Sub-state recap: 22 Wichita area teams are going to state. Here are their stories
There might not be a more exciting time in Kansas high school sports.
Sub-state tournament week brings out of the best emotion student-athletes show, and 2020 had a lot of it. Here is a recap of Saturday’s sub-state championship winners from across the Wichita area:
Campus community rallies behind first state team since 1996
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For the past two years, Campus basketball has done two things that paid off Saturday night.
First, Campus coach Chris Davis posted a photo of Wichita State’s Koch Arena in the locker room. The Colts see it every day. Koch is the site of the Kansas Class 6A state tournament, an event Campus hasn’t played in since 1996.
Second, the Colts practiced cutting down the nets, something that hasn’t happened in Haysville in 24 years. When it happened after a 69-58 win over league rival Derby, some of the Campus players still didn’t have cutting the net down to an exact science, but as far as the product on the court is concerned, the Colts are flawless.
“The lights in here didn’t shine brighter than us tonight,” coach Chris Davis said. “A year ago, they did.”
Campus is undefeated. The Colts are in unfamiliar territory at 22-0 heading into the 6A tournament at Koch. They will be the No. 1 seed and face Manhattan (15-7) in the quarterfinal round. But Saturday’s win might have been the most communal moment in Campus sports history, at least so far.
As the clock neared zeros, Campus junior forward Keither Florence delivered a tomahawk spike into the basket for one of the most emphatic endings possible to a basketball game. When he did it, the buzzer sounded and students from behind the basket rushed the floor to celebrate.
The 2020 Colts had done it the hard way.
Derby had to lose four of its final six games to drop all the way to the No. 8 seed in Class 6A West. That meant Campus would face its biggest rival for a third time this season. In the first meeting, Campus pulled out a 3-point win at home, its closest of the season by a wide margin. The second went more smoothly for the Colts, but it is believed that Campus had never beaten the Panthers three times in one year.
Behind 17 from junior guard Sterling Chapman, 14 from Florence and 13 out of senior wing Thomas King, the Colts pulled it off.
“We came in knowing we were special,” Chapman said. “We know we need every single piece to win that state championship.
Chapman is playing alongside his older brother, senior guard Steele Chapman. Together they form one of the most dynamic partnerships in the Wichita area. Sterling is the offensive motor, and Steele anchors the defense.
Two years ago, the Chapman brothers came to Campus from Wichita South. Steele said they came in with a goal of turning the Colts into a real contender in Kansas. He said it is finally happening.
Steele said making school history together is something he will never forget.
“Not a lot of people get to play with their brother let alone go somewhere and build something with each other,” Steele said. “That’s a blessing, and that’s forever.”
Moreover, the Colts did it in front of the biggest attendance in school history. Sterling said it was an unbelievable atmosphere and that fans needed to show up early if they wanted a seat to the show. Many fans were left in the corners of the arena forced to stand for the entire game. And they did, dozens of them.
After the victory, fans poured onto the floor to celebrate and watch the Colts cut the net. Each player climbed the ladder to a roar with Davis making the final cuts.
“The pride in this community has been unbelievable,” Davis said. “They have taken our kids in. Our senior night was unreal. Shawn Warrior was in tears because of all the love and support he got. And (the players) pay it back, too. They’re proud to represent Campus.”
Campus has never won a boys basketball state championship, and the Colts have only ever reached a title game once, in 1988. If they win their quarterfinal game, it would be their first win at a state tournament since 1989.
The Colts have already made strides this season with an AVCTL I league title and Saturday’s sub-state championship.
“Putting another number on the board tonight, that’s just one small goal,” Sterling said. “That’s one small goal that we achieved. Our next is a state championship.”
Eleventh man scores career-high to send Collegiate boys back to state
Kanoa Ashley is the 11th player on the Collegiate boys basketball team, but that doesn’t stop the 5-foot-9 junior from showing up every morning at 7:30 a.m. in the gym ready to work.
He is far from the biggest player on Collegiate or the most naturally gifted, but no one works harder than Ashley. And when his opportunity came — Saturday night in a Class 3A sub-state championship game on the road — Ashley was prepared to deliver.
The 11th man scored a game-high 17 points, shattering his career record, to lead Collegiate to a 63-50 victory over Cheney to send the Spartans (20-3) back to the state tournament next week in Hutchinson.
“Kanoa is a kid who has believed in himself sometimes even when others don’t and that’s the most important thing,” Collegiate coach Mitch Fiegel said. “You have to believe in yourself. And the only way that you believe in yourself is to put in the work, the time and the effort. He’s clearly done that and tonight in paid off in a big-time way.”
For Saturday’s game, an injury allowed Ashley to be bumped up to the second wave of Collegiate’s five-out, five-in substitution pattern. And Cheney was far more concerned with stopping Collegiate superstar Gradey Dick (13 points) and 6-foot-10 senior Cole Thornton (nine points) than covering a little-used, 5-foot-9 kid on the perimeter.
So oftentimes Cheney left Ashley shoot wide open from the perimeter and time and time again, Ashley made them pay. The junior hit four three-pointers in the first half, including three straight triples in the second quarter, to give Collegiate a 32-26 halftime lead, one that it did not relinquish after the second-quarter flurry.
“Coach has always told me to stay ready and even though I’m the 11th man, it doesn’t really faze me,” Ashley said. “I knew that when I got my chance, I had to make the most of it.”
After watching Ashley work tirelessly this entire season without a single scoring outburst, his teammates and coaches were ecstatic to see hard work rewarded in such a big moment on Saturday.
“Kanoa is my guy, we’ve been working hard together since like middle school,” Dick said. “We have so much respect for him because we see him putting in that work early in the morning and that just makes all of us want to do the same thing. He’s not truly an 11th man. We know he can hit those shots and we know he’s always going to bring that energy.”
“We have the philosophy of next man up and what I’ve found out over the years is that no one will ever take advantage of an opportunity that they don’t get,” Fiegel said. “Tonight Kanoa took advantage of his opportunity. He was big time. I’m so proud of him and happy for him.”
And now Collegiate has the opportunity to erase the painful memory of blowing a four-point lead with 30 seconds remaining in last year’s sub-state championship game. Fiegel has brought that sub-state runner-up trophy to every road game, including Saturday’s trip to Cheney, as a reminder to the Spartans of their unfinished business.
“This is going to be my first time at state, so that will be a lot of fun,” said Dick, a sophomore. “Last year left a bad taste in our mouths. (Fiegel) still puts that trophy underneath the white board every time and it reminds us of how we felt and how down in the dumps we were in that locker room last year. We didn’t want to feel that way again.”
| Collegiate (20-3) | 12 | 20 | 16 | 15 | — | 63 |
| Cheney (20-3) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | — | 50 |
COLLEGIATE: Ashley 6 1-2 17, Dick 6 0-0 13, W. Fair 4 1-1 9, Thornton 4 1-3 9, Goree 2 1-2 6, Fox 2 2-3 6, Duarte 1 1-2 3, Chugg 0 0-0 0, O’Hearn 0 0-0 0, Ramsey 0 0-0 0, M. Fair 0 0-0 0. Team 25 (6) 7-13 63.
CHENEY: Voth 3 8-8 15, Petz 4 1-2 10, Block 3 0-2 8, Middleton 2 0-0 5, Doshier 2 0-0 5, Olmstead 2 0-0 4, Wewe 1 0-0 3. Team 17 (7) 9-12 50.
Rose Hill beats Clearwater on the road in overtime
It was the only overtime sub-state championship game in the Wichita area Saturday night.
Rose Hill beat AVCTL IV rival Clearwater 52-49 in the extra period to clinch its spot in the Class 4A state tournament in Salina next week. It will be the Rockets’ first appearance since 2016 and second since 2006.
Rose Hill will enter the state tournament as the No. 8 seed after pulling together a 12-10 record. The Rockets were a .500 ball club heading into sub-state and the No. 6 seed in 4A West.
Rose Hill has an All-Metro caliber player in senior Kobe Campbell, who scored 18 points in the sub-state championship game. He averaged 18.2 as a junior.
Rose Hill has had its struggles this season. The Rockets lost five straight from Jan. 28-Feb. 21. The worst loss came Feb. 14 at Wellington, a team that finished with six wins this season.
They seemed to put the pieces together in a road win at Andale to snap the skid. Campbell hit a buzzer-beater. But the Rockets lost by 10 to 10-win Mulvane in the following game.
They seem to have put their inconsistencies behind them at the right time.
Andover Central’s boys and girls book state trips
Lost in the shadow of the defending Class 5A champion boys team and what it has done over the past few weeks, Andover Central’s girls basketball team has a chance at a state championship in 2020.
The Jaguars beat Goddard, a state qualifier last year, 55-27 in its Class 5A sub-state championship game Saturday. They ran the Lions out of the gym to send the boys and girls teams to Emporia for state tournament for the first time since 2010 and third in school history.
Andover Central has a lethal offense that attacks from all angles. Saturday, three players - Bailey Wilborn (13), Brittany Harshaw (12) and Ellie Stearns (11) - hit double-digit points. Jaden Newfarmer led the team with five assists and seven rebounds, and Harshaw grabbed six boards with three steals.
The Jaguars have just one loss this season, and it came to the No. 1 team in Class 5A, a team they could easily see in a state title game — McPherson. Andover Central lost that game 54-50 at home in overtime in the second game of the season. Since then, the Jags have been flawless.
Central has played just three games against state qualifiers this season, with two coming against AVCTL II rival Maize South, but if their regular season dominance is an indication, they should fare well at state in its first trip since 2014.
Maize, Maize South going to state for the first time together
Over the past few years, Maize and Maize South have had among the best girls basketball programs in Kansas, just never at the same time until this season.
In 2020, the Maize programs combined for a 34-10 record, two sub-state championships and two tickets to the Class 5A state tournament in Emporia.
Maize beat nearby rival Bishop Carroll 41-39 on the road to make it nine trips to state since 2010. Maize South topped AVCTL II rival Eisenhower 44-30 in their third meeting this season.
Last year, Maize fell out in this game to Wichita Heights in a classic 4 vs. 5-seed final while Maize South stayed undefeated to go to state.
The year before, Maize South went 9-14 while Maize went 19-8 and took fourth in 5A.
In 2020, Maize South (18-4) has had its inconsistencies at times, losing three of its final seven games, including one at Maize, but the Mavericks have put it back together. While the Eagles (16-6) across town have caught fire and have lost once since beating Maize South on Feb. 7.
Buhler’s teams win sub-state titles for first time since 2005
It has been 15 years since Buhler did what it achieved Saturday night.
The Crusaders are sending their boys and girls basketball teams to the Class 4A state tournament in Salina for the first time since 2005. The girls upset No. 2 Circle on Friday, and the boys beat 56-54 in their sub-state championship.
The boys haven’t been to state since 2011, and if the Crusaders win their first round game, it would be their first state tournament victory since 1998.
The girls have had more success in recent years. This is the Crusaders’ first state appearance since 2017, but in the six years before that, Buhler went to state five times. But the Crusaders reached the final four only once in that span.
Garden Plain earns 11th sub-state sweep in school history
Garden Plain’s boys basketball team had taken a dip since 2016, but the Owls are back.
Garden Plain is sending its boys and two-time defending state champion girls team to Manhattan for the Class 2A state tournament after capturing sub-state titles Saturday night.
The girls started the night in Sedan with a 51-36 win over one-loss West Elk, and the boys followed it with a 76-49 victory against Cinderella team Wichita Independent. 2020 marks the 11th time in school history Garden Plain will send both teams to the state tournament, which is among the most in Kansas.
The Garden Plain boys (18-5) didn’t lose a game to a team that didn’t reach a state tournament in 2019-20, and the girls (18-5) have righted a ship that seemed to be going off course late in the regular season.
The girls lost two of their final four regular season games, to Cheney and Trinity Academy. They turned it around and beat their three sub-state opponents by a combined 64 points.
Halstead reaches state for the first time
For the illustrious boys basketball history at Halstead, the girls haven’t had much of a reason to celebrate until 2020.
The Dragons clinched their first trip to a state tournament with a 40-35 win over Central Kansas League rival Haven in their Class 3A sub-state championship game. It was the teams’ third meeting this season but Halstead’s first win.
Jan. 14, Halstead lost 37-30 on the road to Haven. Two weeks later, they played in the Lady Wildcat Classic midseason tournament semifinals. The Dragons lost again, 34-27. Oral Roberts pledge Faith Paramore led the way for Haven that night.
Saturday, Halstead’s standout Karenna Gerber took her rotation in the spotlight, leading the Dragons in the biggest game of the season so far.
Halstead (20-3) has only one other loss this season outside of the Haven games, and it came against Class 4A state qualifier Nickerson in a 40-29 loss.
Haven boys avenge girls with first state bid since 1988
Having just watched some of their best friends’ season come to an end, the Haven boys were playing with a bit of passion in their sub-state final.
Haven beat one-loss Hesston 55-46 in its Class 3A sub-state championship to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 1988. The Wildcats were a state power from 1960-80 with 10 state appearances in that span, but the drought has stretched 32 years.
Haven entered the night as a heavy underdog. The Wildcats lost to Hesston on Feb. 4 at home 42-36. For a team that typically puts up about 60 points a night, it was Haven’s worst offensive performance of the season, and the Cats lost again a week later to Larned.
Augusta reaches back-to-back state tournaments after coming runner-up
Last year, Augusta was the Cinderella story, but not in 2020.
The Orioles entered the Class 4A sub-state tournament as the No. 1 seed in the west and defended that ranking with a 73-45 win over Mulvane. Augusta is going back to state in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2002-03.
In 2019, Augusta finished runner-up in Class 4A. The Orioles stunned Wichita area rival Andale in the quarterfinal round and beat Chapman in the semifinals to go to its eighth championship game in school history.
This year, Augusta has the guns to make it nine and maybe even win the title.
Augusta (18-4) lost back-to-back games against a pair of state qualifiers in Collegiate and Buhler on Feb. 11 and 14. The Orioles were on a seven-game winning streak with a midseason tournament championship stuck in the middle. They haven’t lost since that two-game skid either.
3-peat for Andale as Indians gear for better state result
Jan. 7, Andale’s boys basketball team woke up with a 1-3 record and a loss to a team that entered sub-state as the No. 16 seed in Class 5A West.
The Indians were coming off a Class 3A state championship in football and hadn’t gotten a lot of practice time, but the results were tough at the time. Looking back, outside of a home loss to Maize South, going down to state qualifiers in Andover and Collegiate wasn’t too bad.
Jan. 7, Andale beat last year’s 4A runner-up, Augusta, who also knocked the Indians out in the quarterfinal round. Since that game, the Indians have lost only three times, and two came against state qualifiers with one on a buzzer-beater.
Andale beat Nickerson 59-31 in its Class 4A sub-state championship to make it three straight trips to state. The Indians are still seeking their first state title.
McPherson makes it 25-for-28
McPherson’s historic resume keeps growing.
The Bullpups won their fifth straight sub-state championship Saturday with a 62-45 win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel. It is their 25th trip to state in the past 28 years and 33rd overall.
McPherson’s Grace Pyle tied a game-high with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting while Kassidy Beam scored 14 and Kakyn Schieferecke added 11.
McPherson finished fourth at state last year after a spirited semifinal loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, who the Bullpups could meet in this year’s semifinal round, unofficially.
McPherson is seeking its first state championship since 2018 and first in Class 5A since 2008.
Cheney girls win third sub-state in four years
The Cheney girls are headed back to the state tournament for the third time in the last four years, courtesy of a 44-36 victory over top-seeded Eureka in a Class 3A sub-state title game in Cheney on Saturday.
This time the Cardinals (20-3) will be looking to finish with a victory after losing heartbreakers in the 3A title game in 2019 and 2017. Junior Kylee Scheer led Cheney on Saturday with a game-high 22 points, including six three-pointers, as Cheney won in a wire-to-wire finish.
| Cheney (20-3) | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | — | 46 |
| Eureka (20-3) | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | — | 33 |
CHENEY: Scheer 6 4-4 22, Wewe 4 1-5 9, Jones 2 3-4 7, Cline 0 2-6, Lies 1 0-0 2, Albers 1 0-0 2, Luehrs 1 0-0 2, Martin 0 0-0 0, Pipkin 0 0-0 0. 15 (6) 10-17 46.
EUREKA: Perrier 2 6-6 10, Mauer 2 2-2 7, Ptacek-Barker 2 2-4 7, Ptacek 2 1-2 5, Hilton 0 3-4 3, Escareno 0 1-2 1, Miller 0 0-0 0. Team 8 (2) 15-20 33.
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.