Five things to watch at Kansas high school girls basketball state tournaments
Kansas high school girls basketball state tournaments get underway on Wednesday in Class 5A in Topeka and on Thursday in Class 6A in Wichita and Class 4A Division I in Salina. Here are five storylines to watch:
1. Bishop Miege looks to repeat
Since the Stags return all but one player from its 2014 state championship team, Bishop Miege is 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 Divison 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. 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.
3. Timberwolves’ first trip to state
Although the Blue Valley Southwest girls basketball team battled injuries and illness for much of the regular season, things seem to be piecing themselves together at the right time for the Timberwolves.
With a 53-46 victory against Mill Valley on Friday, the Timberwolves earned the program’s first trip to the state tournament. They are the No. 4 seed with a 16-6 record in Class 5A. They will face Bishop Carroll at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.
Cooper Courtney scored 18 points in BV Southwest’s substate opener against Harmon and she added 17 against Mill Valley. Rilynne Like, who is already committed to UMKC as a junior, added 16 points per game.
4. Falcons make it 11 straight
At the beginning of the season, the loss of Kansas commit Kylee Kopatich to an ACL injury seemed to put Olathe South’s state tournament chances up in the air.
However, coach Steve Ingram and the Falcons have proven once again that they cannot be overlooked by winning their 11th consecutive substate title.
After winning a share of the Sunflower League title with Leavenworth and Shawnee Mission Northwest, the Falcons enter the Kansas Class 6A state tournament as the No. 3 seed with a 19-3 record. They will face Washburn Rural at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday at Koch Arena in Wichita.
SM Northwest is the bracket’s No. 4 seed and SM West is seeded seventh.
5. Huskies return to state
Scheduling was not kind to the Blue Valley Northwest girls basketball team, which stood 3-3 six games into the season.
It was perhaps more apparent in BV Northwest’s substate bracket, where the Huskies won two games by a combined five points to reach the Kansas Class 6A state tournament.
They slipped in as the No. 8 seed with a 13-9 record and will face undefeated No. 1 seed Maize at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Koch Arena in Wichita.
Lade Adepoju and Drake commit Mya Mertz have led the Huskies this season.
This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Five things to watch at Kansas high school girls basketball state tournaments."