EMPORIA — Sterling’s pursuit of perfection is now one win away from history. 

Behind a dominant performance from senior Boston Ekart and a devastating second-quarter surge, the Black Bears rolled to a 73-52 victory over St. Mary’s in the Class 2A state semifinals Friday at White Auditorium in Emporia. The win keeps Sterling’s undefeated season intact and sends the defending champions back to the state title game.  

Now 27-0, the Black Bears will face Berean Academy in Saturday’s championship game in a Heart of America League showdown. Sterling is trying for back-to-back state titles and a perfect season — something that would add to an already historic school year. 

Earlier this fall, the Black Bears completed an undefeated run to the Class 2A football championship. If Sterling finishes the job Saturday, it would become the first Kansas school since Central Plains in 2018 to win both football and boys basketball state titles in the same school year while going undefeated in each. 

For head coach Derek Schneider, the opportunity is special, but the approach hasn’t changed. 

“Every year is its own unique battle,” Schneider said. “We have the experience, which is really helpful for the guys, but it doesn’t mean that we can cut any corners on scouting. It doesn’t mean we can cut any corners on personnel and certainly doesn’t mean we can cut any corners on how we play. Everyone wants to beat you when you have done it once.” 

Friday’s semifinal didn’t start as a runaway. 

St. Mary’s held a 17-14 lead after the first quarter as both teams traded baskets early. But Sterling completely flipped the game in the second quarter, unleashing a 31-point explosion while holding the Bears to just seven to take a commanding 45-24 halftime lead. 

“We knew St. Mary’s is a great shooting team and a nice offensive team,” Schneider said. “That first quarter was just both teams feeling each other out and we like to rely on our athleticism and our conditioning. I felt like we got into their depth and conditioning a little bit early in the second quarter.” 

Once Sterling found its rhythm, the Black Bears turned defense into transition offense. 

“These guys smell blood in the water a little bit and one missed shot and we are off running,” Schneider said. “Once we got a miss, we used our athleticism to beat them down the floor.” 
 

At the center of it all was Ekart, the 6-foot-6 senior forward who controlled the game from the inside and outside. Ekart scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds and three assists.  

“Boston is just a unit,” Schneider said. “It was a big rim for him early when he made some threes and then he is so good in the paint. He has gotten so patient and he is pivoting and stepping through and he is just so hard to guard.” 

Jacob Lewis added 19 points and seven rebounds as Sterling dominated the paint with 48 points inside.  

St. Mary’s, which finished the season 20-8, was led by Ben DeVader with 17 points while Killian McCann added eight.  

With another title game appearance secured, Schneider said his team’s experience in big moments — including last year’s championship run and an undefeated football season — has helped steady the group on the biggest stage. 

“The experience will definitely help us,” Schneider said. “They are not shocked by the environment and not shocked by the noise because they have been there a lot. They have been in huge high-pressure situations between basketball and football. The moment is OK for them.” 

 

BEREAN ACADEMY 61, ST. MARY’S COLGAN 35 — Berean Academy is headed back to the state championship stage for the first time in more than a decade — and a dominant fourth quarter made sure of it. 

The Warriors pulled away late Friday night, outscoring St. Mary’s Colgan by 14 in the final period to secure a 61-35 victory in the Class 2A state semifinals at White Auditorium in Emporia.  

The win sends Berean Academy to its first state championship game since 2011 and sets up a Heart of America League showdown with undefeated Sterling on Saturday. 

Berean (24-2) controlled much of the game but didn’t fully break things open until the closing minutes. After building a steady lead through the first three quarters, the Warriors’ defense took over in the fourth, holding Colgan to just two field goals while steadily expanding the margin. 

“I thought our bench was really good,” Berean Academy coach Lewis Wiebe said. “They shoot the ball well and they work really hard. They were definitely good for us tonight.” 

Senior forward Nolan Sweazy played a key role in the surge. The 6-foot-5 forward dominated inside, finishing with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds while shooting 9 of 14 from the field.  

“Nolan was big for us in the second half,” Wiebe said. “He put it in the hole and gave us a nice boost. It makes it tough on the defense if he can score inside, then they have to help and that opens up the outside.” 
 

Berean set the tone early, jumping to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter and stretching the advantage to 29-21 at halftime. The Warriors continued to stay in front in the third before delivering the decisive run in the fourth. 

Senior guard Jace Unruh added 14 points and four assists, while the Warriors also received strong contributions throughout the lineup.  

Berean’s depth was evident as the bench contributed 18 points and the Warriors assisted on 16 baskets while forcing 15 Colgan turnovers.  

Colgan (19-8) was led by Brady Bettega, who scored 17 points, but the Panthers struggled to generate offense down the stretch. They shot just 31 percent from the field and managed only four points in the final quarter.  

The late-game surge was a familiar formula for the Warriors, who have made a habit of finishing strong this season. 

“We have done that a lot this year where we come back in the second half,” Wiebe said. “We weren’t as good as we needed to be defensively, but when they couldn’t score we gained some momentum and you take it away from the other team.” 

For Sweazy, the moment was the culmination of years of work. 

“It feels amazing,” he said. “With two years of varsity behind me, and a freshman year on JV just watching the guys, we have always come up a little bit short — especially at sub-state. We got that sub-state title this year and it feels amazing just to be able to play for a state title.” 

The victory also sets up a familiar opponent. 

Berean’s only two losses this season include one to Sterling, the defending state champion that enters Saturday’s title game undefeated at 27-0. 

“Sterling is a team that deserves to be in the state championship,” Wiebe said. “They are the best team in the state in 2A, but we have to keep doing what we are doing. We need to suck it up on defense, make shots, take care of the ball and rebound. I’m not smart enough to come up with a magic formula on how to beat them, but we just have to go play.” 

For a program that hasn’t reached the championship stage in 15 years, the Warriors now stand one win away from a title. 

“It’s a blessing and a great opportunity for the kids,” Wiebe said. “A lot of things have to go right to get here.” 

CLASS 2A STATE SEMIFINALS 

STERLING 73, ST. MARYS 52 

St. Marys… 17 … 7 … 14 … 14 … -- … 52 
Sterling… 14 … 31 … 12 … 16 … -- … 73  

St. Marys (20-8) – J. Hurla 2-5 0-0 5, B. DeVader 6-14 0-0 17, McCann 3-6 0-0 8, Sommars 2-6 2-2 6, Aecher 2-3 2-2 6, Heim 1-2 0-1 2, L. DeVader 1-2 0-0 2, C. Hurla 1-1 0-0 2, Mayhew 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 0-2 1-3 1, Freeman 0-0 0-0 0, Waters 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 19-45 5-8 52. 

Sterling (27-0) – B. Smith 2-8 2-4 7, Farney 1-3 2-4 4, Newberry 2-8 0-0 4, Lewis 9-12 1-1 19, B. Ekart 13-19 4-5 33, Wohler 0-1 0-1 0, Isaac 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2, K. Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Morris 1-1 2-2 4, E. Ekart 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-54 11-17 73. 

3-point goals – St. Marys 9-24 (B. DeVader 5-11, McCann 2-4, J. Hurla 1-3, Waters 1-2, Smith 0-2, Heim 0-1); Sterling 4-13 (B. Ekart 3-4, B. Smith 1-3, Newberry 0-4, Lewis 0-1, K. Smith 0-1). Rebounds – St. Marys 27 (Aecher 6); Sterling 26 (Lewis 7, B. Ekart 7). Assists – St. Marys 12 (Sommars 5); Sterling 16 (Lewis 4). Turnovers – St. Marys 18, Sterling 4. Total fouls – St. Marys 16, Sterling 8. Fouled out – None. 

BEREAN ACADEMY 61, ST. MARY’S COLGAN 35 

St. Mary’s Colgan… 10 … 11 … 10 … 4 … -- … 35 
Berean Academy… 16 … 13 … 14 … 18 … -- … 61  

St. Mary’s Colgan (19-8) – Crossland 1-5 1-2 3, Schremmer 4-7 2-4 10, Bettega 6-15 2-2 17, G. Brown 0-1 0-0 0, J. Brown 2-8 0-0 5, Radell 0-0 0-0 0, Lomshek 0-3 0-0 0, Simmons 0-0 0-0 0, Garner 0-1 0-0 0, Beltran 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 13-42 5-8 35. 

Berean Academy (24-2) – Balzer 0-4 0-0 0, Kukula 2-3 1-2 5, Unruh 6-10 2-2 14, Friesen 2-3 0-2 5, Sweazy 9-14 1-2 19, Morgan 0-1 0-0 0, S. Wiebe 0-1 2-2 2, Gaudern 0-0 0-0 0, Snook 3-6 0-0 8, L. Wiebe 0-2 1-2 1, Beverlin 3-5 0-0 7, Regier 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 7-12 61. 

3-point goals – St. Mary’s Colgan 4-15 (Bettega 3-4, J. Brown 1-5, Crossland 0-1, G. Brown 0-1, Lomshek 0-3, Garner 0-1); Berean Academy 4-14 (Snook 2-4, Beverlin 1-3, Friesen 1-2, Balzer 0-4, L. Wiebe 0-1). Rebounds – St. Mary’s Colgan 26 (Crossland 5); Berean Academy 33 (Sweazy 8). Assists – St. Mary’s Colgan 9 (Schremmer 2, Bettega 2, J. Brown 2, Lomshek 2); Berean Academy 16 (Balzer 4, Unruh 4, Friesen 4). Turnovers – St. Mary’s Colgan 15, Berean Academy 6. Total fouls – St. Mary’s Colgan 10, Berean Academy 11. Fouled out – None.