SM Northwest 63, Olathe North 56

Back to back!

Shawnee Mission Northwest repeated as Kansas Class 6A state champions with a 63-56 win over Sunflower League rival Olathe North at Koch Arena on Saturday.

The Cougars (22-3) enjoyed an undefeated 25-0 state title run in 2023-24, and finished with a 47-3 mark over the two seasons.

“This has been a special group who never was satisfied with anything less than a state title, and showed that from their work in the offseason to playing through the final buzzer tonight,” head coach David Birch stated.

Olathe North (18-7) hung with the Cougars throughout the contest, The Eagles brought the game to 54-50 after junior Cam Love’s layup and free throw, then a Derrick Cooper three-pointer with 2:51 left in the game. 

But the Cougars and Keaton Wagler iced the game down the stretch at the free-throw line, as Wagler canned 9-for-9 from the stripe en route to 17 points. The Illinois commit overcame a sluggish first half of four points, and just eight points in the semifinal.

“I started feeling the pressure early and letting little things get to my head,” stated Wagler. “Once I was able to just play my game and not let the little things get to me, I was locked in”.

After a 28-25 halftime lead, Northwest came out hot, hitting its first three of four shot attempts. From then on, the Cougars kept O-North at an arm’s distance behind junior seven-foot center Ethan Taylor’s 19 points and 15 rebounds. Van Collins added 10 points, while senior Tyler Salmon chipped in nine points and seven board. 

“I would hope this sets a standard of hard work and the dedication it takes to win a championship,” stated Tyler Salmon. “Going at it in practice all season, I’m just very happy for the guys and I hope the following teams to come will be inspired by what we do”.

Love finished with a team-high 16 points for Olathe North, while Cooper added 14 and Jaalan Watson finished with 10.

Class 5A Third Place
Piper 69, Andover 57
PJ Moore scored 17 points to lead Piper to a third-place finish in Kansas Class 5A. The Pirates finished 21-4, a year after its runner-up finish a year ago. Alamar Brooks (13), Derrick Jackson Jr (12) and Lantz Walton (11) also finished in double digits.

Class 4A Third Place
Ottawa 61, Andale 36
The Cyclones wrapped a 24-1 season with a 61-36 romp over Andale in the third-place game in Salina on Saturday. Jayce Mourning finished a game-high 24 points, while Aiden McCullough added 15.