Shawnee Mission Northwest showed why it's still the team to beat in the Kansas Class 6A tournament.

The No. 4-seeded Cougars and defending state champions beat No. 5 seed Mill Valley, 76-52, in the state quarterfinal at Koch Arena on Wednesday. The Jaguars won the regular season matchup on a buzzer-beater, but this time around, the Cougars showed no signs of mercy from the opening tip.

Junior Ethan Taylor, who was injured during the first matchup, made his presence known quickly with eight first-quarter points and finished with 20 overall.

“It was all going to come down to our defense,” stated senior Keaton Wagler. “They have three great players who can score the ball well and if we could shut one or two of them down, then we were going to win the game”.

Northwest did just that, holding senior Carter Kaifies and junior Jakhai Carter to just 12 points combined as well as holding Mill Valley to just 17 points in the first half.

Wagler dominated the third quarter, scoring eight of the Cougars’ 19 points, as the Illinois commit finished with 19. Senior Tyler Salmon exploded for 12 in the fourth and also  finished with 20 points. 

Senior Thatcher Ivey (16) and junior Reece Riedel (15) led the scoring for the Jags.

“I think it’s gonna be our defense again that’ll help us win,” said Wagler of the rest of the weekend. “We’re gonna watch some film tomorrow and get a good game plan and hopefully get set to hopefully beat them and get back to the state championship”.

Mill Valley finishes the season with a record of 18-5. Northwest moves to 20-3 and advances to the semifinals for a matchup with No. 8 seed Maize.

Maize entered the state tourney as the field’s underdog, but now has knocked off the top dog.

The No. 8 seeded Eagles upset No. 1 Shawnee Mission South, 49-48, in the quarterfinals at Koch Arena on Wednesday. Junior Brayden Myovela led the Eagles with 15 points, including the go-ahead layup with six seconds left. The Raiders had one last opportunity but turned the ball over with a tick to go.

Maize (17-6), a winner in nine of its last 10 games, fought all game long, and entered the final period tied, 35-35. Shortly later, South’s Ben Allen drained a three-pointer plus foul for a 42-38 with 6:25 left. But a driving hoop by Justin Hanna and three-pointer from Alec Grill gave Maize a 43-42 lead with 5:40 remaining.

South (21-2) took a 48-47 lead into the final seconds on a Connor Kerrigan stickback with :52.3 left. Maize eventually called a timeout with 18 seconds left, then a tipped ball set up an inbounds play with 9.4 seconds. Myovela cut down from the elbow, took the inbounds pass and went up for a lay-in with 6.1 left.

The Raiders faced a halt-court trap and Maize intercepted a pass to seal the win.

Connor Kerrigan scored a game-high 22 points, while Allen added 18. South missed 6-foot-6 junior Drake DeBaun, who suffered a season-ending injury in the substate final. 

Maize will play in the semifinals on Friday.

Olathe North proved that seeding doesn’t mean much when you have as talented of roster as the Eagles.

The No. 7 seed Eagles took down No. 2 Derby, 69-50, in the quarterfinals of the Kansas Class 6A tournament at Koch Arena on Wednesday. After Maize upset No. 1 Shawnee Mission South, the top two seeds coming into the tournament have been sent home.

“Our record doesn’t tell you anything about our skill and we have way more talent than what our record shows,” stated senior guard Jaalan Watson. “So we had a chip on our shoulder coming into this game”.

Senior Connor Rabbit hit a three with 3:18 left in the second quarter to give the Eagles a 21-19, lead and from there, North never looked back. O-North held the Panthers to just three points in the second quarter for a 23-19 halftime margin.

Watson came out of the locker room hot, scoring 12 of the team's 25 points in the quarter and finished with 17. Derby mustered only 12 points on just three made field goals, and Olathe North blew the game open, 48-30, entering the fourth.

“I just had to come out strong, make some shots, and help our team be better,” reminisced Watson. 

Senior B.J. Boyd (10) and junior Sam Simmons (7) combined for 11 of the team’s 21 points in the fourth quarter

Seniors Jack Ulwelling (13) and Cayden Titus (11) led the way for the Panthers.

Derby finishes the season with a record of 21-2. Olathe North improves to 17-6 and will face No. 3 Wichita Heights in the semifinals on Friday night.