Jack Ulwelling’s reputation as a clutch performer has long been established.
 
The Derby senior took care of that two basketball seasons ago with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the fourth overtime of a sub-state final that lifted the Panthers over Washburn Rural and into the Class 6A state tournament.
 
So with Derby off to a 7-0 start this season with four victories by four points or less, it makes sense that Ulwelling’s fingerprints are all over it. They certainly were Saturday, as Ulwelling scored a game-high 27 points in the Panthers’ 62-58 victory over previously unbeaten Wichita Northwest in the finale of the AVCTL/GWAL Challenge at Park City Arena.
 
While his senior teammate Cayden Titus sank two late free throws against Northwest that preserved Derby’s undefeated start, Ulwelling has delivered in tight spots this season as well. In mid-December, his free throw with four seconds remaining lifted Derby to a 72-71 victory over McPherson, snapping the reigning Class 4A champion’s 26-game winning streak.
 
Last week, Ulwelling sank a go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 26 seconds to play, boosting the Panthers to a 68-66 road victory over Valley Center, which entered the game with a 5-0 record.
 
“We’re playing together,” said Ulwelling, who leads Derby in scoring at 15.3 points per game heading into Tuesday’s Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I matchup against Campus. “That’s what it comes down to. Whether I make the last play or someone else does, that doesn’t define the whole game.”
 
Ulwelling, a 5-foot-10 guard, was Derby’s top returning scorer, averaging 9.5 points last season for a 14-8 team that ironically dropped a 46-45 overtime decision to Campus in the sub-state final. Like Ulwelling, the Panthers have gotten added scoring production from returnees like sophomore Avant Riley (11.6 points) and Titus (8.6). Wichita Southeast transfer Jaxson Malvo has chipped in 9.3 points per game.

 
Other key players like seniors Brayden Smith and Mason Bui and juniors Channing Marshall and Cale Clingan are back from a team that found its stride in the 2023-24 season’s second half. Derby, which climbed five spots to No. 4 in this week’s Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s 6A rankings, has won 16 of 18 games since a midseason loss to Hutchinson last January.
 
“Chemistry-wise, really since the middle of the year last year, the story has been building for this group,” Derby coach Brett Flory said. “Last year, there was tremendous adversity in the middle of the season that really bonded these kids together.


“The majority of them returned and while we certainly lost some good players, that bond has continued to build throughout 25 games in the summer and a lot of hard work in the fall with preseason conditioning, and right on through preseason practices to the games we’ve played. It’s a fun group to coach because everybody accepts their role and everyone just wants to do what it takes to win games.”
 
Ulwelling’s role has evolved throughout his three seasons as a varsity player. More of a spot-up shooter as a sophomore who played off all-state performer Kaeson Fisher-Brown’s, Ulwelling has diversified his offensive skills.
 
“Last year, there were some struggles for him with a transition to becoming more of a playmaker,” Flory said. “Now you’re at the top of the scouting report and not just a spot shooter. But with his tremendous work ethic in the offseason, he’s completed his game. Now he’s a three-level scorer and I think he probably surprised Northwest with his ability to get to the rim.”
 
Derby also owns a 20-point road win over Maize and home victories over Maize South and Salina South in its 4-0 league start. While the Panthers weren’t flawless in close calls with Andover, McPherson, Valley Center and Northwest, they’ve been able to summon enough to get through each situation.
 
“It definitely isn’t easier,” Ulwelling said. “But I’m more confident, and I believe in myself and believe in my teammates.”
 
The next two weeks will give Derby opportunities to add to an already impressive resume. After Tuesday’s game with Campus, the Panthers travel to Junction City next Monday to face the unbeaten Blue Jays in a rescheduled game. They’ll later head to the Dodge City Tournament of Champions, where the field includes Junction City, unbeaten Wichita Heights and Class 5A No. 2 Piper and 5A No. 5 Andover Central.
 
“I don’t know too many teams that will have played a more challenging schedule,” Flory said. “I’m not worried about maintaining some streak right now. I’m just wanting us to continue getting better and progressing so we can peak in March, when it’s most important.”

OTHER BOYS BASKETBALL STANDOUTS
 

• Moundridge protected its No. 1 ranking in Class 2A on Friday, getting 29 points from senior Bear Moddelmog in a 58-47 victory over No. 2 Sterling. The host Wildcats trailed 34-33 after three quarters, but Moddelmog hit 7 of 8 free throws in the fourth and Kaizer Kanitz and Heath Churchill each added six points in Moundridge’s decisive 25-point quarter to win the Heart of America League showdown.
• Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Corbin Johnson scored 25 points with a trio of 3-pointers to help the Crusaders roll past Andover Central 67-47 on Saturday in the AVCTL/GWAL Challenge. Kapaun, which had lost two of its previous three games, built a 17-point halftime lead against the Jaguars, who got 19 points from Jayden Brown.
• Wichita Heights has posted a 7-0 record while allowing just 31.4 points per game. In last week’s AVCTL/GWAL Challenge, the Falcons displayed offensive balance in a 66-49 victory over visiting Maize. Senior forward Amalachi Wilkins led five Heights players in double figures with 15 points, while senior K’Mari Holt and junior Jalihn Timmons each added 13.
• Wichita East fought off Eisenhower 60-56 in overtime in the AVCTL/GWAL Challenge, getting 17 points from Luke Henderson and 14 from Oliver Selmon. Selmon scored six in the extra period as the Blue Aces overcame 19 points from Eisenhower’s Pierce Blue and 18 from Romari Howard.