ST. PAUL — Hosting the second round of the KSHSAA 1A-II Sub-State Tournament on Monday, the St. Paul Indians girls fell to Waverly, 43-21.
“I don’t think that game was a representation of how we’ve played all year,” St. Paul head coach Danielle Cummings said. “It was a bad night to have a bad night. We were down a sub, so we had to ask a lot of a freshman that doesn’t play a lot. There’s always what-ifs. But they still competed. It just wasn’t a good representation of us.”
Waverly’s three-quarter court trap had St. Paul outschemed as the hosts struggled to mount offense.
“We have struggled with our passing for two years,” Cummings said. “They can’t see the different colored jerseys sometimes. When they make a mistake or two, we spiral. That’s our youth. It showed tonight.”
Kaydra Mathis led St. Paul with six points. “Our halfcourt defense was good,” Cummings said. “Our halfcourt game wasn’t bad. We couldn’t get to the halfcourt on offense. We had a ton of turnovers and that’s the game. If it was a halfcourt game, it would’ve been a different outcome. But basketball isn’t pick-and-choose.”
Monday was St. Paul’s first game in over a week after it earned a bye.
“It’s always nice to have an earlier game to get the cobwebs off,” Cummings said. “But you don’t want to play somebody where it’s a blowout because that creates bad habits. There’s pros and cons. It’s just a flip of the coin.”
Looking ahead
St. Paul’s season ended with the loss as it wrapped with a 14-8 overall record.
“I’m really proud of how the girls stepped up,” Cummings said. “We had several curveballs thrown at us this year and they really rallied around each other. They came together and proved that we are a family.”
Cummings will not return as the St. Paul girls coach in 2026-27.
