The Rock Creek Mustangs have dribbled and shot their way through nail-biting and breathtaking finishes. The community is buzzing as Rock Creek looks to make a run at the state championship as they face Atchison in the first round of state. Rock Creek won their regional championship after wins against Bishop Miege and Ottawa.
Coming off of two big wins, Rock Creek holds a ton of confidence, however they have had a bit of a break, and perhaps the confidence has worn off. When head coach Justin Smith was asked how to keep the team’s confidence going, he said it is up to them, “I think if we can’t be ready for this game, then I don’t know what game we’re ever gonna be ready for.” coach Justin Smith explains. When Rock Creek team captain Trevor Christensen was asked how to keep their run going, he said it’s about staying locked in, “I think the main thing is staying locked in every day at practice. The last couple of days, we’ve mainly been working on ourselves and fundamental skills, but the closer we get to the game, it turns into a lot more scouting” Christensen explains. Rock Creek looks to stay locked in, and confident going into their game versus Atchison.
In the end the athleticism of Atchison was too much for Rock Creek to handle. The game remained close due to the play of junior Coley Burgess, however Atchison expanded their lead in the third quarter. When asked what the turning point in the third quarter was, “we turned it over but ultimately it came down to not rebounding the ball very well.” Coach Justin Smith explained. Rock Creek was out rebounded by 25-34 in favor of Atchison. This ultimately led to the loss 54-68. Rock Creek was led by Burgess’s 21 points, while Atchison’s Eric Smith III added 19 of his own.
Even though Rock Creek lost 3 starters from last year who all averaged at least 10 points per game, the team exceeded expectations this year, winning league and hosting/winning sub-state.
