The girls varsity basketball team finished third at the state basketball tournament March 9-11 in Wichita, Kan.

While the team advanced to the second round by beating Lawrence 51-44, the Manhattan team advanced to the championship round, beating the Lady Falcons 44-47. Manhattan defeated Derby 44-42, becoming the tournament champions.

The Lady Falcons ended up coming in third place at the tournament, defeating Wichita West 66-39.

“Manhattan made more plays,” Allen said. “If we played them 10 times, it would probably be 5-5.”

Throughout the season, the team had a 21-5 overall record and finished fourth this season in the Class 6A league. On average, the team scored 47 points per game and allowed opposing teams to score about 36 points per game. The team with the best record in 6A, Manhattan High School, scored 13 points more on average but was scored on just as much.

In addition to the state tournament, the team also played in tournaments at McPherson, Kan., and Joplin, Mo. They won first and second at those tournaments respectively.

During the season, Allen felt that the team was strong in teamwork and cohesiveness. If the season were a little bit longer, he would have had the team improve on their fundamentals.

This is the last season for Makayla Gooch, Lindsey Bartels, Kara Griswold, Dejanae Roebuck and Kaiti Butaud, seniors.

“I had a pretty special relationship with all of the seniors and loved being around them. Makes for a rewarding season,” said Allen on the seniors’ departure.

Next year, the team aims to improve each month to the point that they are playing their best in February.

“They’ll be hungry to prove themselves,” Allen said about next year’s roster.

Allen is not the only member of the team looking forward to the next season. Caroline Harshbarger, sophomore, is looking forward to “seeing the kind of team that we can build.”