Emporia tournament: Derby girls overwhelm Maize in semifinals

Derby girls coach Jodie Karsak stood outside her team’s locker room Friday and professed her love for midseason basketball tournaments.

And why wouldn’t she? The Panthers had just looked the part of a Class 6A contender in a 70-36 victory over Maize that put them in the Glacier’s Edge championship game. The impressive win served a dual purpose, coming against an Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail rival that defeated them by 15 points last month in Derby.

“Tonight was definitely our most complete game,” Karsak said.

Derby’s trip up the turnpike for the three-day tournament, which concludes at 2 p.m. Saturday against Lawrence, already was memorable. The Panthers (8-3) rallied from a 17-point deficit Thursday to edge Heights 63-60 in the quarterfinals.

But with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance from sophomore center Kennedy Brown and 20 points from sophomore guard Tor’e Alford, Derby left nothing to chance Friday.

“I think we were all really focused,” said Brown, who scored 16 first-half points and set the defensive tone near the basket with her 6-6 frame. “We wanted to come out and beat them and we knew what we had to do.”

Derby, which added transfers Jade Winter and Aliyah Myers to its roster after they became eligible earlier this month, showed every sign of a team ready for the challenge. The Panthers scored the game’s first points three minutes in and never trailed. They forced 22 turnovers and limited Maize to 28 percent shooting (13 of 46).

“I’ve never seen one team play as good as they did and one play as bad as we did,” said Maize coach Jerrod Handy, whose team fell to 10-3. “We played terribly, but they were knocking down shots and passing it around. They played really well.”

The game offered a bit of instant redemption for Alford, who received a technical and fouled out in the third quarter a day earlier against Heights. She watched from the bench as Derby outscored the Falcons 21-6 in the final quarter to win.

Against Maize, Alford made three three-pointers, grabbed nine rebounds and helped Derby control the offensive tempo.

“I had to clear my mind and play how I know how to play,” Alford said. “Today, I had to make it up to them.”

Mission accomplished as far as Karsak was concerned.

“Yesterday, she struggled a little bit and I was expecting her to come out and show something really special,” she said.

Maize, No. 4 in the 5A state coaches association rankings, got 10 points from Alexis Cauthon. The Eagles, who trailed 34-14 at halftime, got no closer than 17 after the break.

The teams will play again next Friday in Maize. For Maize, whose only losses prior to Friday came to 6A and 5A’s top-ranked teams – Wichita South and Newton – it will likely be a welcome opportunity.

But first, Derby will try to complete an eventful tournament run against Lawrence (9-2), which held off Emporia 50-43 in the other semifinal.

“How exciting,” Karsak said, reflecting on the standout performances of Brown and Alford she had just witnessed. “Hopefully from here on out we can keep that going.”

Heights 73, Eisenhower 29 – Tania Lowe led four Heights players in double figures with 15 points as the Falcons rebounded from their quarterfinal loss to defeat Eisenhower.

Taylor Jameson added 12 points, Whitlee Teague had 11 and Imari Grayson 10 for Heights (7-5), which forced 30 turnovers and used a 22-0 first-half run to pull away. The Falcons made nine three-pointers.

Mallory Miller scored 18 points for Eisenhower (0-11).

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Emporia tournament: Derby girls overwhelm Maize in semifinals."