Shawnee Mission sweep: SM Northwest & South earn Kansas 6A state basketball titles
State champions were crowned in Kansas on Saturday, including a duo of winners from Shawnee Mission in Northwest (6A boys) and South (6A girls).
Below are recaps of the Kansas state basketball boys and girls championships (and third-place games) involving Kansas City-area schools, courtesy of media partner 810 Varsity.
Class 6A boys: Shawnee Mission Northwest 47, Wichita Heights 39
For the first time in 10 years, the Kansas City metro boasts an undefeated boys state champ.
Shawnee Mission Northwest capped its perfect 25-0 season with a 47-39 victory over Wichita Heights on Saturday in Wichita to take the Kansas Class 6A state championship. The title marked the first boys basketball state title in Shawnee Mission Northwest’s history.
The game looked to be a possible runaway to the title, as the Cougars built a 35-23 lead with 1:13 left in the third period. But the Falcons went on an 11-0 run to erase the margin to 35-34 with 7:05 left. After an Ethan Taylor dunk at 6:55 gave the Cougars a 37-34 lead, both teams remained scoreless until a Keaton Wagler turnaround with 1:58 left gave Northwest a 39-34 edge, breaking a span of nearly five scoreless minutes.
Following a stop of the Falcons, an Alven Riley shot inside scored from a goaltend, and Northwest led 41-34 with 1:24 left. The Falcons answered with a bucket, but two free throws apiece by Tyler Salmon and Wagler sealed the game.
Wagler finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while Riley score a game-high 13. Taylor notched seven points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Kansas City metro’s last undefeated boys state champion was Lansing in 2014 ... until Saturday.
Mill Valley wrapped its season with a third-place win, 73-58 over Wichita Northwest. Carter Kaifes led the way with 25 points for the Jaguars, which finished their best season in school history in Class 6A at 19-6.
Class 6A girls: Shawnee Mission South 47, Washburn Rural 37
Shawnee Mission South made it a clean sweep for the Shawnee Mission school district for Class 6A state titles.
The Raiders took their second girls state basketball championship in school history with a 47-37 win over Washburn Rural on Saturday. After a 13-13 deadlock at halftime, South came out after intermission with a 21-13 third period to put the game away. Camryn Smith paced the Raiders with 17 points, while Ashley Kramer added 11 points. Azaliah Funches notched nine points and 11 rebounds for the Raiders, which finished 24-1.
Blue Valley North took third-place with a 72-56 laugher over Derby. Jaliya Davis racked up a game-high 30 points, concluding the tourney with 63 points for the Mustangs, which finished 20-5.
Class 5A boys: Kapaun Mt. Carmel 62, Piper 59
Piper’s streak of fourth-quarter rallies fell short in the Class 5A title game.
The Pirates enjoyed two monster runs in the final period in its two prior wins at state. Piper led 58-57 after two Derrick Jackson free throws with 59.5 seconds left. But Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s William Thengvall drove for a bucket and foul with 41.5 seconds left for a 60-58 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Devin Kerr was sent to the line with 19.5 seconds left and made one of two. However, KMC hit a free throw, grabbed a missed free throw for an offensive board and hit another charity toss for a 62-59 lead with 14 seconds left.
A Kerr 3-point attempt glanced off the rim, and the Crusaders grabbed the carom to seal the title.
Jackson led the Pirates with 22 points, while PJ Moore Jr. registered 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kerr added 11 points and six rebounds for Piper, which finished at 21-4.
Class 4A girls: Bishop Miege 75, Wellington 64
Bishop Miege returned from Salina with its usual prize — the Kansas Class 4A state trophy.
The Stags won their fifth straight state title 75-64 over Wellington. Mary Grant led Miege with 20 points, while Grace McCallop (19), Kirston Verhulst (18) and Faith McCallop (10) also broke double digits.
The championship marked the 25th girls state title in school history.
Class 4A boys: Atchison 61, Baldwin 50 (third place)
The Phoenix capped one of its best seasons in recent years with a third-place finish at the Kansas Class 4A tournament. Trey Carter led Atchison (22-3) with 16 points, while Eric Smith III added 12.
Cooper Carr paced the Bulldogs (20-5) with 32 points.
Class 3A boys: Wellsville 68, Goodland 58
For the first time in 30 years, Wellsville brought home the state title.
The Eagles disposed of Goodland 68-58 to win the Kansas Class 3A state championship on Saturday in Hutchinson. Willie Dorsey — who’s father Brent Dorsey starred on the school’s last title team in 1994 — led the Eagles with 23 points.
Calvin Dwyer (15), Kenyon Gillins (12) and Dezmond Winton (10) added double-digit scoring for Wellsville.
