SM South 64, Olathe North 44 (girls)
In a top 10 matchup, Shawnee Mission South had no problem with Olathe North, 64-44, Tuesday night at Olathe North.
The Raiders (12-2) came in ranked No. 1 in the Kansas Class 6A girls rankings, while the Eagles (9-4) entered at No. 3 in 6A.
South jumped out to a 15-4 lead after the first quarter and never looked back from their 25-12 lead at the break. Senior Elani Jouras and freshman Riley Kramer each posted six points in the first half.
“We wanted to stick with what we do, pressure and playing fast,” head coach Mark Western stated. “We want to be the ones that control the tempo, and we did a good job of that tonight.”
Senior Laila Berdnt and freshman Amayiah Carter led South with 11 points each in the game, nine of which for Carter came in the fourth quarter. Senior Asia Lee led Olathe North with 18 points.
“We just wanted to play our defense and control the game on both sides of the ball,” Berdnt said. “I feel like we did that really well tonight.”
SM South (13-2) will be back in action at home on Friday night against Shawnee Mission Northwest. Olathe North will also host SM Northwest on Wednesday.
SM South 55, Olathe North 54 (boys)
In a clash of the top two teams in Kansas Class 6A, No. 1 Shawnee Mission South was able to hold off No. 2 Olathe North.
Shawnee Mission South opened a 31-20 cushion by intermission, led by junior Conor Kerrigan’s 15 points in the first half. But eventually the Eagles trimmed into the lead, down just 45-40 entering the fourth quarter.
SM South had a 31-20 lead at the half that was quickly cut into, as O-North battled back to be down 45-40 going into the final period. Sam Simmons fueled the effort with a game-high 34 points, as the Eagles eventually took the lead with 5:12 left in the game.
“We’ve only been behind twice all year, we haven’t been behind all year,” Raiders head coach Brett McFall said. “We’re behind in the fourth quarter for the first time this season.”
But Kerrigan was clutch for the Raiders, hitting two buckets in the final minutes and finishing with 25 points. Then senior Ben Allen got the ball with 23 seconds left and hit a mid-range jumper to put the Raiders ahead, 55-54.
“I’ve always had the confidence to step up and hit a shot like that, and I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to shoot that shot,” Allen stated.
O-North had one last attempt with six seconds left, as Simmons game-winning shot try didn’t fall,
“This is really good for us. Man, this is a really big game for us in the Sunflower League, but also just these games teach us for state,” Kerrigan said. “If we’re gonna play a good team and it’s gonna be a close game, we’ve got to get it done some way.”
The Raiders (15-0) will host Olathe East on Wednesday for the Tournament of Champions championship. The Eagles (12-3) will host Shawnee Mission East on Friday.
