Five things to watch at Kansas basketball state tournaments
Kansas state basketball tournaments are scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday at various sites. Kansas City-area teams will compete in four divisions. Here are five storylines to watch during the competition.
1. Bishop Miege looks to repeat
Since the Bishop Miege girls returned all but one player from its 2014 state championship team, the Stags are a favorite to win the Kansas Class 4A Division I state championship.
Coach Terry English has led the Stags to a 22-0 record as they begin state competition against Piper at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Salina Bicentennial Center.
There is only one other undefeated team in the 4A Division I state bracket — Paola, which is seeded first and Miege second.
The Stags present a balanced attack, between Madeline Homoly and Shelbe Piggie, who each averaged in double figures across two substate playoff games.
2. Quest for perfection
If the Class 4A Division I girls state bracket goes according to seed, Paola will win a state championship.
The Panthers, undefeated with a 22-0 record, face eighth-seeded Rose Hill (7-15) at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Salina Bicentennial Center.
On the boys side, Basehor-Linwood also enters the Class 4A Division I state tournament with an undefeated record. The Bobcats will put their 22-0 record on the line against Wellington (12-10) in a first-round game at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
3. Sunflower rivals meet again
When Olathe East and Olathe North met Feb. 13 in a boys game, it took some end-of-game heroics for Olathe East to slip past the Eagles.
Javion Blake delivered the decisive blow in the form of a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 54-51 victory.
Now, they meet again in the first round of the Kansas Class 6A state tournament, with a semifinal berth at stake. They play at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena in Wichita.
The two schools have identical 17-5 records, but Olathe East takes in a No. 4 seed to Olathe North’s No. 5.
Fellow Sunflower League teams Lawrence and Shawnee Mission North are on the other side of the bracket and could meet in the semifinals.
4. Big battle in Class 5A
Another tough battle is brewing in the Kansas Class 5A girls basketball state bracket, if everything goes according to seeds.
The top two teams are No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 2 Leavenworth, which each enter quarterfinals on Wednesday in Topeka with 20-2 records. The Saints will face Emporia at 3 p.m. and Leavenworth will take on Newton at 6:30 at the Kansas Expocentre.
Other than two losses against undefeated Eastern Kansas League champion Bishop Miege, Aquinas has looked like a contender all season despite its young roster.
Leavenworth, on the other hand, comes in as one of the most experienced teams in the state, with three Division I signees.
5. Lawrence, Wichita East might meet again
The Lawrence boys basketball team has lost just one game this season. If revenge is on the Lions’ minds, they just might get their opportunity in the Kansas Class 6A state title game on Saturday.
Lawrence, which was undefeated in Sunflower League play, lost to Wichita East 83-72 in the championship game of the Topeka Invitational on Jan. 24. Both Wichita East and Lawrence enter the state tournament with matching 21-1 records. Wichita East is the No. 1 seed and Lawrence is seeded second.
Lawrence will start its state tournament bid against Wichita South at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Five things to watch at Kansas basketball state tournaments."