Go
Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024

katie machiastateKatie Horyna, left and Machia Mullens have been receiving awards and accolades from across the state, and it begs the question, who is the best? L&T photo/Earl WattBy EARL WATT

Leader & Times

From summer tournaments in grade school to middle school games and their entire high school career, I doubt anyone other than their parents have watched Katie Horyna and Machia Mullens more than I have.

These two have been teammates for quite some time, and they have each dominated on the court in very different ways.

It goes without saying that they have been the catalyst behind the resurgence of the Lady Redskin basketball program during their four years of varsity action.

Both have received statewide recognition, ranging from Co-Players of the Year in Class 6A from Sports in Kansas to making All State teams and other accolades.

Is there a way to measure them head to head?

It’s a tough chore, but I am going to share some tats and observations that might help determine who truly is the best Lady Redskin.

Best scorer

This is one easy. Machia was the first Lady Redskin to break the 1,000 point mark and ended her career with 1,155 points.

Katie was not far behind, breaking the 1,000 point mark at Sub-State and ending her career with 1,012 points.

Best ball control

Clearly the guard wins out here. Katie’s first job as a freshman was to limit the turnovers, and she spent four years taking care of the ball. Machia was no slouch, but as a forward, she was not expected to focus on dribbling.

Best jump shot

Machia takes the title here. She played big under the basket and could also pull up just about anywhere past half court. 

Best driver

Katie comes out ahead. She could take the ball on the fast break and reach the rim, and she could dribble in from the perimeter for high-off-the-glass shots that found their wy through the hoop.

Best rebounder

Simple — Machia.

Best in the clutch

Both players wanted the ball in the clutch, but Katie Horyna’s game-winning baskets against Dodge City and Hugoton stand out.

And the winner is ...

That’s right, it’s a draw. More importantly, both owe their success to the other. We have been lucky for the last four years to have been able to watch them both. And they both deserve to be considered Liberal’s best basketball player(s) of all time

EARL WATT • Leader & Times

 

Two first round upsets busted brackets early in the Bracketbuster [ ... ]

Read more...

Taylor Harding (4) gets a high five from Lexi Miller after scoring a run against Bucklin Friday. Harding [ ... ]

Read more...

Special to the Leader & Times

 

The swimming season kicked off at the Northwest Invitational [ ... ]

Read more...