By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With 22 Shawnee County girls basketball teams earning state championships, including five that posted perfect seasons, the chore of picking the No.1 team in TopSports.news' Best of the Best project was a tough one.
Topeka West's 25-0 1993-1994 Class 6A state championship team was tapped for the No. 1 position on TopSports.news' Best of the Best girls basketball list. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
But after considerable discussion, that honor goes to Mike Goehring's 1993-1994 Topeka West team, which dominated Kansas' largest class on the way to a perfect 25-0 season, capped by a win over Shawnee Mission West in the state final.
A member of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Chargers were the fourth 6A team to go undefeated, averaging 61.2 points while giving up just 39.7 points a game.
The Chargers, who added a 5A championship in 2000, were led by a senior class that included Angie Bahner, Misty Caryl, Wendy Farthing, April Gosselin, Krista Joy and Sara Sevy.
Shawnee Heights' 1986 23-0 Class 5A state championship team was picked No. 2 on TopSports.news' Best of the Best girls basketball Top 10. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Mark Henry's undefeated 1985-1986 Shawnee Heights team, which went 23-0 to win the 5A state title, was tapped for the No. 2 spot on the Top 10 list, with the T-Birds beating Kansas City-Bishop Ward in the state final.
The T-Birds, inducted into the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, were led by Brenda Shaffer, a member of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame, who went on to set 24 school records at Washburn University.
Bill Annan's '95-'96 Washburn Rural team won the first of the Junior Blues' five Class 6A state girls basketball championships. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Bill Annan's '95'-96 Washburn Rural team, which garnered the first of the Junior Blues' five 6A state championships with a 23-2 record, is No. 3 on the Best of the Best list while a pair of undefeated Silver Lake teams round out the top five.
Loren Ziegler's '82-'83 girls basketball team won Silver Lake's first state title, posting a 25-0 record. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Silver Lake's girls basketball team won its three games in the 2016 Class 3A state tournament by a total of 85 points. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Loren Ziegler's '83 Eagles, No. 4 in the Top 10, went 25-0 to win the school's first 3A state title while his '16 team is listed No. 5 after a dominating 26-0 championship season.
Washburn Rural's 2009 Class 6A state girls basketball state championship team went 24-1 on the season. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Seaman's girls basketball team went 24-1 to win the Class 6A girls basketball title in 1991. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Washburn Rural won Shawnee County's most recent girls state basketball title in 2022, taking the Class 6A crown. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Rural's 24-1 '09 championship team and its 23-2 '22 squad are ranked No. 6 and No. 8 in the Top 10, while Ron Vinduska's 24-1 6A championship team earned the seventh spot.
Hayden's girls basketball team won its third Class 4A state title in four seasons in 1995. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Topeka High's '20 team, which had its quest for a perfect season cut short by COVID-19 after 23 straight wins, is listed No. 9 on the Top 10 list while Rick Strecker's 23-3 '95 4A title team rounds out the Best of the Best Top 10.
Topeka West's '94 championship team also received the most votes in Reader's Choice balloting, registering a whopping 3,875 votes, followed by Washburn Rural's '96 team (2,155 votes), Silver Lake's '16, Heights' '86 and Silver Lake's '83 team to round out the top five.
Rural's '22 team, the most recent Shawnee Countyst state champ, earned the No. 6 spot on the Reader's Choice Top 10, followed by Hayden's '95 team, High's '20 squad, Seaman's '91 team and a tie between Topeka High's '81 and Hayden's '93 team for 10th place.
A panel of current and past sports media professionals with more than 120 years of combined experience helped determine the final Best of the Best Top 10.
Here's a look at the Top 10 and Reader's Choice Awards:
TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS
1. Topeka West (1994) -- Mike Goehring's Topeka West team posted a perfect 25-0 record in 1993-1994 en route to the Class 6A state championship, capped by a win over Shawnee Mission West in the championship game. A member of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Chargers were the fourth 6A team to go undefeated, averaging 61.2 points while giving up 39.7 points a game. The Chargers were led by a senior class that included Angie Bahner, Misty Caryl, Wendy Farthing, April Gosselin, Krista Joy and Sara Sevy.
2. Shawnee Heights (1986) -- Mark Henry's Shawnee Heights team went 23-0 in '85-'86 to win the Class 5A state title, beating Kansas City-Bishop Ward in the state final. The T-Birds, a member of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, were led by Brenda Shaffer, a member of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame, who went on to set 24 school records at Washburn University. Shaffer-ahl was part of a senior class that included Sherry Spangler, Becky Ives, Traci Surczak and Heather Wade.
3. Washburn Rural (1996) -- Bill Annan's Junior Blues posted a 23-2 record on the way to Washburn Rural's first of five Class 6A state championships, capped by a victory over Junction City in the state championship game. Top players for the Junior Blues included Lisa Carey, Jamie Blakely, Ashlie Huston, Carrie Tarvin and Kerri Lewis.
4. Silver Lake (1983) -- Loren Ziegler's Eagles won their first of the school's six Class 3A state championships, posting a perfect 25-0 record on the season. The Eagles capped their undefeated season win a win over previously-unbeaten Lindsborg (24-1) in the state championship game. Silver Lake had just three seniors on the roster -- Annette Martin, Tanya Ellis and Traci Shaw -- and the Eagles were repeat champs in '84 with another 25-0 record.
5. Silver Lake (2016) -- Silver Lake posted a perfect 26-0 record under Loren Ziegler on the way to the Class 3A state title. The Eagles won their three state tournament games by a total of 85 points, including a 57-44 win over Sabetha in the state final. The Eagles had a senior-dominated roster, including Taylor White, Jordan Yoder, Madison Wegner, Rylie Krogman, Jessica Johnson, Rachel Heiman and Alexis Gifford.
6. Washburn Rural (2009) -- The Junior Blues went 24-1 on the season, winning their third Class 6A state championship under Bill Annan with a win over Olathe South in the state championship game. Top players for Washburn Rural included LaSharra Riley, who attended Oklahoma State, as well as future Pittsburg State player Alexa Bordewick, Baker player Maggie Holmberg and Emporia State softball player Paige Ladenburger.
7. Seaman (1991) -- Ron Vinduska's Vikings posted a 24-1 record and beat Manhattan to claim the Class 6A state championship. Seaman averaged 62.56 points as a team while junior Amelia Holmes, who played at Kansas, averaged 18.8 points and 9.8 rebounds and future Washburn University star Shelley Foster averaged 16.4 points and 3.0 assists.
8. Washburn Rural (2022) -- Kevin Bordewick's Junior Blues won their second Class 6A state championship in four seasons, capping a 23-2 season with a 40-23 rout over Derby in the state final. Washburn Rural sandwiched a 23-point first-round win over Dodge City and the 17-point win over Derby around a nail-biting 44-43 semifinal victory over Olathe North. Rural got key contributions from Emma Krueger, Brooklyn DeLeye and Zoe Canfield in their state tournament run.
9. Topeka High (2020) -- COVID ended Topeka High's dominant 2019-2020 season after a 79-55 first-round victory over Olathe North, the Trojans' 23rd straight victory. Hannah Alexander's Topeka High team had a victory margin of 38 points on the season with just two single-digit outcomes. Top players included NiJaree Canady, Kiki Smith and Lilly Smith.
10. Hayden (1995) -- Rick Strecker's Wildcats went 23-3 in the '94-'95 campaign, claiming their third Class 4A state championship in four seasons. Hayden finished off its title run with a victory over Andover in the state title game. Seniors Carrie Kaberline and Kelly Hennes and junior Sarah Scheckel were key players for the Wildcats.
READER'S CHOICE GIRLS BASKETBALL AWARDS
1. Topeka West (1994) -- No. 1 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
2. Washburn Rural (1996) -- No. 3 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. Silver Lake (2016) -- No. 5 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
4. Shawnee Heights (1986) -- No. 2 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
5. Silver Lake (1983) -- No. 4 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
6. Washburn Rural (2022) -- No. 8 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
7. Hayden (1995) -- No. 10 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
8. Topeka High (2020) -- No. 9 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
9. Seaman (1991) -- No. 7 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
10. (tie) Topeka High (1981) -- Ted Juneau's Trojans posted a 23-1 record on the way to the first of two straight Class 6A state championships. Topeka High earned the state title with a win over Kansas City-Washington in the the 6A final.
10. (tie) Hayden (1993) -- Rick Strecker's Wildcats, led by All-Stater Angie Poell, posted a 24-2 record on the way to a second straight Class 4A state championship, with Hayden topping Chapman in the title game.
Next up: Boys basketball Best of the Best Top 10 teams and Reader's Choice awards.
