Five things to watch at Kansas high school basketball state tournaments

Five things to watch at Kansas high school basketball state tournaments:

1. Bishop Miege unbeaten ... again

The streak dates back to Feb. 11, 2014, a span of more than two years marked by consistency and dominance.

The Bishop Miege girls basketball team enters the Kansas Class 4A Division I state tournament Wednesday exactly where it concluded last season’s tournament: undefeated.

The Stags, 22-0, are the two-time defending state champions with 18 titles in school history. Their two-year unbeaten streak consists of 57 victories. In the latest win, three players reached double figures — Tristen McFeders, Lakesha Lamaster-Stephens and Hunter Bentley.

Bishop Miege opens with a matchup against Andale at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Salina Bicentennial Center.

2. Lawrence seeks a second chance

The rallying cry for the Lawrence Lions hasn’t exactly been original, but it has been effective nonetheless. A second-place finish at last year’s Class 6A boys tournament has provided their motivation this season.

The Lions, 20-2, are two victories away from earning an opportunity.

Lawrence, led by Toledo commit Justin Roberts, is the top-ranked team in Class 6A and will face Dodge City at 3 p.m. Thursday at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.

Blue Valley Northwest, the Class 6A champion in 2013 and 2014, is seeded second and scheduled to play Wichita South at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

3. The usual suspects in Class 6A girls

The Class 6A girls bracket includes five teams that made the state tournament last season, and three of those five reside in greater Kansas City — Olathe South, Shawnee Mission West and Shawnee Mission Northwest.

Olathe South, 20-1, received the No. 2 seed in the bracket, behind only undefeated Wichita South, and will play Dodge City at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena. The Falcons, who are The Star’s top-ranked big-class team, don’t always light up the scoreboard, but they have held more than half of their opponents under 35 points this season.

In a 54-53 win against Gardner Edgerton in the substate championship, DejaNae Roebuck led the Falcons with 15 points.

4. Class 5A boys teams peaking

Bonner Springs lost its opening game of the season by 29 points, but that sure seems like a long time ago now.

The Braves, 20-2, are seeded second in the Class 5A boys state tournament, where they are slated to play Kapaun Mount Carmel at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

Aaron McGee, Devante McGee, Jamison Jackson and Antonio Roark have rotated double-digit scoring outputs this postseason.

Bonner Springs’ only loss in the past 21 games came against Mill Valley, which happens to be sitting on the opposite side of the Class 5A bracket, with wins in nine of its past 10 games.

5. Leavenworth eyes repeat

Leavenworth cruised to the Class 5A girls state championship last season, winning three consecutive games by double digits.

The quest for two straight starts Thursday, when Leavenworth, 18-4, faces Newton, 17-5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

Schlagle, 19-3, is seeded first in the Class 5A bracket and is set to play St. Thomas Aquinas, 17-5, at 3 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Five things to watch at Kansas high school basketball state tournaments."