Kansas high school girls basketball preview: Players to watch

With the high school basketball season upon us, The Kansas City Star’s girls preview zeroes in on five players to watch this season.

Madison Piper, Lawrence Free State, senior

Last year’s Sunflower League player of the year (averaging 18.5 points and seven rebounds per game) will lead the Firebirds this season. A Division I product, Piper has signed to play at Santa Clara next year.

Kenzie Loe, Shawnee Mission West, senior

Loe scored more than anyone else in the Sunflower League last season (20 points a game). But her rebounding prowess will also be counted on by SM West: Loe was close to averaging a double-double last season, with 9.5 boards a game.

Azia Lynch, Blue Valley, senior

Signed to play at Drury University next season, Lynch will be Blue Valley’s top player. She’s been all-Eastern Kansas League each of the past two seasons, and averaged 13 points and seven rebounds a game last year.

Abby Bird, Blue Valley Northwest, senior

The Blue Valley Northwest forward shot 49 percent from the floor last year, and has signed to play at Nebraska-Kearney next season. She leads the Huskies as a versatile forward, defending in the paint and hitting shots from the perimeter.

Regan Schumacher, Olathe East, senior

Schumacher, a 6-foot-3 center, signed earlier this year to play college basketball at Oral Roberts. She averaged eight points and six rebounds a game last year, shooting 47 percent and helping Olathe East to a Kansas Class 6A third-place finish.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Kansas high school girls basketball preview: Players to watch."