By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural Junior Blues topped themselves yet again.
Friday night Washburn Rural 's girls earned a big win over previously-undefeated and Class 6A No. 3-ranked Derby and on Saturday Rural defeated 6A's No. 1-ranked team, previously undefeated, Shawnee Mission West, 47-38.
“I stayed up a little late last night,” said Lady Blues coach Kevin Bordewick. “We never played a team like (Shawnee Mission West). They are really good. They run their offense a little unique, what they did on offense was new to us, and we haven’t run into a zone that lengthy.”
Washburn Rural’s continuous hot starts in the tournament were a big key to the Junior Blues becoming the champions. Rural never trailed in the scoring column in any quarter of any game in the tournament.
Washburn Rural poses for a team picture after winning the championship in the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic at Lawrence Free State. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Lady Blues senior guard Emma Krueger had an unforgettable weekend in Lawrence.
Krueger’s defense against the best players in the state of Kansas boosted the Lady Blues past Leavenworth, Derby and Shawnee Mission West and Krueger’s efforts earned her the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic Most Valuable Player honor.
Senior Emma Krueger was named the most valuable player in the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic after helping lead Washburn Rural to the tournament championship. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
“This MVP award means a lot to me,” Krueger stated. “It means I’m doing my job well and doing all of the little things for (Rural). I think it’s important to make other people look good. If I do my job, work my butt off on defense, get boards, it helps everyone else.”
One word to describe that Lady Firebirds Winter Classic Championship game would be tense.
The first half of the championship contest was a defensive clinic by both the Lady Vikings and the Lady Blues with the score at the break a tournament-low, 15-13, in favor of Washburn Rural.
Shawnee Mission West junior guard S’mya Nichols had 11 of the Lady Vikings' 13 points in the first half while the Lady Blues were led by Krueger with six points.
The Lady Blues got a huge lift from sophomore Zoe Canfield in the third quarter.
While the scoring didn't coming at a fast pace, Canfield hit two important 3-pointers which created an eight-point lead for Rural.
Brooklyn DeLeye added two free throws to give Rural a double-digit lead.
DeLeye’s free-throw shooting and Canfield’s pinpoint accurate 3-point shooting allowed the Lady Blues to post a decisive win as the dangerous duo put in a combined 22 points in the second half alone.
“I felt good coming into this game,” said Canfield who would total five 3-point shots and 20 points. “I prepared myself for this game. What went well for us is our ability to just focus on each (individual) play.”
“We work on free throws all the time in practice for this reason,” said DeLeye after going six of eight from the free throw line in the second half. “One of our goals is constantly getting better at our free throws. I just went up there and thought that I was going to make my free throws.”
Rural’s physical defense and the smooth-operating offense were just too much for Shawnee Mission West to handle late in the championship contest.
Nichols would account for 66 percent of the Lady Vikings' total points with 25 on the afternoon.
Bordewick is happy about his team winning the tournament title, but he knows there is still work to be done.
“Every day is a day to get better,'' Bordewick said. "Monday, we are going to come to the gym and we’re going to do a lot of shooting and stuff. We will also get better at individual facets of the game. Every day when we come into the gym, our job is to progress and get better at something. If you don’t, it’s a waste of a day, and we don’t want to our waste our days.''
Washburn Rural will host Hayden on Friday.
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 47, SHAWNEE MISSION WEST 38
Washburn Rural 13 2 15 17 – 47
Shawnee Mission West 7 6 9 16 – 38
Washburn Rural – Canfield 5 5-6 20, DeLeye 2 7-9 11, Krueger 4 2-3 10, Ingram 2 0-1 4, Carlgren 1 0-0 2.
Shawnee Mission West – Nichols 6 13-15 25, Gray 3 3-5 9, Joyce 2 0-0 4.
3-point goals -- Washburn Rural 5. Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 14, Shawnee Mission West 15.
