Eudora ? Losing all-Kaw Valley League guard Cody Ptacek turned out to be the best thing that happened to Mill Valley High’s boys basketball team.

Sure, the Jaguars (10-11) struggled through their KVL schedule after Ptacek’s injury, but freshman David Woods was just learning to play at that point. With both Ptacek and Woods in the lineup on Tuesday night, the sixth-seeded Jaguars defeated Eudora, 62-48, in the first round of a Class 4A sub-state at EHS.

“If Cody doesn’t get hurt, David Woods doesn’t develop into a varsity basketball player,” Mill Valley Coach Justin Bogart said. “I’m very proud of David. He handles the ball well and he’s tough on defense.”

Mill Valley will play host to KVL champion Piper (17-4) in the semifinal round on Friday. Piper defeated the Jaguars twice this season, including a 44-41 thriller at MVHS on Feb. 15.

“We feel good about playing on our home floor,” Bogart said. “We feel that we’ll be competitive and we’ll give them a run.”

Woods, who scored a game-high 14 points, nailed two three-pointers in the first half.

Woods said support from the upperclassmen earlier allowed him to lead the Jags.

“I was nervous at first, but the seniors helped with encouragement even when I messed up,” Woods said. “It (the victory over Eudora) was an upset for them because they weren’t expecting it.”

Ptacek connected on two of his three three-pointers in the first half and found a way to make a big basket so the Cardinals wouldn’t gain any momentum. Ptacek finished with 13 points and six steals.

The senior duo of Ryan Cooley, who grabbed 10 rebounds, and Travis Chavez, outworked Eudora’s post players on the offensive boards and poured in second- and third-chance baskets for the Jags.

Down 30-20 at halftime, the Cardinals went five minutes without scoring a point. Ptacek capitalized on Eudora’s offensive woes by swishing a three pointer during a decisive 13-0 run.

Eudora sophomore Tyler Cleveland led the Cards with 11 points while senior Wes Hinman chipped in 10 points.

“We played not to lose in the first two quarters and we weren’t able to get in any kind of flow offensively,” said EHS coach Scott Stein, whose Cards finished 11-10. “We just haven’t played well offensively since the ice break (storm).”

Mill Valley 62, Eudora 48

Eudora 10 10 8 20Â48

Mill Valley 15 15 13 19Â62

Eudora (11-10) Â Lear Bowling 3, Tyler Cleveland 11, Wes Hinman 10, Kaleb Niedens 9, Zac Tyler 4, Jason Burrous 5, James Blades 3, Tommy Shutt 3.

Mill Valley (10-11) Â Travis Chavez 8, Ryan Cooley 9, Cody Ptacek 13, Brandon Smith 2, David Woods 14, Sean Scott 9, Paul Thom 7.