BV Southwest girls pull off upset over Mill Valley in Kansas 5A substate basketball

Mill Valley had scored 12 straight fourth-quarter points to slice Blue Valley Southwest’s lead to just one with 2:44 remaining. The Mill Valley gym had suddenly sprung to life and the Jaguars, who had entered the night with an 18-3 record and the Class 5A substate’s top seed, had all the momentum.

Enter Rilynne Like.

Like, a 5-foot-5 Blue Valley Southwest junior, drove the lane and came away with a three-point play, a key moment in the Timberwolves’ 53-46 win over Mill Valley on Friday night.

“We were a little shaken up and the crowd started to get a little rowdy,” said Like, who finished with a game-high 19 points. “But we stayed composed. I saw an opening and the defender was just a step behind me, so I knew I could take it into the lane.”

Like’s three-point play pushed Southwest’s lead to four with 2:05 to play before Mill Valley’s Kolbi Gonzales sank a 15-foot jumper that made it 48-46. But Cooper Courtney, who scored 17 points, hit a pair of free throws and then drew a charge with just more than 40 seconds remaining. The Timberwolves iced the win at the foul line.

BV Southwest (16-6) advances to its first state tournament in the school’s five-year history.

“I told the girls that this win was for them, but it was for all the girls who have played for us in the last five years,” BV Southwest coach Rick Rhoades said. “A lot of these girls didn’t have to come to Southwest and play, but they took a chance. This is the first year we’ve had juniors and seniors, and it’s paying off for them.”

Mill Valley, the state runner-up two years ago, sees its season end after its fourth loss. The Jaguars began to fall behind in the third quarter and trailed 45-32 after Taylor Westrom’s layup with 6:05 to play.

That’s when Catie Kaifes began to take over. The 5-11 junior, who had a team-high 14 points, scored seven straight on a three-pointer, layup and two foul shots before her steal led to Lexie Myers’ trey. Myers then hit a jumper that pulled the Jags within 45-44 with 2:44 remaining.

“That fourth quarter really showed how much heart our girls have,” Mill Valley coach John McFall said. “They didn’t get the win, but they showed the heart of a champion.”

Mill Valley shot better than 60 percent from the field, including five of seven from beyond the arc, but Southwest hit eight treys, five of which came in the first half. Like was four for six from three-point range while Courtney was three for five.

“I don’t think we gave up too many open looks; they just hit shots,” McFall said. “We helped a little too much in the first half, but it’s hard not to when you’ve been taught to do that all year. We helped too much when they would drive the lane, and that would open up the outside.”

Whitney Hazlett added 12 points for Mill Valley, while Myers had 11 and Jabria Leggett had nine. Taylor Westrom and Brooke Westrom had nine and seven, respectively, for Southwest.

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 9:57 PM with the headline "BV Southwest girls pull off upset over Mill Valley in Kansas 5A substate basketball."