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Class 3A state BB: Dragons storm back to claim first state championship
By Brad Hallier
For KSHSAA Covered
HUTCHINSON -- As the Halstead girls basketball team was making a comeback Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, the Dragons weren’t jumping up and down. They weren’t hyping each other up, getting in each others’ faces or screaming in excitement.
Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni scored a game-high 19 points in Saturday's 48-45 loss to Halstead in the state final. [Photo by Andrew Carpenter/Special to KSHSAA Covered]
Halstead looked right at home for a program playing in its first state championship game.
That’s because, in some ways, the Dragons were used to this environment. During the fall, many basketball players helped Halstead win the school’s first volleyball state championship, which was also won at the Sports Arena.
Heck, even last year’s sub-state basketball tournament was closer to a state tournament with the number of great teams in it.
The lights weren’t too bright and the pressure wasn’t overwhelming for Halstead, as the Dragons came from 13 points down in the third quarter to beat reigning Class 3A champion Silver Lake, 48-45.
“We were used to all the fans and playing in this environment,” said sophomore Jordy Schroeder, who was a part of that volleyball team. “The community always shows up big time.”
The Dragons showed up when it mattered most. Although they trailed the seven-time champions for more than 23 minutes, they never looked uncomfortable.
Silver Lake led 31-23 at half, and soon led by 15 points.
Were the Dragons nervous? Worried? Not even close.
“We don’t get too worked up,” senior guard Kaci Young said. “We just had to get some stops, and I thought we did a good job defending them.”
Silver Lake would score just nine points over the final 11 minutes, 33 seconds.
“They continued to play help defense, and we had a hard time getting to the rim,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “They just played better than we did in the fourth quarter.”
Halstead closed the deficit to 39-33 after three quarters. Then the defense dominated for Halstead, as its swarming defense started to make the Eagles uncomfortable..
Addisen Wills was the catalyst of that improved Halstead defense. The junior guard caused problems for the Eagles, and she finished with five steals, including two during the fourth quarter.
With 2:05 left in the game, and Silver Lake leading 45-44, Wills' thievery at midcourt led to a transition opportunity, and Young’s layup sent the Dragon fans into a frenzy as the Dragons took the lead for good..
“We played in a lot of close games these past few years,” Halstead coach Derek Schutte said. “We’ve been on the wrong end of some of them, the losing end, but we didn’t quit.
“(Wills) is awesome. I don’t know if there’s a better defensive guard in 3A than Addie Wills.”
The Dragons needed one more defense stop at the end to ensure the title. Silver Lake executed a set that helped junior guard Kailyn Hanni have a good look at a game-tying 3-pointer in the right corner. But Hanni, who had a game-high 19 points, just missed.
Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter talks to his team during Saturday's state final. [Photo by Andrew Carpenter/Special to KSHSAA Covered]
It ended what was another strong season for Silver Lake. A year after winning a championship with arguably the best 3A girls team in history, and graduating most of the production from that squad, the Eagles still played for the state championship again.
“It hurts a lot and it should,” Porter said. “But once we give it some time, we should be really proud of what this team has accomplished.”
Class 5A state girls: Saints end Seaman's championship reign with 68-61 win
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Even though Saturday's 68-61 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas snapped the Seaman girls' 30-game winning streak and ended the Vikings' Class 5A championship reign, coach Matt Tinsley walked out of White Auditorium immensely proud of his team and the 24-1 season it put together.
Seaman senior Anna Becker capped her high school career with 28 points and five assists in Saturday's 68-61 loss to Aquinas in the Class 5A state tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
"I'm just so proud of our girls,'' Tinsley said. "We may not have won this game, but they're champions in my book and in my hearts and their hearts. What we accomplished what was amazing. Obviously, we wanted to win, but I can't say enough about the character of the kids in that locker room. This hurts and it hurts for those kids because they played their hearts out all season.
"We were ranked No. 1 all year and we took everybody's best shot. This 5A tournament was loaded with teams and we had two tough games and we lost to a good team today.''
Seaman trailed Aquinas, which won its eighth title in nine seasons, by just a 12-10 count at the end of the opening quarter and the game was tied 26-all at halftime.
The No. 7-seeded Saints (18-7), who do not have a senior on their roster, opened up a six-point advantage (44-38) at the end of the third and put the Vikings away with a strong start to the fourth quarter, leading by 13 points twice, including a 63-50 advantage with 1:20 left.
Aquinas junior Alex Crouse scored a game-high 26 points, hitting 10 of 11 free throws, while sophomore Sofia Calovich added 18 points and sophomore Laila Boylan 10.
The Saints shot 51.4 percent from the field overall while hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers and connecting on 26 of 36 free throws. Seaman warmed up in the second half to shoot 41.8 percent from the floor (8 of 24 3s) and hit 7 of just 9 free throw opportunities.
Class 5A state boys: Kapaun outlasts Scots 58-55 in OT for second straight title
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Highland Park was within a shot here or a missed free throw there to a perfect end to a perfect season Saturday in White Auditorium.
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson (23) scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday's 58-55 OT loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 5A state final. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But for the second straight season, Kapaun Mt. Carmel came up with just enough plays down the stretch to end the Scots' Class 5A championship hopes, with the Crusaders rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit to outlast Highland Park 58-55 in overtime to claim their second straight state title.
"We had some chances and heart was never a question for our guys,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "I think they showed that time and time again and I think they showed that again tonight. All you really ask for a chance to win that thing late and I think we had a chance at the end of regulation and had a really good chance at the end of the overtime and that's a testament to the kids.
"They fought, they scrapped. We got down eight late in the fourth and they did not give up. Obviously we would have liked that it came out a little bit differently, but I will not knock our guys' fight and how they approached the game and how they played buzzer to buzzer all night long.''
Kapaun, which finished off a 22-3 season with its 17th straight win, had topped Hi Park 67-64 in OT in a classic 2024 semifinal en route to the championship before another thriller in Saturday's title tilt.
"My teams have played Topeka Highland Park three times -- once at Wichita South and twice here -- and every game went to overtime,'' Kapaun coach Steve Eck said. "The guys don't give up. We're down by nine at halftime and they just didn't give up. We beat a really good team.
"Highland Park is really talented and if you told me we'd be down nine at halftime and come back and win it I would have thought you were crazy, but at one time (early in the season) we were 5-3.''
