MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Moundridge High School basketball teams finished off incredible runs for the 2024-25 season going all the way to the final game, with the girls finishing as state champions and the boys ending as runners-up.
GIRLS
The Moundridge girls basketball team came in as one of the favorites to win it all, entering the State Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the eight-team bracket. The Lady Wildcats started off on the right foot with a quarterfinals win over Hays-Thomas More Prep-Marian 62-50. The victory guaranteed them two more games, starting off in the semifinals against cross-county rival Inman. Moundridge went into the Final Four with one of their best defensive performances, defeating Inman 46-26 to advance them to the State Championship.
The State Title appearance was their 13th in the team’s history, but their first since 2015. The title game put them up against the No. 6 seed Doniphan West, who came off of a double-overtime victory over St. Mary’s Colgan in the semifinal. Moundridge had an early lead over Doniphan West, but it was cut down to within three points by halftime. A strong third quarter saw the Wildcats with a 16 point lead going to the final quarter, which Moundridge would run away from winning their 8th title in school history 62-51.
BOYS
The Moundridge boys entered the tournament as the only undefeated 2A team left with a 23-0 record after Sub-State, looking to three-peat as 2A champs. The No. 1 seed Wildcats rode past the quarterfinals with a 33-point victory of St. Mary’s Colgan to advance then to the semifinals. Moundridge followed it up with a 28-point win over Valley Falls 74-46 to advance them to the State Championship for the third year in a row.
Awaiting Moundridge in the title game was No. 2 Sterling, who was looking to get their second title in school history. The first half was a strong half for both teams with Sterling holding just a three-point lead at halftime. However, a 17-8 third quarter for Sterling helped them pull ahead for good, defeating Moundridge 56-42. The loss was the only loss of the season for the Moundridge boys.
