A fire alarm was the only thing that delayed the Oilers’ state record 109th consecutive basketball victory.
Emily Ryan scored 26 points and Delaney Rugan netted 21 points to spark the Oilers past Montezuma South Gray 63-28 in Wednesday’s 1A basketball opener at the United Wireless Arena.
The Oilers (25-0) advance into Friday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal against Kensington Thunder Ridge (21-2) after winning the past five 2A state championships. The Oilers have swept 16 consecutive state tournament games and 35 consecutive post-season games.
Ryan scored 24 first-half points and Rugan made her first nine shots. The Oilers’ passing was so pure that Rachel Lamatsch dished out nine assists to edge Ryan’s six assists for high team honors. The Oilers had 22 assists on 26 baskets.
“That was a lot of fun,” Rugan said. “It was fun to thank everyone for each assist they gave me. That was amazing passing.”
The Oilers’ defense converted 33 Rebel turnovers into 39 transition points. After a 20-9 first quarter lead, the Oilers outscored the Rebels 25-6 for a 45-15 halftime lead.
“It always starts with our defense,” Rugan said. “We made some adjustments on our press.”
Ryan had nine steals by halftime. She scored 15 second-quarter points.
The Oilers converted 18 of 24 field goals for 75 percent first-half shooting. Time-after-time, the Oilers’ fullcourt pressure created steals and easy baskets. Ryan (24) and Rugan (13) combined for 15 of 18 field goals for 37 halftime points.
“We really moved the basketball tonight,” said Central Plains coach Pat Stiles. “That’s just the way these girls play. It’s so unselfish.”
One of the prettiest plays of the second half had every Oiler touch the basketball ending with Lamatsch’s 3-pointer.
Stiles liked the way the Oilers worked their pressure defense.
“South Gray had some good posts,” Stiles said. “We gave them trouble with our pressure. We achieved our goal of turning it into an up-and-down ballgame. These girls are amazing basketball players. We really played great basketball.”
South Gray (20-5) was paced by Megan Tarn with six points and Loewen added five points. The Rebels converted four 3-pointers.
South Gray 9 6 0 13 – 28
Central Plains 20 25 13 5 – 63
SOUTH GRAY (20-5)—Megan Tarn 2-6 1-2 6, Wiebe 1-5 0-0 3, Navarette 2-5 0-0 5, Sarah Tarn 1-1 0-0 3, Loewen 1-2 3-3 5, Martens 1-3 0-0 3, Askew 0-1 2-2 2, Peters 0-0 2-2 2, Totals 8-23 8-9 28
CENTRAL PLAINS (25-0)—Emily Ryan 11-16 1-2 26, Rugan 9-11 3-4 21, Lamatsch 1-3 0-0 3, Nixon 0-1 0-0 0, Oeser 1-3 0-0 3, Cunningham 0-0 1-2 1, Avery Hurley 0-3 0-0 0, Jeffrey 1-3 0-0 2, Crites 3-3 1-1 7, Potter 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 26-44 6-9 63
3-pointers—SG 4-16 (S. Tarn 1-1, Navarrete 1-4, M. Tarn 1-4, Wiebe 1-5, Martens 0-2), CP 5-14 (Ryan 3-5, Lamatsch 1-3, Oeser 1-3, A. Hurley 0-1, Jeffrey 0-2); Rebounds—SG 21 (Loewen 4), CP 14 (Ryan 3); Assists—SG 5 (Martens 2), CP 22 (Lamatsch 9); Steals—SG 5 (Tarn 2, Martens 2), CP 22 (Ryan 9). TO—SG 33, CP 9
THUNDER RIDGE 56, SOUTH CENTRAL 45
Thunder Ridge 16 11 13 16 – 56
South Central 7 14 9 15 – 45
THUNDER RIDGE (21-2)–Kirchhoff 6-12 8-10 21, Pettijohn 3-10 4-7 11, Boden 5-7 0-3 10, Stauffer 4-11 1-2 10, Hardacre 1-1 2-4 4, Totals 19-41 15-26 56
SOUTH CENTRAL (20-3)–Rutherford 5-18 2-2 15, Snyder 1-6 0-2 2, Martin 1-1 0-0 2, Moore 2-4 2-3 7, Kelsey Hackney 0-1 2-4 3, Sierra Jellison 2-6 0-1 4, Lohrding 2-6 1-3 5, Jordyn Jellison 2-5 3-5 7, Totals 15-48 11-20 45
3-pointers–TR 3-8 (Stauffer 1-1, Kirchhoff 1-3, Pettijohn 1-4), SC 4-16 (Rutherford 3-10, Moore 1-3, Hacknet 0-1, Snyder 0-2); Rebounds–TR 39 (Boden 8), SC 29 (J. Jellison 8); Assists–TR 11 (Kirchhoff 7); SC 12 (Snyder 5); Steals–TR 8 (Hardacre 4), SC 8 (J. Jellison 3); TO–TR 22, SC 18
WAVERLY 62, RURAL VISTA 46
Waverly 20 5 17 20 – 62
Rural Vista 4 7 15 20 – 46
WAVERLY (20-3)—S. McWilliams 4-6 7-8 15, Foster 4-9 6-9 14, Patterson 5-6 2-2 12, L. McWilliams 2-5 2-4 8, Fairchild 2-4 1-1 6, Vogts 2-5 1-2 7, Totals 19-35 19-26 62
RURAL VISTA (23-1)—Campuzano 6-15 1-2 14, Riedy 3-9 1-2 8, Sanford 3-12 2-2 8, Johnson 3-5 0-0 7, H. Brockmeier 2-4 0-0 4, Beck 1-3 0-0 2, Barton 0-2 0-0 0, M. Brockmeier 1-3 0-0 3, Totals 19-53 4-8 46
3-pointers— W 5-11 (Vogts 2-3, L. McWilliams 2-3, Fairchild 1-2, S. McWilliams 0-1, Foster 0-2), RV 4-16 (Riedy 1-2, M. Brockmeier 1-2, Johnson 1-3, Campuzano 1-4, Sanford 0-5);
Rebounds—W 36 (Patterson 11), RV 21 (H. Brockmeier); Assists—W 12 (Foster 4), RV 12 (Campuzano 4); Steals—W 10 (Fairchild 5), RV 15 (Campuzano 5); TO—W 26, RV 15
HANOVER 45, OLPE 40
Hanover 13 11 9 12 – 45
Olpe 4 10 16 10 – 40
HANOVER (23-3)—Doebele 6-16 4-8 19, Stallbaumer 4-9 2-4 11, Emma Bruna 3-8 2-2 8, Hendrickson 0-4 3-4 3, Lauren Bruna 1-1 0-0 2, Lohse 0-10 2-2 2, Hynek 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 14-49 13-20 45
OLPE (24-1)—Sleezer 3-7 5-6 11, Heins 4-7 0-1 8, Miller 3-6 1-6 7, Bishop 2-8 0-0 5, Davis 2-11 1-2 5, Smith 2-9 0-0 4, McDougald 0-4 0-3 0, Beeman 0-3 0-0 0, Totals 16-55 7-18 40
3-pointers— H 4-17 (Doebele 3-5, Stallbaumer 1-4, Hendrickson 0-1, Lohse
0-7), Olpe 1-17 (Bishop 1-3, Heins 0-1, McDougald 0-1, Smith 0-2, Beeman 0-2,
Davis 0-8); Rebounds—H 38 (Doebele 12), Olpe 47 (Miller 9); Assists—H 8 (Lohse
4); Olpe 9 (Smith 5); Steals—H 11 (Lohse 3, Hendrickson 3); Olpe 9 (Heins 4); TO—H
18, Olpe 18
CLASS 1A ROUNDUP
47th Annual KSHSAA Girls
Class 1A State Basketball Tournament
United Wireless Arena/Dodge City, Kansas
Quarterfinal Results/Wednesday, March 6
Game 1—No. 7 Waverly 62, No. 2 White City/Hope-Rural Vista 46
Game 2—No. 6 Hanover 45, No. 3 Olpe 40
Game 3—No. 1 Claflin-Central Plains 63, Montezuma-South Gray 28
Game 4—No. 5 Kensington-Thunder Ridge 56, Coldwater-South Central 45
Friday’s Semifinal Pairings
3: pm—No. 7 Waverly (21-3) vs. Hanover (23-3)
6:30 pm—No. 1 Central Plains (25-0) vs. Kensington-Thunder Ridge (21-2)
Team Notes for Friday’s Final Four
Waverly (21-3): The No. 7 seed Bulldogs made a splash in the quarterfinal win over previously undefeated Rural Vista, leading 20-4 after one quarter, 25-11 at halftime, and 42-26 after three periods.
Top Scorer vs. Rural Vista: Balanced scoring keyed the victory with Sara McWilliams leading the way with 15, Megan Foster with 14 and Lanie Patterson with 12. The Bulldogs shot 54.3 percent from the field (19-35) and were 19-26 at the free throw line (73.1 percent). They were 5-11 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs dominated the rebounding, 36-21, as Patterson finished with 11 for a double-double.
Lauren Campuzano was the only double-figure scorer for Rural Vista with 14 points.
Final Four Appearances: This is the 5th for the Bulldogs (2005, 2012, 2016 and 2017); 2017 def. Wheatland/Grinnell 54-49 in Class 1A-II championship game; in 2016 lost to Centralia, 54-36, in Class 1A-I state title game.
State Championships (1): 2017, Class 1A-II, def. Wheatland/Grinnell, 54-49.
State Tournament Appearances: 10th
Overall State Tournament Won-Lost Record: 9-8
Hanover (23-3)—In a hard-fought battle between two of the state’s elite small class school programs, it was Hanover’s Wildcats who survived with a 45-40 win over previously undefeated Olpe. That sets up the first Friday semifinal with Waverly for Hanover, which won the Class 1A-I state title in 2018 when the classification was divided into Div. I and II.
Final Four Appearances—It will be the 3rd straight season for the Wildcats in the Final Four. Two years ago, they defeated the same Olpe team in the title game, 50-47.
Macy Doebele was the big offensive force for Hanover, scoring a game-high 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double. Cadlee Stallbaumer added 11. Carrie Sleezer had 11 points to lead Olpe, which was trying to win No. 901 for coach Jesse Nelson, who had captured 900 in the sub-state championship last Saturday. Defense was intense as both teams forced 18 turnovers.
State Championships: (2), 2017, 2018.
State Tournament Appearances: 8th
Overall Won-Loss record at State Tournaments: Won 7, Lost 5.
6:30 pm: Central
Plains (25-0) vs. Thunder Ridge (21-2)
Central Plains (25-0)
It was the Emily Ryan and Co. show in the first-round game Wednesday as the No. 1-seeded Central Plains Oilers rolled to a 20-9 first quarter lead, extended it to 45-15 at halftime en route to a convincing 63-28 win over No. 8 South Gray. It was their Kansas all-time record 109th consecutive win, after they had broken Hoxie’s four-year record of 107, during their recent sub-state tournment.
Ryan poured in 24 points in the first half and finished the game with 26 points, playing just 7 minutes in the second half. Teammate Delaney Rugan was red-hot from the field, hitting 9 of 11 shots and added 21 points. The Oilers defense was swarming and smothering, forcing 33 Rebel turnovers. The Oilers had 22 steals, led by Ryan’s 9. South Gray did win the rebounding battle, 21-14, but it certainly was not enough to overcome the Central Plains full-court press. Megan Tarn had 6 points for the Rebels
The Oilers, who have won the past five Class 2A state titles, are seeking their sixth straight championship, which would extend their current record of five crowns.
State Tournament Appearances as Central Plains: 8
2018: def. Valley Heights, 48-32, to win 5th straight Class 2A crown.
State Championships: (5), 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Final Fours as Central Plains: 7 (Finished 1st, 5 times, 4th, 1 time.
Overall Won-Loss record as Central Plains at State Tournament: Won 17, Lost 2. Wednesday’s win was the 16th straight in the state tournament, which ranks No. 2 all-time behind Bishop Miege’s 23. In their pursuit of the fifth undefeated season in six years, the Oilers will be seeking to break the number of undefeated seasons in girls basketball history as Miege also has four.
Last Loss: Feb. 24, 2015, 66-58, to Ellinwood. Since the 2014 season, the Oilers are now 154-1.
Kensington-Thunder Ridge (21-2)
In a rematch of the 2018 Class 1A-I third-place game, it was a turnaround of monumental proportions as Thunder Ridge avenged a 63-29 loss at the hands of South Central by throttling the Lady Timberwolves, 56-45, in the final quarterfinal game Wednesday.
Brennan Kirchhoff led the way with 21 point off 6 of 12 field goals and 8 of 10 free throws. In a balanced scoring attack, Layne Pettijohn scored 11 while Maria Stauffer and Jaden Bowden each contributed 10. Bri Rutherford, South Central’s standout guard, scored 15 points but was just 5 of 18 from the field.
The winning Longhorns also had a 39-29 rebounding advantage, with Elizabeth Hardacre grabbing 9 and Bowden 8. The winners did commit 22 turnovers and South Central committed 18 miscues.
State Tournament Appearances: 5 as Thunder Ridge.
Final Four Appearances: 1 as Thunder Ridge (2018)
Overall Won-Loss Record at State Tournament: Won 4 Lost
6.
Tournament Leaders After Quarterfinal Games
Scoring
Emily Ryan, Central Plains...26
Brennan Kirchhoff, Thunder Ridge...21
Delaney Rugan, Central Plains...21
Macy Doebele, Hanover...19
Sara McWilliams, Waverly...15
Rebounding
Macy Doebele, Hanover (3-9=12)
Lanie Patterson, Waverly (5-6=11)
Emma Miller, Olpe (3-6=9)
Elizabeth Harshare, Thunder Ridge (1-8=9)
Carrie Sleezer, Olpe (4-4=8)
Jaden Bowden, Thunder Ridge (2-6=8)
Assists
Rachel Lamatsch, Central Plains...9
Brennan Kirchhoff, Thunder Ridge...7
Emily Ryan, Central Plains...6
Macy Smith, Olpe...5
Tyra Snyder, South Central...5
Steals
Emily Ryan, Central Plains...9
Macy Fairchild, Waverly...5
Lauren Campuzano, Rural Vista...5
Marty Heins, Olpe...4
Blocked Shots
Elizabeth Harshare, Thunder Ridge...6
Macy Doebele, Hanover...4
Karly McDougald, Olpe...4
Macy Smith, Olpe...2
Tianna Lohse, Hanover...2
Jaden Boden, Thunder Ridge...2
Saturday’s Schedule
12:00 pm: Third-Fourth Place Game
4:00 pm: Championship Game
