913-area boys hoops notebook: Miege, Olathe East, BV North among tourney champs

Here are five takeaways from the past week in 913-area high school boys basketball:

1. Bishop Miege used a trip to Coffeyville to extend a midseason four-game winning streak that started against rival St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Stags topped three out-of-town teams and had five players with double-digit performances during that span. Semaj Ray led the way in the Coffeyville championship game with a season-high 23 points against Sand Springs. He finished with 47 points during the tournament span.

2. Despite battling injuries and other setbacks that led to a depleted roster, the Olathe East boys basketball team keeps finding ways to win.

Part of that success comes from their depth, with four players averaging in double figures. Josiah Talbert is leading the way, averaging 16.1 points per game since returning from a foot injury that kept him off the court before winter break. Cameron Hunter is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 14.6 points per game. Cedric Roland is third (14.1 ppg) and Dion Union is fourth (11.9 ppg).

The Hawks won the Saints Classic at St. Thomas Aquinas with a 59-54 victory against Mill Valley in the title game.

3. Blue Valley handed Basehor-Linwood its first loss of the season last Friday, which extended Blue Valley’s winning streak to five games.

The Tigers’ only losses this year are against Lee’s Summit and St. Thomas Aquinas. Both of those teams are ranked in The Star’s big-class boys basketball rankings. Basehor-Linwood is the second-ranked small-class team in The Star’s rankings.

Tyler Geiman of Blue Valley had 20 points against Basehor-Linwood.

4. Blue Valley North won the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic last week with a head-turning victory over Blue Springs South, which was The Star’s No. 3-ranked big-class team.

It was the Mustangs’ fourth consecutive victory, since they started the season 4-3. Colby Bullock scored a team-high 28 points in the 74-69 victory over Blue Springs South.

5. Midway through January, the Mill Valley boys basketball team was sitting on a .500 record, with two losses that were decided by five or fewer points.

The Jaguars seem to have turned it around since, with a second-place finish last week in the Saints Classic. Their two victories in the tournament were by narrow margins. The first came in a one-point victory against Missouri Class 3 defending state champion Barstow. The second was against future Eastern Kansas League opponent St. Thomas Aquinas.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "913-area boys hoops notebook: Miege, Olathe East, BV North among tourney champs."