By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Back in Koch Arena for the first time since winning the Class 6A state championship in 2019, Washburn Rural's girls gave themselves a shot at another title with a hard-earned 44-43 semifinal win over previously-unbeaten Olathe North Friday night.
Now 22-2 on the season, Washburn Rural will play for championship at 4 p.m. Saturday against Derby, which edged Blue Valley in double overtime, 51-49.
Washburn Rural junior Brooklyn DeLeye drives to the basket in Friday's 44-43 Class 6A semifinal victory over previously-unbeaten Olathe North. [Submitted]
Washburn Rural led Olathe North 23-18 at the half, but the 23-1 Eagles stormed back to take an eight-point advantage in the third quarter.
The Junior Blues cut their deficit in half by the end of the third quarter, trailing 35-31, and the Junior Blues outscored North 13-8 over the final eight minutes to pull out the win.
"I think we knew this was a huge game and it was going to come down to our defense from the start,'' Rural senior Emma Krueger said. "It really did come down to our 'D' and we hang our hats on that.
"They're a good team and we knew they were going to go on runs and out mindset was when that happened we just have to cut that momentum and find a way to translate it into our momentum.''
Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick was proud of the way his team answered North's big third-quarter rally.
"We blew a five-point lead and they came out and just kicked us,'' Bordewick said. "What was it, a 13-0 run or something? And we could of so easily just said, 'Hey, coming close is good enough,' but it aint.
"And with this group they keep fighting and they keep battling and they never think they're out of it. Being down eight to a team like that and just the way they battled every single possession, I couldn't be more prouder of a group.''
The game was tied 41-41 before sophomore Jada Ingram hit two free throws with 2:01 remaining to put Rural ahead to stay.
Junior MaRyah Lutz canned a free throw to put Rural up 44-41 with 59 seconds left to play, but Olathe North got within a point with 18.3 seconds remaining and the Eagles got the ball back on an alternating possession with 15.5 seconds left.
Rural senior Emma Krueger came up with a couple of near steals to take time off the clock but Olathe North retained possession before missing a potential game-winning shot as time ran out.
Lutz led Rural with 10 points while senior Krueger and Ingram added nine points apiece, with Krueger going 7 of 8 at the line.
Ingram and junior Brooklyn DeLeye both grabbed eight rebounds.
Rural hasn't always been a great free throw shooting team this season, but was 15 of 22 at the line against North, including several big makes down the stretch.
"Jada Ingram's free throws, those were huge, and Emma's free throws, huge,'' Bordewick said. "That's just, to me, a mental competitive edge that those kids bring and in a clutch, big-game situation. Knocking those down were huge.''
Rural also finished with a 27-19 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 edge on offensive boards. Both Ingram and DeLeye grabbed four offensive rebounds apiece.
Washburn Rural beat Derby 54-37 in the semifinals of the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic earlier this season.
"It doesn't mean anything,'' Bordewick said. "When we did play them and beat them this year they didn't have the Brown kid (6-foot-3 junior Addyson Brown) and that's going to make a difference but I think we're really receptive of that challenge tomorrow, too.
"I think we'll be mentally and physically ready to go.''
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 44, OLATHE NORTH 43
Washburn Rural 12 11 8 13 -- 44
Olathe North 10 8 17 8 -- 43
Washburn Rural (22-2) -- Lutz 3-8 1-2 10, Krueger 1-2 7-8 9, Canfield 2-9 0-0 6, Ingram 3-5 3-6 9, DeLeye 2-9 2-4 6, Bagshaw 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 1-2 0-0 2, Brogan 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-35 15-22 44.
Olathe North (23-1) -- S. Simmons 1-6 0-0 3, Stanford 3-6 0-0 8, Copeland 4-9 1-2 10, Nwidadah 5-5 0-0 10, Alloway 3-8 2-2 9, Landry 0-2 0-0 0, Dillon 1-1 0-0 3, L. Simmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-37 3-4 43.
3-point shots -- Washburn Rural 5-18 (Lutz 3-6, Canfield 2-8, DeLeye 0-3, Krueger 0-1), Olathe North 6-14 (Sanford 2-4, S. Simmons 1-3, Copeland 1-3, Alloway 1-3, Dillon 1-1). Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 9, Olathe North 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
