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Wildcats head to state semis with nerve-wracking win

Washington senior point guard Kyren Angelo was mobbed by teammates and cheerleaders celebrating the 52-47 victory over the Mill Valley Jaguars. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Tuesday evening’s 52-47 victory over the Mill Valley Jaguars will take the Washington Wildcats to the KSHSAA 5A state semi-finals in Emporia.

The quarter-final victory came after a pulse-pounding fourth quarter, where Washington held off a late Mill Valley charge. The Jaguars narrowed a 12-point lead to 2 in just a few minutes, but the Wildcats held strong and closed out the game with defense and timely baskets.

Washington senior guard Kyren Angelo was king of the court in the first quarter. Mill Valley’s 2-3 zone defense gave Angelo just enough space, and he made the most of it. He hit 4 three-point shots and was fouled on another, taking 3 more points at the free throw line.

Nathan Johnson provided early power inside, at one point dunking directly over a Mill Valley defender. Johnson left the game when he came down awkwardly on his ankle late in the first quarter. He appeared after the game on crutches, with the ankle heavily iced.

Mill Valley’s defense locked down on Angelo in the second quarter, but senior Trayon Grant took advantage by hitting two three-pointers of his own. Washington took a 41-27 advantage to the locker room.

In the third quarter, Washington slowed its offense. The clock burned, but the offense cooled as Mill Valley created turnovers off the Washington ball-handlers.

Mill Valley added a backcourt press in the fourth quarter, and the seemingly secure double-digit lead evaporated, down to 4 points with four minutes remaining. The Mill Valley crowd of about a hundred got louder and louder as the gap closed, echoing in the mostly empty field house.

Trayon Grant and Trayvon Foster hit key baskets to keep the Jaguars out of reach. Mill Valley had only one possession where it could have tied or taken the lead, but a Washington defensive stop put an end to it.

Angelo led all scorers with 19 points for the game, all but 2 in the opening quarter. Grant poured in 15 points, and Foster scored 8.

Washington (10-4) will face off against the 21-2 Maize Eagles. The semifinal match will take place at 3 p.m. Friday at White Auditorium in Emporia.

Angelo took a jump shot over a Mill Valley defender. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Johnson dunked the ball in the first quarter. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Washington senior Trayon Grant went up for a short-range jumper. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Nathan Johnson went straight to the basket through a double team. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Angelo looked for an outlet on the right wing. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Trayvon Foster drove to the basket. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Senior Trayon Grant was fouled on his way to a layup. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Lady Braves earn state tourney berth, fall at Lansing

Sophomore forward Mariyah Noel drove inside for a layup during Bonner Springs’ state tournament quarterfinals match against Lansing. Lansing won the game 64-51 to advance to the semifinals in Emporia. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Bonner Springs girls basketball team lost to Lansing 64-51 in the quarterfinals of the KSHSAA 5A state tournament played Monday evening in Lansing.

The Lady Braves reached the state tournament in the first year under head coach Peyton Leslie. Leslie credited the players being “more disciplined and consistent with our system” for getting this far in the season. Although the team held only a 4-11 record going into the substate tournament, the Braves defeated higher-seeded teams Schlagle and Sumner to win the substate bracket.

Bonner opened the game with a slight advantage, getting a couple turnovers from its defense and an early three-pointer from Corrie Hassett. However, by midway through the first quarter, Lansing started to push ahead, powered by forward Mackenzie Manth’s drives from the right baseline.

Lansing continued to stretch its lead in the second half. Despite being harried by the Lansing defense, Hassett picked up two more baskets from behind the arc, but they were matched at the other end by two three-pointers from Lady Lions sharpshooter Caitlin Bishop. The Lady Braves trailed 36-23 at the break.

In the third quarter, Bonner relied on drives from forward Mariyah Noel to keep the game within sight. Noel earned three baskets and a pair of free throws in the quarter by pushing fearlessly into the Lansing defense.

Bonner Springs surged in the fourth quarter, bringing the margin from 17 down to 9 with Noel continuing her strong inside presence, but Lansing hit 6 of 9 free throws and got a key three-pointer from McKenzie Moburg to put an end to the comeback.

Noel led Bonner Springs in scoring with 24, including 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Hassett scored 12 points, all from behind the arc.

The Lady Braves will lose senior guards Maggie Myers and Jazmin Graham to graduation, but they’ll return a young core of the team with a lot of height and game experience.

Coach Leslie said after the game, “The sky is the limit for our team next year. Although we came up short this evening, our girls gained valuable experience, and they understand a bit more of what it takes to win in March.”

Junior guard Corrie Hassett took a three-point shot from the left corner. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Sophomore Wren VanCleave put up a three-point shot. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Senior guard Jazmin Graham drove in from the right corner. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman Pirsten Leslie put up a shot inside. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Senior point guard Maggie Myers pushed the ball up the court in the first quarter. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Myers got a hug from teammate Hassett as she left the court for the last time for Bonner Springs. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Leslie put up a three-point shot from the right wing. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Mercedes Madlock set up the perimeter defense. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

The Bonner Springs cheerleaders performed some tumbling runs during a break in the action. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Head coach Peyton Leslie gave some pointers to his team during a fourth quarter timeout. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper loses late at Lansing

Senior guard Evelyn Vazquez drove for a layup in the third quarter of Piper’s 5A substate final against Lansing Friday nght. Lansing won the game 35-32. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Piper Lady Pirates narrowly missed a return trip to the KSHSAA state basketball tournament, with a late, close 35-32 loss at Lansing in the 5A substate final on Friday evening.

Piper held a 5-point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but wasn’t able to hold on as the Lady Lions surged past in the closing minutes. The Lady Pirates squandered a couple of late game-sealing opportunities at the free throw line. Lansing took advantage with a well-executed inbounds play under its own basket and took the lead for good with less than 5 seconds remaining.

The score was tied at 19 at the half, but Piper built a 5-point advantage in the third quarter by limiting Lansing to only 2 points with no made baskets. Lansing frustrated the Lady Pirates’ offense throughout the game by packing five defenders around the lane, denying all but a few penetration drives.

Senior guard Evelyn Vazquez led the Lady Pirates with 12 points. She was most successful on offense when the team used ball movement to stretch the Lansing defense to create openings. Senior forward Jennifer Guilbeaux added 10 points, and freshman guard Lauren Marron scored 5.

The 2021 tournament was the team’s first since being reclassified to 5A. Piper defeated Basehor-Linwood 51-42 on Tuesday to advance to the substate final.

Piper finishes the season with a 13-6 overall record. The team won the Frontier League championship, its sixth league championship in a row.