Derby girls blitz unbeaten Olathe East, win 6A title

Derby’s Holly Mills grabbed an offensive rebound early in the fourth quarter Saturday and tossed the basketball out to teammate Tor’e Alford.

Alford had no company on the right wing as the Derby crowd seated behind the Panther basket at Koch Arena braced with anticipation.

“If I’m that open, I’m going to shoot it,” Alford said. “I made sure I had it lined up. It felt good when it left my hands.”

Unlike the final quarter of Derby’s Class 6A championship game against Manhattan a year ago, nothing seemed too frantic for the Panthers. Alford swished the three-pointer, the crowd erupted and Derby was on its way to a 50-35 victory over previously unbeaten Olathe East in the 6A final.

Alford, a junior, scored a game-high 16 points as Derby won its first girls basketball title after three unsuccessful tries in the 6A championship. Sydney Nilles added 12 points and Aliyah Myers had 10 for Derby, which won its 23rd consecutive game after a loss to Class 4A-Division I champion McPherson in the season opener.

“From the beginning and even watching us warm up, I just felt our experience from last year played into it,” Derby coach Jodie Karsak said. “Not to take anything away from what Olathe East did, but that was us last year. We were a lot more nervous then.”

After a stirring comeback bid from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit ended in a 44-42 loss to Manhattan last March, Derby played from in front much of Saturday to spoil Olathe East’s first championship game appearance. Missouri State signee Sydney Wilson scored 12 points to lead the Hawks, who finished 24-1.

“In the first quarter, Sydney dropped the ball in the lane a couple times,” Olathe East coach Clint Evans said. “We lost the ball on the break. It was every kid. It wasn’t just one.

“Sometimes you have those nights where the ball doesn’t bounce your way and you think it might not be your night. This was one of those times.”

Olathe East appeared to find good fortune early in the game when Kennedy Brown, Derby’s 6-foot-6 junior center, was called for her second foul 5½ minutes into the game. But by then, Hawks post player Molly Kaemmer was also on the bench with two fouls, limiting Olathe East’s offensive effectiveness.

“When we have her in there drawing attention, it’s easier for Sydney and Makenna Winemiller to get into the lane,” Evans said.

Instead, Derby became efficient on offense late in the first half, using an 11-1 run to build a 28-18 halftime lead. Alford, who made 5 of 7 three-pointers, hit one as the Panthers scored on each of their final four first-half possessions.

“Last night (against Wichita South), Tor’e wasn’t necessarily herself and didn’t play the whole fourth quarter,” Karsak said. “But somebody steps up. It’s never like, ‘Oh, so and so isn’t in the game. They just stay together.”

And while Olathe East cut its deficit to seven early in the third quarter, Derby stayed the course. When Alford hit her final three-pointer after Mills’ kickout pass with 5:42 to play, the Panthers had their biggest lead at 43-24.

The differences from Derby’s appearance in 2017 championship loss even extended to a personal level for Alford. Her father, Amos, an assistant on the Wichita East boys coaching staff, died last April after suffering a heart attack.

“For me, it was more than just a state game,” Alford said, choking back tears. “Last year, my dad was here. This year, he’s not. This meant a lot to me.”

Washburn Rural 47, Wichita South 39 – Creighton recruit Carly Bachelor scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, and sparked Rural’s game-ending 8-0 run that gave the Junior Blues third place. Tre’Zure Jobe scored 14 points for South, which finished 22-3.

Topeka boys 71, Derby 70 – Topeka got 22 points from Larry White and dodged potential damage from a couple late turnovers to earn its second one-point victory of the tournament in the third-place boys game. Derby (16-8) was led by Bryant Mocaby’s 21 points. The Panthers got the ball back with under two seconds to play, but Tyler Brown’s three-point shot caromed off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

This story was originally published March 10, 2018 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Derby girls blitz unbeaten Olathe East, win 6A title."