Four Quarters
The Bishop Miege girls opened the season 3-0 before dropping three of four games, but the Stags have bounced back in the last two weeks. Thanks to sophomore Kelsey Wolf, who drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer in a 50-47 win against Olathe Northwest in the championship game of the Newton (Kan.) Invitational Tournament that kept the momentum rolling, Miege has won five of six and improved to 9-4. We asked Wolf to go another Four Quarters with The Star to discuss the season and what’s next for the Stags.
Q. So how did you feel when you hit that shot against Olathe Northwest?
A. “It felt really good, especially to win the tournament. We wanted that title so bad, and I just wanted to do it for the seniors on the team and the coaches.”
Q. Have you ever had a buzzer-beater before?
A. “No. I’ve never had a shot like that before, so it’s probably the highlight of my basketball career.”
Q. How did the Stags improve so much between a 25-point loss early in the season to Blue Valley North and last week’s 59-57 win against the Mustangs?
A. “Our seniors stepped up, and we’ve come together as a team. We had a little talk and decided that if we wanted to be a good team this year, we’d have to step up and play as a team. We came out with that mentality and played our best game. A lot of people probably doubted us, but we always believed in ourselves and knew we could do it going into that game.”
Q. Why should we believe Bishop Miege is a legitimate threat to wear the Kansas Class 5A state crown?
A. “We have a lot of talent, and every player on the team is a good basketball player. We’ve become a family, and we’re willing to play hard for each other every game. We’ve really come together these last few weeks.”
| Tod Palmer, tpalmer@kcstar.com
By the Numbers
76 Varsity boys basketball games in the three-year history of Liberty North — and also the number of games senior Jake Hanson has started in his career. He’s one of the reasons the Eagles find themselves undefeated in the Suburban Blue Conference heading into tonight’s game at Grandview. Senior Nadhir Daughtery is the only other player to appear in all 76 games in school history.
400 Wins for Steve Ingram with the Olathe South girls basketball program. Ingram reached the milestone when the Falcons beat Dodge City 67-35 the opening round of the Mid-America Classic last week in McPherson, Kan. Now in his 23rd season at South, Ingram was 402-139 with the Falcons entering Thursday and 486-266 in his coaching career, including stints as the boys coach at Wetmore (1978-80) and Emporia (1982-89).
600 Career victories for Bishop Miege boys coach Fred Turner, who reached the milestone Tuesday when the 8-5 Stags beat Blue Valley North. Turner, who is in his first season at Miege, also has coached at Oak Park, Lee’s Summit, O’Hara and Warrensburg on the Missouri side.
Games to Watch
William Chrisman boys at Osage“>Fort Osage: After opening the season with eight losses in their first 10 games, the William Chrisman Bears haven’t dropped a game in nearly a month. With conference play in full swing, their seven-game winning streak has come at the perfect time. The Bears are 5-1 in the Suburban White Conference. The only team they’re still behind in the standings? That would be Fort Osage, which remains unbeaten in league play. The two will battle tonight for the top spot.
SM South boys at Olathe South: The undefeated Raiders head into the Falcons’ nest in the toughest Sunflower League test of the season to date. SM South senior Josh Pedersen is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in league play, while sophomore Dainan Swoope is averaging 19.8 points. Meanwhile, Olathe South needs a win to stay in realistic contention for the league title.
Center boys at St. Pius X: One of the area’s pleasant surprises on the Missouri side, Center is already looking for its 16th victory of the season. To get it, the Yellowjackets will have to defeat a hard-nosed St. Pius squad for the second time in 10 days. A week and a half ago, Center escaped with a 9-point win at home, but St. Pius will be looking for payback on its home court tonight behind leading scorers Brian Kauffman and Mac Mason. Center is 15-4, while St. Pius is 14-5.
Olathe Northwest girls at SM Northwest: Two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in Sunflower League play meet in what could be an elimination game in the race for the crown. The visiting Ravens, 9-4, are coming off a shocking loss at the buzzer against Bishop Miege and could use a bounce-back win, while the host Cougars seek a signature win to validate a lofty 11-2 record.
The Star’s Tod Palmer and Sam McDowell of contributed to this report.
Tod Palmer, <a href="mailto:tpalmer@kcstar.com">tpalmer@kcstar.com</a>
