Stars shine on Wichita Eagle's 2018 All-Metro Girls Basketball Team

Tor'e Alford, Derby junior

Alford has some of the best court vision in Kansas.

She is certainly capable of high-volume scoring games, but Alford's top attribute is her passing. She was the orchestrator of the state-championship Derby offense, and she has another year to play.

Alford averaged 10.1 points per game this season, but on the biggest stages, she stepped up.

She scored 20 first-half points in Derby's victory against South in the GWAL/AVCTL Challenge. She dropped 16 on 5-of-7 shooting in the Class 6A final, a 50-35 victory against Olathe East. It was the first girls basketball state championship in Derby history.

Alford is also an outstanding defender, leading Derby to the second-fewest allowed points per game in Class 6A.

Alford has verbally committed to Missouri State.

"The core group, me, Sydney (Nilles), Aliyah (Myers) and Kennedy (Brown), we've all been playing together since super little," she said. "It's kinda cool to grow up with them and just keep going."

Kennedy Brown, Derby junior

On an already loaded Derby roster, Brown leads the charge. She does not score at an outstanding rate; she is often doubled in the paint at 6-foot-6.

Still, Brown averaged 14.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game as a junior. She was named to the AVCTL I first team and the Eagle's All-State team.

Stats and accolades like those have earned Brown outstanding attention from some of the best Division I programs in the nation. She recently announced her top seven universities, which included Baylor, Louisville and Tennessee.

Brown influences the game in many ways. Her scoring ability is strong. Her rebounding is hard to match, but her defending is stifling.

In the championship game, Brown was tasked with guarding All-Class first team honoree Sydney Wilson and held her to just 12 points, well below her season average.

"Uncommon kids are gonna do uncommon things," coach Jodie Karsak said, "and for them to get these awards, what a blessing."

Shanti Henry, Andover junior

Henry was one of the top shooters in Kansas this year.

A 5-7 junior, Henry led AVCTL II at 17.1 points per game. She helped lead Andover to its first league title since the 2012-13 season, and the Trojans swept cross-town rival Andover Central for the first time since 2010-11.

The Trojans finished 13-8 this season and 10-2 in league play.

Andover topped Class 4A-Division II runner-up Andale and played Class 4A-Division I champion McPherson to one possession on the road. Henry scored 35 points in those games.

Henry was named AVCTL II co-MVP with Andover Central's Ryann Stearns, who is committed to Texas-San Antonio and Goddard's Kade Hackerott.

"My team's never really done that well in my past years that I've played," Henry said. "So it was really exciting for us to finally mix together and finally win."

Trezure Jobe, South senior

On one of Wichita's best teams in recent years, Jobe has been one of the cornerstones.

Jobe was an outstanding point guard for coach Antwain Scales, scoring 12.3 points per game and operating the Titans' system almost on auto-pilot at times with precise passing and vision, losing just five games in the past two seasons.

South capped an undefeated City League season in 2018 and finished fourth in the Class 6A tournament, losing a 42-40 heartbreaker to Derby in the semifinals.

Jobe is now a two-time All-Metro selection. She was named to the City League first team and the Eagle's Class 6A first team.

Her accolades have helped her to a commitment to Emporia State to continue her caree. She said she is thankful for what South offered.

"When I came into this program, I knew it was gonna be a great fit because we have a great coaching staff," Jobe said. "Granted, we didn't strong, but I feel like I made the right choice. I wouldn't change it."

Taylor Joplin, Garden Plain senior

Joplin capped a historic Garden Plain career with the ultimate achievement.

The Owls won the Class 3A girls state championship with a come-from-behind 49-39 victory against Royal Valley.

Garden Plain finished the season 23-1, losing only to Conway Springs, and Joplin was at the head of the Owls' success. She averaged 14.5 points per game and was a force in the paint with 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Joplin was named to the Eagle's third team All-State and first team in Class 3A. Many coaches in the Central Plains League called her the best player they faced this season.

Joplin will go down as arguably the best girls basketball player to come out of Garden Plain, but she credited her coaches and teammates.

"I never thought I would be this good," Joplin said. "Even when I was a little freshman playing varsity, I never thought I would be this good, but all my hard work and dedication has paid off, and that means a lot to me."

Jodie Karsak, Derby coach

Before Karsak took over at Derby, the Panthers had won nine games in four years.

With a successful playing career at Olathe South, Cloud County Community College and eventually Wichita State, Karsak arrived at Derby with a wealth of basketball knowledge. She was met with talented players.

With two named to the Eagle's All-Metro team and another included among the Eagle's 6A honorable mentions in Aliyah Myers, Derby was perhaps the most talented team at the state tournament ... but the rest of the field was just as strong.

The top four seeds at Koch Arena entered with a combined 83-4 record. After losing its first game of the season to McPherson and canceling another late on the schedule, Derby arrived as the No. 3 seed and got a rematch with South in the semifinals. The Panthers won on a layup with less than 10 seconds to play.

Karsak had Derby in the state final in 2017, so finishing the season with a victory felt right for such a talented and character-driven group, she said.

"I tell my kids who hardly get to play that they would get a lot of minutes in any other program," Karsak said. "For them to buy into their roles, they're really just selfless, and they wanted the big trophy this year."

This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 12:16 AM with the headline "Stars shine on Wichita Eagle's 2018 All-Metro Girls Basketball Team."