By Joanna Chadwick
This is it!
Congrats to all the teams who have made it this far. Just remember, win or lose, it’s the journey.
Class 6A boys
Title game: Wichita Heights 61, Blue Valley Northwest 54 — Heights scored the game’s first 13 points and had a 21-2 lead at the 6:20 mark of the second quarter. But BV Northwest was not through. The Huskies went on an 11-2 run to get within 39-34 with 6:07 to play. Heights finally had full control again after Dreylin Kemp scored on a dunk, was fouled and hit the free throw for the 53-40 lead. Heights was led by Chase Harris’ six rebounds and 21 points — he hit 8 of 12 shots and 3 of 4 threes — Kemp’s 14 and TJ Williams’ 11 points and four steals. BV Northwest’s Grant Stubblefield scored 16 points, Michael Pauley had 13 and Joseph Matteoni 10 points and seven rebounds.
Third place: Lawrence Free State 58, Olathe West 51 — Trailing 41-38 with 1:09 to go in the third, Free State scored 11 unanswered points, including two threes by Mozae Rivers-Downing and one from Camren Edwards. Free State was led by Rivers-Downing and Jordan Brown, who each had 13 points. Rivers-Downing also had six rebounds and Edwards finished with 10 points. Olathe West’s Harrison Kisling scored 12 points, Jayson Luse 11 and Tanner Zimmerman had eight rebounds.
Class 6A girls
Title game: Washburn Rural 40, Derby 23 — Washburn Rural outscored Derby 25-13 in the second half — four in the final period — to get the victory. Washburn Rural was led by Brooklyn DeLeye’s 13 points and 10 rebounds, as well as Zoe Canfield’s 12 points, including two three-pointers. Derby’s Addy brown scored 11 points and had eight rebounds, and Naomi White had six rebounds.
Third place: Blue Valley 48, Olathe North 46 3OT — Blue Valley’s state tournament consisted of a last-second shot to beat Topeka in the quarters, a double-overtime loss to Derby in the semifinals and now a triple-overtime win to take third. Jadyn Wooten scored 23 points, hitting 11 of 13 free throws. Olathe North’s Sania Copeland scored a team-high 18 points, hitting five three-pointers, including two in the final 1:18 of regulation to send it to overtime. Yiibari Nwidadah had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Class 5A boys
Title game: Topeka Seaman 66, DeSoto, 47 — Aron Davis had 17 points, six rebounds and Kaedon Bonner 15 points, hitting 3 of 3 threes for Seaman in the win. Mateo Hyman added four assists, eight rebounds. DeSoto’s Tyler Schultze had 15 points, and David Cobin and Trent Johnson each had 10.
Third place: Maize vs. St. James Academy 81, Maize 62 — Brian Hawthorne scored 22 points to lead St. James Academy, John Niesen had 16 and Sam Somerhalder and Blake Boydston each had 10. Maize was led by Mason Belcher’s 17 points and six rebounds. Kyle Grill and Sam Schmidt each scored 11 and Jaden Gustafson had 10. Grill also had six rebounds and four assists.
Class 5A girls
Title game: St. Thomas Aquinas 52, Salina Central 38 — Aquinas’ Beatrice Culliton had 18 points and 17 rebounds, Kelsey Schenck 10 points. Salina Central’s Aubrie Kierscht scored 17 points and hit three three-pointers.
Third place: Andover Central 48, Lansing, 46 — Brittany Harshaw scored a game-high 16 points and Maddie Amekporfor had 15 in Andover Central’s win. Harshaw added seven rebounds and five assists, four steals. Ellie Stearns added five assists, Amekporfor six rebounds. Lansing’s Kamryn Farris had 12 points, nine rebounds, Skylar Weaver 12 points and Caitlin Bishop 11.
Class 4A boys
Title game: Bishop Miege 64, Andale 57
Third place: McPherson 37, Topeka Hayden 33 — McPherson’s Seth Madron scored 12 points and had eight rebounds in the win. Hayden was led by Trent Duffey, who had 11 points, Jake Muller (10) and Joe Otting (10 rebounds).
Class 4A girls
Title game: Bishop Miege 71, Eudora 45 — Bishop Miege’s Grace Anne McCallop scored 18 points, Gabriella Henderson-Artis had 16, Kirston Verhulst 13, Allie Burns 12 points with 10 rebounds. Eudora’s Harper Schreiner had 23 points and eight rebounds, Makenzie Yoder 11 points, five rebounds.
Third place: Wamego 68, Wellington 61 — Wamego’s Paige Donnelly had 21 points, seven rebounds, Ashten Pierson 18 points and Trista Hoobler 12. Airalyn Frame scored 29 points to lead Wellington, hitting 8 of 12 shot sand 13 of 16 from the line. She also had 12 rebounds. Valerie Norwood had 11 rebounds, five assists.
Class 3A boys
Title game: Hesston 51, Royal Valley 41 — Hesston was led by Brayden Schilling, who had 13 points, Cason Richardson 12, Jake Proctor 11. Ty Schroeder had six rebounds.
Third place: SE-Saline 57, Thomas More Prep, 44 — Eli Sawyers and Nakari Morrical Palmer each scored 12 points. Sawyers added seven rebounds, six assists, and Morrical-Palmer had eight rebounds, four assists, four steals. Thomas More Prep’s Jace Wentling had 17 points and eight rebounds.
Class 3A girls
Title game: Goodland 48, Hugoton 47 — Goodland’s Talexa Weeter had 16 points, Emma Lehman 11, Olivia Lehman 10 points and six rebounds, and Lindsey Cure nine rebounds. Hugoton’s Gianna Vos scored 22 points and Summya Adigun scored 11 with nine rebounds. Mikyn Hamlin had eight rebounds.
Third place: Silver Lake 53, Nickerson 51 — Silver Lake’s Kaibryn Kruger had 14 points, Makenzie McDaniel 12 in the win. Ava Jones scored 26 and had 19 rebounds for Nickerson, and Kieryn Ontjes 10 points, four assists.
Class 2A boys
Title game: Hillsboro 60, St. Marys 32
Third place: Lyndon 66, Valley Falls 50 — Lyndon’s Toby Miller had 27 points and eight rebounds, Jackson Biggs 17 points, Darian Massey 13 points, seven rebounds. Valley Falls’ Avery Gatzemeyer hit 6 of 14 three-pointers and had 20 points, eight rebounds, and Zac Evans had 13 points, seven rebounds.
Class 2A girls
Title game: Sterling 47, Garden Plain 38 — Sterling’s Kali Briar had 12 points, nine rebounds and Bennie Horsch 11 points. Garden Plain’s Brooke Hammond had eight rebounds.
Third place: Smith Center 44, Berean Academy 37 — Smith Center’s Ashlyn Long scored 15 points and Tallon Rentschler 13 points, four steals in the victory. Tayton Smith had 12 points, nine rebounds to lead Berean Academy and Lillie Veer scored 11
Class 1A-I boys
Title game: Olpe 66, South Gray 42
Third place: Macksville 66, Solomon 54
Class 1A-I girls
Title game: Pretty Prairie 37, Centralia 35
Third place: Burlingame 55, Hodgeman County 45
Class 1A-II boys
Title game: Greeley County 56, Hanover 55 — Greeley County’s Jaxon Brandl had 31 points, hitting 14 of 21 shots, including 3 of 4 threes and had eight rebounds. Lincoln Shafer had 12. Hanover’s Joshua Zarybnicky had 15 points, 12 rebounds, Keagan Dimler 13 points, Philip Doebele 11.
Third place: Northern Valley 84, Bucklin 79 OT — Northern Valley’s Bailey Sides was 6 of 6 from the line and scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, 11 assists. Drew Schemper had 13 rebounds and 13 points, Kenton Thalheim had 12 points, Eric Loya 10 points, four steals, Jeremiah Hansen 10 points, John Brands 10 Bucklin’s Scott Price scored 33 points, hitting 12 of 16 free throws. He had seven rebounds and seven steals.
Class 1A-II girls
Title game: Central Plains 50, Golden Plains 38 — Central Plains wins its eighth straight title. Kyla Metro had 15 points, Brynna Hammeke and Madison McGuire each had 11, Kassidy Nixon had 10 rebounds and seven rebounds. Golden Plains was led by Kassie Miller’s 19 points.
Third place: Hanover 47, Hutchinson Central Christian 27 — Handover’s Tessa Lohse scored 15 points, Ceegan Atkins had 10 and Avery Behrends had 10 rebounds, five assists. Hutchinson Central Christian’s Anna Lambert scored 12 and Kaylee Kauffman had 11 points.
