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.
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.”
Halstead's Addisen Wills (No. 1) celebrates the Dragons' state championship.
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.
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.”
Halstead captured its first state title in program history.
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.
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.”
Halstead can say the same. A program without much history until this decade, the Dragons have played in three state tournaments. The first two came during COVID times, one of which had the Dragons a part of the Forever Four in 2020 when COVID canceled the state tournament after everyone played a first-round game, which Halstead won.
“It’s all kind of a blur right now,” Schutte said with a smile. “I didn’t even look at the score for about five minutes in the fourth quarter, and then I looked up and we were down two. We went from playing defense to playing with a lead pretty quick, and that’s not easy to do.”
Now, the Dragons can call themselves state champions.
Schroeder already could from volleyball, but Young didn’t play volleyball.
“How many people can say they won a state championship in their last game?” Young said.
Halstead's Jordy Schroeder shoots a jumper.
Halstead girls raise their 3A state trophy.
Halstead celebrates after a 48-45 win over Silver Lake in the 3A final.
Silver Lake's Kailyn Hanni scored 19 in the title game.
THIRD PLACE
HESSTON 56, COLBY 50 - Hesston shot a sizzling 60 percent, making 18 of 30 shots, and ralled in the fourth quarter to take third place.
Kendal Brueggen, who has signed to play at Missouri State, scored a game-high 21 points in her final game at Hesston. She added four steals and two assists.
Hesston shot well all game, but Colby had a strong push late in the third quarter. Down by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, Colby, on four straight possessions, had three three-point plays, and a Logan Nolan 3-pointer gave the Eagles their first lead of the game at 43-41. But Hesston’s defense picked up in the fourth quarter, holding the Eagles to just seven points.
Kaycee Mason also had a strong game for Hesston with 14 points, while Abby Proctor added 11. Nolan and Shaylee Holzmeister led Colby with 11 points each. Alisabeth Barton scored 10.
Hesston's Kendal Brueggen scored 21 points in the third-place game.
CLASS 3A GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOXSCORE
HALSTEAD 48, SILVER LAKE 45
Halstead … 9 … 14 … 10 … 15 … -- … 48
Silver Lake … 12 … 19 … 8 … 6 … -- … 45
Halstead (25-1) -- Wills 2-8 4-4 9, Young 4-9 0-2 8, Schroeder 5-8 5-6 16, Bernal 2-7 1-2 5, Schutte 2-8 1-2 6, Nedich 1-5 2-2 4, Farmer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-45 13-18 48
Silver Lake (23-3) -- Hanni 6-11 7-8 19, Zordel 1-4 0-0 3, Heiman 1-1 1-2 3, Bolan 0-3 2-2 2, Deiter 4-10 3-4 13, Whitehead 0-0 1-2 1, Wende 2-7 0-0 4. Totals 14-36 14-18 45
3-point goals -- Halstead 3-19 (Schroeder 1-2, Wills 1-3, Schutte 1-6, Bernal 0-2, Nedich 0-2, Young 0-4). Silver Lake 3-15 (Deiter 2-3, Zordel 1-3, Hanni 0-2, Bolan 0-3, Wende 0-4). Rebounds -- Halstead 22 (Wills 6), Silver Lake 27 (Hanni 7). Assists -- Halstead 11 (Wills 5), Silver Lake 7 (Hanni 4). Turnovers -- Halstead 6, Silver Lake 13. Total fouls -- Halstead 18, Silver Lake 17. Fouled out – Halstead: Wills, Silver Lake; Deiter.
THIRD PLACE
HESSTON 56, COLBY 50
Colby ... 13 … 10 … 20 … 7 … -- … 50
Hesston … 19 … 11 … 12 … 14 … -- … 56
Colby (22-4): Nolan 4-12 0-0 11, Holzmeister 3-8 4-5 11, A. Flanigin 2-3 1-1 5, Barton 4-8 1-1 10, Stanley 2-4 5-7 9, Cheney 2-3 0-1 4, McCarty 0-0 0-0 0, E. Flanigin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-38 11-15 50
Hesston (25-1): Brueggen 5-7 9-10 21, Yoder 1-3 4-4 6, A. Proctor 5-9 1-2 11, Mason 6-8 2-4 14, Magill 0-0 1-1 1, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, J. Proctor 1-1 1-2 3, Lehman 0-0 0-0 0, Krehbiel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-30 18-23 56
3-point goals -- Colby 5-19 (Nolan 3-10, Holzmeister 1-2, Barton 1-4, E. Flanigin 0-1, Cheney 0-1, A. Flanigin 0-1). Hesston 2-7 (Brueggen 2-4, A. Proctor 0-1, Yoder 0-2). Rebounds -- Colby 16 (A. Flanigin 4), Hesston 20 (Yoder 5). Assists -- Colby 10 (Barton 5), Hesston 8 (Brueggen, Yoder 2). Turnovers -- Colby 11, Hesston 11. Total fouls -- Colby 20, Hesston 14. Fouled out – Colby: Holzmeister, Cheney.