By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
No. 2 East girls seed Shawnee Heights opened postseason play in dominant fashion Wednesday night at home, defeating No. 15 seed Kansas City-Sumner 89-15 in the first round of the Class 5A sub-state playoffs.
Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory scored 35 points in Wednesday's 89-15 sub-state win over KC_Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights set the tone early with suffocating defense, forcing 18 turnovers in the first half and holding Sumner to just one point in the opening quarter.
The T-Birds came out firing offensively, jumping out to a 19-1 lead in the first quarter. Sumner’s first basket came with 1:28 left in the quarter on a free throw from Mila Sims.
Heights kept the momentum rolling in the second quarter as junior Pearmella Carter and junior KK Emmot continued the offensive push. Emmot was perfect from the field in the first half, shooting 5 for 5.
Senior Reianna Vega and Carter combined for a quick 10-0 run, with Vega scoring four points and Carter adding six. Senior Imani McGlory then knocked down a 3-pointer -- part of her game-high 35 points -- to stretch the lead to 36-1. Sumner managed back-to-back baskets before Vega answered with a 3-pointer to make it 39-5.
McGlory then connected on back-to-back threes to give her 15 points before halftime as Shawnee Heights entered the break leading 45–5.
“That was something we really wanted to emphasize -- playing solid defense, not giving up drives, moving our feet, and playing without our hands,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “I thought they did a good job of it for the most part.”
McGlory caught fire in the third quarter. After scoring on a layup to start the half, she followed with three consecutive 3-pointers and scored 18 straight points to extend the T-Birds’ lead to 63-5.
“When she starts shooting the ball and it goes in, it barely even touches the net,” Wells said. “There was a lot of that tonight. She was shooting the ball great and feeling great. Her teammates wanted to get her the ball, and that was a lot of fun to see.”
McGlory, who entered the night needing 42 points to reach 1,000 for her career, said her teammates encouraged her to stay aggressive.
“I try to get locked in in the locker room before the game,” McGlory said. “My teammates kept telling me to shoot, especially coming out of halftime. My goal was to try to get at least 30 points tonight so hopefully it’ll be easier next game.
"I feel like the feeling will be way better if I get my 1,000 and we win sub-state on the same night.”
Shawnee Heights led 77-9 after the third quarter, triggering a running clock in the fourth.
For McGlory, who transferred to Shawnee Heights from Topeka West, the win marked her first playoff victory.
“It feels really good,'' she said. "I could honestly shed a tear right now thinking about it.''
With the win, the Thunderbirds advance to the sub-state championship game Saturday, where they will host No. 7 seed Pittsburg. Pittsburg advanced with a 63–18 win over Kansas City Washington.
“We’ve watched film on them,” Wells said. “So far we’ve seen some zones. If they play zone, I think we have some shooters who can handle that. Our girls have been doing a good job going inside-out, moving the ball, and attacking gaps. Whatever defense they bring, we’ll be ready for.”
Tipoff for Saturday’s sub-state championship game is set for 5 p.m. at Shawnee Heights.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 89, KC-SUMNER 15
KC-Sumner 1 4 4 6 -- 15
Shawnee Heights 19 26 32 12 — 89
KC-Sumner (4-16) -- A.Lopez 2-3 0-1 4, Powell 2-6 0-0 4, B.Lopez 0-3 0-0 0, Wilson 0-2 0-0 0, Chambers 0-0 0-0 0, Sims 3-7 1-1 7, Hinman 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 7-22 1-2 15.
Shawnee Heights (20-4) -- McGlory 14-26 0-1 35, Carter 5-9 2-5 12, Emmot 5-6 0-0 10, Vega 3-9 2-2 9, Baum 4-7 0-0 8, Aub. Hamilton 5-8 1-2 11, Brees 1-3 0-0 2, Karlyle 1-2 0-0 2, Ali. Hamilton 0-2 0-0 0, Schmidt 0-2 0-0 0, Pierce 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-77 5-10 89.
3-point goals -- Shawnee Heights 8 (McGlory 7, Vega). Total Fouls -- KC-Sumner 10, Shawnee Heights 5. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls -- none.
