Kansas high school girls basketball preview guide

The Star spotlights Kansas high school girls basketball players, teams, and storylines to watch this season, centralizing on the KC area.

A powerful Sunflower League

The Sunflower League sent four teams to the Class 6A tournament last season, and there’s plenty of reason to believe those squads will compete for the title this go-around. It may be more difficult for Olathe South, which placed third and graduated a class that produced about 80 percent of its scoring. But Olathe Northwest, Olathe East and Lawrence possess experienced all-state talent that should provide an edge.

League co-player of the year Sydney Wilson returns to lead an Olathe East squad that went 18-5 on its way to the league championship. Wilson averaged 14 points with six reboundsper game, was named a first-team all-state player and became a DiRenna finalist last season. With the help of three-year starter Katie Gleason at point guard and the addition of Makenna Winemiller, Wilson, a Missouri State signee, will try to send the Hawks back to the tournament for a third consecutive season.

Despite returning from a torn ligament in her knee, Lawrence wing E’lease Stafford earned league co-player of the year honors when she averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a junior. Stafford, three-point threat Talima Harjo and a large group of returning Lions hope to return to the state tournament for the second year in a row — and the second time in 10 years.

Olathe Northwest, meanwhile, will rely on junior guard Sarah Beth Gueldner to lead them back to the tournament for a fourth straight season. Gueldner, a second-team all-state selection, committed to Drake in October. Through two games in this week’s Huhtamaki Hardwood Classic at De Soto, Gueldner led the tournament with 44 points and tied with Mill Valley’s Presley Barton for the lead in three-pointers (8).

Defending state champions

Bishop Miege and St. Thomas Aquinas open their seasons as defending state champions — again. Miege is currently on a four-year streak in Class 4A-Division I.

Aquinas is best poised to stage a three-peat in Class 5A. The Saints only graduated one key player from their two-time state champion roster. Seniors Sereena Weledji (11.5 points per game, 7.4 rebounds) and forward Allison Thomas, who set the school record for rebounds in a game (19) as a sophomore, return to lead the team. They are joined by sophomore Molly Hartnett and junior Alayna Townsell (10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg), who played large roles last year.

Miege drew a shorter straw. Eastern Kansas League player of the year and top scorer Hunter Bentley, who averaged 17.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, graduated. But her departure has made way for junior shooting guard Johnni Gonzalez, who last year was an EKL first-teamer averaging 12 points and six assists. Despite being young, the Stags’ roster has played its fair share of minutes in the state tournament.

Both teams are ranked No. 1 in their respective classes in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll.

Building on tournament success

Armed with a year of tournament experience, junior guard Ryan Cobbins and sophomore guard Ali Vigil will be relied on to lead Piper back to the state tournament. Cobbins and Vigil each averaged nearly 14 points per game on their way to a third-place finish in Class 4A-Div. I. Piper finished the season 23-2.

Paola’s road back is tougher. It lost four starters, one of them to injury, from a team that won its fifth consecutive league and sub-state championships. As the fifth seed in the 4A-Div. I tournament, Paola lost to eventual runner-up McPherson last season.

Up in Class 5A, Leavenworth will make a final run at the state tournament as a member of the Sunflower League. Leavenworth will join the newly-formed United Kansas Conference (Basehor-Linwood, De Soto, Lansing, Leavenworth, Shawnee Heights and Turner) next year.

Without current Little Rock guard Terrion Moore, who led the Lady Pioneers to a third-place finish last year and played on two state championship teams, first-year coach Derek Bissitt will have his work cut out for him. Juniors Alyche Brown and Mckenzie Brown, who each averaged less than four points, are Bissitt’s top returning starters at Leavenworth.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Kansas high school girls basketball preview guide."