5A Championship Game Preview: Seaman versus Aquinas

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 8-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas Saints will face the No. 2-seeded and undefeated Seaman Vikings in the Class 5A State Title Game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff in Emporia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Thomas Aquinas followed up a three-point opening round victory over No. 1 Seed Hays with a 68-54 semifinal win over Spring Hill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaman knocked off Piper 66-54 and Andover 55-51 to advance to the title match-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at four athletes from each squad who can impact the outcome.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='649149' first='Alex' last='Crouse']</strong>, 5'8”, SG/SF, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crouse has posted 20-plus point performances in both games of the tournament. &nbsp;She scored 21 points to lead the Saints in an opening round win over Hays. She then scored 22 in the semifinal victory. She has been an accurate shooter thus far in the tournament. She can score in transition, off the ball, and bring it from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779205' first='Laila' last='Boylan']</strong>, 5'10”, PF, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Aquinas sophomore scored 20 points in the win over Spring Hill. She is shooting an impressive 13-of-16 attempts from the free throw line over two games. Boylan scored 18 points for Aquinas in the first game of the tournament. She is getting to the line and making opponents pay the price for hacking her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779210' first='Sofia' last='Calovich']</strong>, 5'10”, PF, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Calovich followed up a 12-rebound game in the opening round of the tournament with a double-double performance in the semifinal round. Against Spring Hill, she scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The Aquinas forward will need to play solid defense against a tough Seaman frontcourt. She is currently ranked No. 15 overall in the Kanas Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216015' first='Nora' last='Goodenow']</strong>, 6'1”, C, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goodenow impressed me in the team's first game of the tournament. The winning formula for championship teams is to have at least two secondary role players step up in the title game and do something extra special. Goodenow has the tools to be that surprise performer.&nbsp; She has nine rebounds and eight points in two postseason games for the Saints. If she can match those totals in one game, the chances of her holding up a state trophy at the end of her day increase dramatically.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349798' first='Anna' last='Becker']</strong>, 5'9”, CG, Seaman, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Becker is ranked No. 7 overall and is committed to Drake University.&nbsp; She scored 12 points and dished out four assists in a semifinal win over Andover. In the opening games of the tournament, she recorded six assists and scored nine points. The Vikings have gotten solid performances from a trio of players in each game, but it has been a different trio in each game, making them tough to defend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='722996' first='Maddie' last='Gragg']</strong>, 5'11”, SG, Seaman, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gragg is ranked No. 6 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She has played well in both games for Seaman. She scored 20 points in the opening game and followed that up with an 11-point night in the semifinal. She has 12 total rebounds in the two wins. She created match-up problems for Aquinas and can score at all three levels. She is 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in two games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kinley Wilhelm</strong>, 5'8”, CG, Seaman, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilhelm is a multi-sport prospect I know well from scouting volleyball. She is ranked No. 61 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She recorded a double-double in Seaman's semifinal win. She crashed the boards to grab a team-high 14 rebounds and scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She has 22 total rebounds in her two state tournament contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='872368' first='Jaida' last='Stallbaumer']</strong>, 5'8”, CG, Seaman, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stallbaumer had an explosive scoring night in the tournament opener against Piper. She scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. She shot 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. She scored just five points in the semifinal win. She is the wildcard in this game for me. If she steps up and has a quality game, her speed could cause the Saints some headaches. She committed just one turnover in the semifinal game as opposed to four in the first contest in Emporia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->