Derby completes dominant tourney run

At 5-foot-3, Derby sophomore Madi Young concedes more than a foot to her 6-6 classmate, Panthers standout Kennedy Brown.

But her mission, in partnership with backcourt teammates Aliyah Myers, Sydney Nilles and Tor’e Alford, is no less important.

“I just want to go after it,” Young said. “If I’m only in for two minutes, I want to do everything I can. I want to steal the ball and make their life so hard. I just find that fun.”

The way Derby coach Jodie Karsak sees it, Young and Co. can take a few extra chances with Brown inside to protect the rim. It was a formula that landed Derby the Glacier’s Edge tournament title Saturday after a 56-33 victory over Lawrence.

Derby (9-3), No. 9 in the Class 6A coaches rankings, won big against a ranked opponent for the second consecutive day. Brown, the tournament’s MVP, scored 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a championship the Panthers stamped with scrappy defense.

Lawrence (9-3), No. 6 in 6A, committed only 11 turnovers. But the Lions’ offense was sped up to the point where they shot 20 percent from the field (11 of 54).

“For a while, we didn’t know what our identity was,” said Karsak, whose team has won six consecutive games. “Offensively, at times, I feel like we’re not quite sure, although that’s getting better.

“I think our identity is our defense, and watching (Lawrence) on film and in this tournament, I just felt like our guards could really pressure them and get them to turn it over.”

After holding Maize (No. 4 in 5A) to a season-low 36 points in a 34-point victory in Friday’s semifinals, Derby did the same to Lawrence. Ten players scored for the Lions, but none reached double figures.

Meanwhile, Brown, who made just one of her first eight shots, eventually got going. She had 12 points and 12 rebounds by halftime as Derby led 26-16.

At the defensive end, Brown’s presence contributed to a rough game for Lawrence’s 6-3 sophomore Chisom Ajekwu. Ajekwu missed her first seven shots and finished with three points on 1-of-10 shooting.

“For this game, Coach Karsak told us to keep the ball pressure up,” Brown said. “The more ball pressure you have, the less they’re going to want to throw it in the paint.”

Young said Brown’s presence energizes Derby’s entire defense.

“Not many teams have a 6-6 post behind them that if you get beat, you’re fine,” Young said. “She’s got your back. Our job is to get steals and her job is to help us out when they get past us.”

Lawrence got the final points of the first half from Hannah Stewart and Ajekwu’s lone field goal to start the third quarter to cut Derby’s lead to 26-18. But the Lions then went scoreless for more than four minutes, missing their next six shots, and never got closer.

Alford, who scored 20 points in the semifinals, added 10 in the championship. Derby wasn’t perfect, committing 15 turnovers, but tipped the scales with its defensive effort and a 45-34 rebounding edge.

“They are believing right now and trusting each other,” Karsak said. “There are times where we’re not really running an offense, but we’re just picking the defense apart.

“They’re playing really unselfish right now and I’m proud of them for that.”

Maize 54, Emporia 37 – Taylor Holmes scored 17 points and Maize bounced back from its worst loss of the season to claim third place.

Brecken Roe added 13 points for Maize (11-3), which connected on its first seven shots and trailed for only 16 seconds. The Eagles’ hot shooting start led to a 21-11 lead after one quarter and 29-19 at halftime.

Kelsey Gordon scored nine points for Emporia.

Heights 44, Topeka 43 – Whitlee Teague scored 14 points, including two free throws with 1:02 remaining, to lift Heights over Topeka in the fifth-place game.

Heights (8-5) led most of the game, but almost fell victim to poor shooting. The Falcons shot 25 percent from the field and were 3 of 32 from three-point range.

Erica Burch scored 15 points to lead Topeka, which committed 34 turnovers.

SM North 35, Eisenhower 33 – Hannah Redick scored 12 points on four three-pointers to help Shawnee Mission North deny Eisenhower its first victory in the battle for seventh.

Alexis Jones added 10 points for SM North. Mallory Miller scored 10 points to lead Eisenhower (0-12).

This story was originally published January 28, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Derby completes dominant tourney run."