The Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic boys basketball tournament offered a tantalizing potential matchup for its championship game.
Two undefeated teams stayed on course over the first two days to make sure the battle for supremacy atop the Class 6A leaderboard happened.
Once it was over, Blue Valley North boys were the last team standing.
The Mustangs raced out to an early lead and never relented in a 75-63 win over Olathe West. At first they were just the only undefeated team in the 6A East standings. A few hours later, Wichita Heights gave Garden City its first loss by winning the Valley Center January Jam final, making Blue Valley North the lone undefeated team in their class.
The Mustangs held a lead from wire-to-wire and won by double digits, but Blue Valley North head coach Ryan Phifer said that Olathe West is a tough team to prepare to play against, especially as the third opponent in three days.
“They shoot really well from 3, they trap and press everywhere,” Phifer said. “We had to make sure that we really were focused in on how to break the press, but also defensively how to cover No. 2 (Harrison Kisling) and these guys that really can shoot the ball well.”
Blue Valley North not only took care of the ball, but also made sure most of the team's possessions ended with made baskets as the team shot 57.8% from the field, including 46.2% from 3-point range.
The Mustangs looked more like paint horses in this one. Senior center Blake Garrett scored 16 points, primarily in the post, on 6-of-8 shooting. Garrett was limited to just four rebounds, but senior forward Adam Parks picked up the slack with 10 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. Senior guard Jaxon Goldberg was limited a bit with 3-of-9 shooting, but still ended with 14 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
With so much focus on Goldberg, senior guard Zach Sand stepped up to give Blue Valley North more scoring on the perimeter. Sand scored a game-high 20 points while shooting 83% from the field, including 2 of 3 from deep. He also had 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a block.
“I think we came in with a specific game plan knowing that they were going to trap, knowing that they were going to shoot,” Sand said. “I think we just executed really well out of those traps, getting a lot of free layups and open threes.”
With so many of their own possessions ending in scores, the Mustangs were successful in preventing too many transition baskets from the Olathe West offense, which ended up shooting 38% from the field and going 6 of 30 from behind the 3-point line. Kisling, who averages more than 17 points per game this season, was held to just 10 points in this game.
Garrett said a lot of the defensive success started on the offense end.
“We knew we had to take our time on offense,” Garrett said. “They’re quick, they’re fast, they like to get steals. Another focus for us was getting back in transition because we score a bucket, they get out and go fast.”
Garrett, who averages 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 assists so far this season, made the all-tournament team along with Jaron Lashley, who led the team in scoring in the tournament opener against Ozark with 16 points. Kisling won the tournament MVP, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Sand said it was a great feeling for the team to earn its second tournament championship this season by taking away Olathe West’s previously perfect record.
“They’re ranked (No.) 1 over us,” Sand said. “To just come in here, get our second championship out of four this year, feels really good. I couldn’t ask for a better feeling, to be honest.”
Sand and the rest of his teammates already have their eyes set on the next two championships, first trying to win the Eastern Kansas League title before taking aim at trying to win a state title.
Phifer said if this team is feeling pressure from teams trying to end their undefeated streak, he’s not seeing from his players.
“Maybe you’re a little tight from the free-throw line or something like that,” Phifer said. “But I think this team still wants to prove a lot. We were state champions a couple years ago and didn’t get back there last year.
“But a lot of these guys were still part of that and they saw what it takes. I think that’s still our ultimate goal.”
Blue Valley North (12-0, 1-0 EKL) will start a five-game road stretch in league play, starting with Bishop Miege on Jan. 27.
Olathe West (10-1, 5-0 Sunflower League) will face North Kansas City Jan. 27 on the road before returning to league play as the Owls host Lawrence on Jan. 31.
Olathe North boys basketball
OLATHE NORTH BOYS SOAR IN COLBY'S ORANGE AND BLACK CLASSIC
The Eagles defeated Beloit 53-34 in the final. Junior guard T.J. Porter scored 23 points in that final. Olathe North needed to take down Hays and Ulysses to advance to the championship game.
Sophomore guard Jaalan Watson earned the most outstanding player award for the tournament while Porter and Aiden Bruce joined him on the all-tournament team.
Olathe North (10-1, 3-1 Sunflower League) have two separate five-game win streaks this season, with a 68-64 loss against Olathe West in the middle of those stretches.
The Eagles will finish a six-game stretch of road games facing league foes Blue Valley West on Jan. 27 and Shawnee Mission South on Jan. 31 before returning home against Shawnee Mission East on Feb. 3.
ST. JAMES ACADEMY BOYS ROLL IN MCPHERSON INVITATIONAL FINAL
St. James Academy beat Manhattan 61-39 to win the McPherson Invitational Tournament. To reach that game, the Thunder had to hold off Lawrence Free 60-58 in the semifinals after beating Blue Valley West 76-56 in the first round.
Brian Hawthorne earned tournament MVP after scoring 19.3 points and leading the team in assists with 7.0 while also averaging 4.0 rebounds per game. Gabe Sydzyik joined him on the all-tournament team as he led the Thunder with 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Sydzyik averages 20.7 points per game this season.
Finn Burrit scored 10 3-pointers in the tournament, including going 5 of 6 from deep in the championship game.
“Winning a tournament as good as the MIT, we all had to play really well,” Thunder head coach Stan Dohm said.
St. James (10-2, 3-1 EKL) recovered from a 60-51 loss against Blue Valley heading into this tournament. That defeat ended a five-game winning streak in which the Thunder won close matchups against EKL foes St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Miege and Blue Valley Southwest, which went into overtime.
The Thunder will face Olathe Metro Academy on Jan. 24, followed by back-to-back games against Missouri teams Joplin and Rockhurst, before turning to EKL play against currently undefeated Blue Valley North at home on Feb. 3.
Mill Valley boys basketball
MILL VALLEY BOYS SINK BUZZER BEATER TO WIN SPRING HILL INVITATIONAL
Mill Valley boys took home the Spring Hill Invitational title after pulling off a 65-64 victory over Glendale (Mo.) in the championship game. The Jaguars led by double-digits early, but Glendale powered back to take a 61-54 lead with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Mill Valley went on a 11-3 run to close out the game.
Carter Kaifes led the way as he scored a team-high 22 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game.
Kaifes, Jameson Fisher and Mason Kemp earned all-tournament team honors. Fisher led the Jaguars during their opening-round win over host Spring Hill with 17 points, followed closely by junior Gus Hawkins at 16 points. A different player led the team in scoring each game as junior Bryant Wiltse had a team-high 16 points, going a perfect 4 of 4 on 3-pointers, in the semifinals against Eisenhower.
Mill Valley (8-4, 3-2 Sunflower League) is now on a three-game win streak, the team’s first after two different two-game win streaks earlier in the season. The Jaguars have had nine games decided by seven points or less so far, including all four of the team’s losses.
Mill Valley will face Shawnee Mission Northwest on Jan. 31 at home before going on the road to Olathe East on Feb. 3.
Galena boys basketball
St. Mary's Colgan girls basketball
GALENA BOYS STEAMROLL COMPETITION IN TONY DUBRAY CLASSIC; ST. MARY'S COLGAN GIRLS BREAK MULTIPLE RECORDS
Galena boys beat Thomas Jefferson (Mo.) 74-41 in the Tony Dubray Classic in Liberal, Missouri. The Bulldogs earned dominant wins in the previous two rounds as well, beating Northeast County (Mo.) 68-36 and host Liberal 69-29.
Senior forward Tyler Little earned tournament MVP honors after leading the Bulldogs in scoring during all three games and averaging 18.3 points per contest.
Maverick Harmon tied Little for 15 points in the championship game and added another 12 points against Liberal. Jack Perry dropped 13 points in the final and 14 points in the opener. Ty Hall had a double-double effort against Liberal with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
St. Mary’s Colgan won the girls bracket, defeating host Liberal 55-31 in the championship game. The Panthers got off to a record-setting pace in the first two games, beating Bronaugh (Mo.) 90-16 and Pierce City (Mo.) 75-26.
Colgan broked the Tony Dubray Classic single-tournament scoring record with 220, breaking the previous mark of 217 set in 1993, while also setting the lowest points allowed record with 73, breaking the previous low of 74 set in 2012.
“I thought overall it was another gritty performance by all of our kids,” Colgan head coach Abby Farabi said. “We can still clean some things up, but they are starting to play off of each other really nicely and playing really solid defense, which is really important for our success.”
Lily Brown, who earned tournament MVP, tied the record for most points in the Tony Dubray Classic with 77 points, which was set twice before in 2007 and 2019. Her 38 field goals broke the previous tournament record of 26 while her 15 field goals tied the tournament single-game record, previously set in 1991 and 1995.
Additionally, a member of the Galena girls team, which finished third in the tournament, broke another record. Mia Sarwinski scored 36 points to tie the tournament single-game record, which was originally set in 1999. Sarwinski, who is averaging 24 points per game this season, also set became her program's all-time points leader after scoring 36 points against Liberal.
Colgan (11-0, 5-0 CNC League) will host Frontenac on Jan. 24.
Parsons girls basketball | Photo courtesy of Jacob Leonard/KOAM
PARSONS GIRLS, BOYS SWEEP SOUTHEAST CHEROKEE LANCER CLASSIC
Parsons girls won the Southeast Cherokee Lancer Classic for the second straight season. The Vikings beat Neodesha 53-42 in the championship game. After defeating Erie 71-45 in the tourney opener, Parsons pulled off a 58-56 win over College Heights Christian (Mo.) to advance to the finals.
Sydney Schibi and Iniya Hinman were named to the all-tournament team for the second year in a row. Hinman averaged 17.3 points and Schibi averaged 16.0 during the tournament.
Parsons (10-2, 3-2 SEK League) has won six straight games after back-to-back losses ended its 4-0 start to the season. The Vikings will go on the road to face Chanute Jan. 26 before hosting Frontenac Jan. 31.
The Vikings boys beat Columbus 54-50 to win their fourth Lancer Classic title since 2015. They host Southeast Cherokee 68-34 in the tourney opener before beating College Heights Christian (Mo.) 55-47 in the semifinals.
Parsons (6-6, 3-2 SEK League) has won its last five games to return to .500 this season at 6-6.
Bonner Springs girls basketball
BONNER SPRINGS GIRLS WIN TONGANOXIE INVITATIONAL, DEFEATS PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED WAMEGO IN TOURNEY OPENER
Bonner Springs girls outlasted Blue Valley West in a 54-40 overtime final at the Tonganoxie Invitational. Bonner defeated a previously undefeated Wamego team in the first round of the tournament, earning a 54-48 victory. The team followed up with a 63-41 win over Holton.
Noel earned tournament MVP honors as she averaged 30.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. McKenzie Campbell averaged 8.3 points and Pirsten Leslie averaged 9.0 points.
"Our team is performing well during our six-game win streak,” Bonner Springs head coach Peyton Leslie said. “We still have tons of areas to improve on so we are excited about continuing to get better."
Bonner Springs (9-2, 2-0 Frontier League) will enter a two-game homestand, hosting Turner on Jan. 24 and league-foe Louisburg on Jan. 27.
Atchison boys basketball
ATCHISON BOYS STORM THROUGH BRACKET OF NEMAHA CENTRAL THUNDER CLASSIC
Atchison boys defeated Marysville 61-52 in the championship game of the Nemaha Central Thunder Classic. Atchison beat Jackson Heights 74-21 and St. Mary’s Academy 55-43 to advance to the finals.
Trey Carter led the team with 17 points against Marysville. He also had 12 points in the tourney opener.
Three other players scored double-digits points for Atchison in that one: Jeter Purdy, 13; Xiomar Hernandez, 11; Jace Richards, 10. Purdy led the team in scoring during the semifinals with 16 while Richards led in the opener with 25 points. Eric Smith III scored 12 points in the semifinals.
Atchison (10-1, 3-1 Meadowlark Conference) is now on its second five-game win streak this season, with a 66-47 loss against currently undefeated Highland Park ending the team’s 5-0 start to the season. The Phoenix will enter a two-game road stretch, facing Jefferson West on Jan. 27 and KC Schlagle on Jan. 31.