Eastern Kansas League and Sunflower League basketball report
Here are the Eastern Kansas League and Sunflower League boys and girls basketball reports, with team rankings by Kathleen Gier — The Star’s Kansas side high school reporter — and a comment about each conference.
EASTERN KANSAS LEAGUE BOYS
1. Blue Valley Northwest
2. St. Thomas Aquinas
3. Blue Valley
4. Blue Valley North
5. Bishop Miege
6. Blue Valley West
7. Blue Valley Southwest
8. Gardner Edgerton
Blue Valley is the hottest team in the EKL right now, with three consecutive victories. The Tigers only losses have come against Lee’s Summit and Blue Valley Northwest, which are both ranked in The Star’s big-class boys rankings. The winning streak has helped Blue Valley get back into contention for the league title, as one of six teams with three or fewer losses. Upper classmen like Alex Debey, Gus Gomez, Tyler Geiman and Ritter Braithwait have been leading the way. St. Thomas Aquinas still has the league’s best record, with just one loss. Blue Valley Northwest has two losses after a tough matchup with Father Tolton Catholic in the Best of the Midwest Showcase on Saturday at Johnson County Community College.
SUNFLOWER LEAGUE BOYS
1. Lawrence
2. Lawrence Free State
3. Olathe East
4. Olathe South
5. Shawnee Mission North
6. Shawnee Mission Northwest
7. Olathe North
8. Shawnee Mission South
9. Shawnee Mission West
10. Olathe Northwest
11. Leavenworth
12. Shawnee Mission East
Lawrence is starting to separate itself from the Sunflower League pack, with victories against the second, third and fourth teams in the rankings. Most recently, the Chesty Lions stopped a seven-game winning streak by Olathe East to preserve the league’s top spot. The Hawks only have one other loss and it came in the season-opener against Blue Valley North. Olathe East presents a balanced offensive attack with Josiah Talbert, Cedric Roland, Cameron Hunter and Dion Union all averaging in double figures. Lawrence Free State and Olathe South are also among the leaders. The Firebirds have five consecutive victories and the Falcons have won four of their last five.
EASTERN KANSAS LEAGUE GIRLS
1. Bishop Miege
2. St. Thomas Aquinas
3. Blue Valley Northwest
4. Gardner Edgerton
5. Blue Valley North
6. Blue Valley Southwest
7. Blue Valley
8. Blue Valley West
The Eastern Kansas League standings are starting to even out, as teams get deeper into conference play. Seven of the eight teams have at least two losses and no one has more than six. Three teams that improved their placement last week were Blue Valley, Blue Valley North and Gardner Edgerton. Blue Valley snapped a six-game losing streak with a four-point victory over Pembroke Hill. Gardner Edgerton has won three of its last four games. Blue Valley North, meanwhile, has won two in a row. Bishop Miege gained some distance at the top by beating rival St. Thomas Aquinas in a four-point game last Thursday. Shelbe Piggie led the Stags with 12 points in the win over the Saints.
SUNFLOWER LEAGUE GIRLS
1. Olathe South
2. Leavenworth
3. Shawnee Mission Northwest
4. Olathe East
5. Lawrence Free State
6. Shawnee Mission West
7. Shawnee Mission North
8. Olathe Northwest
9. Lawrence
10. Olathe North
11. Shawnee Mission South
12. Shawnee Mission East
More than half of the girls teams in the Sunflower League have winning records, which shows the league’s depth. Olathe South is still undefeated, with Leavenworth and Olathe East carrying just one loss. Just a few spots away from them in the standings is Shawnee Mission West, which seems to have stabilized itself in the last few weeks. The Vikings have three consecutive victories since starting 1-3. SM West’s Mackenzie Loe has scored 77 points during that span. Shawnee Mission Northwest rebounded from back-to-back losses with two straight victories against Olathe North and Shawnee Mission South. Olathe North ended a five-game losing streak by beating Topeka Hayden in Basehor-Linwood’s tournament last week.
This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Eastern Kansas League and Sunflower League basketball report."