The Bishop Miege girls’ basketball team led by as many as 11 points last Saturday against Olathe Northwest in the championship game at the Newton (Kan.) Invitational Tournament.
And while the Stags were unable to prevent the Ravens, who are the reigning Kansas 6A runners-up, from rallying to tie the game with less than a minute remaining, sophomore Kelsey Wolf made sure the rally was wasted effort.
Wolf drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer and lifted Miege to a title-clinching 50-47 victory.
“I just shot it, hoped that it would go in and that we would win,” Wolf told the Newton Kansan.
The Stags, now with a 9-4 record, led after taking a 13-12 lead in the first quarter. Senior Lexi Hughes finished with 14 points in the title game, senior Sydney Vaughn added nine points and Wolf finished with eight.
Coupled with a win last Tuesday over Blue Valley North, Miege had quite a week, which also included fending off a fourth-quarter rally from Garden City in the opening round of the tournament for a 48-44 decision.
Hughes, who pumped in 19 points and hit four threes, led the charge as the Stags stormed in front 31-19 at halftime, but the Buffaloes closed the gap.
With help from Wolf, who hit three 3-pointer and finished with 12 points, Miege managed to hang on and advance to the semifinals.
It was Vaughn’s turn to carry the Stags against host Newton in the next round. She scored a game-high 22 points and drilled three more threes in a 56-41 conquest.
Miege stormed to a seven-point lead after the first quarter and cruised from there into the final.
Blazers also reach final
Gardner Edgerton battled into the final at the Lady Cat Classic in El Dorado before bowing to Mill Valley.
The Trailblazers’ season record even reached above .500 after a 58-28 opening-round dismissal of Augusta and a 45-38 win in the semifinals against Circle – a game that included senior Dani Plank’s half-court three-point heave at the third-quarter buzzer.
Ultimately, though, Gardner Edgerton tumbled to Mill Valley 48-28 with the title on the line.
The East Kansas League’s three other girls’ teams all placed third in midseason tournaments.
Blue Valley nipped host Emporia 49-45 for third-place, Blue Valley Southwest topped Carthage (Mo.) 63-60 in double overtime for third in Nevada, Mo., and Blue Valley West snagged third at Lawrence Free State’s Firebird Winter Classic with a 40-30 victory over Topeka West.
BV Northwest boys open 3-game lead
With wins over Blue Valley Southwest, Blue Valley North and Blue Valley since returning from Valley Center’s January Jam, undefeated Blue Valley Northwest has opened a three-game lead in the race for a third consecutive East Kansas League championship.
The Huskies, were 6-0 in EKL play entering the week.
No other team in the league was above .500 – with Bishop Miege, BV North and St. Thomas Aquinas all sitting at 3-3 entering the week (and fighting for second place).
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/todpalmer.
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to <a href="mailto:tpalmer@kcstar.com">tpalmer@kcstar.com</a>. Follow him at twitter.com/todpalmer.
