Wichita talent influx has made City League girls basketball as competitive as ever
Like any high school league, the talent in the City League girls basketball scene has ebbed and flowed through the years.
It’s safe to say Wichita is in the midst of one of its most competitive stretches to date.
Heights (18-3), Kapaun Mt. Carmel (16-5), Bishop Carroll (16-5) and East (15-6) all spent time in the Class 6A or 5A rankings this season. All four teams also won their first playoff games, meaning they will play in a sub-state championship game this week.
“What it’s done as a league is it helped all of us get ready for the postseason,” Heights coach Kip Pulliam said. “We all battled each other for the City League championship, but we’re all going to be rooting for each other in the postseason. If we can’t win a state title, then I hope someone else in the City League does and I hope we were able to help make them better and prepare them for that final stretch run. Because it feels like all of the teams in the City League did a great job of helping us get better.”
In the not-so-recent past, the City League title was usually decided between two teams with plenty of blowouts along the way.
That wasn’t the case this season.
Heights won the City League title, but lost to a young and scrappy Southeast team in the process. Kapaun, Carroll and East all traded wins against each other, while South finished sixth in the league standings but took almost every team down to the wire.
“You had to bring it every single night,” East coach Will Davis said. “If you were a team that struggled with consistency, you weren’t going to do very well because every single night you had to bring it because everybody is coming for you.”
The City League also featured a good mixture of veterans and newcomers who made up the most talented players.
Several teams leaned on their seniors, like Sa’Miyah Ellis, Kennadi Jackson, Kamyra Barber, Heaven Gilbert and Zari Walker at Heights, while Kapaun had Maddy Spiers, Ella Rudy and Phoebe Laufer. Carroll had Megan Simon and Lilly Martin. East had Heylei Davis. Southeast had Alana Webb, and South had Mahogany Butler.
But the influx of young talent is what evened out the competition level in the City League.
“I knew it was going to be this way before the season even started because I’ve seen these girls play and watched them grow up since they were little,” Davis said. “I saw how everyone was kind of spaced out between the different schools and I knew it was going to be a really competitive year.”
Sophomore Zoey Buckner-Franklin is a first-year star at Kapaun, where junior McCoy Phister has also excelled. Sophomore Destiny Maze was a burgeoning star at Heights before a season-ending injury. Carroll has talented underclassmen in Avery McCorry and Brooke Steven, while East leans on a junior-heavy roster with Aniyah Davis, Anahree Smith, Quinacy Gilbert and Sylvia Selmon with talented freshman Ty’Leeah Lucas sprinkled in.
Meanwhile, Southeast has a promising young core of freshmen Queen Chalmers and Kamaria Mercy with sophomore Kiasia Allen. South has a pair of skilled freshmen in Damiaria Chiles and Auhmari Gary with junior Valentina Hart also performing well this season.
“There’s so many potential college players scattered across the league and classes,” Kapaun coach William Engels said. “That made every night a real battle and I think it really helped the league as a whole. I know the City League is known to be a lot more physical than some of the outside leagues, especially in 5A. We got beat up every night and that’s going to help us play through contact and play at a higher pace when we get to postseason, which tends to be a little slower-paced. We played some of the best talent in the state, so we know we can take on anyone now.”
“There’s a lot of really good young talent in the city right now,” Pulliam said. “That’s helping make teams viable right away. And young girl basketball players can usually help a lot right away when they’re younger compared to the boys side. So when you have a good group of young girls, it can really help you turn around a program quickly. And there’s quite a few in the City League who have done that.”
After Wednesday’s results, there is now a possibility of four different teams reaching the state tournament.
Kapaun (at Topeka Seaman) and Carroll (at Andover) will both be on the road for their sub-state finals on Friday night, while Heights will host Topeka and East will play at Liberal on Saturday.
“Hopefully it can just keep getting more and more competitive,” Carroll coach Taylor Dugan said. “We had to be prepared for every single game and that’s only made us better going into the postseason. I’m definitely glad it’s become more competitive.”
KSHSAA girls basketball sub-state final schedule
Class 6A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 5 p.m. Saturday.
No. 8 Garden City (12-9) at No. 1 Derby (18-3)
No. 7 Topeka (14-7) at No. 2 Wichita Heights (18-3)
No. 6 Manhattan (14-7) at No. 3 Washburn Rural (15-6)
No. 5 Wichita East (15-6) at No. 4 Liberal (15-6)
Class 5A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 7 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.
No. 8 Hutchinson (15-6) vs. TBD
No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (16-5) at No. 2 Topeka Seaman (21-0)
No. 6 Bishop Carroll (16-5) at No. 3 Andover (20-1)
No. 5 Maize South (18-3) at No. 4 Arkansas City (19-2)
Class 4A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 5 p.m. Saturday.
No. 9 McPherson (10-11) at No. 1 Wellington (20-1)
No. 10 Circle (10-11) at No. 2 Buhler (17-4)
No. 11 Hugoton (8-13) at No. 3 Clay Center (16-5)
No. 5 Clearwater (13-8) at No. 4 Andale (14-7)
Class 3A
Note: Both finals played at Halstead on Friday.
No. 11 Marysville (11-11) at No. 2 Halstead (20-1), 6 p.m.
No. 4 Riley County (16-5) vs. No. 1 Hesston (21-0), 7:30
Class 2A
Note: Both finals played at Moundridge on Saturday.
No. 5 Remington (17-5) at No. 1 Moundridge (20-2), TBD
No. 3 Inman (18-3) vs. No. 2 Bennington (19-3), TBD
Class 1A Division 1
Note: Both finals played at Canton-Galva on Friday.
No. 6 Colony-Crest (12-7) vs. No. 2 Flinthills (15-5), 6 p.m.
No. 4 Madison (14-7) vs. No. 1 Little River (19-0), 7:30
Class 1A Division 2
Note: Both finals played at McPherson Central Christian College on Friday.
No. 4 Hartford (15-5) vs. No. 1 South Haven (19-1), 6 p.m.
No. 3 Hutchinson Central Christian (17-4) vs. No. 2 Lebo (19-1), 7:30
KSHSAA boys basketball sub-state final schedule
Class 6A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 7 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.
No. 9 Lawrence Free State (9-12) at No. 1 Derby (20-1), 6 p.m.
No. 7 Wichita Southeast (11-10) at No. 2 Wichita Heights (19-2)
No. 6 Junction City (14-7) at No. 3 Washburn Rural (17-4)
No. 5 Maize (15-6) at No. 4 Wichita Northwest (16-5)
Class 5A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 5 p.m. Saturday.
No. 16 Goddard Eisenhower (7-14) at No. 8 Andover Central (13-8)
No. 10 Maize South (12-9) at No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (18-3)
No. 6 Hays (13-8) at No. 3 Andover (18-3)
No. 13 Valley Center (11-10) at No. 5 Topeka West (13-8)
Class 4A
Note: All games played at higher seed at 7 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.
No. 8 Circle (14-7) at No. 1 Andale (18-3)
No. 7 Concordia (14-7) vs. TBD
TBD at No. 3 Pratt (16-5)
No. 5 Wellington (15-6) at No. 4 Abilene (15-6), 6 p.m.
Class 3A
Note: Both finals played at Halstead on Saturday.
No. 4 Haven (19-3) vs. No. 1 Cheney (20-1), TBD
No. 6 Council Grove (14-7) vs. No. 2 Hesston (19-2), TBD
Class 2A
Note: Both finals played at Moundridge on Friday.
No. 3 Ell-Saline (19-3) vs. No. 2 Salina Sacred Heart (20-0), 6 p.m.
No. 4 Berean Academy (16-6) at No. 1 Moundridge (22-0), 7:30
Class 1A Division 1
Note: Both finals played at Canton-Galva on Saturday.
No. 4 Burden-Central (16-4) vs. No. 1 Olpe (19-2), 5 p.m.
No. 6 Little River (14-6) vs. No. 2 Oxford (17-3), 6:30
Class 1A Division 2
Note: Both finals played at McPherson Central Christian College on Saturday.
No. 3 Lebo (12-8) vs. No. 2 Hartford (14-6), 5 p.m.
No. 4 South Haven (12-8) vs. No. 1 McPherson Elyria Christian (17-4), 6:30
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 5:02 AM.
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