by: Joanna Chadwick
The Derby Panthers boys basketball team finished third in the Class 6A tournament in March thanks to a big part of the culture change that happened over the last year.
Coach Brett Flory harped on changing the culture that had taken a dip in recent years, and his team truly embodied the Derby culture that once was.
“We had a lot of vocal leaders that really made it clear to us how it’s supposed to be,” junior Dalls Metzger said.
The Panthers were led by senior Kaeson Fisher-Brown, but Metzger made sure that teams stayed on their toes whenever he was around the three-point line.
He averaged 13.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37% from three.
“I had a bigger role this year, as last year I was just there to spot-up and shoot. And this year I had to be more of an all-around scorer and I had to be more vocal,” Metzger said.
At one point Derby hit a tough stretch, losing three in a row to Maize South, Junction City and then Hutchinson. But Metzger and the rest of the Panthers didn’t stop believing in the culture they had set out to change early in the year.
“We had to make sure we stuck together and didn’t revert back to the old ways like years in the past,” Metzger said.
The hard work would later pay off as Derby defeated Washburn Rural in one of the most exciting games with a four overtime buzzer beater 74-72 win to reach state for the first time since 2018.
The Panthers would keep playing well with a win over Olathe North, but would meet their match against the defending champion Wichita Heights Falcons.
Derby bounced back the next day with another overtime win in which Metzger tied the school record with eight three-pointers.
He knows the work isn’t finished. Metzger wants a ring before he leaves.