Erie boys basketball heads to state brimming with confidence

ERIE, Kan. -- In just the first year under the direction of head coach Braven Born, Erie boys basketball qualifies for the 2A state tournament.

This comes after the Red Devils take down the 3rd-ranked team in 2A -- Colgan -- in the substate championship on Saturday afternoon.

"We love him here," Erie senior Ethan Dillinger says about coach Born. "He makes a plan, we stick to it, and it works... Everybody needs to respect him because a 1st-year coach just beat a very good team."

Born says he could feel a renewed sense of energy and passion in the week leading up to the substate championship against #3 Colgan.

"As soon as we got to sub-state is when I noticed that something was different in our practices," Born says. "There was a desire to be here and a willingness to work extra hard to prepare for teams that we haven't seen."

The Red Devils are the 5 seed in the 2A tournament. They will play 4th-seeded Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 4 pm. They're headed into that game with great levels of confidence.

"I think we're super dangerous," junior guard Reid Duff says. "I think we can beat anybody in the state."

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