MOUNDRIDGE WILDCAT BASKETBALL

WILDCAT HOOPSTERS LOOK TO 3-PEAT AS STATE CHAMPS

By Staff

            MOUNDRIDGE – What does one do to follow up a first-year coach guiding the Moundridge boys’ basketball program to its second consecutive Class 2A state title while playing with just one senior – you aim for a three-peat.

            The Wildcats return everyone but Kreighton Kanitz, a senior who graduated after earning both first-team all-state and all-league honors along with being named Class 2A Player of the Year by the Wichita Eagle.

            Dustan Kanitz took over for hall-of-fame coach Vance Unruh when he retired and took the Wildcats to their 23-3 record and their second straight  state championship after spending many years as the top assistant to Kurt Kinnamon in McPherson.

            Coach Kanitz got  excited about the upcoming season when he said, “We return four starters from our state championship team and our 2024/25 roster will have added depth. Our team’s size and quickness have the potential to create matchup problems for our opponents while our personnel allows us the ability to score several different ways. Defensively, we will want to play a physical style of basketball and hold our opponents to low scoring.”

            Sure, they graduated Kreighton Kanitz who took with him, 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, but the Wildcats return four starters who combined for 32.1 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game in 2023/24.

            But, leading the charge for 2024/25 will be six-foot-three senior Bear Moddelmog who  earned all-league and first-team all-state honors after averaging 14 points, and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 85% on his free throws.

            Henry Hecox, a six-foot-three senior  coming off a spectacular season as quarter back of the Wildcat football team, returns as well after making second team all-league and all-state when he averaged 9.1 points, 4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

            Returning to run the offense will be six-foot-one junior guard, Kaizer Kanitz, who averaged nearly 7 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game while gaining honorable mention for both all-league and all-state.

            The fourth returning starter is six-foot-four center, Zach Dixon, possibly the most improved player on the team as he averaged 2.8 points and 3.9 rebounds during the season but put scored 25 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in three state tournament outings.

            Coach Kanitz noted that the top three back-up players also return in five-foot-nine senior Kepple Adolf, six-foot-five junior Layton Schmidt, and six-foot-four junior Heath Churchill. Schmidt played starter type minutes while coming off the bench, Churchill saw his role increase as the season went along and is a six-foot-seven high jumper for the track team. Adolf played many crucial minutes in the state tournament and hit some big shots while providing instant energy.

            According to coach Kanitz, two players who he mentioned in his pre-season reflections as having improved over the summer were junior Jesse Lutz and Fynn Burge. the six-foot Lutz improved his defensive play and has great ability to make many shots from the perimeter while Burge is six-foot-one and often finds himself as the best shooter in the gym.

            In finishing his reflections of the upcoming season, Kanitz added, “Our leaders continue to have important experience playing in the big games at the high school level. Most of all we enjoy competing in this community that loves and appreciates good basketball.”

            The Wildcats will open the 2024/25 season on the road at Elyria Christian on Friday, December 6 before hosting county rival Inman on Tuesday, December 10. They then battle both Lyons and Hillsboro on Thursday, December 12 and Friday, December 13 before finishing out the pre-holiday schedule with  road games at Little River on Tuesday, December 17 and at Sedgwick on Friday, December 20.

 (The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)