WICHITA – Grant Stubblefield was a Blue Valley Northwest ball boy when the Huskies started to establish themselves as a perennial Class 6A power under former coach Ed Fritz.
 
Stubblefield soaked it all in as players like Clayton Custer and Ben Richardson – who later went on to collegiate stardom at Loyola University -- helped BV Northwest break through and win its first state title in 2013.
 
He also became familiar with the Huskies’ kryptonite – Wichita Heights – which spoiled each of BV Northwest’s first three championship game appearances from 2010-12 with its stars, Perry Ellis and Evan Wessel.

 
The pain got personal for Stubblefield last March, as the standout point guard led the Huskies into the 6A title game against – who else? – Wichita Heights. The Falcons jolted BV Northwest with a 21-2 run to start the game and eventually held off the Huskies by seven points.
 
But that history finally got a new narrative Saturday, as Stubblefield capped his high school career with 22 points and led BV Northwest to a 55-50 victory over Heights at Koch Arena – the Huskies’ sixth state title and first with the Falcons playing second fiddle.
 
“They were literally superheroes to me,” Stubblefield said in BV Northwest’s joyous locker room as he recalled the Huskies of yesteryear. “I still look up to Clayton a lot. I still text him for advice here and there sometimes.
 
“They’re really special to me and they really set the tone for what I wanted to be in my life. I knew I wanted to be a part of this program. I knew I wanted to win state championships.”
 
After helping the Huskies win the 2021 6A football title as a junior running back, the University of Omaha basketball signee got his first on the hardwood as he and his teammates took the fight to top-seeded Heights. BV Northwest, which finished 21-4, built an 18-point third-quarter lead before holding off a spirited comeback attempt by the Falcons.
 
Heights, looking for its eighth state title and seventh under coach Joe Auer, had Koch Arena buzzing during a 16-2 run that was capped by sophomore Amalachi Wilkins’ 3-pointer with 4:31 remaining. But Huskies senior Landon Braun countered with two free throws and a follow shot of teammate Jake Fritz’s missed dunk.
 
Then Stubblefield added two free throws after Wilkins was whistled for his fifth foul to put BV Northwest back in command at 47-37 with 3:16 to play.
 
“We knew it was going to be a close game even when we got up big,” said Huskies coach Aaron Ihm, who got his first Kansas state championship after winning a Missouri title at Raytown South. “They’re a proud program, so really for our guys to beat them in their home city on this court, that’s just special.”
 
While Stubblefield provided the Huskies with another superb, all-around game to finish the three-game tournament run with 77 points, BV Northwest’s interior presence did equal damage to Heights. The 6-foot-6 Braun, 6-8 junior Joey Matteoni, 6-5 junior Gavin Hoffman and 6-3 Fritz repeatedly challenged the Falcons’ efforts to get to the rim, often resulting in transition opportunities at the other end.

 
Heights, which got 16 points from junior forward T.J. Williams and 10 from senior guard Marcus Zeigler, shot just 25% from the field in the first half. The Huskies registered seven blocked shots for the game.
 
“All credit to those guys,” Auer said. “They were so good tonight. Wow. We haven’t played a team that big, that long, that athletic, and they were obviously the aggressor early, which hasn’t been their style.”
 
When Fritz, who had 16 points, hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key 43 seconds into the game, BV Northwest surpassed its point total from the entire first quarter of last season’s contest. The Huskies never trailed, and were at their best during a 17-6 flurry in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
 
Matteoni gave BV Northwest its biggest lead at 39-21 by stuffing in Stubblefield’s miss, pausing under the basket as the nearby Husky student section roared.
 
“I just thought mentally we were in a good place, emotionally we were in a good place,” Ihm said. “Sometimes against a team that’s so good like Heights and so well-coached, you kind of spin the wheel on what kind of defense to throw out there. We’ve been pretty multiple in our fronts, and we thought if we did a couple things right, we could make it a little harder for them.”
 
Williams, who is drawing Division I recruiting interest, pulled Heights to within 53-47 with 22 seconds remaining. But after Fritz hit two free throws, the reality for both teams began to take hold. As the Huskies’ postgame celebration unfolded, Ihm and Stubblefield hugged at center court.
 
“I can’t say enough about Grant Stubblefield,” said Ihm, whose players doused his lengthy locks with water to launch their locker room party. “The kid’s amazing. I love him. He welcomed me last year as a new coach when he grew up idolizing Ed. But the trust that we’ve built over two years is really special.”
 
Stubblefield sensed he was playing for more than his current team as the postseason unfolded. Braun’s older brother, Christian, a Denver Nuggets rookie who helped Kansas win the NCAA title last year, texted Landon and him with supportive messages. Stubblefield visited with Ed Fritz on the eve of the game, receiving his good luck wishes.
 
And while the Huskies have stood alongside Heights as the top 6A programs over the last decade, Stubblefield felt the connection to those who had fallen short against the Falcons, himself included.
 
“It's crazy that I’m part of the team that did this,” Stubblefield said. “I was the ball boy for Clayton’s teams when Perry Ellis was beating them. So just all the history behind this game and all the times they’ve gotten us – especially last year and how bad that hurt – we used that as motivation in the offseason and motivation in every game we played in.
 
“To get to this point and be able to get it done against the team that’s been kind of the bump in the road for us just means a lot.”
 
 
DERBY 67, BLUE VALLEY NORTH 66 (OT) – Derby matched its best state tournament finish in program history, using senior Kaeson Fisher-Brown’s driving basket with 5.5 seconds remaining to slip past Blue Valley North in overtime for third place.
 
Junior Dallas Metzger led a 3-point barrage by the Panthers, hitting 8 of Derby’s 14 treys for a game-high 24 points. Fisher-Brown added 14 for Derby (18-7), which also finished third in 2013. Blake Garrett led Blue Valley North (20-5) with 16 points and Jaron Lashley added 14.
 

CHAMPIONSHIP
 
BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST 55, WICHITA HEIGHTS 50
 
Blue Valley Northwest ... 13 ... 9 ... 7 ... 16 ... -- ... 55

Wichita Heights ... 6 ... 9 ... 12 ... 23 … -- ... 50

Blue Valley Northwest (21-4) – Stubblefield 7-15 6-7 22, Hoffman 0-0 1-2 1, Fritz 5-11 5-6 16, Braun 2-4 3-6 7, J. Matteoni 3-9 1-2 7, Behymer 0-0 0-0 0, Klein 1-1 0-0 2, Garlington 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-40 16-23 55.
 
Wichita Heights (22-3) – Zeigler 4-11 2-2 10, Alford 1-4 4-4 7, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Wilkins 2-4 1-2 6, Williams 5-12 6-11 16, Holt 2-3 0-0 4, Robinson 2-6 0-2 4, Dingle 0-0 0-0 0, Okon 0-0 0-0 0, Timmons 0-0 0-0 0, O’Neal 0-0 0-0 0, Pierce 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 17-42 13-21 50.
 
3-point goals – Blue Valley Northwest 3-7 (Stubblefield 2-4, Fritz 1-3); Wichita Heights 3-11 (Wilkins 1-1, Pierce 1-1, Alford 1-4, Holt 0-1, Zeigler 0-2, Williams 0-2). Rebounds – Blue Valley Northwest 36 (J. Matteoni 16); Wichita Heights 19 (Robinson 4). Assists – Blue Valley Northwest 5 (Stubblefield 3); Wichita Heights 3 (Zeigler 2). Turnovers – Blue Valley Northwest 13, Wichita Heights 7. Total fouls – Blue Valley Northwest 21, Wichita Heights 17. Fouled out – None.
 
 
THIRD-PLACE GAME
 
DERBY 67, BLUE VALLEY NORTH 66 (OT)
 
Blue Valley North ... 17 ... 12 ... 13 ... 16 ... 8 … -- ... 66

Derby ... 10 ... 16 ... 26 ... 6 … 9 … -- ... 51

Blue Valley North (20-5) – Sand 3-9 1-4 8, Goldberg 2-6 0-1 5, Lashley 6-10 2-4 14, Parks 3-5 2-4 9, Garrett 6-8 3-6 16, Jordan 3-6 0-0 8, Presley 1-1 2-2 4, Gantman 0-0 0-0 0, Hinson 0-4 2-4 2, Alverson 0-0 0-0 0, Ballard 0-0 0-0 0, Benjamin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 12-25 66.
 
Derby (18-7) – Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Chadwick 2-6 0-0 5, Franklin 4-10 0-0 8, Metzger 8-12 0-0 24, Fisher-Brown 3-8 7-11 14, Ulwelling 3-8 0-0 8, Anderson 3-10 0-0 8, Arnett 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 7-11 67.
 
3-point goals – Blue Valley North 6-18 (Jordan 2-3, Parks 1-1, Garrett 1-2, Sand 1-3, Goldberg 1-3, Lashley 0-3, Hinson 0-3); Derby 14-33 (Metzger 8-12, Ulwelling 2-5, Anderson 2-8, Fisher-Brown 1-3, Chadwick 1-5). Rebounds – Blue Valley North 40 (Garrett 10); Derby 27 (Franklin 6). Assists – Blue Valley North 12 (Sand 4); Derby 15 (Chadwick, Fisher-Brown 6). Turnovers – Blue Valley North 20, Derby 15. Total fouls – Blue Valley North 16, Derby 22. Fouled out – None. Technicals – Goldberg, Blue Valley North bench, Derby bench.