DODGE CITY – The championship pedigree of Little River’s senior class was already undeniable, with four straight volleyball state titles to its name.

But following two straight runner-up finishes in basketball, the Redskins still had one piece of unfinished business to add to their storied legacy. 

Little River left no doubt, racing out a 21-2 lead en route to a 59-24 win over Wabaunsee in the Class 1A Division I title game on Saturday at United Wireless Arena. It was the program’s first basketball championship since its four straight titles from 1995-98. 

“We just knew that for many of us, it would be our last game together, so we had to go out and give it our all, and that's what we did,” Little River senior Havana Olander said. “It means a lot finishing our senior basketball season with the win, especially after getting second the last two years. 

“It was our last chance to get it done, so it was really special for us.”

After avenging last year’s title game loss with a 59-47 win over Centralia in Friday’s semifinal, Little River (27-2) took the drama out of the championship game early, hitting 9 of 14 shots in the first quarter and forcing Wabaunsee into seven turnovers. 

“Everything was going our way,” Little River senior Arika Feldman said. “It feels awesome to be able to go on runs like that and play that well.”

“That was exactly what we wanted to do, come out with a lot of energy and intensity to set the tone,” Little River coach Cy Rolfs added. “We did that, then kind of stalled out a little bit, but it's the state championship. Teams are here to compete hard. That was a huge start for us. We were able to maintain and go on some spurts here and there and accomplish what we wanted to.”

Wabaunsee managed to briefly slow Little River in the second quarter, holding the Redskins to six points, but the Chargers never found an offensive rhythm. Little River led 41-20 at the end of the third quarter before closing the game with an 18-4 fourth quarter. 

“Their press was very effective against us right at the start, and we spotted them too many points,” Wabaunsee coach Jared Schultz said. “You can't do that against a good team. That's a solid senior experienced team, and they know how to win games. They have a great player in Feldman and they have some nice complementary players. 

“We lost to a lot better team tonight. I thought the middle of the game, we settled in and played better, did the things we needed to do, but you can't spot a good team that many points at the beginning of the game.”

Feldman, a Fort Hays State signee, scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 6 shots. Olander and Dempsey Lafferty added nine points apiece while Avery Lafferty finished with eight. Avery and Dempsey had nine and eight rebounds, respectively.

Little River finished 27-2 on the season with its lone losses coming to Class 6A Wichita East and Class 3A Halstead. The five seniors are Feldman, Olander, Evie Look, Adelynne Strecker and Lucy Wright. All five were part of the Redskins’ volleyball four-peat. 

“They've wanted this very bad and they've put in the work,” Rolfs said. “I’m extremely happy for them to get to that pinnacle.”

Grace Zeller led Wabaunsee with nine points. Reese Michaelis and Talen Orton had five each for the Chargers. Orton and Zeller combined for 43 points in Wabaunsee’s semifinal win over Pretty Prairie. 

“We knew they had two amazing scorers. Everyone guarding them gave their all,” Olander said. “If you were tired, we had other girls step up and defend them. Everybody gave it 100%.”

Michaelis is the lone senior for the Chargers, who finished 25-4. It was the third runner-up finish for Wabaunsee, who also took second in 1986 and 2017. 

“It's an accomplishment (to play in the state final),” Schultz said. “We still want to try and win one.

“Extremely proud of our lone senior. She was the lone one in her class for four years, played all four years. We have a great core coming back. We have some girls that played JV this year only that are going to step in and fill some varsity roles. We have a lot to look forward to, and we're excited about what we have coming back.”
 

 

 

CLASS 1A DIVISION I GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 

LITTLE RIVER 59, WABAUNSEE 24

Wabaunsee … 4 … 5 … 11 … 4 … – … 24

Little River … 21 … 6 … 14 … 18 … – … 59

Wabaunsee (25-4) – Zeller 3-16 2-4 9, R. Michaelis 1-7 2-2 5, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Orton 1-8 3-4 5, Perrin 1-5 1-2 3, Alderman 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Russell 0-0 0-0 0, K. Michaelis 0-0 0-0 0, Eubanks 0-0 0-0 0, Schrader 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 7-38 8-12 24.

Little River  (27-2) – Strecker 1-4 0-0 2, Raleigh 1-5 0-0 3, A. Lafferty 4-9 0-0 8, Olander 3-6 3-3 9, Feldman 6-19 5-7 20, D. Lafferty 4-7 1-1 9, Schubert 0-0 0-0 0, Ewert 0-0 0-0 0, McAllister 0-0 0-0 0, Look 2-6 0-0 6, Crotinger 0-0 0-0 0, Wright 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-57 9-11 59.

3-point goals – Wabaunsee 2-11 (Zeller 1-5, R. Michaelis 1-6); Little River 6-21 (Feldman 3-10, Look 2-4, Raleigh 1-4, Strecker 0-2, A. Lafferty 0-1). Rebounds – Wabaunsee 27 (Orton 7), Little River 41 (A. Lafferty 9). Assists – Wabaunsee 5 (Zeller 2), Little River 18 (Strecker 5). Turnovers – Wabaunsee 16, Little River 8. Total fouls -- Wabaunsee 10, Little River 14. Fouled out – none.