MARCH, 2010: Olathe South has enjoyed a great deal of success in Sunflower League girls’ basketball, but is still looking for its first state title.

The Falcons have captured the last six league titles and seven overall league championships.

Olathe South lost only one game – 45-43 in double overtime to Olathe East -- during the regular season to finish 20-1. The defeat came in the final regular season game, preventing the Falcons from having the second undefeated regular season in coach Steve Ingram’s 21 years.

Ingram has posted a record of 344-133 at Olathe South, but the Falcons have never won the Class 6A state championship. They have been to state the past five years and nine times overall under Ingram. They have placed second twice, including 2009, third once and fourth twice. The Falcons have a 10-11 record in state tournament action.

The Falcons are known for their tough man defense that Ingram learned from his Shawnee Mission South high school coach Dudley Geise.

Ingram played on the Raiders team that placed second at state in 1972.

Also on that team was Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach.

“Ninety percent of our defense is Dudley,” Ingram said. “Offensively, we use one of Dudley’s plays.”

The Falcons returned all five starters from the 2008-2009 that lost the state championship game to Topeka Washburn Rural 57-47. The Falcons finished with a 21-4 record last season.
Ingram said this year’s team is “highly self-motivated.”

“They play great defense and pass the ball well,” Ingram said.

Olathe South starts seniors Navia Palu, Kelsey Balcom, Ebonee Bell and
Brooke Rinehart along with junior Natalie Knight. The first player off the bench is sophomore Megan Balcom.

“Our defensive pressure and we have more heart than the other teams out there,” 5-5 point guard Bell said is the key to the Falcons’ success. “We never give up.”

Kelsey Balcom attributes the Olathe South success to “teamwork.”

“We have a lot of chemistry,” she said. “We like playing with each other.”

Rinehart said, “We play well as a team. Everyone is focused.”

Statistically, the Falcons have several players ranking high in the Sunflower League statistics.

Knight is second in scoring with a 17.7 average and leads the league with four assists a game. Kelsey Balcom ranked fifth in scoring with an average of 14.9 and is 15th in rebounding with 6.0 per game. Rinehart is the Falcons top rebounder, ranking 10th in the Sunflower League with 6.8 boards per game.

Bell is fourth in assists, handing out 3.7 a game. Palu is seventh in assists with 2.8 per game and 11th in steals with 2.5 a contest.

Looking at the assist statistics shows the Falcons pass the ball well.

The Falcons would like to shake the bridesmaid tag and capture that so far elusive state championship in girls’ basketball and celebrate on the White Auditorium floor in March at Emporia.

What will the keys be to achieving the goal of winning the 6A state title?

“We have to be more positive and be in better shape than the other teams,” Bell said. “My job is to be the leader on the floor. I have to get everything started. I have to be a mini-coach Ingram on the floor.”

Said Kelsey Balcom, “We have to be focused and play good team defense. We have to be in better shape (than our opponents).”

Kelsey noted her job is to box out, get rebounds and to finish underneath.

“We have to continue to play together and play with confidence,” said Rinehart, a 5-10 post.
Said Palu, a 5-7 defensive specialist, “We have to play together as a team. We have to be in shape to run the floor.”