By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
EMPORIA (4-4, 0-0) at HAYDEN (6-2, 0-0)
The Spartans and Wildcats will open Centennial League play on Tuesday, with Hayden opening defense of the league title it captured last season. The Wildcats dropped a 38-36 non-league decision at Shawnee Heights last Friday, Hayden's second straight loss after six straight wins to start the season. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 16 points against the T-Birds while senior Lauren Borjon added 11 points. Emporia is coming off a 32-25 win over Circle.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 1-1) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-3, 3-1)
Shawnee Heights climbed above .500 with a 38-36 non-league win over Hayden last Friday at home. T-Bird junior KK Emmot scored 9 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining. Shawnee Heights has now won three straight games after starting the season 1-3. De Soto dropped a 45-34 United Kansas Conference decision to Seaman to close out its pre-holiday slate.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 2-1) at CAIR PARAVEL (3-3, 0-2)
Cair Paravel Latin ended its 2025 slate with a tight 40-37 Flint Hills League decision to Chase County while Wabaunsee is also coming off a loss, dropping a 68-37 league game to Osage City. London Backman leads CPLS with a 9.8 scoring average while Karsyn Hastert pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game.
Addaline Hall, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 0-4) at LEAVENWORTH (3-2, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking for its first United Kansas Conference victory Tuesday night at Leavenworth. Senior Addaline Hall leads the Chargers with a 10.8 scoring average while junior Sydney VanDyke averages 8.8 points and leads the city of Topeka in rebounding with 14.0 per game and in blocked shots with a 3.8 average.
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
WASHBURN RURAL (4-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (1-4, 0-0)
Washburn Rural will be playing its second game of 2026 in as many nights, opening Centennial League play against the Blue Jays after dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North Monday night. Junior Blue freshman Brynn Anderson scored 14 first-half points with three 3-pointers against Olathe North, but sat out the second half after an injury late in the first half. Senior Hallie Walker had 9 points and 5 rebounds for Rural.
HIGHLAND PARK (1-4, 0-1) at KC-SCHLAGLE (1-5, 0-2)
Highland Park will return to Meadowlark Conference play after back-to-back non-league losses to city rival Topeka High, including an 87-31 home decision last Friday. Junior Zayah Kincaid led the Scots with 11 points and two 3-pointers against the Trojans while senior Koralee Jones had 8 points.
TOPEKA HIGH (2-4) at LAWRENCE (4-1)
After beginning its season 0-4, Topeka High has bounced back with back-to-back double-digit victories over city rival High, including last Friday's 87-31 road win. Sophomore Hailey Caryl paced the Trojans with 26 points while junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 21 points and senior Keimara Marshall 18 points.
ROSSVILLE (3-3, 1-1) at JEFFERSON WEST (3-2, 0-2)
Rossville will be looking for its second straight Big East League victory after closing out its pre-holiday slate with a 66-40 win over Holton. Jefferson West has dropped two straight games, including a 50-31 league loss to Nemaha Central in its most recent game. Rossville senior Rylee Dick and junior Nora Burdiek are two of the top players in Class 2A.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
SILVER LAKE (7-0, 3-0) at ST. MARYS (1-5, 0-1)
Silver Lake is off to a perfect 7-0 start this season, including a 72-44 non-league rout over Eudora to close out the 2026 portion of its schedule. St. Marys edged Maranatha Academy 54-52 in its most recent game. Senior point guard Kailyn Hanni leads a balanced Silver Lake offensive attack while Karys Deiter and Savanah Wende have had big games for the Eagles.
