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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Seaman boys turned in momentum-changing plays in every period of their 57-46 Class 5A quarterfinal victory over Maize South Tuesday in Wichita.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner dunks the ball for two of his 24 points in the Vikings' 57-46 Class 5A state tournament win over Maize South Tuesday night in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
The fourth-seeded Vikings’ come-from-behind win gives them a shot at top-seeded Kapaun Mt. Carmel on Thursday. The Crusaders are the defending champs in 5A and extended their undefeated 2025-2026 streak to 26 games by knocking off Shawnee Heights Tuesday.
Seaman had to withstand a shaky first half and a hot start by Maize South. The two teams traded punches the entire first half. The Vikings got a shot of adrenaline from a driving two-hand dunk by KaeVon Bonner to close the first quarter. Still, the Mavericks led essentially the entire first half, building a six-point lead with 1:25 before halftime.
The Vikings closed the first half with back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit to 22-20. A Bonner 3-pointer with just three seconds left would have sent the Vikings to halftime in the lead, but an official ruled Bonner stepped on the sideline on the catch-and-shoot attempt.
Despite being denied the big shot before the half, the Vikings felt the momentum shifting. Senior Landon Wiltz seized the opportunity. He buried a 3-pointer to open the second half to give the Vikings a 23-22 lead. Two minutes later, he knocked down another to put Seaman up 28-25. The Vikings never trailed again.
“My final comment before we took the floor was we’d been a really good second-half team this year,” said Seaman coach Craig Cox. “We were 0-6 (on 3-pointers) in the first half. The only one we actually made, we stepped out of bounds. So, we were a little bit frustrated. So, for (Wiltz) to step up and make them was very huge momentum-wise.”
“We play defense to offense,” said Bonner. “So, when we get stops and just run down the court, I feel like we’re a good running team, so that starts our momentum. When Landon started (the second half) with those threes, yeah it was a big momentum change for us for sure.”
The Vikings outscored the Mavericks 18-8 in the third period and closed the quarter leading 38-30 on a rim-rocking fast break dunk by Bonner. Cox said the dunks and 3-pointers were not the only highlights.
“You know, those are big momentum plays, but also like Matthew McConnaughey stepping up and taking a charge. That’s a huge momentum play,” Cox said. “We made a lot of big, big plays that allowed us to build that lead.”
Once the Vikings were in the lead, they didn’t surrender to a late run by the Mavericks. The Vikings knocked down 11-12 free throws in the final period, including 8-8 from Bonner, to close out the game.
Facing a variety of defensive looks, Bonner was just 3-6 from the field in the first half for eight points. He focused on breaking down the Maverick defense and distributing the ball. In the second half, he found his scoring touch. The senior finished with 24 points. Wiltz scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime. Griffin Zuniga added 10.
Seaman basketball poses for a picture with its student section after Tuesday's 57-46 Class 5A state tournament win over Maize South. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Seaman's basketball team celebrates with its student session after Tuesday's Class 5A state tournament win over Maize South. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Andale has gotten the better end of recent meetings with Hayden, with the Indians not only handing the Wildcats a heartbreaking three-set loss in last fall's Class 4A state championship volleyball match but also taking the past two 3A state title games in football.
Sophomore Sophia Wichman came off the bench to score 11 points and grab five rebounds in Hayden's 54-37 Class 4A state tournament win over Andale Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Hayden gained a big measure of revenge on Tuesday in White Auditorium, with the No. 4-seeded Wildcats rolling to the 4A state basketball semifinals with a 54-37 quarterfinal win over the Indians.
Now 20-6 on the season, Hayden will face No. 1 seed and defending 4A champion Wellington (23-1) in a 2 p.m. Thursday semifinal at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Sophomore Sophia Wichman, who gave the Wildcats a big lift with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals off the bench, said no one had to tell Hayden how important Tuesday's game was.
"That came up all this week,'' said Wichman, who was also a member of the Wildcats' volleyball team. "We were all just so hyped up. We were like, 'We cannot lose because we lost in volleyball and in football, so we have to take something back.' ''
No. 5 seed Andale (17-7) led 13-12 at the end of the opening quarter and 17-12 after two straight buckets to open the second quarter, but Hayden outscored the Indians 15-5 over the remainder of the first half to take a 27-22 advantage.
After holding a 15-9 scoring edge in the second stanza Hayden outscored Andale 16-7 in the third quarter to take a commanding 43-29 advantage into the fourth.
Hayden, third in 4A last season after a third-place finish in 3A in 2024, went on to take a game's biggest 21-point cushion (52-31) on a three-point play from sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein and cruised the rest of the way for the 17-point win.
Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored a game-high 14 points with 5 rebounds and 4 steals in Hayden's 54-37 Class 4A state tournament win over Andale Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Blakely Walter scored 11 points in Hayden's 54-37 Class 4A state tournament win over Andale Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Schmidtlein led all scorers with 14 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 steals while sophomore Blakely Walter scored 11 points with Hayden's lone 3-pointer.
Senior Reese Huscher had a game-high five steals for the Wildcats.
Abbigail Winter led Andale with 12 points, including the Indians' only two treys, while Brooke Grimes added 11 points and Mayla Spexarth grabbed 17 rebounds.
Hayden didn't have one of its best offensive nights Tuesday, shooting 34.4 percent from the floor while going 1 of 14 from 3-point range and just 11 of 26 from the free throw line.
But that was plenty good enough for the Wildcats, who pestered Andale into 31.6 percent shooting and 29 turnovers.
"They came out and our first possession they stole it and got a layup,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. "That was a terrible way to start, but I think the mixture of us playing some man to man, some fullcourt press and then that halfcourt 1-3-1 we played was really effective.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- After splitting a pair of knockdown, dragout regular-season United Kansas Conference regular-season matchups with Piper, Topeka West basketball coach Christian Ulsaker knew that Tuesday's Class 5A quarterfinal was going to be another fierce battle.
Senior Keimani Paul scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and OTs, leading Topeka West to an 86-78 Class 5A state tournament win over Piper Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But not even Ulsaker could have predicted what transpired at White Auditorium, a double-overtime thriller that had momentum swing after momentum swing and big play after big play before No. 3 seed Topeka West took control in the second extra session to outlast No. 6 Piper, 86-78, and advance to the state semifinals.
"That's what winners do,'' Ulsaker said. "Give (Piper) coach (Steve) Wallace and DJ (Derrick Jackson) and that team all the credit. They didn't want to go home, you could tell, and we didn't want to go home, so it's fun to see two teams battle it out to get a chance at Wichita.''
Topeka West, now 23-3 on the season, advances to an 8 p.m. Thursday night semifinal matchup with No. 2 seed Bonner Springs (25-1), which topped Kansas City-Washington, 68-49.
The stage for Tuesday's Topeka West-Piper marathon was set when Topeka West jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, only to see Piper (18-8) battle back to forge ties at 10-10 and 14-14 before before the Pirates ended the opening quarter with a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 advantage.
Piper went up 21-14, its biggest lead of the night, early in the second stanza, but this time it was West that battled back, with the Chargers tying the game at 23 and eventually going in front 28-23 before the game was tied at 28 and 30.
Piper got the final bucket of the half, on a Cooper Crawford dunk, to take a 32-30 lead at the break.
The back and forth affair continued in the second half, with four lead changes in the third quarter before Piper took a 48-45 advantage into the fourth.
Topeka West almost immediately tied the game on a Malakyah Duncan 3-pointer, one of four ties in the period, including a 59-59 deadlock to force overtime.
West went up 58-56 on a Paul hoop before Jasper Phillips hit a free throw to give the Chargers a 59-56 lead with 7.5 seconds left in regulation before Piper star Jackson drained a clutch 3-pointer at the buzzer.
There were four ties and four lead changes in the first OT and West again had a late lead, at 71-69, before Jackson scored with 8.2 seconds left to send the game to a second extra four-minute period.
But this time the Chargers were able to put the Pirates away after scoring the first nine points of the second OT to open their biggest lead of the night at 80-71 with 1:11 left.
Piper battled all the way back to get within 81-78 with 26 seconds remaining before West ended the game with a 5-0 run.
Senior Malakyah Duncan scored 17 points in Topeka West's 86-78 Class 5A state tournament win over Piper Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Paul scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and overtimes while Duncan scored 17 points, Prince Lassiter 13, Jay'Veon Lassiter 11 and Gad Munganga 10 points for the Chargers.
"The first half (Paul) was pretty frustrated, 1 for 2 in the first half,'' Ulsaker said. "He was kind of like, 'Give me the ball, give me the ball,' and I just went in there (the locker room) and said, 'I gave your the ball, OK.' You wanted it, we gave it to you and that's what seniors do. They want the big moments.
"Gad had them, Lok (Duncan) had them, Kei had them. That's a team that wants to win a basketball game.''
"I was mad I wasn't getting (many) touches and they were hounding me first half, but I know that I did not want my season to end today, so I got after it,'' Paul said.
"We took control. We knew the shot that (Jackson) hit to turn it into overtime, we knew that wasn't supposed to happen, so we knew we needed to seal the game with free throws, stay poised and mature, and that's what we did.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Granted, my jury is still out on the state's new quarterfinal format, but this remains my favorite week of the high school sports season, and for what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on all 14 of this week's state basketball tournaments across the state.
If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.
If I did pick the team/teams you root for, I hope it's not a jinx.
By Saturday evening we'll know, and win or lose it promises to be a fun week.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission South (1: 24-1) vs. Mill Valley (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. The Raiders' lone loss on the season was a 69-66 decision to Mill Valley and those two teams could meet again in Saturday's championship game. I give SM South a slight edge in a rematch.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Olathe North is 21-4 and is capable of beating any team in the field.
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wichita Heights (1: 24-0) vs. Shawnee Mission South (2: 21-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. Wichita Heights has passed each and every test it has faced this season, but I give South a very narrow edge in a championship game matchup.
Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker's Topeka High girls are on a roll entering their Class 6A quarterfinal matchup with Derby. [File photo/TSN]
Other contenders -- The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Derby (22-3) and No. 7 Topeka High (17-8) could mount a title charge. No. 5 seed Olathe South (20-5) has five losses to out-of-state teams and perennial 6A contender Blue Valley North (20-5), the No. 6 seed, also has a shot at the crown.
Senior Malakyah Duncan cuts down the nets after Topeka West's win over Bishop Carroll in a Class 5A sub-state final. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1: 25-0) vs. Topeka West (3: 22-3).
Champion -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Crusaders are the two-time defending champion and the team to beat again after running off 25 straight wins this winter, but Topeka West, which lost to KMC in the quarterfinals a year ago, has the firepower to challenge for the title.
Other contenders -- The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 Seaman (21-4) could definitely make a run at the title as could perennial state contender Piper (18-7), which has split games with Topeka West this season.
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Finalists -- Andover (1: 23-1) vs. Hays (2: 23-1).
Champion -- Hays. The Indians' lone loss came against Class 3A power Silver Lake, the only blemish on a dominating season, while Andover will be looking for its first title under former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Shawnee Heights (21-4) is making its first state appearance since 2011 and has the talent to go all the way as could the winner of the quarterfinal game between No 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 St. James Academy (20-5).
CLASS 4A BOYS
Finalists -- Rock Creek (1: 25-0) vs. McPherson (7: 16-9).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have turned in a dominant season and there's no reason to believe they can't close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 2 seed Atchison is also unbeaten in 25 games on the season while No. 5 seed Andale (18-5) is a longshot contender for the crown.
Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein and the Hayden girls are the No. 4 seed for the Class 4A state tournament with a 19-6 record. [File photo/TSN]CLASS 4A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wellington (1: 22-1) vs. Rock Creek (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have put together a string of impressive victories this season, including a win over Class 3A contender Silver Lake.
Other contenders -- You can never count out perennial state champion Bishop Miege, the No. 6 seed this season at 17-8. The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Hayden (19-6) and No. 5 seed Andale (17-6) could also make a run at the championship.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Finalists -- Wichita Collegiate (1: 24-1) vs. Hesston (2: 24-2).
Champion -- Wichita Collegiate. Collegiate's lone defeat on the season came against two-time defending Class 5A state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which is a perfect 25-0 on the season.
Other contenders -- The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Holcomb (21-5) and No. 5 Silver Lake (20-6) is capable of winning the championship while No. 3 seed Pratt is an impressive 21-3.
Senior Kailyn Hanni and the Silver Lake girls enter the Class 3A state tournament with a 25-1 record after winning the state crown in 2024 and advancing to the championship game last season. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Finalists -- Halstead (1: 25-0) vs. Silver Lake (2: 25-1).
Champion -- Silver Lake. The Eagles won the championship in 2024 and were the runnerup a year ago. Halstead is a perfect 25-0 on the season, but it's hard to pick against Silver Lake.
Other contenders -- Holcomb, the No. 3 seed at 24-2, is likely to give Silver Lake a tough semifinal test if both teams get past their quarterfinal openers.
CLASS 2A BOYS
Finalists -- Sterling (1: 25-0) vs. Berean Academy (2: 22-2).
Champion -- Sterling. The Black Bears appear to be a good bet to close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 7 seed Rossville (17-7) has the talent and experience to knock off Berean in the quarterfinals and make a run at the crown. Other contenders include No. 5 seed St. Marys (19-7) and No. 6 St. Marys Colgan (18-7), a traditional state title contender.
CLASS 2A GIRLS
Finalists -- Eureka (4: 22-2) vs. Moundridge (2: 23-2).
Champion -- Moundridge. I give Moundridge a slight edge in a balanced field loaded with contenders.
Other contenders -- No. 8 seed Rossville (15-10) is capable of knocking off top seed and 25-1 Ellinwood in the quarterfinals while No. 3 seed St. Marys Colgan (23-2) and No. 6 Sacred Heart (22-4) are defintely title threats.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Ken Darting’s retirement plans are on hold, at least for a few more days.
Ken Darting, who has coached three high schools to state tournament berths, including five state champions, will close out its Hall of Fame career in this week's Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
After back-to-back trips to the Class 5A state tournament in 2024 and 2025 and the graduation of significant players, you might not have expected Darting's Shawnee Heights T-Birds to be back in the dance this year.
“I know one that wouldn’t have expected that,” Darting said with a laugh after his T-Birds defeated Leavenworth Friday in the sub-state final game. The T-Birds survived graduations, injuries, suspensions and midseason player defections to punch their ticket for another state tournament.
Going to state has become a family tradition for the Dartings. This will be the 15th tournament for a Darting-coached team, spread across stints at Silver Lake, Highland Park and Shawnee Heights. Darting’s high school resume is interrupted by a decade spent coaching at Kansas State and Allen County Community College. But still, trips to state have been an important part of their lives. The Dartings cherish the memories from nine appearances in state title games, five which ended in championships.
This year’s state tournament will hold special significance as it will be Darting’s last. The tournament has been a place for him to reconnect with friends made during his lengthy career.
“Last year at the state tournament, we had just lost, and there’s 17 coaches from all over the state that came to our locker room,” Darting recalled. “I sat there and visited for an hour with them, those 17 different guys that came to talk. And that’s fun. I look forward to getting to do that again this year. You know, usually I want to go hide, to go out that hole and sneak out. But to see those former players and old coaches is a fun deal.”
Had his current T-Birds not qualified for the tournament, Darting said the sendoff given by the Shawnee Heights community was sufficient. But another trip to state will provide a chance to celebrate his retirement with other friends.
“Already this year, I’ve got calls from all over, from coaches that I knew 30 years ago,” Darting said. “And I’m proud of how many opposing coaches have sent me notes or come to see me for my last game. That means you did something.”
Still, Darting isn’t looking at the tournament as a farewell tour, but a business trip.
“You say, ‘Oh, it’s just another game.' But things like that, when you stop and think about it, when you get to this point, you’d like to go out as good as you can go out,” Darting said. “I’m not one that is holding myself hostage to a state championship. But whatever it is that we’re good enough to do, I want to do that.”
The tournament takes on a slightly different look this year. Rather than playing the quarterfinal round at the location of the semifinal and final games, KSHSAA has grouped teams in regional locations based on proximity for the higher-seeded teams, regardless of classification.
Shawnee Heights (17-8) will face top-seeded and two-time defending Class 5A state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel at Koch Arena in Wichita at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The T-Birds face a tough task in the opening round, but Darting will remain dedicated to this year’s team until the final whistle. His feeling for this current group shows in his eyes.
“I think when they’re that age, yeah, celebrate, go on,” Darting said as he watched the current group celebrate their sub-state championship Friday. “They don’t even know it yet, but they’re gonna see in life, 10, 20 years from now, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh wow, was that fun?’ And when it’s a team that shouldn’t get it done and it gets done, that makes it even more special.”
Darting is invested not just in this current roster of T-Birds but what happens after he’s gone. He spoke passionately about freshmen Quincy Dixon, Fletcher Terrell and Sam Becker, each of whom played a significant role in reaching the tournament.
“I care so much about whoever takes over this job, because these kids deserve it,” Darting said. “There are a lot of good kids on the way up. I wanted to make sure that I left this program better for the next guy than I found it.”
TUESDAY'S OTHER STATE QUARTERFINALS
