The Lady Eagles basketball team enters into the 2025-2026 season after wrapping up a 17-6 record last year, and according to Clifton-Clyde High School (CCHS) Girls Basketball Coach Kieran Wurtz, it was merely a building block for this year’s season.
Wurtz said that even though last year’s record was good, there were a few hard losses for the team that brought lessons with them.
“Obviously, a lot of wins, but then we’re trying to build for this year, where last year was very good but could have been better,” Wurtz said. “We had a good returning nucleus that played a lot of games, and it was some really competitive girls, so it wasn’t any surprise that we had a successful season.”
Seniors comprised a significant portion of the Eagles rotation in the 2024-2025 season, and so Wurtz said that most coaches would see that vacuum in leadership as daunting, but two seniors this year seem to strive for leadership.
According to Wurtz, Sevy Wurtz and Calyn Baker have stepped up at practice and aim to continue strengthening their basketball skills to lead the Lady Eagles into an even brighter season.
“Sevy has played for 4 years and is probably going to end up with an all-time scoring record,” Wurtz said. “She’s obviously been a good player for us, and everybody knows what to expect from her. The key’s going to be how much more Calyn improves from how she did last year, and how much some of the other seniors improve as well.”
He continued, “We will definitely lean on Sevy and Calyn for leadership, and I know they will compete; they are competitive kids… I know they always have the right thing in mind.”
CCHS competes in what many consider one of the toughest leagues in Kansas—the Twin Valley League. The Lady Eagles regularly play against schools like Centralia, Axtel and Hanover during the regular season and once more in postseason play.
“It’s just crazy how good the league is,” Wurtz said. “It does prepare you for the postseason. The bad part is we beat each other up… so you really never get much of a break from the league schools.”
Previously, Wurtz said he relied on two talented guards in a “shoot-out” style of play, but with a different team composition, he plans to adapt to the new team’s talents.
“We could get up and down the court a little more, we could score points,” Wurtz said. “This year, maybe we don’t score as much, but we play more defense and lower-possession games and kind of grind out more wins. So, it’s going to be different, and I think that’s going to be a fun challenge.”
