CLASS 6A BOYS
 
At Koch Arena, Wichita
 

 
DERBY
 
Coach: Brett Flory
 
Record: 21-1 (No. 2 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Campus, 73-43; beat Free State, 52-46
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Olathe North (7: 16-6), 6 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Brayden Smith, sr., PG; Jack Ulwelling, sr., G; Cayden Titus, sr., G; Mason Bui, sr., G; Jaxson Malvo, sr., F; Avant Riley, so. G; Cale Clingan, jr., F.
 
Worth noting: Panthers back at state for the second time in three years and eighth time overall. … Top state finishes have been third-place showings in 2023 and 2013. … Deerby set school record for wins in a season this year, breaking the old mark of 20 done twice (2013, 1998). Only loss this season came to Hutchinson (67-63) after a 16-0 start that included a title at the loaded Dodge City Tournament of Champions. … Panthers beat 5A qualifier Piper 81-75 in championship game at Dodge. … Panthers have five wins over state-qualifying teams, including two over fellow 6A qualifier Maize that gave them the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail I League title. … Flory won 250th career game overall and 200th game at Derby this season. … Ulwelling leads team in scoring at 13.3 points per game while Titus is right behind at 11.4 per game. … Titus shoots 56% from 3-point range and Ulwelling shoots 40% beyond the arc. … Malvo averages 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. … Bui also shoots 46% from 3. … Riley comes off the bench for 12.2 points per game and hits 44% from 3. … Ulwelling was named Most Inspirational Player at the Dodge TOC.
 

 
MAIZE
 
Coach: Chris Grill
 
Record: 16-6 (No. 8 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Garden City, 64-62 OT; beat Wichita Northwest, 75-64
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Shawnee Mission South (1: 21-1), 2 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Alec Grill, sr.; Brayden Myovela, jr.; Alan Hanna, sr.; Charles Sharp, sr.; Ty Willits, jr.
 
Worth noting: Trip to state is third in last five years and 10th overall, all coming since 1999. … Eagles won Class 5A state championship in 2021, beating Topeka West 55-43 in the title game to cap a 23-2 season. … Eagles have four top-four finishes at state overall. … Three of six losses came to 6A qualifiers Derby (twice) and Wichita Heights, including a 4-point loss to the Panthers in the regular-season finale. … Win over Wichita Northwest in sub-state title game avenged 16-point loss to Grizzlies in January and overtime win over Garden City in sub-state semifinals was second over the Buffaloes. … Hanna leads team with 17.6 points per game but missed eight games with an injury. … Myovela averages 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. … Grill is coach’s son and adds 11.3 points and 5.1 assists a game. … Willits chips in 9.1 points per game and Sharp 7.6.
 

 
MILL VALLEY
 
Coach: Kurt Bangle
 
Record: 18-4 (No. 5 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Shawnee Mission East, 61-60 OT; beat Olathe West, 63-48
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Shawnee Mission Northwest (4: 19-3), 4 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Carter Kaifes, sr., F; Reece Riedel, jr., G; JaKhai Carter, jr., G; Thatcher Ivey, sr., G; Dylan Everhart, jr. F; Jack Carpenter, jr., G; Hayes Henderson, so., G; Grady Larson, so., G.
 
Worth noting: Jaguars making second straight state appearance and eighth overall in program history. … Jaguars finished third last season, their fifth top-four state finish with the lone state title coming in 2016 when Mill Valley won the Class 5A championship. … Six of eight state trips came in 5A with a third in 2013 and fourths in 2006 and 2018. … Jaguars handed fellow 6A qualifier and defending champion Shawnee Mission Northwest its only loss to a Kansas team with a two-point win in late January on a half-court buzzer-beater by Kaifes in a game that featured four lead changes in the final 30 seconds. … Jaguars took third in Sunflower League behind co-champs Northwest and Shawnee Mission South, which beat them 74-61 in late February. … Only other losses came to 5A qualifier Piper, Olathe Northwest and De Soto and Jaguars beat fellow 6A qualifier Olathe North in the second-to-last game of the regular season, rallying from 18 down for the win. … Jaguars also beat Olathe South twice, one in the finals of the Spring Hill Invitational. … Jaguars escaped Shawnee Mission East’s upset bid in the sub-state semifinals. … Kaifes reached the 1,000-point and 500-rebound mark this season and is Mill Valley’s career-leading rebounder with 562. … He averages 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and ranks second on Jaguars’ career scoring list behind older brother Cooper with a chance to pass him if the Jaguars can advance past quarterfinals. … Riedel averages 17.9 points and 5 rebounds per game and Carter adds 14.3 points and 3 assists per game, both getting Division I and II looks. … Everhart adds 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and Carpenter comes off bench for 4.6 points per game.
 

 
OLATHE NORTH
 
Coach: Adam Olerich
 
Record: 16-6 (No. 7 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Olathe East, 62-36; beat Blue Valley, 66-58
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Derby (2: 21-1), 6 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Jaalan Watson, sr., G; Sam Simmons Jr., jr., G; Cam Love, jr., G; Derrick Cooper, sr., G;; BJ Boyd, sr., F; Connor Rabbitt, sr., G; Max Galindo, jr., G; William Cooper, jr., F.
 
Worth noting: Eagles making fourth straight trip to state and eighth in program history with seven of those appearances in the last 10 years. … Eagles knocked off No. 3 Blue Valley in sub-state finals after Tigers came in on 15-game winning streak. … Three of six losses came in four-game stretch in early January. … Three of six losses came to fellow 6A state qualifiers Shawnee Mission Northwest, Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission South in tough Sunflower League that has half of 6A state field. … North won the Orange and Black Classic title in Colby, handing 3A No. 1 seed Beloit its only loss of the season. … North lost 69-57 to Mill Valley in state quarterfinals last year, its first-ever quarterfinal loss at state. … Watson is four-year starter who averages 14.9 points and 2.5 assists per game. … Simmons Jr. averages 11.9 points, 4 assists and 3 steals a game and Love chips in 11.3 points and 6 rebounds per game. … Derrick Cooper adds 8.4 points per game, while Boyd, Rabbitt and Galindo are all between 4-6 points a game.
 

 
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST
 
Coach: David Birch
 
Record: 19-3 (No. 4 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Lawrence, 100-57; beat Blue Valley Northwest, 81-50
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Mill Valley (5: 18-4), 4 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Keaton Wagler, sr., G; Van Collins, sr.; Aiven Riley, sr.; Tyler Salmon, sr.; Ethan Taylor, jr., C; Ty Jackson, sr., G; Brayden Klahn, sr., F; Jett Smith, jr., G.
 
Worth noting: Northwest captured the 6A state championship last season, completing an undefeated season for the Cougars, a program first. … Title was also the first in program history with previous best finish being a third in 2001. … Trip is fifth straight and 11^th overall. … Birch has never lost a sub-state game in his coaching career and is 10-0 in those games at Northwest after previously leading Piper to the 2020 Forever Four. … Two of three losses this season have come to out-of-state teams – Oak Park (Mo.) and Link Academy (Mo.) – with the only loss to a Kansas team coming to fellow 6A qualifier Mill Valley by two points. … Cougars were co-Sunflower League champions with fellow 6A qualifier Shawnee Mission South, which Northwest beat 79-68 a week after its loss to Mill Valley. … Northwest won the Blue Valley Northwest Invitational with Wagler named tourney MVP. … Cougars also have wins over Oklahoma Class 3A No. 1 Millwood and Missouri powers Chaminade (St. Louis) and Kickapoo (Springfield). … All five starters average double-figure scoring and started for last year’s title team. … Wagler averages 19 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game. … Riley averages 13.5 points per game and has hit 58 3-pointers. … Taylor missed some time with an injury, but is a dominant 7-footer who averages 13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. … Salmon adds 12 points and 4.7 rebounds a game and Collins gets 10.4 points and 3.8 assists per game.
 

 
SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH
 
Coach: Brett McFall
 
Record: 21-1 (No. 1 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Shawnee Mission North, 59-50; beat Olathe South, 79-53
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Maize (8: 16-6), 2 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Conor Kerrigan, so., F; Drake Debaun, jr., F; Jadon Sautter, sr., F; Ben Allen, jr., G; Calan Gregory, sr., G; Brody Featherston, sr., G; Max McKenna, jr., G; Thomas Burns, jr., G; Luke Hampton, sr., G.
 
Worth noting: Raiders return to state for the first time since 2019 and are making fourth trip under McFall and 15th overall. … South won a state title in 2013, going undefeated, and also was undefeated state champion in 1990. … Raiders shared Sunflower League title with fellow 6A qualifier Shawnee Mission Northwest, suffering its only loss of the season to the Cougars on Feb. 7, a 79-68 loss. … That ended South’s 13-0 start to the season. … The Raiders own wins over fellow 6A qualifiers Olathe North and Mill Valley and they captured the title at the Broomfield (Colo.) Invitational in December. … Kerrigan averaged a double-double this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds per game and set a school record last year as a freshman when he shot 70% from the floor. … Debaun is a football standout who averages 10.2 points and 7 rebounds per game and leads the team in blocks. … He broke his foot in the sub-state semifinals, though, leaving a big void for the Raiders. … Allen averages 10 points and 3 assists per game and is team’s top defender. … Gregory missed early part of season with soccer injury, but returned to average 5 points and 3.6 assists per game. … Sautter averages 8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and Featherston and McKenna, both starters last year, come off the bench for at least 7 points per game each. … Burns has 48 assists and just 8 turnovers this season off the bench. … McFall won a state title as a player as well, starting for Olathe South’s 1997 title team, and also served as assistant on Falcons’ 2004 championship team.
 

 
WASHBURN RURAL
 
Coach: Alex Hutchins
 
Record: 18-4 (No. 6 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Wichita West, 78-50; beat Junction City, 54-49
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Wichita Heights (3: 20-2), 8 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Simon Rowley, jr., G; Kaden Ballard, sr., G; Amare Jones, sr., G; John Hoytal, jr., F; King Leonard, sr., G; Brooks Ballard, fr., G; Draden Chooncharoen, jr., G; Brody Schwinn, so., F; Zach Wright, so., F.
 
Worth noting: Junior Blues making first state appearance since 2019 when they finished as state runner-up to Blue Valley Northwest. … Rural has appeared in six state championship games in the program’s previous 19 state trips, winning state titles in 1960, 1982 and 1985 and also taking second in 1977, 1978 and 2019. … Rural was undefeated Centennial League champion this year and had seven-win improvement overall after going 11-11 last season. … Two of four losses came in regular-season tournament championship games, one to 5A unbeaten Highland Park and the other to nationally ranked Owasso (Okla.). … Junior Blues also beat Missouri power Webster Groves at Pittsburg tourney before losing to Owasso. … Other two losses came to Blue Valley and Blue Valley West. … Rowley leads three players in double-figure scoring at 14.1 points per game. … Kaden Ballard adds 12 points per game and Jones 10.9 a contest. … Jones also leads in rebounding with 5.8 per game. … Hoytal adds 8.9 points and is one of four others who average at least 3.5 rebounds per game. … Ballard brothers are sons of Washburn men’s basketball coach Brett Ballard. … Leonard scored career-high 11 points in sub-state championship win over Junction City (third win over Blue Jays), getting all 11 in the second half and 9 in the third quarter. … He leads team in assists with 3.2 per game.
 

 
WICHITA HEIGHTS
 
Coach: Joe Auer
 
Record: 20-2 (No. 3 seed)
 
Sub-state results: beat Liberal, 72-25; beat Wichita Southeast, 63-34
 
State-tournament quarterfinal: vs. Washburn Rural (6: 18-4), 8 p.m. Wednesday
 
Key players: Amalachi Wilkins, sr., F; Chase Robinson, sr., G; Aven Mboule, sr., G; Jalihn Timmons, jr., G; K’Mari Holt, sr., G; Isaiah Carter, sr., F.
 
Worth noting: Heights has finished as state runner-up each of the past two seasons, falling 47-39 to Shawnee Mission Northwest in last year’s championship game after losing to Blue Valley Northwest in the 2023 title game. … Falcons won the 2022 state championship, beating Blue Valley Northwest, and has seven state titles in program history, including four straight from 2009-12 and also had titles in 1977 and 2015. … Falcons have qualified for state 25 times overall and are on five-year streak. … Six of those state titles have come under Auer, who is in final season as head coach and has a 490-196 record at Heights in 30 seasons. … Two losses this year have come by a combined five points, a 56-54 loss to 5A qualifier Piper in the Dodge City Tournament of Champions semifinals and a 56-53 loss to 5A qualifier Kapaun Mt. Carmel on a late shot by the Crusaders. … Heights won the Greater Wichita Athletic League title, going 15-1. … Falcons also beat fellow 5A qualifier Maize by 17. … Wilkins is four-year starter and four-year all-league performer who is second-winningest player in Heights history (88-9). … He averages 10.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. … Robinson leads Falcons in scoring at 14.7 per game and assists with 2.9 per game. … Timmons averages 13.1 points a game while Mboule and Holt are both around 7.5 per game.