Five-sport athletes, twins help Augusta girls basketball pull sub-state upset
All of those miles from cross country season paid off for the Augusta girls basketball team on Tuesday night.
Senior twins Ragan and Rylee Pfeifer played all 32 minutes and powered the 15th-seeded Orioles to a 27-23 road upset of No. 2 seed Clearwater with clutch defense in the final minute.
As the final score might indicate, the opening-round game in Class 4A sub-state play was a rock fight from beginning to end. That was by design, at least on Augusta’s end. The Orioles relied on a triangle-and-two defense, assigning the Pfeifer twins to face-guard and deny Clearwater’s two best players and the result was a game full of empty possessions, rushed shots and frustration.
“Defense has been our calling card all year,” Augusta coach Jordan Bodyk said. “We have girls who like to get after it. Points have been a struggle to come by at times, but we have a lot of good defenders.”
The teams were tied 7-7 at halftime on a cold shooting night for both sides. The Orioles managed to stretch their lead to 24-15 midway through the fourth quarter, courtesy of a game-high 13 points from Sophie Williams, but Clearwater pieced together an 8-0 run to draw within 24-23 with 49 seconds left.
That’s when the twins finished the job.
Ragan Pfeifer split a pair of free throws to give Augusta a 25-23 lead, then on Clearwater’s next possession, Rylee Pfeifer’s on-ball defense forced a turnover. Clearwater had one more chance to tie or take the lead, but Ragan read a hurried bounce pass and jumped it for a steal. Then it was Rylee who stepped to the line and made both free throws with seven seconds left to clinch victory.
“It starts with running cross country in the fall and them just being in incredible shape,” Bodyk said. “They can play a whole game and never ask for breaks. That’s how they play five sports. They’re just competitors who get after it, no matter what sport they’re in. And that energy allows them to be great defenders.”
The result was surprising based on seeds and records, but Augusta’s players knew they were better than their 5-18 mark suggested. The Orioles had lost seven games this season by six points or fewer. On Tuesday, they finally flipped the script.
“It was such a good feeling because it felt like all of our hard work this season finally paid off,” Rylee said. “There were a lot of close games that didn’t go our way, so it was just great to be on the winning end of one.”
The twins’ all-around athletic background helps explain why they were built for a game like this. Both have qualified for state in tennis, cross country and track and participate in five different sports for Augusta every school year, juggling school work with tennis, cross country, basketball, softball and track schedules.
In the fall, they wake up at 6 a.m. for tennis practice before school, then after school, they run with the cross country team. In the spring, they prioritize softball while still finding time to train for track.
“Honestly, sports are just what makes me happy,” Ragan said. “I kind of hate just sitting at home being lazy, doing nothing. I like being active. I love going for a run. That sounds like an ideal day to me.”
Last year in track, both ran on a state-qualifying relay and Ragan also qualified for state in the open 400. This fall, Ragan qualified for state in doubles in tennis, then placed 13th at the 4A state cross country meet a few weeks later.
Rylee said the appeal of balancing five sports and schoolwork comes from both the challenge and the carryover between seasons.
“A lot of the skills go hand in hand,” Rylee said. “Like our running translates to the basketball court since we’re able to get up and down and our defense is pretty good. And I think it just builds work ethic. It’s not easy balancing five sports while keeping up our grades.”
Augusta will look to earn its first bid to the state tournament since 2018 on Friday when the Orioles travel to play at Concordia in a sub-state championship game.
Here’s a look at the other scores and schedules involving Wichita-area teams in the KSHSAA postseason:
Kansas high school basketball sub-state game scores
Class 6A girls
Derby 59, Campus 23
Liberal 59, Wichita North 23
Manhattan 67, Lawrence Free State 21
Topeka 69, Maize 45
Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32
Wichita East 68, Dodge City 15
Wichita Heights 64, Wichita Northwest 27
Wichita Southwest 47, Garden City 43
Class 5A boys
Bishop Carroll 62, Andover 53
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41
Hays 66, Eisenhower 51
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 70, Arkansas City 31
Maize South 80, Andover Central 46
Salina South 60, Salina Central 56
Topeka Seaman 73, Valley Center 51
Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32
Class 4A girls
Andale 45, Clay Center 38
Augusta 27, Clearwater 23
Buhler 53, McPherson 50
Chapman 54, Rose Hill 31
Concordia 51, Circle 34
Mulvane 49, Pratt 45
Wellington 53, Abilene 38
Class 3A boys
Cheney 54, Chaparral 38
Hesston 57, Wichita Trinity 30
Neodesha 66, Caney Valley 56
Wichita Collegiate 76, Smoky Valley 43
Class 2A girls
Arma-Northeast 47, Udall 35
Cedar Vale-Dexter 53, Uniontown 45
Conway Springs 54, Berean 36
Eureka 53, Chase County 25
Hillsboro 37, Remington 31
Moundridge 48, Inman 35
Sacred Heart 49, Bennington 21
St. Mary’s Colgan 55, Cherokee-Southeast 26
Thomas More Prep 57, Medicine Lodge 33
KSHSAA basketball sub-state final game schedule
Class 6A girls
Note: All games tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
No. 9 Wichita Southeast (12-11) at No. 1 Wichita Heights (23-0)
No. 7 Washburn Rural (16-8) at No. 2 Derby (21-3)
No. 6 Topeka (16-8) at No. 3 Liberal (18-3)
No. 5 Wichita East (19-5) at No. 4 Manhattan (19-5)
Class 5A boys
Note: All games tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
No. 8 Salina South (16-8) at No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (24-0)
No. 7 Bishop Carroll (16-7) at No. 2 Topeka West (21-3)
No. 6 Emporia (17-7) at No. 3 Maize South (20-4)
No. 5 Hays (19-4) at No. 4 Topeka Seaman (20-4)
Class 4A girls
Note: All games tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
No. 9 Buhler (12-12) at No. 1 Wellington (21-1)
TBD at No. 3 Andale (16-6)
No. 5 Mulvane (15-9) at No. 4 Chapman (15-9)
No. 15 Augusta (6-18) at No. 7 Concordia (13-9)
Class 3A boys
Note: All games scheduled for Friday at times to be determined later.
at Haven
No. 1 Wichita Collegiate (22-1) vs. No. 4 Neodesha (20-5)
No. 2 Hesston (23-2) vs. No. 6 Cheney (18-6)
Class 2A girls
Note: All games scheduled for Friday at times to be determined later.
at Arma-Northeast
No. 1 St. Mary’s Colgan (21-2) vs. No. 5 Cedar Vale-Dexter (13-10)
No. 2 Eureka (21-2) at No. 3 Arma-Northeast (20-5)
at Berean
No. 1 Moundridge (22-2) vs. No. 5 Hillsboro (18-4)
No. 2 Conway Springs (20-3) vs. No. 3 Sacred Heart (21-4)
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