Maize rides success in close games to 17-0 record
Maize’s boys basketball team is in the midst of a dream season, climbing to the No. 1 spot in the Best of Kansas Preps Super 10 with a 17-0 record, one of only five undefeated boys teams in the state.
But it hasn’t been a cakewalk for the Eagles, who have won four games by four or fewer points, including an overtime win and two one-point decisions, the most recent a 46-45 win over Campus on Friday.
The key according to Maize coach Chris Grill, whose team is also top-ranked in the Class 5A state rankings, is that the Eagles have been at their best when games have been on the line.
“I think for whatever reason we’ve chose to make sure our second half is our best half, and I think we’ve played our best basketball in the second half of the game," Grill said. “I know the Campus game we played a much better second half, and I know we played a better second half against Maize South (65-63 win) and even when we went to Salina Central, our second half was much better than our first half.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the kids getting re-focused and playing with more purpose. I think sometimes they get pretty amped up in a game and are pretty jacked for the start of a game and as they settle down and the nerves kind of go away, they get a little more focused on trying to do what we set out to do."
Grill thinks the Eagles have also benefited from the fact that Maize has several players who have been successful in multiple sports.
Senior standout Caleb Grill, who averages 19 points and has signed with South Dakota State, was an All-Stater in football and is a multi-time state placer in track, while senior Chase Schreiner has made it to the state doubles finals the past two seasons and played with senior Tanner Ohnmeis in the finals last spring.
Maize's Devin Koehn has been part of a state championship team in baseball and the Eagle football team advanced to the state semifinals last fall.
“We have some guys on our team who have had a lot of success in other sports, and I think that also carries over with them playing basketball," Chris Grill said. “Just those guys being competitive and playing multiple sports and having success in multiple sports I think has really gone a long way to helping us learn to compete and win."
Maize was able to remain perfect on the season in a week that saw several of the state’s top boys teams take losses, including Blue Valley Northwest, which was the previous No. 1 in the Super 10.
Four of last week’s top five in 6A suffered losses, with Topeka High taking advantage of losses above them to move from No. 5 to No. 2 in 6A.
The top two teams in 2A also lost last week, with Pratt-Skyline and Stanton County moving up to the No. 1 and No. 2 positions this week.
There wasn't a whole lot of movement in the girls rankings this week.
Washburn Rural's girls dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in Class 6A after getting upset by Topeka High 48-38 on Friday. The win moved the Trojans into the top five at No. 5, while Rural also slipped from No. 3 to No. 8 in the Super 10.
In Class 2A, No. 2 Wabaunsee and No. 4 Jackson Heights each lost last week, dropping Wabaunsee to No. 4 and Heights out of the top five. Jefferson North moved up to No. 2, while WaKeeney returned to the rankings at No. 5.
In Class 3A, Clay Center fell out of the top five after its loss to Marysville, replaced by Sabetha, which took over at No. 5 and is on a nine-game winning streak after a 5-3 start.
Abilene earned its first ranking for the year, moving into the 4A top five at No. 5 after No. 4 Nickerson fell out following a loss to Haven.
BEST OF KANSAS PREPS STATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
BOYS SUPER 10
Team;Record
1. Maize (3);17-0
2. Blue Valley Northwest (1);15-2
3. Andover Central (4);15-1
4. Topeka High (8);14-2
5. Washburn Rural (2);15-1
6. Basehor-Linwood (9);13-2
7. Wichita Southeast (10);15-2
8. Wichita Heights (5);14-3
9. Olathe North (6);13-3
10. Lawrence (7);12-3
6A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Blue Valley Northwest (1);15-2
2. Topeka High (5);14-2
3. Washburn Rural (2);15-1
4. Wichita Southeast (NR);15-2
5. SM South (NR);14-3
Others — Campus 12-4, Free State 11-4, Garden City 13-4, KC-Harmon 12-3, Lawrence 12-3, Olathe East 10-6, Olathe North 13-3.
5A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Maize (1);17-0
2. Andover Central (2);15-1
3. Basehor-Linwood (4); 13-2
4. Wichita Heights (3);14-3
5. Bonner Springs (5);13-2
Others — Arkansas City 12-4, Carroll 12-5, KC-Washington 12-5, Maize South 12-4, McPherson 12-4, Pittsburg 12-3, Salina Central 12-4.
4A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Wichita Trinity (1);16-1
2. Miege (2);14-2
3. Piper (3);13-3
4. Andale (4);14-2
5. Abilene (NR);13-3
Others — Anderson County 10-4, Augusta 12-4, Chapman 14-3, Independence 10-5, Nickerson 11-6, Parsons 11-5.
3A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Santa Fe Trail (1);16-0
2. Beloit (2);16-1
3. Maur Hill-Mt. Academy (3);15-0
4. Phillipsburg (4);15-2
5. Girard (5);13-2
Others — Baxter Springs 14-3, Belle Plaine 13-4, Cheney 13-4, Kingman 13-4, Nemaha Central 11-5, Perry-Lecompton 15-2, Riley County 11-5, Sabetha 13-4, Silver Lake 12-4.
2A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Pratt-Skyline (3);17-1
2. Stanton County (4);15-2
3. Hoxie (1);14-2
4. Inman (2);15-2
5. Yates Center (5);14-2
Others — Colgan 13-3, Hutchinson Trinity 14-3, Mission Valley 13-3, Ness City 14-3, Northeast-Arma 14-3, Pleasanton 11-4, Sacred Heart 13-4, Seabury 12-4, Syracuse 14-3, Wichita County 12-4.
1A BOYS
Team;Record
1. Central Plains (1);17-0
2. Hanover (2);18-1
3. Osborne (3);17-0
4. South Gray (4);17-1
5. Northern Valley (5);17-1
Others — Attica 15-3, Beloit-St. John’s 14-3, Berean Academy 13-3, Burlingame 15-2, Caldwell 16-2, Cedar Vale-Dexter 16-2, Lebo 12-3, Rural Vista 14-3, Sharon Springs 15-2, South Central 16-2, St. Francis 13-4, St. John 14-4, Sylvan-Lucas 12-3.
GIRLS SUPER 10
Team;record
1. Derby (1);15-0
2. Miege (2);14-0
3. Blue Valley North (4);15-2
4. Aquinas (5);13-2
5. Liberal (8);16-0
6. KC Piper (6);15-0
7. Central Plains (7);18-0
8. Washburn Rural (3);15-2
9. McPherson (9);15-1
10. Wichita Heights (10);16-1
6A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Derby (1);15-0
2. Blue Valley North (3);15-2
3. Liberal (4);16-0
4. Washburn Rural (2);15-2
5. Topeka High (NR);15-2
Others — Leavenworth 10-5, Manhattan 13-4, Mill Valley 12-4, Olathe East 12-4, Olathe North 13-3, Olathe Northwest 11-5, Olathe South 13-3, SM Northwest 11-5.
5A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Aquinas (1);13-2
2. McPherson (2);15-1
3. Wichita Heights (3);16-1
4. Maize South (4);16-0
5. Maize (5);14-3
Others — Blue Valley Southwest 13-4, Carroll 12-6, DeSoto 12-4, Goddard 15-1, Hays 11-5, KC Schlagle 11-4, Salina Central 10-6, Seaman 10-6.
4A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Miege (1);14-0
2. KC Piper (2);15-0
3. Baldwin (3);13-1
4. Circle (5);13-3
5. Abilene (NR);14-2
Others — Eudora 11-3, Labette County 13-3, Nickerson 15-2, Parsons 12-4, Pratt 12-5, Ulysses 13-4, Wellington 11-5.
3A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Nemaha Central (1);15-1
2. Cheney (2);15-2
3. Hesston (3);14-3
4. Haven (5);14-3
5. Sabetha (NR);14-3
Others — Burlington 11-4, Clay Center 14-3, Eureka 14-3, Girard 12-3, Halstead 14-3, Jefferson West 14-3, Norton 13-2, Pleasant Ridge 14-2, Royal Valley 12-4, Russell 13-4, TMP-Marian 12-4, Wellsville 12-2.
2A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Garden Plain (1);14-3
2. Jefferson North (3);15-2
3. Wabaunsee (2);13-3
4. Inman (5);15-2
5. WaKeeney (NR);14-2
Others — Bluestem 13-4, Colgan 14-3, Conway Springs 12-5, Jackson Heights 12-3, Meade 12-6, Stanton County 13-4, Sterling 13-4, Syracuse 13-4, Valley Heights 15-4, WaKeeney 12-2, West Elk 13-2.
1A GIRLS
Team;record
1. Central Plains (1);18-0
2. Olpe (2);16-0
3. Rural Vista (3);17-0
4. Frankfort (4);17-1
5. Golden Plains (5);17-0
Others — Argonia 16-1, Beloit-St. John’s 14-2, Chase County 14-2, Cunningham 16-2, Hanover 16-3, Hutch Central Christian 16-2, Otis-Bison 16-2, South Central 16-2, South Gray 14-4, South Haven 14-4, Spearville 15-2, St. Paul 11-4, Thunder Ridge 14-2, Waverly 14-2, Weskan 15-3.