Winning two state championships in the past four years, as well as two Sunflower League titles has set a standard for the program. That success is fueled by a standard of dedication set in the program.
​“Everything they want is on the other side of hard,” head coach Mark Western said. “They know that if they put in the work, a state title or competing at a state level is an obtainable goal, that it’s okay to have a team-first mentality and not care about scoring.”​
In 2023, the Lady Raiders lost in the state quarterfinals to Blue Valley High school, and the following year, they were looking to come back stronger and finish the job. They started the 2024 season 16-0 before losing their first game to Bishop Miege. Following that loss they would go on to finish the season 8-0 ending with a state championship win.
​“The loss against Miege was well timed, because I did feel there was a lot of pressure and weight on their shoulders just to continue to try to win every game,”Western said. “So I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise to get that loss early for us, just to now be able to learn from it and realize we don’t have to be perfect. The goal is not to go undefeated. It’s just to improve and try to give ourselves a chance at the end of the season.”
​One year after winning the state title, the Lady Raiders had an early finish to their season losing to Olathe West in the sub-state championship. The 2025 team only had one senior, and returned all their starters as long as two freshmen came in that contributed right away.
The Lady Raiders started the 25-26 campaign 3-0 before suffering an early first loss to Liberty North.
​“The early loss took the pressure off,” Western said. “They weren’t going to win every game, and we never talked about that with either group, but it was nice for them to just be able to exhale and realize they didn’t need to try to be perfect.”
​After the early loss, the Lady Raiders began league play and won their next eight games before running into the Falcons of Olathe South, where they lost in the semifinals of the McPherson tournament. Olathe South had the best player in 6A at the time, Eve Long, and it was a tough test.
​“The Sunflower League is a really good conference, and I think it’s good to go against competition considering the best teams you’re going to play are in-state,” senior Elsie Slaven said. “So when you play better teams during the season, it prepares you more for later in the season, and you can know how to deal with conflicts and challenges when you play difficult teams.”
​Senior Laila Berndt, along with Slaven, stepped into the leadership role and emulated the success and leadership of the 2024 team. The four seniors from the 2024 team were all McDonald’s All-American nominees and three of the four are currently playing college basketball. But outside of their success on the court, they were able to lead the team and mentor the younger girls.
“I had to step into the role of being a leader and a captain of the team. I definitely learned from the four seniors on the 2024 team: Camryn Smith, Azaliah Funches, Ashley VanElders, and Jocelynn Moore,” Berdnt said. “They all had different roles, but they’re all leaders in their own different ways. They really set the standard, and I had to carry that on.”
​Just like in 2024, the Lady Raiders were the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs, and after cruising through the first-round matchup, they faced a tough second-round matchup against Blue Valley North. South won both and advanced to the state tournament. But this year, with the other talented teams in the state, they were able to play with less pressure and without the target on their back.
​“Everybody talked about Eve[Long] and Olathe South, and it allowed our girls to play with a chip on their shoulder, and not from a standpoint of pressure, but more so from a standpoint of going out and proving that they’re wrong,” Western said.
​The two teams had the same level of success but different styles of success, with different playing styles. This season, the girls were consistently subbing, getting all the players in the eight-girl rotation involved, sacrificing individual statistics for the team’s success. Also there was a bigger emphasis on defense, more specifically full court pressure and forcing turnovers.
​“I mean, it’s amazing not having a teammate or teammates wanting individual things for themselves,” Berdnt said. “We all have our own goals individually, but the bigger picture is us as a team and getting to the end, which was a state title, and I think that’s really all that mattered to the team.”
​The 2024 team along with the four All-American nominees, were able to control the game more on their side of the court and played with a slower pace.
​“I felt like two years ago, we were more of a half-court team,” Western said. “Defensively, we pressured a little bit, but it wasn’t really like to turn you over more, just to kind of see if you could handle it.”
​Berndt and Slaven have been on the team all four years and have had the chance to spend a lot of time with their teammates and make memories.
​“I would say McPherson and state are some of our favorite memories, because we got to stay in a hotel, have a room with one of our best friends, teammates, and it was just really fun,” Berndt said. “We had snacks. We had to hang out every night before we went to bed. We were so close and would just do everything together.”
​Slaven had the same answer.
​“I want them to carry on the standard at practice, be on time, be early, so many different things,” Slaven said. “We carried that down from our seniors, and they just need to keep it going to their freshmen.”
The Lady Raiders faced off against Blue Valley Northwest in the state championship this year. The Huskies made a Cinderella run as the 13 seed making it all the way to the state championship. But South controlled the game with consistent offense and multiple players with double figures in scoring. After a close third quarter, the Lady Raiders were able to pull away and finish the game strong beating the Huskies 57-45.
As this group of seniors graduates and looks to leave their legacy on the program, they want the standard of excellence and winning to stay the same.
Western will also have to keep the standard after these seniors leave.
​“It’s more fun to win than it is to be the leading scorer in the league,” Western said. “So I think that you want there to be some sense of unselfishness that carries over, and you want, more than anything, there to be a toughness factor that you see every day in practice. Because that’s certainly what those 2024 kids brought every day. There were days with this group and in the 2026 team that I felt like we played as hard as any group I’ve ever been around, including that 2024 team. So they’re still passing on what they learned from Camryn[Smith], Jocelyn[Moore], Zai[Azailah Funches], and Ashley VanElders. They’re still carrying on that legacy, and that’s really cool to see.”
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