The home stretch run has begun in the North Central Activities Association’s 2024-25 winter high school sports season.
That home stretch is being led by Saline County as the Southeast of Saline Lady Trojan basketball team currently leads the NCAA girls’ standings while the Sacred Heart Knight boys are the lone NCAA basketball team still protecting an undefeated season.
The Lady Trojans lead the NCAA girls’ basketball standings with a 10-4, 5-1 record while Ellsworth sits in 2nd with a 10-4, 4-2 record and Minneapolis is in 3rd with a 9-4, 4-2 record.
The Sacred Heart Knights lead the NCAA boys’ standings after winning a battle of the top two teams last week when the Knights defeated Beloit 66-56 on Tuesday, January 28. The Knights are currently 12-0, 5-0 while Beloit sits in 2nd place with a 9-4, 5-1 record and Southeast of Saline sits in 3rd place with a 6-7, 4-2 record.
The NCAA wrestling teams are also preparing for the home stretch as their postseason tournaments will begin first as the girls’ wrestling teams will compete in regionals in a couple weeks while the boys’ wrestling teams will follow and the wrestling teams will be wrapping up their postseason runs as the basketball teams get settled into their postseason tournaments.
Here is a look at what each NCAA team did this past week:
BELOIT
The Lady Trojan basketball team lost 46-40 against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. … The Trojan boys’ basketball team lost 66-56 against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. … The Lady Trojan wrestling team finished in 6th with 54.0 points on Friday in the Hoisington tournament. … The Trojan boys’ wrestling team finished in 2nd place with 136.0 points on Friday in the Hoisington tournament. The Trojans finished in 28th place with 28.0 points in the Garden City tournament.
ELLSWORTH
The Lady Bearcat basketball team defeated Plainville 59-24 on Tuesday. The Lady Bearcats defeated Southeast of Saline 49-39 on Friday. … The Bearcat boys’ basketball team lost 49-42 against Plainville on Tuesday. The Bearcats lost 61-58 against Southeast of Saline on Friday. … The Lady Bearcat wrestling team finished in 3rd place with 86.0 points on Friday in the Hoisington tournament. The Lady Bearcats finished 4th with 74.0 points in the Larned tournament. … The Bearcat boys’ wrestling team won the Hoisington tournament on Friday with 167.5 points.
MINNEAPOLIS
The Lady Lion basketball team was scheduled to host Lyons on Tuesday, but the game was postponed until a later date. The Lady Lions lost 57-46 against Southeast of Saline on Thursday. The Lady Lions lost 32-20 against Hillsboro on Friday. … The Lion boys’ basketball team defeated Lyons 49-42 on Tuesday. The Lions lost 74-31 against Southeast of Saline on Thursday. The Lions lost 51-36 against Hillsboro on Friday. … The Lady Lion wrestling team finished in 7th place with 53.0 points on Friday in the Hoisington tournament. … The Lion boys’ wrestling team finished in 5th place with 75.0 points on Friday in the Hoisington tournament.
REPUBLIC COUNTY
The Lady Buff basketball team lost 54-25 against Southeast of Saline on Tuesday. The Lady Buffs lost 71-27 against Valley Heights on Friday. … The Buff boys’ basketball team lost 68-50 against Southeast of Saline on Tuesday. The Buffs defeated Valley Heights 62-56 on Friday. … The Lady Buff wrestling team finished in 17th place with 37.0 points in the Garden City tournament. … The Buff boys’ wrestling team finished in 29th place with 25.0 points in the Garden City tournament.
SACRED HEART
The Lady Knight basketball team defeated Beloit 46-40 on Tuesday. The Lady Knights defeated Hutchinson Trinity 60-44 on Friday. … The Knight boys’ basketball team won the battle between the top two teams in the NCAA on Tuesday, defeating Beloit 66-56. The Knights defeated Hutchinson Trinity 60-44 on Friday.
SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
The Lady Trojan basketball team defeated Republic County 54-25 on Tuesday. The Lady Trojans defeated Minneapolis 57-46 on Thursday. The Lady Trojans lost 49-39 against Ellsworth on Friday. … The Trojan boys’ basketball team defeated Republic County 68-50 on Tuesday. The Trojans defeated Minneapolis 74-31 on Thursday. The Trojans defeated Ellsworth 61-58 on Friday. … The Lady Trojan wrestling team finished 12th with 16.5 points in the Junction City tournament. … The Trojan boys’ wrestling team competed in the Smoky Valley Quad on Thursday where they finished with a 2-1 record as they defeated Ellinwood 48-24 and Hesston 39-16, but lost 51-18 against Smoky Valley. The Trojans finished 3rd with 151.5 points in the Junction City tournament.
2024-25 NCAA Girls Basketball Standings
NCAA Overall
Team W L W L
SE of Saline 5 1 10 4
Ellsworth 4 2 10 4
Minneapolis 4 2 9 4
Beloit 3 3 7 6
Sacred Heart 3 3 6 6
Republic County0 7 3 11
Tuesday, January 28
SE of Saline 54, Republic County 25
Sacred Heart 46, Beloit 40
Ellsworth 59, Plainville 24
Lyons at Minneapolis – PPD
Thursday, January 30
SE of Saline 57, Minneapolis 46
Friday, January 31
Ellsworth 49, SE of Saline 39
Hillsboro 32, Minneapolis 20
Sacred Heart 60, Hutch Trinity 44
Valley Heights 71, Republic County 27
2024-25 NCAA Boys Basketball Standings
NCAA Overall
Team W L W L
Sacred Heart 5 0 12 0
Beloit 5 1 9 4
SE of Saline 4 2 6 7
Ellsworth 2 4 5 9
Minneapolis 2 4 4 10
Republic County0 7 2 12
Tuesday, January 28
SE of Saline 68, Republic County 50
Sacred Heart 66, Beloit 56
Minneapolis 49, Lyons 42
Plainville 46, Ellsworth 43
Thursday, January 30
SE of Saline 74, Minneapolis 31
Friday, January 31
SE of Saline 61, Ellsworth 58
Hillsboro 51, Minneapolis 36
Sacred Heart 60, Hutch Trinity 44
Republic County 62, Valley Heights 56