Olathe West’s heroics in the final seconds were one-upped by Samiyah Ellis.

The Wichita Heights senior hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Falcons a thrilling 60-57 win in overtime in its Class 6A quarterfinal.  

Six seconds earlier, Owls junior Jessica Borders hit a stepback three to tie the game at 57-57. But following a timeout, Ellis took a pass off the right side of the key, and fired up a three from 28 feet away - which splashed in as the buzzer went off, and on went the celebration.

“It was awesome for us to handle adversity and come back from it and do the things that we had to do to find a way to win,” stated Falcons head coach Kenneth Palmer.

Heights held a 37-29 lead after the third quarter, but West came out hot in the fourth with senior Emma Sales scoring four quick points alongside a three from junior Alexis Cooley. The rest of the quarter went back and forth as Cooley finished the quarter with nine of her 15 points to will Olathe West into the game. 

The Falcons endured a sluggish fourth, mustering 10 points as leading scorer senior Kennadi Jackson, who finished the game with 17, managed four after the third period.

With 0:17 left in regulation, Owl junior Molly Collins made a layup to send the game into overtime with both teams deadlocked at 47-47. 

Both teams traded buckets through overtime Then with 0:18 left, junior Halle Clemons made both free throws giving the Falcons a 57-54 lead and seemingly ending the game. But the huge three by Borders from the right side of the arc tied the game and Heights called a timeout. 

Out of the timeout, Jackson brought the ball up who then passed it to Ellis waiting at the edge of the logo, who threw up the game-winning 28-footer at the horn. Teammates swarmed Ellis at mid-court after the ball went through the net. 

“Everyone was excited, we had some great bench play tonight that made huge plays at the end of the game,” said Palmer. “ Now we’ve got to get everybody focused and ready as we got two more games to try and win”.

Olathe West finished their season with a record of 16-7. Wichita Heights moves to 20-3 and will face No. 3 seeded Blue Valley North Friday in the semifinals.

In a rematch of the 2023 state championship game, Blue Valley North once again ended the run of Washburn Rural.

The No. 3 seeded Mustangs beat the No. 6 seeded Junior Blues, 45-39. In a game with seven lead changes, BV North was able to hold the lead when it mattered.

At halftime, the Mustangs were down 21-20, in a very defensive half where neither team could seem to pull away.

“Our shots weren't falling, so just being able to make it up on the other side of the court was super important,” stated senior All-American Jaliyah Davis. 

Neither team could get much of anything rolling on offense. Washburn Rural shot 30% from the field whereas BV North shot 37% from the field and 11% from beyond the arc. Senior Aubrey Shaw and Davis combined for all 12 of the teams’ third quarter points as they finished with 12 and 26 respectively. Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored six of Rural’s eight in the third, finishing the game with 12.

Washburn Rural came into the fourth on a scoring drought that had lasted the final 6:05 of the third and the first 3:19 of the fourth. Junior Ella Hirschi ended the drought with a three-point jumper making the score 32-25 with 4:41 left, but North sealed the game down the stretch.

“We’re gonna come out tomorrow with the same energy,” said Davis. “Try and come out with more energy in the first half to make up for today but staying together and playing our game”. 

Washburn Rural ends its season with a record of 16-7. Blue Valley North improves to 19-4 and advances to the semifinals to face No. 2 seeded Wichita Heights.

In a cross-town rivalry 200 miles south of each school, Olathe North repeated the result just the same.

The No. 5 seeded Eagles beat No. 4 seeded Olathe South, 63-52, in its Class 6A quarterfinal on Thursday. The Eagles controlled the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer in advancing to the semifinals.

At the end of the second quarter, the Eagles built a 27-15 lead over the Falcons. O-South could only score four points on two made field goals in the second quarter from sophomore Eve Long, who finished the game with 19 points.

Asia Lee exploded for 17 of the Eagles' 18 points in the third, finishing the game with 37 points. Late in the quarter, the Falcons rallied for an 8-3 run led by senior Keira Ho, sophomore Brooke Maupin, and freshman Morgan Steinmuller to bring the score to 40-31.

The fourth opened with eight consecutive empty possessions by both teams. The first points of the quarter came on a layup by Lee. Long tried to keep the Falcons in the game, scoring 11 points in the fourth. But O-North hit its free throws down the stretch to keep O-South at arm's reach. 

Olathe South finished the season at 18-5. Olathe North improved to 18-5 and will play No. 1-seeded Derby on Friday in the semis.