The entire North Central Kansas League, with the exception of the Marysville Lady Bulldogs, is now complete with the mid-season basketball experience.
The Marysville Lady Bulldogs will see their mid-season tournament experience occur this week with the Hiawatha tournament.
There were highs and lows among the NCKL in the various mid-season basketball tournaments but things will now return to regular season action with the newest NCKL member, the Rock Creek Mustang and Lady Mustang basketball teams leading the way atop the NCKL standings.
Both Rock Creek basketball teams have identical 8-1, 3-0 records as the 2024-25 season begins its march down the home stretch of the season.
The Clay Center Lady Tigers are currently in 2nd place in the NCKL girls’ standings with a 9-3, 5-1 record while the Abilene Cowboys control second place in the NCKL boys’ standings with a 7-1, 3-1 record.
The NCKL wrestlers are also headed down the home stretch of the 2024-25 season as they prepare for the postseason in a few weeks.
Here is a look at what each NCKL team did this past week:
ABILENE
The Cowgirl basketball team lost 67-24 against Buhler on Thursday in the opening round of the Salina Invitational. The Cowgirls defeated Great Bend 47-40 on Friday in the 2nd round. The Cowgirls closed the tournament, losing 51-30 against Salina Central in the final round on Saturday. … The Cowboy basketball team lost 71-59 against Salina South on Thursday in the opening round of the Salina Invitational. The Cowboys defeated NCKL rival Wamego 71-32 on Friday in the 2nd round. The Cowboys closed the tournament with a 67-49 victory against Wichita South on Saturday. … The Cowgirl wrestling team defeated Marysville 42-23 in an NCKL dual on Thursday. The Cowgirls finished 5th with 112.5 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. … The Cowboy wrestling team defeated Marysville 60-18 on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Cowboys finished in 2nd place with 190.5 points on Saturday in the Beloit Invitational.
CHAPMAN
The Lady Irish basketball team lost 66-28 against Royal Valley on Thursday in the opening round of the Royal Valley tournament. The Lady Irish closed the tournament with a 56-41 victory against Santa Fe Trail on Saturday. … The Fighting Irish boys’ basketball team lost 71-44 against Royal Valley on Thursday in the opening round of the Royal Valley tournament. The Irish lost 58-40 against St. Mary’s Academy in the 2nd round on Friday. The Fighting Irish lost 66-30 against Santa Fe Trail in the final round on Saturday. … The Lady Irish wrestling team finished in 4th place with 125.5 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. The Lady Irish lost 61-42 against Rock Creek in the 2nd round on Friday. … The Fighting Irish boys’ wrestling team lost 46-28 against Concordia on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Irish finished 3rd with 156.5 points on Saturday in the Holton tournament.
CLAY CENTER
The Lady Tiger basketball team lost 36-34 against Hillsboro on Tuesday in the opening round of the Hillsboro tournament. The Lady Tigers defeated Holcomb 52-33 on Friday in the 2nd round. The Lady Tigers defeated Remington 38-22 on Saturday in the final round. … The Tiger boys’ basketball team lost 59-53 against Holcomb on Tuesday in the opening round of the Hillsboro tournament. The Tigers defeated Riley County 55-46 in the 2nd round on Friday. The Tigers closed the tournament with a 32-30 victory against Remington on Saturday. … The Lady Tiger wrestling team defeated Wamego 48-27 on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Lady Tigers finished in 6th place with 103.0 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. … The Tiger boys’ wrestling team lost 46-24 against Wamego on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Tigers finished 6th with 91.5 points on Saturday in the Beloit Invitational.
CONCORDIA
The Lady Panther basketball team lost 74-24 against Wellington on Thursday in the opening round of the Colby Orange & Black tournament. … The Panther boys’ basketball lost 51-31 against Hays on Thursday in the opening round of the Colby Orange & Black Classic. The Panthers lost 51-42 against Beloit in the 2nd round on Friday. … The Lady Panther wrestling team finished in 11th place with 48.0 points on Saturday in the Osborne tournament. … The Panther boys’ wrestling team defeated Chapman 46-28 on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Panthers finished 4th with 135.5 points on Saturday in the Beloit Invitational.
MARYSVILLE
The Bulldog boys’ basketball team lost 61-40 against NCKL rival Rock Creek on Tuesday in the opening round of the Nemaha Central tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Holcomb 66-42 on Thursday in the 2nd round of the tournament. The Bulldogs closed the tournament with a 58-41 victory against Hiawatha on Saturday. … The Lady Bulldog wrestling team lost 42-23 against Abilene in an NCKL dual on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs finished in 7th with 72.5 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. The Lady Bulldogs finished in 10th place with 49.0 points on Saturday in the Osborne tournament. … The Bulldog boys’ wrestling team lost 60-18 against Abilene on Thursday in an NCKL dual. The Bulldogs finished 13th with 59.0 points on Saturday in the Beloit Invitational.
ROCK CREEK
The Lady Mustang basketball team defeated Santa Fe Trail 59-34 on Thursday in the opening round of the Royal Valley tournament. The Lady Mustangs defeated Chapman 61-42 on Friday in the 2nd round. The Lady Mustangs closed the tournament with a 61-37 victory against Royal Valley on Saturday. … The Mustang boys’ basketball team earned a 61-40 victory against NCKL rival Marysville on Tuesday in the opening round of the Nemaha Central tournament. The Mustangs lost 61-55 against St. Mary’s on Thursday in the 2nd round of the tournament. The Mustangs closed the tournament with a 78-67 victory against Troy on Saturday. … The Lady Mustang wrestling team finished in 3rd place with 129.0 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. … The Mustang boys’ wrestling team finished in 7th place with 100.5 points on Saturday in the Holton tournament.
WAMEGO
The Lady Raider basketball team defeated Salina Central 38-34 on Thursday in the opening round of the Salina Invitational. The Lady Raiders lost 51-35 against Andover on Friday in the 2nd round. The Lady Raiders lost 52-46 against Salina South in the final round on Saturday. … The Red Raider boys’ basketball team lost 73-33 against Andover on Thursday in the opening round of the Salina Invitational. The Red Raiders lost 71-32 against Abilene in the 2nd round on Friday. The Red Raiders closed the tournament losing 58-51 against Buhler on Saturday. … The Lady Raider wrestling team lost 48-27 on Thursday in an NCKL dual against Clay Center. The Lady Raiders finished in 12th place with 40.5 points on Friday in the Holton tournament. … The Red Raider boys’ wrestling team defeated Clay Center 46-24 on Thursday in an NCKL dual.
2024-25 NCKL Girls Basketball Standings
NCKL Overall
Team W L W L
Rock Creek 3 0 8 1
Clay Center 5 1 9 3
Wamego 4 1 7 4
Marysville 2 4 3 5
Abilene 1 3 2 8
Chapman 0 3 2 8
Concordia 0 3 1 7
Tuesday, January 21
Hillsboro 36, Clay Center 34 – Hillsboro tournament
Thursday, January 23
Wellington 74, Concordia 24 – Colby tournament
Buhler 67, Abilene 44 – Salina Invitational
Wamego 38, Salina Central 34 – Salina Invitational
Rock Creek 59, Santa Fe Trail 34 – Royal Valley tournament
Royal Valley 66, Chapman 28 – Royal Valley Tournament
Friday, January 24
Abilene 47, Great Bend 40 – Salina Invitational
Andover 51, Wamego 35 – Salina Invitational
Clay Center 52, Holcomb 33 – Hillsboro tournament
Rock Creek 61, Chapman 42 – Royal Valley Tournament
Saturday, January 25
Clay Center 38, Remington 22 – Hillsboro tournament
Chapman 56, Santa Fe Trail 41 – Royal Valley Tournament
Rock Creek 61, Royal Valley 37 – Royal Valley tournament
Salina Central 58, Abilene 30 – Salina Invitational
Salina South 52, Wamego 46 – Salina Invitational
2024-25 NCKL Boys Basketball Standings
NCKL Overall
Team W L W L
Rock Creek 3 0 8 1
Abilene 3 1 7 3
Clay Center 4 2 9 3
Concordia 2 1 6 3
Wamego 2 3 4 7
Marysville 1 5 5 6
Chapman 0 3 0 10
Tuesday, January 21
Holcomb 59, Clay Center 53 – Hillsboro tournament
Rock Creek 61, Marysville 40 – Nemaha Central tournament
Thursday, January 23
Hays 51, Concordia 31 – Colby tournament
Marysville 66, Holcomb 52 – Nemaha Central tournament
St. Mary’s 61, Rock Creek 55 – Nemaha Central tournament
Royal Valley 71, Chapman 44 – Royal Valley tournament
Salina South 72, Abilene 59 – Salina Invitational
Andover 73, Wamego 33 – Saina Invitational
Friday, January 24
Abilene 76, Wamego 32 – Salina Invitational
Beloit 52, Concordia 42 – Colby Tournament
Clay Center 55, Riley County 46 – Hillsboro tournament
St. Mary’s Academy 56, Chapman 40 – Royal Valley Tournament
Saturday, January 25
Clay Center 32, Remington 30 – Hillsboro tournament
Santa Fe Trail 66, Chapman 30 – Royal Valley Tournament
Marysville 53, Hiawatha 41 – Nemaha Central tournament
Rock Creek 78, Troy 67 – Nemaha Central tournament
Abilene 67, Wichita South 49 – Salina Invitational
Buhler 58, Wamego 51 – Salina Invitational
