SM Northwest girls win, earn shot at No. 1 seed Maize in Kansas 6A semifinals

A turnover by Shawnee Mission Northwest girls on the game’s first play might have signaled a rough day ahead for the Cougars on Thursday at the Kansas state tournament.

However, SM Northwest responded in impressive fashion and scored on each of their next seven possessions. That surge created a cushion that carried the Cougars to a 39-26 victory over Manhattan in a Class 6A quarterfinal at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.

The victory for the No. 4 seed Cougars improved their record to 20-3 and put them in the semifinals, where they will face top-ranked and undefeated Maize at 3 p.m. on Friday.

SM Northwest’s first-quarter run, which included points from four players, helped build a 17-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Cougars cooled off almost as quickly, scoring just nine points across the next two quarters. But SM Northwest’s lead never dipped below five points.

“We got really hot and executed really well at the very beginning, and that fueled us for the entire game,” first-year SM Northwest coach Tyler Stewart said. “They really got physical with us and it took us a little while to adjust.”

Brenni Rose, a junior who is committed to Drake, led SM Northwest with a game-high 12 points. She went four-of-five from the field. Teammate Arielle Jackson added nine points.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 7:35 PM with the headline "SM Northwest girls win, earn shot at No. 1 seed Maize in Kansas 6A semifinals."