Kansas’ only unbeaten 3A basketball team led by two 1,000-point scorers & legacy name

There’s only one undefeated 3A basketball team — boys or girls — left standing in Kansas, and the success comes from a town with a sub-1,500 population.

At Silver Lake High School, the Eagles girls basketball team has coasted through the season with its name billed as the No. 1 team by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association every week after a state semifinal run last year.

But after having their season end at the hands of back-to-back state champion Goodland for the second straight year, a large senior class at Silver Lake is leading the charge to get over that hump and take home a state title.

Of the six Eagle seniors, Makenzie McDaniel and McKinley Kruger have been the standouts.

Kruger is part of the legacy Silver Lake Krugers, including National College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger and Washburn Hall of Fame athlete (and her father) Shannon Kruger.

McDaniel, meanwhile, is heading to Emporia State to continue her basketball career next season after a scary car crash reported on by KSNT led to her looking for a program closer to home. Her original commitment was to Abilene Christian in Texas.

They’re also carving out their own Silver Lake legacies now.

McDaniel and Kruger lead the experienced senior class that knows the feeling of a state tournament loss too well — and are ready to build off the experience for something more.

“Getting that close and falling short is a minute of self-reflection,” McDaniel, who averaged 18.1 points per game entering the week, said. “Did I do everything in my power every single day to win the state championship. It’s just like at a point where we can reflect on our season and know what we need to change or if we need to bring more energy to practice every day.”

Led by head coach Kyle Porter, the Eagles improved to 13-0 after Tuesday’s 70-45 win over Osage City, just a week after claiming a midseason tournament championship at the Burlington Invitational for the second year in a row.

The Eagles show no signs of stopping.

“We’re just trying to soak in every day and use every day to get better,” Porter said. “I think we’ve been ranked No. 1 in the state since the beginning, but that doesn’t matter as much as us getting better. But it does show that we’re a force to be reckoned with right now in 3A, and we want to stay on top.”

The success thus far has featured its highlights throughout, plus milestones for McDaniel and Kruger. Both players joined Silver Lake’s 1,000-point club this season, with McDaniel joining in early December after a 19-point performance against Council Grove. Kruger joined after an 18-point performance against Riley County in early January.

“For me, it’s been a goal since the beginning,” McDaniel said. “But (I know) I couldn’t have done it without all my teammates racking up assists and just looking for me down low. So it’s a very good feeling for me, but for me to see how much my teammates want me to succeed and how helpful they are and how we can all just play together, that just brings the ultimate success of our team being so good.”

As the pair continue racking up points to end their high school careers, they’ve already become top-10 all-time scorers at Silver Lake.

It’s a nice honor, but it doesn’t overshadow the bigger goal: a state title.

“That’s like the last thing I’m worried about,” Kruger, who averaged 17.8 points per game going into Tuesday, said, asked about her Silver Lake all-time scoring rank. “It’s great to have those accomplishments, but really I’m just focused on the best thing for our team right now.”

It’s that kind of attitude that Porter says sets the tone for the rest of the team.

“You’re talking about just two phenomenal kids and great competitors,” Porter said. “I think it’s pretty rare to have a 1,000 point scorer in a season. ... And it’s extremely rare to have two, which shows the level of unselfishness and team play that I think is the trademark of our team.

“They set the tone each and every day when your leaders are giving great effort and wanting to be better. ... I think a lot of teams when you’re undefeated can get complacent, but when these guys come to practice every day and are determined to get better and compete and use that as motivation, it just lifts everybody else up.”

In a small town like Silver Lake, about 15 miles from Topeka, community support is as important as ever. It’s something that continues to push McDaniel and Kruger as the clock winds down on their high school careers.

“I think being from a small town, you have a greater sense of community,” Kruger said. “You know the majority of the people in the stands that are watching you, and you just want to show out for them and all the little kids looking up to you. I hope I make a lasting impact on all those kids who look up to me in the stands during my game.”

McDaniel, who will be staying close by for college, has found great comfort in the community’s impact on the team, especially through her other extracurriculars.

“Some of us seniors go over to the grade school for one of our TA classes, and it’s just a great feeling to be able to walk down those halls and just see all the little faces talking to you about your game on Friday night,” McDaniel said. “It’s such a good feeling to know that you have all that support and that they really do look up to you and you’re not playing for yourself.”

For Kruger, her future is still undecided, but she expects to make her college basketball decision soon enough. So for now, she’s continuing to focus on where she’s at — while noting the lessons she’s taken from those who came before her.

“I think in the back of my mind, I’ve always thought about the Silver Lake standard,” Kruger said. “We are a really special school in the sense of being so successful academically and athletically, and I just want to carry on that legacy.”