Wichita East girls basketball stuns Olathe South for first state win since 1984
Entering the Kansas Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinals, Wichita East knew Olathe South star Eve Long was going to make her mark on Tuesday afternoon at Koch Arena.
But the Blue Aces made sure nobody else did.
The All-American talent lived up to the hype, but Wichita East’s swarming defense held everyone else in check to deliver its most impressive win of the season in a 55-45 victory over Olathe South.
Long showed why she’s one of the top players in the country in the 2027 class by finishing with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with eight rebounds and three steals. But East executed its defensive game plan everywhere else, as the rest of Olathe South’s team combined for just 15 points on 5-of-37 shooting and committed 15 turnovers.
“We knew (Long) was going to get hers, no matter what,” East coach Willie Davis said. “I mean, she’s an All-American. So we just wanted to make sure someone was always touching her, then we were ready to help. She got her 30, but it was a hard 30.”
It was East’s first win at the state tournament since 1984. The Blue Aces had qualified for state four times since (1995, 1997, 2006, 2025), but had lost in the opening round each time.
The win advances East (21-5) into the 6A semifinals, where it will face No. 8 seed Blue Valley Northwest (12-13) at 2 p.m. Thursday at Koch Arena with a berth in Saturday’s state championship game on the line.
East star freshman Jada Davis drilled a 3-pointer that put the Blue Aces up 37-30 early in the fourth quarter, but Olathe South answered with a push to trim the deficit to 39-36 with more than five minutes left in the final period.
Quinacy Galbert sparked the decisive surge for East, scoring six points during a 9-1 run that turned a tense, one-possession game into a 48-37 cushion and gave East breathing room the rest of the way.
Galbert led East with 14 points, while Davis added 13 points. Freshman post Miya Respress controlled the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds, while A’Myiah Kates provided a jolt off the bench with eight steals, five rebounds and two assists and Ty’Leeah Lucas chipped in eight points.
“That was probably the best team win we’ve had all season,” Willie Davis said. “Anytime you can beat one of the best players in the country, that’s going to give you some confidence. As long as we continue to believe and buy in and play together, there’s no beating us.”
Wichita Heights girls basketball sees perfect season end at 6A state
A dream season came to a heartbreaking end for the Wichita Heights girls basketball team on Tuesday at Koch Arena.
The Falcons entered the Class 6A state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 24-0 record, but were left stunned in a 49-48 loss to No. 8 seed Blue Valley Northwest in the opening round.
Heights never could fully settle into a rhythm on offense, shooting just 31.5% from the field in a grind-it-out game. The Falcons fell behind 9-0 right out of the gate, but ended the second quarter on a 9-2 run to build a 31-25 halftime advantage.
But the game flipped in the third quarter.
BV Northwest seized control by outscoring Heights 18-6, which helped the Huskies build a 46-39 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Still, the Falcons had one final push left.
Aniyah Harris and Destiny Maze knocked down four straight free throws to slash the deficit, then Ashlynn Reed scored inside with 1 minute, 20 seconds to keep Heights within three. After a defensive stop, Heights drew even when Harris curled off a screen and buried a rainbow 3 from the right corner that tied the score at 48-48 with 27 seconds left.
But BV Northwest answered immediately. Regan Becker attacked the basket and was fouled with 14.7 seconds left. She missed the first free throw, but calmly knocked down the second for the winning point.
Heights attempted to find a shot in the run of play, but when nothing developed, Heights called its final timeout with 1.4 seconds left. An off-balanced Harris shot in the corner missed at the buzzer.
Aaliyah Waller led Heights with 17 points and three assists, while Harris finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Maze added six points and five rebounds.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 6:24 PM.
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