Kansas high school basketball state scores: Halstead, Andover girls both advance
Shots never did fall in rhythm for the Halstead girls basketball team on Wednesday, but the defending Class 3A state champions never panicked.
This group knows what travels in March: defense, experience, belief.
That formula carried top-seeded Halstead to a 38-31 win over No. 8 seed Marysville in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Koch Arena, as the Dragons improved to 26-0 and advanced to Friday’s 1:30 p.m. semifinal at Hutchinson Sports Arena against either Osage City or Girard.
“It’s a special group,” Halstead coach Derek Schutte said. “You don’t always get this all of the time. It goes back to that trust in each other on defense. Even when things aren’t going our way offensively, they always know they can rely on our defense to get another stop or create another turnover. This group just finds a way.”
Halstead rallied from a slow start by doing what it has done all season: turning defensive chaos into winning basketball. The Dragons held Marysville to 25.6% shooting and forced 12 turnovers, numbers that only begin to explain the pressure Halstead applies. When Addison Wills, Jordy Schroeder and Piper Schroeder lock in, they have a rare instinct for hunting steals, reading exposed dribbles and pouncing the instant a ball handler turns their head.
And when Halstead cranks up the pressure, that trio can completely change a game.
“Our coaches have a lot of trust in us and we have a lot of trust in each other,” Wills said. “We practice defense every single day. We’re always going to be there for each other. We’re really good at communicating. So I always know someone is going to be covering for me on the back side.”
Schutte has built a system around that aggression, giving his best defenders freedom to go make plays while relying on the rest of the team to rotate and cover behind them. It’s a style built on anticipation, trust and communication.
“We just trust each other and we always bring the energy,” Piper Schroeder said. “It’s just a lot of fun to play this way.”
Piper Schroeder led Halstead with 17 points and five rebounds, while Onnyka Nedich added eight points and four rebounds. Bailey Bernal scored seven points and battled in the post against Marysville standout Kacy Roesch, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds but had to work for nearly everything after a fast start. Wills added four points, six rebounds and three steals.
“As a coach, you want to give them enough freedom to be themselves and go make plays,” Schutte said. “But we do have a system that I think is pretty unique in terms of how we run our press. We try to play a system that plays to their talents. But sometimes you do just sit back and you’re like, ‘Wow, how did they do that?’”
In another 3A quarterfinal game, this one in Emporia, Hesston made a fourth-quarter charge, but Silver Lake answered late to hand the Swathers a 54-45 loss. Hesston used a 14-3 run to tie the game at 39 early in the fourth quarter, but Silver Lake controlled the final six minutes to pull away. Silver Lake’s Kailyn Hanni led all scorers with 29 points.
Hesston was led by 15 points from its top scorer and finished the season 17-10. Despite the loss, the Swathers capped another strong run with their third straight trip to the Class 3A state tournament.
Andover girls basketball back in the 5A semifinals for fourth straight year
Andover didn’t bring its sharpest offensive game to Koch Arena on Wednesday, but the Trojans still looked every bit like a team built for another deep postseason run.
Despite shooting just 36.4% from the field, top-seeded Andover used its depth, balance and defense to grind out a 52-30 victory over De Soto in the Class 5A quarterfinals, sending the Trojans to the state semifinals for the fourth straight season.
Bella Bouddhara led the way with 15 points, while Asia’h Sullivan added 14 points, Grier Hand scored eight, Brynn Eilert chipped in six and Alysha Pierce had five as the Trojans showed off the kind of balanced attack that could make this their breakthrough year. That production came even with quieter-than-usual scoring nights from Samantha Siegrist, Bella Davis and Kate Robert, all key contributors this season.
Andover led by only five at halftime before its defense completely took over. The Trojans held De Soto to 30% shooting and just three made field goals in the second half, steadily turning a close game into a rout.
Bouddhara, a Division I recruit averaging 19.5 points per game, said Andover’s offense becomes especially dangerous when defenses overload toward her.
“Hitting shots is nice, but getting kick-outs and getting steals for open 3s and layups is even better,” Bouddhara said. “If they’re going to double me, that’s fine because you’re going to leave Grier or Sam or Asia’h or Bella. I could go down the list and name our entire team. I know they’re going to hit those shots.”
Coach Hannah Alexander said Bouddhara has embraced the bigger picture.
“She knows that we can’t do it with just one or two people,” Alexander said. “We need all hands on deck. She’s definitely bought into that and she’s actually become one of our best screeners and passers. Her basketball IQ is just so high. She’s willing to do whatever the team needs.”
Top-seeded Andover (24-1) will play No. 5 seed St. James (21-5) at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the 5A semifinals.
Maize South, Kapaun girls basketball fall in 5A quarterfinals
Maize South’s season came to an end Wednesday at Koch Arena, where the Mavericks dropped a 40-31 loss to St. James in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
The Mavericks finished the season 21-5 after struggling to find enough offense in a game where they finished shooting 36.8% from the field. Maize South led 11-10 after the first quarter, but a cold stretch in the second quarter proved costly. The Mavericks went just 1 for 11 from the field in the period and managed only two points, allowing St. James to seize a 19-13 halftime lead.
That deficit loomed large the rest of the way, as Maize South never could fully climb out of the hole. St. James steadily pulled away and were never threatened down the stretch.
Aliyah Singhateh turned in the top performance for Maize South, finishing with a game-high 14 points to go with nine rebounds. Jaela Thompson and Kaylee Brunton each added six points, while Blakely Lowe grabbed eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Kapaun Mt. Carmel nearly pulled off a furious late comeback Thursday in Salina, but the Crusaders came up just short in a 49-46 loss to second-seeded Hays in another 5A quarterfinal.
The Crusaders trailed 45-33 with six minutes remaining before making one final charge. Evy Romer and McCoy Phister hit back-to-back 3s to spark the rally, then Phister scored again before Romer drilled another triple to cut the deficit to 47-46 with 1:07 left.
After Hays made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three, out of a timeout, Kapaun got a good look for the tie when Zoey Buckner-Franklin rose up from 3, but the shot missed at the buzzer.
Buckner-Franklin led Kapaun with 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Romer scored 12 points on four 3s and Phister added seven as the Crusaders finished the season 19-6.
Andale, McPherson boys basketball both eliminated in 4A quarterfinals
Andale nearly completed a stirring comeback in Dodge City, but Hugoton escaped with a 56-55 win in the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Andale trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before charging back with a 7-0 run to open the fourth. Cruz Kaiser scored five points during that spurt to pull Andale within 40-39 and Andale kept answering from there. Jack Horsch tied the game twice, Sam Harp knotted it at 49, and Hunter Grimes gave Andale its first meaningful lead at 51-49 on two free throws with 2:02 remaining.
But Hugoton answered with a go-ahead 3-pointer for a 54-53 lead with 1:13 left, then held on through a frantic finish. Harp scored on a layup with seven seconds left to make it 56-55, and after Hugoton missed two free throws, Andale raced up the floor for one last chance. Grimes got off a left-wing 3 at the buzzer, but the potential game-winner spun in and out.
Horsch led Andale with 17 points, Harp added 13, Kaiser scored eight, and Caden Fowler had seven points and seven rebounds.
In another 4A quarterfinal, this one in Kansas City, McPherson briefly grabbed the momentum, but unbeaten Aitchison quickly seized it right back.
The Bullpups took a 28-27 lead in the first half before Atchison answered with a decisive 18-1 run and pulled away for a 73-53 win to advance to the 4A semifinals. Jeremiah Thompson led undefeated Atchison with a game-high 29 points.
Seventh-seeded McPherson, which finished its season with 16 wins, was led by 24 points from Jett Pyle. Cole Cooper added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Ashton Malm chipped in 10 points.
Sterling, Berean boys advance to Class 2A state semis
Top-seeded Sterling stayed unbeaten Thursday with a dominant 77-29 win over Douglass in a Class 2A quarterfinal in Wichita.
Sterling overwhelmed Douglass with its defense and interior play, forcing 31 turnovers and piling up a 54-10 advantage in paint points. Boston Ekart led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, Blake Smith added 12 points, and Zane Farney chipped in 10 points and three steals as Sterling improved to 26-0 on the season.
Douglass was led by 14 points from Brody Rush.
With the win, Sterling advanced to Friday’s 5:30 p.m. semifinal against No. 5 seed St. Marys (20-7) at White Auditorium in Emporia.
Meanwhile, Berean is headed to the state semifinals for the first time since 2012 after rolling to a 55-38 win over Rossville in a 2A quarterfinal in Wichita.
The No. 2 seed Warriors improved to 23-2 on the season behind a big scoring effort from Wyatt Friesen and Emory Kukula, who combined for 36 points to lead the way.
With the win, Berean advanced to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal against No. 6 seed St. Mary’s Colgan (19-7) at White Auditorium in Emporia.
Colgan advanced in another 2A quarterfinal in Wichita with a 54-47 win over Wichita Classical. Classical’s 20 turnovers proved too much to overcome, as Colgan turned those mistakes into a decisive 21-3 edge in points off turnovers. Graham Yost led Wichita Classical with 16 points, while Sam Dolloff added 10, but the Saints saw their season come to an end with a 20-5 record.
Kansas high school state basketball Thursday scores
Class 6A boys
No. 1 Shawnee Mission South 94, No. 8 Manhattan 50
No. 2 Mill Valley 61, No. 7 Blue Valley North 48
No. 3 Olathe North 75, No. 6 Derby 48
No. 5 Wichita Heights 57, No. 4 Maize 56
Class 5A girls
No. 1 Andover 52, No. 8 De Soto 30
No. 2 Hays 49, No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel 46
No. 3 Shawnee Heights 61, No. 6 Basehor-Linwood 47
No. 5 St. James 40, No. 4 Maize South 31
Class 4A boys
No. 1 Rock Creek 80, No. 8 Eudora 67
No. 2 Atchison 73, No. 7 McPherson 53
No. 4 Hugoton 56, No. 5 Andale 55
No. 6 Baldwin 50, No. 3 Pratt 48
Class 3A girls
No. 1 Halstead 38, No. 8 Marysville 31
No. 2 Silver Lake 54, No. 7 Hesston 45
No. 3 Holcomb 45, No. 6 Ellsworth 32
No. 4 Osage City 70, No. 5 Girard 51
Class 2A boys
No. 1 Sterling 77, No. 8 Douglass 29
No. 2 Berean 55, No. 7 Rossville 38
No. 5 St. Marys 60, No. 4 Thomas More Prep 44
No. 6 St. Mary’s Colgan 54, No. 3 Wichita Classical 47
Class 1A Division I girls
No. 1 Little River 57, No. 8 Central Plains 27
No. 2 Pretty Prairie 39, No. 7 Hodgeman County 35
No. 3 Wabaunsee 44, No. 6 South Gray 32
No. 4 Centralia 53, No. 5 Quinter 39
Class 1A Division II girls
No. 1 Hutchinson Central Christian 39, No. 8 Wallace County 28
No. 3 Bucklin 55, No. 6 Dighton 35
No. 4 Hanover 71, No. 5 Marais des Cygnes Valley 61
No. 7 Linn 60, No. 2 Argonia 43
KSHSAA state basketball Friday semifinal schedule
Class 6A boys (at Wichita State’s Koch Arena)
No. 1 Shawnee Mission South (25-1) vs. No. 5 Wichita Heights (20-5), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Mill Valley South (23-3) vs. No. 3 Olathe North (22-4), 7:30
Class 5A girls (at Wichita State’s Koch Arena)
No. 1 Andover (24-1) vs. No. 5 St. James (21-5), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Hays (24-1) vs. No. 3 Shawnee Heights (22-4), 3:30
Class 4A boys (at Hutchinson Sports Arena)
No. 1 Rock Creek (26-0) vs. No. 4 Hugoton (22-4), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Atchison (26-0) vs. No. 6 Baldwin (20-6), 7:30
Class 3A girls (at Hutchinson Sports Arena)
No. 1 Halstead (26-0) vs. No. 4 Osage City (24-3), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Silver Lake (26-1) vs. No. 3 Holcomb (25-2), 3:30
Class 2A boys (at Emporia’s White Auditorium)
No. 1 Sterling (26-0) vs. No. 5 St. Marys (20-7), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Berean (23-2) vs. No. 6 St. Mary’s Colgan (19-7), 7:30
Class 1A Division I girls (at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena)
No. 1 Little River (25-2) vs. No. 4 Centralia (23-3), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Pretty Prairie (23-2) vs. No. 3 Wabaunsee (24-3), 7:30
Class 1A Division II girls (at Emporia’s White Auditorium)
No. 1 Hutchinson Central Christian (25-2) vs. No. 4 Hanover (24-3), 1:30 p.m.
No. 3 Bucklkin (22-2) vs. No. 7 Linn (22-5), 3:30 p.m.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 6:15 PM.
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