Kapaun’s championship mettle trumps Collegiate in battle of basketball unbeatens
On a Monday night that felt more like March, the most anticipated high school basketball game in Wichita still found a way to happen.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Collegiate weren’t about to let a snowed-out calendar spoil the fun. What was supposed to be the Bluestem Classic championship game — postponed for weeks by weather — was rescheduled and staged at Friends University’s Garvey Center. In a way, the elevated stage was fitting for a matchup that doesn’t come around often: No. 1 vs. No. 1, undefeated vs. undefeated, two prestigious programs chasing another banner in different classes.
After absorbing Collegiate’s best punch, Kapaun reminded everyone why it has won 37 straight games by rolling to a 79-55 win in front of a capacity crowd to move to 20-0. The Crusaders, the two-time defending Class 5A state champions and No. 1-ranked team again this season, showed their big-game mettle under the bright lights.
“It helps having played in the state championship game the last three years, so the guys are used to it a little bit,” Kapaun coach Steve Eck said. “That reminded me of the old days back at Wichita South back in the late 80s and 90s when we used to play big games in front of sold-out crowds.”
For Collegiate, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, the game provided a new kind of experience. The Spartans entered 19-0 and had been steamrolling opponents with an average margin of victory of 32.2 points. Their closest game all season had been a 15-point win.
Monday was the first time all season Collegiate had to play from behind, execute against a team that was bigger, stronger and faster and withstand the relentless physicality that came with it.
The Spartans came up short, but first-year coach Nate Schmitt believes his team learned an invaluable lesson from Monday’s game. That’s why he was so adamant it remained on the schedule.
“We feel like this game will help us possibly go reach our ultimate goal,” Schmitt said. “We told our guys after, ‘You either lose or you learn.’ And we’re going to learn from this one. As a coaching staff, you’re telling kids that we need to get better at this, this and this, but they’re beating everybody by 30 points. Now we can tell them, ‘Hey, that’s not going to work against a team like this.’ So we’re excited to get better.”
Kapaun’s edge in big-game experience showed up early.
The Crusaders gained the first separation of the night midway through the first quarter when Blaise Dalian and Rocco Keller, Kapaun’s pair of highly-skilled, 6-foot-5 stars, drilled back-to-back 3s and then Cole Rapp slipped out for a fast-break layup to make it 15-7. Keller buried another 3 late and Kapaun’s lead stretched to 21-9 late in the first quarter and forced Collegiate into catch-up mode.
Keller and Dalian proved to be matchup nightmares, as they were able to space the floor, attack closeouts and also use their height advantage inside for buckets. By halftime, the duo combined for 28 points and Kapaun carried a 41-27 lead into the locker room.
Collegiate, to its credit, didn’t fold.
Sebastian Hines-Turner tried to will the Spartans back into the game with a furious third quarter, scoring 13 of his game-high 23 points in the period. With just over a minute left in the quarter, he drove the lane and finished through contact for a three-point play that brought Collegiate within 52-47.
Suddenly, the building buzzed with the idea that a comeback was in store.
But Kapaun has made a habit of answering those pressure-packed moments — the kind that decide titles, not just regular-season nights.
Freshman big Braylon Jones used his 6-5 frame inside to score back-to-back buckets to halt the momentum and restore the double-digit lead to the Crusaders. When the third quarter ended, Eck delivered a fiery reminder during the timeout — not about shots or sets, but about purpose.
“Our theme this year is that God gave us talent and we’re supposed to use that talent to the best of our ability in the glory of his name,” Eck said. “So I just reminded the guys about that after the third quarter: ‘Don’t forget what you’re here to do. Use that talent to the best of your ability and use it as a team.’”
Kapaun ended the suspense early in the fourth quarter.
Jude Porter poked a ball out for a steal then scored a layup, followed shortly by Rapp drilling a corner 3 off a kick-out pass from Dalian that extended the lead to 62-48. Collegiate never got back within single digits and the Crusaders kept squeezing until the final margin swelled to 24.
“We just had to guard, guard, guard, then help, help, help,” Eck said. “And then rebound. That’s what we always try to do.”
Keller led Kapaun with 22 points, with Dalian right behind him at 20. Porter finished with 13, while Rapp and Jones each added 10 as Kapaun placed five players in double figures and turned a marquee matchup into something closer to a reminder.
Hines-Turner’s 23 points paced Collegiate, and A.J. Batiste scored 15, but the Spartans struggled to generate consistent offense against Kapaun’s physicality — and felt the weight of every rebound and every contested catch.
“They’re just so big and strong and physical,” Schmitt said. “Just their physicality and aggressiveness and athleticism at the 5A level. We have some of that, but they were just so physical and rebounding everything and we couldn’t get by them. They’re just a really, really good team.”
Kapaun walked out of the Garvey Center the way it has so many times during its winning streak: composed, confident and ready for the next test.
For Collegiate, it was a measuring stick — and an opportunity to learn what title-level basketball really demands when the gym is full, the margin is thin and the opponent doesn’t flinch. It resulted in a loss Monday, but Schmitt hopes it could lead to wins in March when postseason arrives.
“I stopped the boys during warmups and told them to look around and take it all in,” Schmitt said. “What an incredible atmosphere for a high school basketball game. Wichita really showed out. Friends was an awesome host and there were just so many positive takeaways from tonight.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 6:01 AM.
.jpg)