Wichita high school basketball scores: East’s Henderson drops 40 to beat Heights
It didn’t matter much what kind of defense Luke Henderson saw on Friday night.
Every coverage, every trap, every long-armed contest eventually met the same ending: a swished jumper. Henderson authored one of the most electrifying scoring performances in the City League this season, pouring in a career-high 40 points to lift East to a 71-66 double-overtime win over Class 6A No. 3-ranked Heights.
The 6-foot junior guard did it almost entirely with shot-making and ball-handling skill, knocking down seven 3s and just three free throws. It was a showcase of advanced footwork, tight handles and complete command of pace to score 40 points against one of the best defenses in Kansas.
Not to mention, Henderson went head-to-head with one of the state’s best scoring guards in Heights senior Jalihn Timmons, who erupted for 43 points of his own in a game last month.
“I told Luke before the game that he was probably up against the best guard in the state of Kansas, but I feel like he’s just as good,” East coach Carlin Whitten said. “These are the types of games where you’ve got to come out and perform your best. And he did that.”
The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for East (12-7, 8-5 City League) and ended a seven-game winning streak for a Heights (15-3, 10-2 City League) team that now sits two games behind undefeated Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the league standings.
What made Henderson’s outburst even more impressive was that it didn’t begin like a masterpiece. Heights was going under early ball screens, allowing Henderson to pull from deep. Two of his attempts beyond the arc in the first quarter didn’t hit the rim at all. What followed, however, was a complete takeover.
Henderson detonated for 14 points in the second quarter alone, repeatedly shredding on-ball defenders with his change of pace and balance. He scored in transition with a sudden pull-up, beat tight coverage on the perimeter with a side-step 3 and finished through contact on a physical drive. On one sequence, he called for a high screen, then snaked it, put the trailing defender in jail with a jump stop, then used a step-through move into a finger roll for the finish.
East led 27-19 at halftime with Henderson (20) having more points than the entire Heights team.
“I really wanted it bad tonight,” Henderson said. “We were on a three-game losing streak, so we had to stay disciplined. My guys did a great job of finding me and getting me open and we got the win.”
Heights countered with a parade of adjustments after halftime. The Falcons changed up their ball-screen coverages, sending aggressive traps Henderson’s way and even morphing into a zone trap designed to force the ball out of his hands. The strategy briefly slowed him in the third quarter when he scored just four points and Heights closed to within 35-31.
But Henderson’s footwork and spin moves kept unlocking cracks. He used a combination to hit a turnaround fadeaway early. Then he used a spin move to gain an advantage going to his left, and when a help defender came to cut him off, Henderson used a pivot to twirl back to his right and then a step-through to finish in the paint.
When Heights blitzed a screen late in the fourth quarter, he split the trap with a tight spin move and dribbled into a 15-foot jumper. He later delivered a pass to Jovan Welch for a go-ahead 3.
Heights answered behind Timmons, who finished with 23 points and put Heights up 50-47 on a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left. Under pressure, Henderson again took control. Heights tried to pressure him near halfcourt, but he easily shed the on-ball defender with another spin move and then stared down a 6-foot-7 help defender before elevating over the crowd and draining the game-tying 3 with nine seconds left.
Heights nearly won at the buzzer, but Tyson Phillips’ putback rolled off.
In the first overtime, Heights again switched up its defense, putting Phillips’ 6-foot-7 length at the top of the zone. Henderson didn’t mind. He drilled two straight 3s, including one where he stepped back from six feet beyond the arc to drain one over Phillips’ reach. Welch added another 3 to cap a 9-0 run, but Heights rallied again, including a four-point play from Timmons, to force a second overtime.
The game’s winning sequence in double overtime showed Henderson’s maturity as much as his scoring. Facing a hard double team with east trailing 66-64, he resisted the urge to force a shot and instead made the right basketball play to find the open man, Jamaal Garrett, who had been scoreless up to that point, alone above the arc. Garrett paid off the confidence shown in him by calmly burying the go-ahead 3 for a 67-66 lead with 58 seconds left.
“I always have that trust in my guys,” Henderson said. “They covered me pretty well that time, so I just made the read and Jamaal did the rest. That’s a really good shot.”
“We always preach to our kids that it can be anybody in that moment, so everyone has to be ready for it,” Whitten said. “I think that shot showed the toughness in Jamaal and the toughness in our team.”
Whitten, a former all-state player during his time at East, appreciated the artistry — after catching his breath following the nail-biting victory.
“It’s a lot of fun as a coach to watch him like that, but you’ve still got to coach,” Whitten said. “It was a real special night for him. I’m excited for our team the way that they battled. After losing three in a row, we had some people start to question things from the outside. But these kids stuck together.”
Wichita high school basketball scores (Friday, Feb. 13)
City League
Boys
Bishop Carroll 73, Northwest 54
East 71, Heights 65 (2 OT)
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 76, West 44
Southeast 69, North 30
Girls
Bishop Carroll 54, Northwest 31
Heights 57, East 47
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 54, West 15
Southeast 61, North 35
Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League
Boys
Andale 60, Rose Hill 47
Andover Central 61, Andover 50
Augusta 63, Mulvane 58
Campus 71, Goddard 62
Circle 59, Winfield 50
Collegiate 94, Wellington 43
Derby 82, Hutchinson 51
Eisenhower 69, Newton 41
El Dorado 66, Clearwater 47
Maize 74, Valley Center 42
Maize South 67, Salina South 58
McPherson 68, Buhler 46
Salina Central 65, Arkansas City 48
Girls
Andale 52, Rose Hill 10
Andover 59, Andover Central 29
Campus 71, Goddard 47
Circle 37, Winfield 24
Clearwater 48, El Dorado 39
Derby 59, Hutchinson 39
Eisenhower 51, Newton 24
Maize 51, Valley Center 43
Maize South 50, Salina South 42
McPherson 44, Buhler 41 (OT)
Mulvane 56, Augusta 35
Salina Central 45, Arkansas City 37
Wellington 64, Collegiate 23
Other Wichita-area
Boys
Berean 39, Hutchinson Trinity 10
Burden-Central 69, South Haven 32
Cedar Vale-Dexter 62, Argonia 61
Chaparral 59, Reno County Homeschool 51
Cheney 55, Wichita Trinity 46
Classical 45, Bennington 37
Conway Springs 65, Belle Plaine 41
Cunningham 40, Pratt Skyline 34
Ell-Saline 61, Wichita Central Christian 33
Eureka 65, Bluestem 33
Flinthills 46, Caldwell 29
Garden Plain 52, Kingman 43
Haven 61, Halstead 58
Herington 63, Goessel 50
Hesston 70, Smoky Valley 36
Hillsboro 58, Council Grove 50
Hoisington 55, Nickerson 35
Hutchinson Central Christian 54, South Barber 40
Marion 62, Sedgwick 32
Medicine Lodge 44, Douglass 26
Moundridge 49, Inman 41
Norwich 53, Attica 37
Sterling 56, Remington 31
Girls
Argonia 48, Cedar Vale-Dexter 17
Bennington 47, Classical 34
Berean 43, Hutchinson Trinity 19
Burden-Central 38, South Haven 34
Canton-Galva 62, Rural Vista 46
Chaparral 52, Reno County Homeschool 22
Cheney 42, Wichita Trinity 36
Conway Springs 52, Belle Plaine 18
Cunningham 35, Pratt Skyline 20
Garden Plain 50, Kingman 21
Goessel 41, Herington 18
Halstead 40, Haven 30
Hesston 55, Smoky Valley 24
Hillsboro 62, Council Grove 32
Hoisington 56, Nickerson 24
Hutchinson Central Christian 61, South Barber 31
Marion 42, Sedgwick 26
Medicine Lodge 67, Douglass 27
Moundridge 54, Inman 36
Remington 54, Sterling 46
Wichita Central Christian 48, Ell-Saline 40 (OT)
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 6:03 AM.
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