WICHITA – Hours before the Class 5A girls state championship game, the topic of conversation among some St. James Academy players turned to Jenna Schmeidler, the standout sophomore guard for Hays.
 
The Thunder were well aware of the career-high 33 points Schmeidler scored in the Indians’ state semifinal victory over Shawnee Heights, and they knew junior Emme Albright would draw the primary defensive assignment on her later that afternoon.
 
“We were talking at breakfast like, ‘I’d be freaking out if I were Emme. No. 3 is so good,’” St. James senior Elle Robinson said.
 
That awareness proved vital to the Thunder in the closing seconds of their showdown with the Indians on Saturday at Koch Arena. With Hays down three points with 4.1 seconds remaining, the Indians ran an inbound play designed to bring Schmeidler off a screen near the top of the key.
 

 
With Albright chasing Schmeidler, St. James sophomore Ireland Sullivan played it perfectly, coming off the screen setter, Hays freshman Ramiyah Turner, to blanket Schmeidler.
 
Turner popped free for a two-point basket at the buzzer, but Hays needed three and St. James prevailed 49-48 for its first state basketball title.
 
St. James won 11 of its final 12 games to complete a 23-5 season. And it took all the Thunder had, as Hays (25-2) made a strong fourth-quarter push to try to collect its first state championship.
 
“It was really tense,” said Robinson, one of two St. James seniors. “We knew what was on the line and we knew what Hays was capable of.
 
“None of us played a perfect game, but we all had the willpower to step up, and we had many, many players who stepped up and got us across the finish line.”
 
St. James and Hays arrived at the championship’s doorstep after impressive semifinal performances. Schmeidler’s effort against Shawnee Heights helped the Indians win 66-41, while St. James jumped on top-seeded Andover early and rolled to a 61-44 victory.
 

The Thunder’s defense was highly effective against Andover and its standout guard Bella Bouddhara. With Albright getting the lion’s share of time on Schmeidler, the Hays point guard scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but also committed seven turnovers.
 
“I told Emme’s parents just the other day she’s a dog,” St. James coach Justin Snell said. “She’s just been whatever we’ve needed her to be. She’s a kid who was on our C-team two years ago, and has just persevered and has done everything that we’ve asked her to do.
 
“We talk all the time that you don’t have to do anything special. Just go out and do your job, and Emme is the exact picture of someone who’s just willing to go in and do their job.”
 
Albright didn’t have to go at it alone. Whenever Schmeidler got by Albright, often there was another Thunder player to greet her. Many times, it was the 6-foot-1 Sullivan or 6-foot Robinson.
 
“We all know Emme has such a serenity and calmness about her that we had all the trust in the world in her,” Robinson said. “But if she messed up, we’d be right there having her back.”
 
Offensively, St. James featured balance, with freshman Stella Sacks, junior Teegan Vietti and Ireland each finished with 11 points. Vietti, who had a fast start in the win over Andover, hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second quarter to help St. James build a 25-18 halftime lead.
 

Hays, which also got 11 points from senior Zoe Winter, reeled the Thunder back in early in the second half before St. James countered with a 12-4 run. Sacks’ baseline 3-pointer gave the Thunder their biggest lead at 37-26 with 57 seconds remaining in the third.
 
But Hays, which entered the contest on a 19-game winning streak, started chipping away almost immediately. Schmeidler hit a 3-pointer to make the score 37-29 after three quarters. The Winter sandwiched a cutting basket and 3-pointer around a 3 by teammate Molly Buckles to cut the Indians’ deficit to 39-36 with 5:53 to play.
 
St. James continued to protect its lead, but the Indians forced a turnover and got within one, 47-46, on Schmeidler’s deep 3-pointer with 41 seconds to play. Sacks answered with two free throws, giving Hays the final possession with a chance to tie.
 
The Indians called timeout with 13 seconds left and got a 3-point attempt for Winter, who missed off the back of the rim. St. James was called for traveling on the scramble for the rebound, leading to the inbound play that came one point short.
 
“That’s an awesome team we just played against right there,” Snell said outside of the Thunder locker room. “That team is really, really tough and there’s a reason they haven’t lost very many games this year. No. 3 is one of the best players in the state, there’s no question about that.
 
“We tried to give it to them, but we gained out composure and we were able to finish it in the right way, and so we’re state champions.”
 

CLASS 5A GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
 
ST. JAMES ACADEMY 49, HAYS 48
 
St. James Academy … 9 … 16 … 12 … 12 … – … 49
Hays … 10 … 8 … 11 … 19 … – … 48
 
St. James Academy (23-5) – Albright 2-5 1-2 7, Sacks 3-8 3-4 11, Vietti 4-11 1-2 11, Robinson 4-9 0-0 9, Sullivan 4-10 2-3 11, Irsik 0-4 0-0 0, Rueger 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 7-11 49.
 
Hays (25-2) – Schmeidler 6-11 3-5 17, Humphrey 0-1 0-0 0, Newell 0-0 0-0 0, Buckles 4-4 0-0 8, Winter 5-16 0-0 11, Rupp 2-3 2-2 7, Armbruster 0-5 1-2 1, Turner 2-2 0-0 4, Labarge 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-42 6-9 48.
 
3-point goals – St. James Academy 8-17 (Albright 2-3, Sacks 2-4, Vietti 2-5, Robinson 1-2, Sullivan 1-2); Hays 4-13 (Schmeidler 2-2, Rupp 1-2, Winter 1-3, Humphrey 0-1, Armbruster 0-5). Rebounds – St. James Academy 35 (Robinson 10); Hays 21 (Winter 7). Assists – St. James Academy 9 (Robinson 3); Hays 8 (Humphrey 3). Turnovers – St. James Academy 12, Hays 10. Total fouls – St. James Academy 9, Hays 14. Fouled out – None.