From the windows of cars in the Tonganoxie High parking lot covered with “State Bound” and “Bring It Home” to pep rallies and send-offs, the city of Tonganoxie officially is in Lady Chieftains hysteria as the high school girls basketball team makes its second trip in three years to the Class 4A state tournament at the Bicentennial Center in Salina.

“It should be fun for them,” said Tonganoxie coach Randy Kraft, whose team faces Abilene at 6:30 p.m. today. “Last time they went there was a huge turnout all down Fourth Street, and they even had the elementary kids out there holding up signs and stuff. So it’s pretty special for them.”

While Kraft said he hadn’t been worried about his players’ focus all week, it’s apparently a different story when it comes to the classroom.

“I don’t even pay attention in class right now, I’m so focussed on the state thing – it’s hard,” senior Ali Pistora said – not that one week of being inattentive in class really will hurt the 4.0-GPA student.

But it may be understandable that Pistora is thinking about Tonganoxie’s first-round opponent. Seeded as the No. 1 team, the Chieftains face a No. 8 seed that has just three losses – by a combined 13 points.

“It wouldn’t matter where they’d put you, I don’t think” Kraft said about a bracket that has every No. 1 seed out of the sub-state tourneys. “I mean, obviously it will once we get out there and find out what exactly each team is. But when you go in and the eight seed only has three losses and everybody else only has one or two, there’s no such thing as a good draw.”

Kraft said the game against the Cowgirls could turn out to be a fan-friendly affair.

“In stuff I’ve seen from them and heard, they like to run, they want to get out and run, they rely on their defense and some transition baskets as well,” Kraft said. “And if they want to play that style with us, it should be a fun game for everybody to watch.”

With the potential for a fast-paced game, the Chieftains will have to rely on their bench players – even more than usual. Kraft’s top three subs combine for an average of 11.8 points off the bench to go with an average of 6.3 rebounds.

“We’ve got eight kids that can score quite a bit, so hopefully our depth comes into play and our bench can do that,” Kraft said.

In the end, Tongie’s experience may play the biggest factor in the trip to Salina. Starting are three seniors – Pistora, Rebecca Bogard and Rachel Bogard – and a junior – Elizabeth Baska – who were part of the state team that finished fourth two years ago, so it’s easy to see why expectations are high.