photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

The Eudora bench celebrates a play during the Cardinals' game against Ottawa on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Eudora High School in Eudora.

Several local teams won their substate basketball brackets and will move on to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, while other teams finished their seasons. Here’s how they all fared:

In 6A West, the No. 14 Free State boys faced No. 3 Derby in the first substate round and lost 67-59 on Wednesday. Derby went on to defeat Junction City on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinal round. No. 15 Lawrence boys basketball faced No. 2 Mill Valley in the East bracket on Wednesday and lost 92-50. The Jaguars defeated Olathe East in the substate championship on Saturday.

No. 13 Free State girls basketball lost 67-21 in the first substate round against No. 4 Manhattan, which lost in the substate championship to Wichita East. No. 7 Lawrence beat No. 10 Shawnee Mission Northwest 49-47 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at Lawrence on Wednesday. The Lions advanced to the substate championship, where they lost 71-46 to No. 2 Olathe South.

In 4A boys basketball, No. 3 Baldwin blew out No. 14 Coffeyville-Field Kindley 70-23 in the first round before a comeback win over No. 6 Paola, 46-44, in the substate championship. The Bulldogs are in the state tournament as the No. 6 seed seed and will face No. 3 Pratt on Wednesday at Friends University at 6 p.m.

No. 13 Eudora upset No. 4 Santa Fe Trail 76-68 on Wednesday before pulling off another upset over No. 5 Chanute 56-43 on Saturday to advance to the state tournament. The No. 8 Cardinals will face No. 1 Rock Creek on Wednesday at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina at 6 p.m.

No. 3 Eudora girls basketball defeated No. 14 Louisburg 82-44 in the first substate round before beating No. 6 Ottawa 45-28 on Friday in the substate championship. The Cardinals are the No. 3 seed in the 4A playoffs and will host No. 6 Bishop Miege on Tuesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College at 2 p.m.

No. 9 Tonganoxie upset No. 8 Fort Scott 48-35 in the first substate round but lost the substate championship to No. 1 Rock Creek, 64-58. No. 13 Baldwin upset No. 4 Independence 48-38 on Tuesday but lost 51-22 to No. 5 Topeka-Hayden on Friday in the substate championship.

Four local bowlers compete in 6A state meet

Four local bowlers qualified for the 6A state bowling meet in Wichita on Wednesday and competed as individuals.

Leah Wilson from Free State bowled a 683 across her three games, which was the sixth-best score overall. Her first game was her best, as she bowled a 247. Lawrence’s Morgan Christensen finished with a 451 series score, which was 51st in the meet. Christensen’s best game was her second, where she bowled a 179.

Lawrence also sent two boys to the state meet to compete as individuals. Graesyn Hoss bowled a 695 series score, which put him ninth individually. His best game was his second where he bowled a 289. Camden Toews bowled a 556 score across three games, which was 56th individually. Toews improved with each game, finishing with a 222 score in his third game.

Former Lawrence pitcher selected to Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Former Lawrence High pitcher Garrett Cleavinger is spending his spring with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, competing with some of the best American baseball players in a worldwide tournament.

Cleavinger pitched for Lawrence from 2009-12 and helped the Lions appear in three state tournaments with a state championship in 2009. After holding a 1.92 ERA his senior year, Cleavinger played for Oregon, where he got in the record books for his pitching. He’s tied for eighth in all-time wins at Oregon and is first in both lowest opponent batting average (.165) and total appearances (109).

Cleavinger was drafted 102nd overall in the third round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2015 and stayed with the Orioles’ organization until 2017, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2020, Cleavinger made his MLB debut against the New York Mets.

After a stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleavinger was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022. Over the last two seasons, Cleavinger has built a role in the bullpen. In 2024, Cleavinger was ninth on the Rays in innings pitched while appearing in 68 games. He was seventh on the team last year with a team-best ERA among pitchers who threw more than 60 innings.

Now, Cleavinger is tasked with being a reliever for Team USA, which is in the B pool with Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Through two games, USA is 2-0 with wins over Brazil and Great Britain.