KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It has been a challenging schedule to say the least for the Piper boys basketball program as the Pirates have squared off with four state-ranked teams in their first give games of the season.  

Piper, which is ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, had a chance to put its talent on full display on Dec. 5-6 during the first-annual Piper Tournament of Legends, which is a 4-team tournament. 

The Pirates opened with a 68-53 victory over Lincoln Prep (Mo.) and then battled Mill Valley, which is ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, for the championship. It was there where Piper was able to pull the upset with a 59-54 victory over the Jaguars to win its home tournament. 

Piper did suffer a loss to No. 2 Topeka West on Tuesday, along with a setback to No. 3 Topeka-Seaman to begin the season, but head coach Steve Wallace likes what he has seen out of his group so far.  

“We have shown flashes of the team we can be by the end of the season,” Piper head coach Steve Wallace said. “We have a lot of good players figuring out roles and rotations. Once we clean up the details offensively and defensively, I believe we will be a very successful team. Our tournament win was a huge confidence booster. It also nice to protect the home court and win the first annual tournament.” 

Piper was able to put the tournament together thanks to the addition of three games that all schools can utilize if they so choose, and Wallace believes it is a great way to add home games to the schedule. 

“We love our facilities so it's a great way to show them off,” Wallace said. “Piper Optimist sponsored and ran the tournament, which they did an awesome job. Adding games at home is always nice. Unfortunately, when Spring Hill joins our league next year we are continuing with double round robin as we will have 18 league games. This will force us to keep it a 4-team tournament. Hopefully the United Kansas Conference administrators make the best decision for kids and not have an 18-game league schedule.” 

A few days after the Pirates’ tournament win, they hosted another ranked team in No. 7 Shawnee Heights on Dec. 9. Piper got a big performance from star-guard DJ Jackson. The Pirate senior scored a game-high 40 points in the 72-68 win. He also added nine rebounds and five assists to his stat line.  

“DJ has been a special player for four years,” Wallace said. “His feel for the game and skill set are top notch. Above all he is a competitor and winner. I have never had a player score 40 in a game. He scored on all levels: 3s, post ups, pull ups, free throws. If there is anything like a ‘quiet’ 40, that is what he accomplished. I hope MIAA and other D2 schools in our area wake up and offer him a scholarship.” 

Other boys basketball standouts: 
 

• Uniontown captured the 1st Annual Tim Buche Memorial Tournament at Northeast Arma High School. The Eagles opened with a 40-29 victory over NE Arma, then followed it up with a 46-37 win over Marmaton Valley to reach the title game. It was there they defeated Christian Learning Center, 59-40, to win the title. Uniontown got big performances from senior Colter Powell, Gaige Lape, along with sophomore Julius Rodriguez. 
   

  

• Blue Valley West took part in the Shawnee Mission East tournament for the first time and the Jaguars left with a team title. Blue Valley West rattled off three straight victories, including a 50-37 victory over St. James Academy in the championship and have begun their season with four straight wins. They opened with a 62-48 win over Highland Park and then defeated Shawnee Mission East 43-30 in the semis. Blue Valley West coach Ryan Hintz faced off with his former coach, Shawn Hair, against East and got the win. Cade Wysong earned tournament MVP , while senior Max Orr and junior Michael Baum earned all-tournament team honors. 
   

  

• Olathe Northwest won the De Soto Hardwood Classic as the Ravens downs St. Joseph Lafayette 76-52 in the opener, beat De Soto 57-45 in the semis and then defeated Olathe East in the championship, 53-48. The Ravens got a big game from Gavin Popik, who was named the tournament MVP. Popik set a school record scoring 42 points in the win over Lafayette and is currently averaging close to 30 points a game as Olathe Northwest is off to a 3-0 start to its season and is currently ranked No. 9 in Class 6A.  

• Shawnee Mission South, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 6A, is off to a 4-0 start to its season as the Raiders recently won the Carthage (Mo.) Tournament, which included double-digit wins over Joplin, Webb City and Link Prep Academy. Junior Conor Kerrigan was named MVP of the tournament as he had 25 points and nine rebounds in the championship. He is also closing in on the 1,000-point mark, as is senior Drake Debaun. Ben Allen also earned all-tournament team honors as he had 23 points and six assists in the championship. 

Girls Basketball Standouts 
 

• St. Mary’s Colgan senior Jakayla Davis has wasted no time getting started in her final season with the Panthers. After a season-opening loss to Topeka-Hayden in the final seconds, Davis has led the Panthers to five straight victories, which included a 64-43 win over previously unbeaten Riverton. Davis poured in a season-high 43 points on the night for the No. 2 ranked Panthers and is averaging close to 30 points a game to start the year. She has already scored more than 1,500 points in her career. 
   

  

• Bonner Springs has won four of its first five games to start the season, which included a Kansas City Classic Championship. The Braves defeated KC-Washington, Wyandotte and then earned an 80-10 win over Turner in the championship. Senior Chasitee Sambol earned tournament MVP honors with 25 points, and a perfect 5-for-5 from the 3-point line in the championship. Senior guard Nya Anderson also scored 25 points in the title game to help lead the Braves.  
   

  

• St. Thomas Aquinas is off to a 4-0 start to its season and senior Alex Crouse reached a milestone in that stretch. Crouse scored her 1,000th point on Dec. 12 in a victory over St. Michael the Archangel. She also scored 33 points in a win over St. Teresa’s on Dec. 9, while teammate Laila Boylan had 12 assists in the win.  
   

  

• Fort Scott won the Paola Preseason Classic title for the fourth consecutive season with victories over Paola (50-20) and Wellsville (55-18). Laurali Clark and Aubrey Yarick had 15 and 14 points, respectively, in the win over Wellsville, while Claire McElroy had a team-high nine points in the win over Paola. The Tigers are off to a 4-0 start to their season. 
   

  

• Jayhawk-Linn won its second straight Linn County Tournament title with wins over Pleasanton (53-16), Prairie View (53-17) and Osawatomie (63-23). The Jayhawks are out to a 5-0 record to start the season. Senior guard Brenlyn Bogan is averaging 18 points and eight steals so far this season. Senior Brea Dawson and sophomore Addison Otto are also averaging double digit points.  
   

  

• Ottawa made the journey to Garden City last week for tournament action and it was well worth the travel. The Cyclones won the Garden City Roundball Classic as they earned victories over Lakin (62-40), Hugoton (77-70) and Tonganoxie (60-55) to capture the title. Leah Askins-Dieterich was named to the all-tournament team as she scored 21, 30 and 16 points in the Cyclones' three wins. Natalie Price and Dylan Nichols were also selected to the all-tournament team. Price scored 16, 13 and 15 in the three games, while Nichols had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Hugoton.