After beating Wichita Heights 65-42, Blue Valley North rides into the state title game with hopes of repeating its 2023 success.

The Mustangs defeated Heights on Friday Night in Wichita - a game which wasn’t close from the beginning. Blue Valley North (20-4) will now move on to the championship, where they will play top-seeded Derby at 6:15 pm on Saturday.

North, which won the state title in 2023, built a 31-22 halftime edge with senior Aubrey Shaw scoring 16 of the team's 31 first-half points. Shaw also went 3-of-5 from three, which single handily eclipsed North’s total of 2-of-18 from beyond the arc in its quarterfinal game.

The Harvard commit finished with a game-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. 

“I just played how I normally play, not letting anything get to me, and just continuing to be aggressive, get to the line and just play hard,” stated Shaw, North’s all-time three-point leader.

The second half was much of the same as Blue Valley North outpaced Wichita Heights, 34-20, after intermission. Led by senior Jayhawk commit Jaliyah Davis, who scored 13 of her 20 points in the second half. Davis also hauled in 17 rebounds in the contest.

Seniors Kamyra Barber’s 15 points led the Falcons (20-4), who will face Olathe North Saturday at 2 PM in the third-place game.

North won the Class 6A title in 2023 with Shaw and Davis also leading the charge, along with a third-place finish last year.

 

Derby proved why it entered as the No. 1 seed in the Kansas Class 6A state tournament

The Panthers handily beat Olathe North, 68-55, in the semifinals to move onto Saturday’s championship game, their first title appearance since 2022.

“We’re ready to play, and we just can’t wait to do it. This is something we’ve been dying to do,” stated Derby head coach Bryan Chadwick.

Olathe North (18-6) battled during the first half to trail, 29-28, at intermission. The Eagles were led by junior Asia Lee, who posted seven in the second quarter and 28 in the game. Senior Allie Workman chipped in five during the period.

Derby (21-3) exploded out of the half, putting up 21 third-quarter points, feud by by junior Karlie Demel, who had eight of her 12 overall points in the quarter. 

“The third quarter has always been our big quarter,” said Chadwick. “That’s when we lock in and play better defense”.

In the third, the Panthers had nine offensive boards and 12 second-chance points, while Eagles mustered two offensive boards and zero second-chance points. Derby emerged with a 50-41 cushion after the stanza. 

With 5:26 left in the game, Lee canned two free throws to pull Olathe North to 50-47. But 30 seconds later, Derby senior Kallie Rickords drained a three for a 53-47 lead. From there, the Panthers hit its free throws, including 12-of-15 combined from Demel (12 points), Sarai Graham (14) and Macayla Asked (16).