Maize’s pressure proves too much for SM Northwest girls in Kansas 6A semifinal

The Shawnee Mission Northwest girls basketball team started the second half with back-to-back baskets and its first sizeable lead against top-seeded and undefeated Maize.

However, SM Northwest’s luck ended there as the Cougars gave up 10 consecutive points and eventually lost 37-27 in a Kansas Class 6A girls state semifinal at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.

SM Northwest was held scoreless for the first 4 minutes of the game and fell behind 4-0. But the Cougars bounced back and took a 7-6 lead by the end of the first quarter. The two teams traded baskets for the second quarter and went into the break tied 13-13.

SM Northwest appeared to have the advantage out of the locker room with a four-point run. But that was followed by an 11-1 run by Maize, which effectively put the game out of reach.

SM Northwest shot 20 percent from the field in the game and made just one of 14 three-point attempts. More than half of the Cougars’ points came from the free-throw line, where they went 14 for 22.

“They really denied our wings and pressured the heck out of us,” SM Northwest coach Tyler Stewart said. “They fought through every single screen, and nothing was without a bump the entire time.”

Brenni Rose led SM Northwest with nine points, and teammate Brooklyn Wagler added eight.

The Cougars will play for third place at noon on Saturday.

“This is the hardest part — when you are in the semifinal game and have a chance to make it to the big show, but fall a little short,” Stewart said. “We need to be mentally tough enough to play one more game.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Maize’s pressure proves too much for SM Northwest girls in Kansas 6A semifinal."