Not only was Friday the end of the month, but it was also the end of the Owls’ regular season games. It was senior night, and the event was underway, with seniors’ posters lining West’s event entrance.
During the girls’ JV game, varsity girls took the court to practice various weaved shooting drills. The girls’ varsity for East, however, was free shooting. There was no drill, and basketballs were flying into the bleachers. This was a foreshadow for the game ahead.
After the JV game, the girls took to the court while the band started their pep band tunes. The majority of the athletes and coaches felt confident. Three boys stood in the student section dancing around and holding up signs with varsity girls’ faces including junior Lexi Cooley, senior Emma Sales and senior Laynie Clements.
As the first quarter began there were some crazy plays. Junior Kaiya Finazzo had the ball taken from her hands mid-layup and before the East players could even dribble, Finazzo grabbed it right back and put it up for an easy layup.
A few minutes later it was becoming closer to the end of the quarter and East was hurting. Olathe East was running a backcourt press in an attempt to get the ball on their side of the court. After the in-bounds throw was made the ball handler tripped allowing West to grab the ball and pass to Lexi Cooley to score a three-pointer. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-9 Owls.
The team quickly returned to the court eager for the second quarter. Seconds into the quarter West rebounded from half-court and Cooley scored another three-pointer. The Hawks were having a rough time.
Only 30 seconds into the quarter a post for the Hawks threw the ball out of bounds and into the bleachers in a rushed attempt at getting the ball out of the lane. Though that was ugly for the audience, junior Avery Henshaw had a beautiful euro-step layup to grab the fan’s attention again.
With little time on defense, the Owls were able to set Cooley up for two layups in a row. Junior Hannah Lester stole the ball during an East inbounds pass and made a layup. This put the Owls at 34-9 at halftime meaning they went on a 20-0 run for the full second quarter.
The third quarter was spent much like the second with West scoring continuously. The Hawks called a timeout after West scored eight more points. West’s huddle was full of smiles as the score was now 42-9. East’s efforts were not enough and by the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard showed 48-19 Owls.
Senior Jessica Borders had an amazing fourth quarter as she was unstoppable at getting rebounds and assists. Cooley ended the game as the team’s leading scorer with 14 points. The game’s final score was 59-26 and the admin brought out the 2025 silver, white, and blue balloon backdrop. Seniors took turns taking pictures while the band began playing a celebratory alma mater.
Between both contests, all of the seniors, which included three for dance, three for boys basketball, two for girls basketball and five for cheer, lined up for the senior night festivities. After the ceremony between games was done, the boys took the court for their season finale.
Both teams traded buckets early. Senior Sherron Woodbury had 19 points in the first quarter, as he was determined to get the Owls a victory. Both teams were battling back-and-forth to a score of 23-20 in at the end of the first, with the Owls having a narrow lead.
The second quarter was the complete opposite of the first. Both teams scored some of their lowest scoring totals in a quarter in the second. Sophomore Colton Nichols and senior Bennett Warren carried the Owls in this quarter.
Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the second half, with no team getting more than a five point lead. Woodbury was ice cold in the second half. After the 19 in the first, Woodbury failed to score for the second and third quarters. Senior Ben Boswell scored six points in the second half with some clutch buckets.
With 90 seconds left, the game was 53-57 with the Owls chasing the Hawks. With a Nichols three-pointer, the Owls came within one point, just needing a stop for a chance at a win. With a Hawks layup and a Nichols miss, the Owls had to foul to keep their chances alive. The Hawks left the door cracked open by missing both free throws, but junior Malachi Buckner couldn’t get the tying shot to go in.
With another foul, the Hawks missed both again, so the Owls just needed a three to force overtime. It was Woodbury’s time to take the last shot, to put second half points on the board, to give the Owls a lifeline, but the shot was too strong. The ball clanked off the rim and silence fell over the crowd. With the 56-59 loss, the Owls had dropped their fourth game in a row, and the Owls had failed to gain momentum going into the playoffs.
