#1 Blue Valley Northwest (9-0): Can anyone from Kansas get within 20 of Northwest? So far, the answer is no. It was a disappointing week for the Huskies at the January Jam in Valley Center in terms of competition. Northwest did not play a single team with a winning record and breezed to the tournament title. Now Northwest finally gets a pair of challenges this week, as it goes on the road to Southwest and North.
#2 Topeka Highland Park (11-0): This pick might surprise some of the Semi supporters, but you just can't argue with what the Scots have accomplished on the court. There's no other team beside BV Northwest that has the resume of HiPark, as it ripped off three more quality victories this week with wins over Wichita Southeast, KC Washington and Lawrence on its way to a tournament title. I don't see the undefeated season coming to an end this week, as Highland Park welcomes Junction City at home on Friday.
#3 Shawnee Mission South (11-0): The Raiders had to be a little disappointed to reach the finals of the Tournament of Champions and play Wichita North, but without star Conner Frankamp, who was sitting out with a concussion. Obviously you hope Frankamp is OK, but the match-up just wasn't the same and SM South easily put away the win for the tournament championship. Another stern test awaits the Raiders this Friday when they host West.
#4 McPherson (11-1): The Bullpups showed that they can not just play with the big boys, but beat them. McPherson knocked off three Class 6A teams on its way to its home tournament title, including a huge win over previously-unbeaten SM East in the championship game. No other team has taken SM East out of its comfort zone and McPherson proved its one of the best teams in the state, regardless of class.
#5 Shawnee Mission East (10-1): The Lancers piled up another quality win over BV West in the semifinals of the McPherson Invitational, but were upset in the finals by the host school, McPherson. East takes its first loss of the season in a game where it only scored 40 points. There's no let-down this week, as the Lancers go on the road to take on a very quality Rockhurst squad that would be their best win of the season if they can pull it off.
#6 Ottawa (13-0): It's hard to fault Ottawa, but it's more of a credit to the schedules that Highland Park and McPherson have played. The Cyclones keep on winning, ripping off a furious comeback to knock off Class 6A Blue Valley in the semifinals then beating a very good Basehor team in the finals. There's no doubt Semi is going to carry this team far and he's by far the best player in Class 4A, but Ottawa just doesn't have the resume that the other two teams do at this point in the season.
#7 Wichita North (10-1): Bad news for the Redskins as KU commit and their scoring machine Conner Frankamp went down with a concussion in the semifinals. It's undetermined how many games he will miss, but the Redskins showed they are still a capable team by beating a quality Scott City team in overtime without Frankamp for the majority of the game. North can survive without Frankamp, but it certainly isn't the third-best team in 6A without him on the court. We'll await news on his recovery.
#8 Emporia (10-1): The Spartans travel all the way to Chanute and come away with the tournament title after knocking off a quality Andover Central team in the finals. They picked up another quality win over Leavenworth and have another chance this week with a road trip to Manhattan. Emporia has responded well since its lone loss of the season, ripping off 5 straight wins.
#9 Goddard Eisenhower (11-1): The Tigers are on a roll this season and they picked up a solid tournament title this weekend in Spring Hill. Eisenhower took care of business against two decently solid teams in the first two rounds then picked up its second-best win of the season by knocking off a very good KC Piper team in the finals. Eisenhower should continue to roll this week against Campus.
#10 Lansing (11-1): The Lions take care of business at their tournament, knocking off two over-matched teams on the way to a quality win over Blue Valley Southwest in the finals. Lansing has a bevy of good but not great wins this season and now have an entire week off before its back in action.
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