Tournament Correspondent
5A GIRLS
ST.THOMAS AQUINAS 52, ANDOVER CENTRAL 44
St. Thomas Aquinas (20-2) won its fifth consecutive state title. Aquinas’ Beatrice Culliton scored 16 points with 14 rebounds, and Jamya McPherson with 10 points. Aquinas was making their 15th appearance in a Girls Championship Game while Andover Central was making their 4th appearance and first since 2010.
Brittany Harshaw scored 18 points and Ellie Stearns scored 12 points for Andover Central (24-1).
Ellie Stearns scored the 7 points in the first quarter for Andover Central and assisted on another bucket. Aquanis continued their dominance in the paint on offense with Beatrice Culliton and Charlotte O’Keefe accounting for the first 8 points inside the paint. After a missed 3 by Bailey Wilborn for the Jaguars, Jayma McPherson made a lay up to extend the Saints lead to 14-9 to end the quarter.
A Culliton layup and one followed by a corner three pointer from Madison Skelton extended the lead to 19-9. Aquinas continued its dominant defensive effectiveness allowing only 5 Central points while dominating the paint on the offensive end in the 2nd quarter as well. Andover Central shot 24% in the first half. Ellie Stearns led the Jaguars with 9 first half points and Cullion led all scorers with 10 for the Saints.
St. Thomas Aquinas began the 2nd half by continuing the interior dominance. They scored 6 quick points in the paint as they continued to lockdown the Jaguar frontcourt. Andover was finally to get a couple buckets in the paint which opened the outside for Wilborn 3 to cut the lead to 13 with 2:14 to play in the third. Cat Goodwin hit a jumper at the buzzer for the Saints to take a 44-29 lead at the end of the quarter.
Brittany Harshaw tried to rally Andover Central in the 4th by scoring 13 points eventually cutting the lead to 7 with 1:30 remaining, but the Saints were too much in the end. STA missed the front end of back to back one and ones but Andover Central could not capitalize as STA held on to won their 9th overall State Championship by a score of 52-44.
Andover Central was led in scoring Harshaw’s 18 as she was joined in double figures by Stearns with 12. The Saints were led Culliton’s double double of 16 points and 14 rebounds. McPherson ended with 10 points and O’Keefe added 12 boards.
The Andover Central Jaguars ends their season with a 24-1 record and as 2nd place finishers in Girls Class 5A. The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints completed their season winning their 5th straight Class 5A Girls Champions with a 20-2 record.
5A BOYS
MAIZE 55, TOPEKA WEST 43
Maize (23-2) captured its first state basketball title with a 55-43 victory over Topeka West (21-3). Maize’s Avery Johnson scored 17 points and Winston Bing scored 11. Topeka West’s Marque Wilkerson and Trevion Alexander each scored 13 points.
Maize jumped out to a 10-2 behind a pair of 3 pointers from Winston Bing. After settling down and weathering the storm, West went on a 7-0 to cut the lead to one before a Maize timeout. Coming out of the timeout, West forced an Eagles turnover and then took the lead behind a Marque Wilkerson jumper and made free throw. The Chargers held the ball for the 32 seconds after getting a steal by Elijah Brooks. Although the Chargers could not score on the final possession of the quarter they took a 12-10 lead to the 2nd quarter.
Following four consecutive trips that ended in turnovers, Avery Johnson hit a 3 for Maize and that was followed by a layup and one from Jaden Gustafson to take a 16-12 lead to start the 2nd quarter. After trying to run out the clock Topeka West turned the ball which to a Johnson layup for Maize. Avery Johnson led all first half scorers with 10 as the Eagles took a 22-15 into the locker room break. Marque Wilkerson let the Chargers with 9 points.
Topeka West found themselves in foul trouble as Wilkerson and Trevion Alexander both picked up their 3rd fouls early in the 2nd half. Maize was able to take advantage of the foul trouble by extending the lead to double digit late in the period. Alexander tried to single handedly keep T-West in the game but the hot shooting from Maize helped increase the lead to 15 before Zander Putthoff hit a 3 at the buzzer.
Topeka West battled in the fourth quarter and cut to 10 multiple times but could not get any closer. Maize was led by Jacob Hanna in the quarter who his back to back jumpers to open the quarter. In the end, Maize was too much to overcome and pulled away for a 55-43 win.
The Topeka West Chargers ends their season with a 21-3 record and as runners up in Boys Class 5A. The Maize Eagles completed their season winning their first ever State Championship in Class 5A Boys Champions with a 23-2 record.
ANDOVER CENTRAL GIRLS 65, SALINA CENTRAL 56
In the first semifinal of the 2021 KSHSAA 5A State tournament, the Andover Central Jaguars showed why they are the number 1 seed. After poor shooting in the first half, they shot 60 percent in the fourth quarter to defeat the Salina Central 65-56.
In the first quarter, both teams combined for 9 fouls 8 turnovers. After the game was tied at 4, the Mustangs took control behind 5 points apiece from Mykayla Cunningham and Chaliscia Samilton. Andover Central was held to 14% shooting from the field. The Mustangs were led by Madelyn Amekporfor-Sadler who had 5 points and 3 rebounds. Salina Central led 15-9 at the end of one.
The second quarter opened with the Jaguars going on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 17-16. Salina Central answered with a layup and one from Cunningham followed by a lay from Samilton to take a 22-16 and forced an Andover Central timeout half way through the quarter. The Mustangs continued to stifle the top ranked team holding the Jaguars to 1-13 from behind the arc and 21% from the field. Salina Central led 28-19 behind Cunningham’s hot shooting to lead the Mustangs with 14 in the first half. The Jaguars were led by Stadler w/7 points and 7 boards in the 1st half.
In the 3rd quarter, it was much of the same as Salina Central expanded their lead to 17 before 5 straight from Mary Weakley began a 18-6 run for Andover Central to cut the deficit to 42-37 at the end of the 3rd.
In the 4th quarter it was all Andover Central as they outscored Salina Central 28-14 behind Brittany Harshaw.
The Jaguars were led by Harshaw’s 23 points 16 coming in the 2nd half and Sadler’s double-double (12 points 11 rebounds). The Mustangs were led by Aubrie Kierscht’s 21.
Salina Central ends their season with a 19-5 record and a 3rd place finish in the class 5A girls basketball. The Jaguars advance face St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday at 2:00 at White Auditorium in Emporia.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS GIRLS 64, LANSING 44
In the 2nd Semifinal of the 2021 Girls Class 5A State Tournament, the 5-time defending state champs St. Thomas Aquinas started their quest against Lansing who is making their 1st state tournament Semifinal appearance in school history.
After the initial basket of the game by Skylar Weaver of the Lions, the Saints scored the last 11 points of the quarter that was capped off by a Kelsey Schenck layup at the buzzer. Lansing tried to slow the pace down but was unable to slow down the Saints offense. 5 Saints players scored in the 1st quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same as Charlotte O'Keefe scored the first 4 points for the Saints. Lansing was able to get a couple turnovers followed by buckets from Kamryn Farris. Lansing was unable to get any closer as Madison Skelton hit a pair of 3s for STA and led them with 9 points at the half. Weaver led Lansing with 5 first half points. Lansing had no answer for the Saints' post play as O'Keefe and Beatrice Culliton were a combined 6- from the field for 12 points as Aquinas took a 30-16 halftime lead to the locker room.
St. Thomas Aquinas began the 2nd half on a 9-2 to extend the lead to 39-18 before a Caitlin Bishop 3 from the corner ended the run. O'Keefe and Culliton began to be an force on the inside on the defensive end which forced Lansing to shoot 27% from the outside in the quarter. Jamya McPherson scored 9 points for the Saints in the third quarter which capped off a dominant 8 minutes with a Tatum Grimes layup at the buzzer to lead 56-24.
Despite resting their starters for most of the 4th quarter, STA cruised to a 64-44 victory. In a losing effort Kamry Farris and Skylar Weaver led the Lions in scoring with 14 and 11 points respectively. Culliton led STA with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds and was joined by O'Keefe in double figures of scoring.
The Lansing Lions ends their season with a 19-4 record and 3rd place finishers in Girls Class 5A. The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints advance to their 15th and 5th consecutive appearance in the Girls Class 5A State Finals to face Andover Central Saturday.
MAIZE BOYS 74, KC WASHINGTON 48
In the first semifinal of the Class 5A Semifinal, the Lions weathered the middle of the quarter storm by Maize and only trailed 14-11. After back to back buckets to tie the game, the Eagles went on a 9-2 run. KC Washington was led by Trenton Gray’s 5 points and Jacob Hanna paced the Eagles with 5 points.
In the second quarter, the Eagles' State experience began to show as they controlled the pace shooting only 9 shots in the quarter and built an 8 point lead midway through the quarter at 25-17. They continued to pressure the Lions as the lead eventually grew to 30-19 at the halftime intermission as the Lions went cold from the field shooting only 38% in the quarter but missed their last 7 shots. Winston Bing and Keegan Harrod led all scorers for both team with 9.
In the third quarter, Maize continued to control both ends of the court. The Eagles' lead grew to 28 as Hanna scored 10 in the quarter. The Lions continued the cold shooting.
The Eagles went to a zone in the middle of the 3rd quarter and stayed in it for most of the 4th forcing KC Washington to hit shots from the outside. The Lions were unable to cut into the lead in a sloppy final quarter as Maize.
Jacob Hanna led 5 Eagles in double figures with 17 points. He was joined by Bing with 15, Harrod with 14 and the pair of Avery Johnson and Jaden Gustafson with 10 apiece. Trayon Grant led the Lions with 16 and was joined by Kyren Angelo and Trayvon Foster in double figures with 11 and 10 respectively.
The KC Washington Lions finishes their season with a 10-5 record and a 3rd place finish in the 2021 Class 5A Boys Basketball State Tournament. The Maize Eagles Topeka West for the Class 5A Championship.
MAIZE 74, KC WASHINGTON 48
KC Washington 11 8 12 17 — 48
Maize 14 16 24 20 — 74
KC Washington (10-5)— Foster 2-6 6-10 10, Grant 5-14 5-6 16, Stacker Jr. 1-2 0-2 2 Milton Jr. 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 3-9 0-0 7, Totals 17-46 12-19 48.
Maize (22-2)—Grill 0-1 2-2 2, Johnson 4-10 0-2 10, Hanna 8-13 0-0 17, Bing 5-7 0-0 15, Gustafson 3-4 4-4 10, Harrod 4-9 3-5 14, Stephens 1-1 0-0 2, Belcher 1-5 0-0 2, Reyes 0-1 0-0 0, Schieffer 0-1 0-0 0, Schmidt 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 28-54 9-13 74.
3-point goals — KC 2-16 (Angelo 0-8, Grant 1-4, Sticker Jr. 0-1, Johnson 1-3), Maize 9-22 (Johnson 2-4, Hanna 1-2, Bing 5-7, Harrod 1-4, Belcher 0-2, Reyes 0-1, Schieffer 0-1, Schmidt 0-1). Rebounds — KC 19 (Grant 5), Maize 43 (Hanna 9)
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 61, DESOTO 57
In the second Semifinal of the Class 5A State Basketball Tournament, Rick Bloomquist returned to White Auditorium. In an atmosphere that matched a Championship game, Topeka West made enough plays down the stretch to sneak past De Soto.
The Wildcats answered the opening bucket by going on a 13-2 run that included 3 three pointers by Tyler Schultze. Jackson Miller added 2 threes of his own as De Soto hit 6 of 8 from behind the arc. Elijah Brooks led the Chargers with 7.
The second quarter saw Topeka West battle back behind early baskets from Brooks and Trevion Alexander to pull the Chargers to within a bucket forcing an De Soto timeout. The Chargers took the lead at 29-27 behind an Alexander jumper, steal and dunk. Both teams traded buckets and ended the exciting half of action with Topeka West taking a 32-31 at the break. Elijah Brooks led all scorers with 13 in the first half while Schultze led Wildcats with 11.
Coming out of the halftime locker rooms, both struggled to put the ball through the basket as there was a combined 15 points. In a quarter that saw more fouls than made buckets, De Soto was able get the gamed tied going to the final stanza.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Brooks converted a layup for Topeka West that was followed by a Dain Priddy for De Soto to take a one-point lead. A Sincere Austin 3 and an Elijah Brooks dunk with 1:30 to go gave the Chargers a 55-51 lead. The Wildcats answered with a Nathan Barnhart layup and one. After an intentional foul on Schultze for De Soto, Trevion Alexander hit one of two free throws. On the next trip down the court, Elijah Brooks of Topeka West picked up his fifth foul. Wyatt Noll hit the first but missed the second. Despite only hitting 6 out of 10 free throws in the last 90 seconds, Topeka West held on for a 61-57 victory.
Wyatt Noll led the Wildcats in scoring with 15 despite the losing effort. Topeka West was led by their 1-2 punch of Elijah Brooks and Trevion Alexander who scored 24 and 17. Brooks added 13 boards for the Chargers.
Topeka West plays Maize for the 5A title.
TOPEKA WEST 61, DeSOTO 57
DeSoto 25 6 8 18 — 57
Topeka West 17 15 7 22 — 61
DeSoto (19-4)—T.Schultze 4-7 0-0 11, Miller 3-7 0-0 8, Barnhart 4-9 1-1 9, Noll 6-15 3-11 15,Henderson 2-5 1-2 6, Priddy 1-1 0-0 3, E.Schultze 0-2 0-0 0, Ogden 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 22-50 5-14 57.
Topeka West (21-2)—Wilkerson 2-8 2-3 6, Brooks 10-16 3-6 24, Austin 3-7 1-2 9, T.Alexander 5-13 7-11 17, Putthoff 1-4 2-2 5, X. Alexander 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-49 15-24 61.
3-point goals—D 8-14 (T.Schultze 3-5, Miller 2-3, Barnhart 0-1, Henderson 1-2, Priddy 1-1, Ogden 1-2), TW 4-16 (Wilkerson 0-2, Brooks 1-2, Austin 2-5, T.Alexander 0-2, Putthoff 1-4, X.Alexander 0-1). Rebounds—D 28 (T.Schultze , Barnhart, Henderson 6), TW 33 (Brooks 13)
