragons were led by a trio of players in double digit scoring, as sophomore Laura Patrick poured in 16 while 6-4 sophomore Kara Lee added 15 and freshmen Aja Sorrells chipped in 10.  The Hutch women shot the ball extremely well hitting 45.3 percent from the field and connecting on 32 of 37 from the free throw line for 86.5 percent and they dominated the boards 44-32.  Garden City received a stellar performance from sophomore Ashley Walker, as she led all scorers with 20 points.  Lady Buster freshman Tamara Jones was in foul trouble all night and eventually fouled out late in the game with 12 points and freshmen Deni Jacobs again played a quality game finishing with 5 points and 9 rebounds.  The Lady Busters drop to 14-10 and 6-4 in the Jayhawk West.  For the Garden City Buster men, this was a strange game of crazy runs by both teams, Buster mistakes, turnovers and long scoring droughts that led to the 71-64 overtime loss to the Blue Dragons for the second time this year.  Coach Kris Bauman commented after the game that he was disappointed that his players did not play very smart and especially with the lead, as the Busters blew leads of 7 to 9 points on many occasions throughout the night.  Three players fouled out of the game including Geron Johnson, Silas Mills and Carl Porter.  Johnson led the Busters in scoring with 22 points, but it was sophomore Silas Mills that had another banner game for Garden City, his second in a row after having a long slump in the month of January.  Mills recorded a double-double with 17 points

and 11 boards, sophomore Jarwand Rheubottom chipped in 10.  The Blue Dragons also had three players in double figures led by their 6-10 center Alex Davis with another double-double on the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  With the victory Hutchinson moves to 6-4 in the Jayhawk West 19-5 overall and Garden City drops to 5-5 and 17-7 on the season.  The Buster Basketball teams return to Perryman Athletic Complex on Saturday to entertain the Barton County Cougars.  The Cougar men are ranked #13 in the NJCAA Polls this week.  Join us for all the great action on the voice of the Busters on AM 1030 KBUF and the live Video Webcast at www.westernkansasnews.com, starting with the 5:00 pre-game show for the women and the men to follow, with your voices of the Busters Jerry Jones, Tony Hill and Donette Brown with the Video Production.  (photo's and Videography by Donette Brown/WKBC staff)     

By Adam Kadavy

February 22

On Senior Night Tuesday night at Scott Community High School, the Scott City Beavers sent the seniors into the playoffs with wins, as the Lady Beavers snap a six-game losing streak with a 52-38 win over the Cowgirls, while the Beaver boys win a 67-45 game over the Cowboys.

Goodland would start out with the advantage early on, leading by as many as six in the first half at 13-7 early in the second period. That's when Scott City made their run and never looked back. The Lady Beavers would go on a 9-0 run to take a 16-13 lead with 4:14 before recess. Both teams would trade baskets, as it would be a 20-17 score at the break. In the second half, Scott City made big runs. They ended up with runs of 13-0 in the third frame and 9-0 in the final quarter. It was a 36-23 lead after three quarters, and the lead would grow to as many as 23 with 3:36 to go in the game at 51-28. The Cowgirls scored 10 of the games final 11 points, as Scott City snapped a six-game losing streak. Janessa Lowenthal led the Lady Beavers with a career-high 24 points, while Audrey Baker tied a career high with 16 for the-now 6-14 Beavers. They finish league play at 4-6. Goodland was led by M'Lynn Hinger's 11 points, as the Cowgirls drop to 0-19 overall, 0-9 in GWAC play.

The final game of the evening would turn out to be much closer than what many people anticipated. Coming off a season-high 86 points Monday night in a win over TMP-Marian, the Beavers would once again lead from start to finish with a 67-45 win over the Cowboys. Scott City would lead 14-7 after the first eight minutes of play, but Goodland would keep within striking distance with a three pointer to begin the second period to pull to within 14-10. That would be the closest Goodland would get for the remainder of the game. The Beavers took a 30-20 lead into the locker room, and gradually pulled away in the second half. They outscored the Cowboys 22-10 in the third frame to go up 52-30 going into the final quarter. In the final period, Scott City and Goodland scored 15 points each, as the Beavers cruised to the victory. Three Beavers were in double figures, led by Drew Kite with 18, while Brett O'Neil added 17 and Tyler Hess finished with 11. Goodland was led by a pair of Ihirig's, as Gannon Ihrig finished with 15, and Gage added 11 for the Cowboys. Scott City finished out the regular season at 19-1 overall, 10-0 in the GWAC for the second straight year. The Beavers have won 22 straight league games, going back to the last two MSAA games in the 2009-10 season. Goodland drops to 6-13 overall, and 2-7 in league play.

Goodland wraps up the regular season Friday at home against Ulysses. Scott City's boys host the Cowboys Monday to open up Sub-State play, while the Lady Beavers will play at Cimarron on Tuesday.

By Adam Kadavy

February 21

In a doubleheader that was originally scheduled to be played February 3, Scott City made the venture to Al Billinger Fieldhouse in Hays to face the TMP Marian Monarchs Monday afternoon. It would end up being a split, as the Lady Monarchs won 61-43, while the Beaver boys score a season-high 86 points in an 86-31 rout.

Scott City started off red hot in the first game of the afternoon, hitting six of their first nine shot in the first quarter. The Lady Beavers started out with a 10-2 lead in the opening four minutes of the first period, before the Lady Monarchs made a run to pull to within 14-11 going into the second frame. Scott City would lead until the 2:21 mark before halftime. That's when TMP would take the lead for good, as they poured in 10 straight to make it 32-24 late in the first half. The Lady Beavers would score the final five points of the half to make it 32-29 at intermission. In the third quarter, TMP Marian would pull away, as they outscored the Scott City 18-4 and took a 50-33 lead going into the final frame. Their lead would grow to as many as 22 late in the game, and the final would end up 61-43. The difference of the ballgame would come down to two things: rebounds and three-point conversions. Thomas More Prep out rebounded Scott City 38-26, and hit 10 three-pointers compared to Scott City's five. Leading the way for TMP was Heather Ruder, who sank in five three-pointers for a game-high 22 points, while Rebecca Pray added 13 and Rachel Jacobs finished with 12 for the now 16-3 Lady Monarchs. The Lady Beavers fell to 5-14, and were led by Audrey Baker's 16 points, which tied a career high she set Friday against Holcomb.

In the finale, Scott City led wire to wire once again, opening up a 24-7 lead after the first quarter. From the 2:55 mark of the opening period to 3:53 left before recess, the Beavers outscored the Monarchs 25-1 to build a 37-8 lead. By halftime, the lead would grow to 45-14. Scott City would start out the second half on another big run, as they started the first five minutes of the third quarter on a 16-2 run to lead 61-16 with 2:54 left in the third stanza. Going into the final quarter, it would end up 65-18 for the Beavers. In the final eight minutes of play, continuous clock would be put into play due to the 30-point rule. The Beavers would end up hitting a season-high 86 points in the end, and they also won by their biggest margin of victory at 55. Scott City ended up with three players in double figures, led by Drew Kite's 18 points, while Joey Meyer added 15 and Austin Habiger scored a new career-high 14 points. All 13 players that entered the game for the Beavers scored en route to an 18-1 record. TMP Marian was led by Anthony Walters' seven points for the now 11-8 Monarchs.

Scott City will return home to face the Goodland Cowboys and Cowgirls on Senior Night Tuesday night, while TMP Marian heads to Hutchinson-Trinity Catholic to face the Celtics Thursday night.

By Adam Kadavy

February 19

In a couple of GWAC games Friday night at Scott Community High School, the Scott City Beavers and Holcomb Longhorns split a doubleheader. It was the Lady Longhorns winning 70-46 and the Beaver boys prevailing 68-43.

The girls game would be close early, but Holcomb would end up pulling away gradually. and would lead 17-14 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime the Lady Longhorns would lead 34-27. Despite the welcomed offensive explosion by Scott City, the Lady Beavers were unable to slow down the red-hot shooting of Holcomb. Scott City had an improvement from the field, converting 35% of their shots for the game, including four three-point baskets. The Lady Longhorns shot 48% for the game. Leading the way for Holcomb was Karissa Pena with 18 points, while Katie Pfeifer added 17 and Taylor Deniston pitched in with 12 points off the bench. Audrey Baker would lead the Lady Beavers in scoring with a career-high 16 points, and Janessa Lowenthal and Bailey Nickel scored 10 points each. Holcomb keeps their hopes alive for at least a share of the GWAC title, as they improved to 7-2 in league play, and 13-6 overall, while Scott City dropped to 5-13 overall, 3-6 in the GWAC.

In the nightcap, a pair of teams came in with big winning streaks. Scott City has won 13 straight, while Holcomb came in winners of 13 of their last 14 games after an 0-4 start. The Longhorns would come out firing on all cylinders and had the lead early on in the ballgame. Scott City would end up tying the game at 14 after one period. The Beavers would end up making one of their signature run, closing out the first half with 10 straight to take a 33-21 lead into recess. Holcomb would come out of the second half on a 9-2 run to cut the lead for the Beavers to five at 35-30 early in the third. That would be the closest Holcomb would get for the rest of the game. Scott City would lead 51-33 after three, and their lead would grow to as many as 28 on a couple of occasions in the fourth quarter, en route to their 68-43 win. Three Beavers would score double figures, led by Brett O'Neil's game-high 23 points, while Tyler Hess and Joey Meyer added 10. Heath Tucker would pace the Longhorns with 11. With the win, the Beavers win the GWAC title outright for the second straight year, improving to 17-1 overall and 9-0 in league play, while Holcomb drops to 13-6 overall, and 7-2 in the league.

Scott City will have a pair of games this week. They travel to TMP-Marian Monday for a make up game and host Goodland Tuesday to close out their regular season. Holcomb ends the regular season Tuesday in a GWAC battle at Ulysses.

By Adam Kadavy

February 11

The Scott City Boys and Hugoton Girls picked up GWAC wins Friday night on Homecoming night in Hugoton. It was Scott City winning big 83-43, while the Hugoton girls taking a 43-35 victory in a good battle.

Our first game of the evening saw a good matchup. In their previous meeting, the Lady Beavers rallied from three points down late to win 35-33 over the Lady Eagles. This game would see Hugoton lead from start to finish, despite a pair of ties. Hugoton would jump out to a 13-5 lead after the opening quarter. Their lead eventually grew to 17-5 with 7:12 before halftime. That would be the Lady Eagles' biggest lead of the game. Scott City would chip away at their deficit, going on a 10-0 run in a four-plus minute stretch to pull to within 17-15 with 2:34 left before intermission. Hugoton would end up going into the locker room with a 24-18 lead. The Lady Beavers scored six straight points in a 69-second span to start the second half to tie the game at 24. They had three chances at that point to take the lead, but were unable to convert on their shots. The games final tie was at 26 with 3:55 left in the third frame. Hugoton would pull away by scoring the next 10 points of the game. The Lady Beavers were unable to get any closer than five points for the rest of the game, as the Lady Eagles soared to their sixth straight win. Hugoton improved to 11-5 overall, and remained in the third place spot in the GWAC standings with a 4-3 mark, while Scott City dropped their third consecutive game, as they fell to 5-11 overall, 3-5 in league play. The Lady Eagles had a balanced scoring attack, and were led by Miranda Ramsey, who scored nine points. Her points were consecutive in the first quarter. Leading the charge for Scott City was Audrey Baker, as she scored a game-high 13 points, while Janessa Lowenthal added 10.

In the finale of the night, it was all Scott City. The Beavers hit 62 percent in the first half, as they raced out to a 29-8 lead after the first quarter. When the first half ended, Scott City ended up with a first half season-high 52 points, as they led 52-18 at recess. Their runs would end up being seven, seven, and 10 points. After a sluggish third quarter where Hugoton outscored the Beavers 15-9, Scott City would outscore the Eagles 22-10 in the final eight minutes, where most of the final frame was continuous clock. Scott City would match a season-high 83 points in the end in a game they led wire-to-wire. Two Beavers scored career-highs, including Joey Meyer, who finished with 20 points, 16 coming in the first half. Trey O'Neil hit three triples to aid in a new career-high 13 points. Two other players hit double figures for Scott City, as Brett O'Neil finished with 19 points in Hugoton for the second straight year, and Drew Kite scored 17. The Eagles were led by James Persinger's 15 points, 11 coming in the second half. With the win, Scott City improved to 15-1 overall, 8-0 in league play, while Hugoton dropped to 9-7 on the year, and 3-4 in the GWAC.

Up next for Scott City will be possible Sub-State foes in Cimarron on Tuesday, while Hugoton remains at home to face league foe Ulysses.

By Adam Kadavy

February 8

On Winter Homecoming 2012, the Scott City Beavers and Ulysses Tigers would split a GWAC doubleheader Tuesday night at Scott Community High School. The Lady Tigers would win 54-32, while the Beaver boys pick up another win 64-45. Crowned Homecoming King and Queen were Leighton Wasinger and Chandra Martin.

The girls game would see the Lady Tigers Lead for all but about two-and-a-half minutes of the game. After a 2-2 tie, Ulysses would close the first quarter on a 13-3 run to take a 15-5 lead after the first quarter. That lead would grow to 19, as the Lady Tigers would score the first nine points of the second quarter to lead 24-5 with 4:23 to go before halftime. Scott City would end up taking the momentum into recess, as they closed out the final four minutes of the first half on an 11-5 run to cut their deficit to 29-16 at the break. In the first minute of the second half, the Lady Beavers would pull to within 29-20, but that would be the closest they would get the rest of the way. Ulysses would close the final 14-plus minutes of the game on a 25-12 run to win 54-32. Scott City and Ulysses end up splitting the season series. The Lady Tigers improved to 4-11 overall, 1-4 in Great West Activities Conference play, as they were led by Vermont Catamount signee Kaylea Brittan's 29 points, including five three-point conversions. Scott City dropped to 5-10 overall 3-4 in the GWAC, as they were led by Janessa Lowenthal's 11 points.

In the finale, Ulysses would jump out on Scott City 8-2 in the first two minutes of the game, but the Beavers would chip into the Tiger lead and eventually take it for good. Scott City led 16-11 after the first frame. When it looked like the Beavers would pull away, Ulysses would make things tight. Scott City led by nine at 31-22 with 1:52 before intermission, before the Tigers closed out the half with four straight to make it 31-26 at halftime. The second half would be a different game, as Scott City scored the first 10 points to lead 41-26 at the 4:28 mark of the third quarter. In the third frame, Scott City would see their five-point lead grow to 20 by the end of the period at 49-29. The Beavers would grow their lead to as big as 28 at 62-34, but the Tigers closed the final 4:37 of the game with an 11-2 run. Scott City completed the season sweep with a 64-45 win. Three players scored double figures for the now 14-1 and 7-0 in GWAC Beavers, led by Drew Kite's 17, followed by Brett O'Neil's 16 and Joey Meyer's 10. Ulysses dropped to 8-7 in the loss, and 1-4 in league play, as they were led by Garrett Kissell with 11 points.

Scott City will hit the road for two straight games, as they face Hugoton Friday night, while Ulysses will host Goodland on Friday.

By Adam Kadavy

February 3

In a battle of two state ranked teams Thursday night in Scott City, it was the top team in 321A Scott City defeating the eighth ranked team in 6A Dodge City in a tight dual 39-31. It was a dual that saw the team score flip flop four times, before the Beavers prevailed.

106: Bryce Fairleigh, SC won by fall over Jaden McRoberts, DC 3:57

113: Alex Garcia, DC maj dec James Jurgens, SC 14-1

120: Alex Kough, SC dec Jaquan Graves, DC 10-4

126: Dane Edwards, DC won by fall over Jesse Anchondo, SC 2:39

132: Clay Mulligan, SC won by fall over Victor Ortiz, DC 3:43

138: Devin Eggleston, SC won by fall over Jesus Triana 4:44

145: Zach Cook, DC won by fall over Alex Leonard, DC 4:44

152: Jhett Ostrom, DC dec Ty McCulloch, SC 9-7

160: Jacob Eggers, DC won by fall over Zach Lightner, SC :50

170: Manuel Turner, SC won by fall over Corey Keller, DC 3:07

182: Bryce Johnson, SC dec Connor Kinkelear, DC 2-1

195: Freddy Hernandez, DC won by fall over Lane Hayes, SC :28

220: Michael McEachern, SC dec Francisco Serna, DC 3-1 OT

285: Luke Hayes, SC won by fall over Tommy Andrews, DC 1:39

99.9 KWKR is the "Sports Voice of the Buffaloes" with Jerry Jones and Ross Miller. 

GCHS Basketball comes your way again this year on your 100,000 watt power house Radio Station 99.9 KWKR, with the addition of Video webcasting on www.westernkansasnews.com

THE GARDEN CITY BUFFALO BASKETBALL TEAMS HAVE CONCLUDED THEIR REGULAR SEASON AND WILL WAIT FOR THE SUB-STATE SELECTIONS.  LADY BUFFS ARE 12-8 AND BUFFALO BOYS ARE 9-11.  CATCH ALL THE POST SEASON ACTION ON 99.9 KWKR AND LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST AS THE KSHSAA PERMITS,ON www.westernkansasnews.com. 

THE GCCC BUSTER BASKETBALL TEAMS WILL TRAVEL TO CLOUD COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY FOR A TOUGH ROAD MATCH-UP.  JOIN US FOR THE WOMEN'S 5:00 PRE-GAME SHOW AND TIP-OFF AT 5:30-ON THE LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST ONLY AT www.westernkansasnews.com, WITH THE MEN TO FOLLOW ON AM 1030 KBUF AND THE LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST AT www.westernkansasnews.com. 

Courtesy of WNBA.com

February 2

ATLANTA – Atlanta Dream guard Shalee Lehning has announced her retirement from the WNBA due to complications from an ACL injury that ended her 2011 season.

“Shalee has been an important part of our franchise for the last three seasons,” said Dream Head Coach and General Manager Marynell Meadors. “She brought tremendous work ethic and leadership to our team that will be hard to replace. We wish Shalee the best of luck and I know she has a bright future in the game as a coach.”

Lehning, a 5-9 guard, played three seasons in the WNBA and helped the Dream to three consecutive playoff appearances. She was originally drafted by the Dream in the second round of the 2009 WNBA Draft with the No. 25 overall pick.

As a rookie, Lehning started 20 of 34 games and finished in the top ten in the league in assists. The following season, she started 33 games and averaged a career-best 4.8 assists per game. Lehning appeared in 18 games for the Dream in 2011 before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in a game against the Connecticut Sun on July 31. In her WNBA career, Lehning averaged 3.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Lehning is in her third season as an assistant coach for Kansas State University, following an All-American career with the Wildcats. Lehning was the fifth player in school history to have her jersey retired and finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in assists.

“This was a difficult decision for me but I am excited to focus on coaching, where I can continue to have an impact on the game and the next generation of players,” said Lehning. “I want to thank the Atlanta Dream for an amazing three years. It truly was an experience of a lifetime.”