- Details
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team, third in Class 5A the past two seasons, opened its 2024-2025 campaign with a 77-44 romp past Kansas City-Pembroke, Mo. in Tuesday's opening round of the Championship Showdown at Shawnee Mission East.
Mike Williams' Highland Park Scots opened their 2024-2025 season with a 31-point win in the Shawnee Mission East tournament. [File photo/TSN]
The Scots jumped out to a 16-11 first-quarter advantage and then turned the game into a rout with a 49-27 scoring advantage over the middle two quarters.
Isaiah Kelley, a 6-foot-6 senior, paced Highland Park with 20 points, one of four double-figure scorers for the Scots.
Senior Ja'Corey Robinson was right behind Kelley with 19 points while seniors Mikey Williams and Jamon Wilson added 12 apiece.
Highland Park advanced to Thursday's semifinal to face Class 6A power Blue Valley North.
Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker picked up his first victory as Topeka High's girls basketball coach on Tuesday, a 49-34 win over Olathe Northwest. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Trojans give Slaymaker first win at Topeka High coach
Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker picked up his first victory as Topeka High's girls basketball coach on Tueday in the first round of the De Soto Hardwood Classic, with the Trojans taking a 49-34 win over Olathe Northwest.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 21 points and junior Keimara Marshall had 18 as Topeka High improved to 1-1 on the season.
With the win Topeka High advances to a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Thursday to face city and Centennial League rival Washburn Rural.
Freshman Hailey Caryl led High with 13 rebounds and also scored four points and had four assists while senior Jo'Mhara Benning grabbed 10 boards.
Marshall added seven rebounds and three steals for the Trojans.
Rural girls improve to 2-0 with 45-42 win over Liberty
Washburn Rural's girls improved to 2-0 Tuesday with a 45-42 win over Liberty, Mo. in the opening round of the De Soto Hardwood Classic.
The Junior Blues' 3-point win over Liberty came after a one-point decision over Blue Valley Northwest last Friday in Rural's season-opener.
Tuesday's game was tight throughout, with the game tied at 10-10 after the first quarter and 21-all at halftime.
Washburn Rural took a 34-31 lead at the end of the third stanza and was able to hold on for the win.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery paced the Junior Blues with 17 points while junior Ella Hirschi scored nine points on three 3-pointers and senior Madison Lemke also scored nine points.
Washburn Rural will play a 6:30 p.m. tournament semifinal on Thursday to face Topeka High before closing out tournament play on Saturday.
Rural boys advance to Championship Showdown semis
Washburn Rural improved to 2-0 on the season Tuesday with a 52-44 win over Raytown South, Mo. in the first round of the Championship Showdown at Shawnee Mission East.
Junior Simon Rowley led Washburn Rural with 14 points and also grabbed six rebounds while senior Kaden Ballard had 12 points and senior Amare Jones contributed 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.
With the win Rural moved on to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Thursday against St. James Academy.
Rossville boys basketball coach Brandon McDonnell talks to his team during Tuesday's 77-69 win over KC-Ward. [Rossville boys basketball]
Bulldawg boys ride Donovan's 35-point night to win over KC-Ward
Junior Jack Donovan scored a career-high 35 points Tuesday as Rossville opened its season with a 77-69 home victory over Kansas City-Bishop Ward in the first round of the Chapman Irish Classic.
Jakoby McDaniel added 17 points for the Bulldawgs, who are coming off a 15-7 season.
The tournament now switches to Chapman for games on Friday and Saturday.
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Piper overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to claim a matchup of two of the state’s top Class 5A boys teams at Shawnee Heights, 59-56.
The game turned into an experiment to see which team would win despite a six-point quarter. Piper was limited to just six points in the second period. Shawnee Heights managed just six in the third period.
Senior Jaret Sanchez scored 13 points for Shawnee Heights in Tuesday's 59-56 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The T-Birds watched their lead dwindle during a nearly three-minute scoreless stretch to start the third period. By the end of the quarter, their 34-20 advantage had been whittled to 40-37.
The Pirates claimed the lead for the first time since the first period with 4:40 remaining on a dunk by junior Cooper Crawford. Back-to-back 3-pointers by T-Bird sophomore Camron Ross seemed to stem the bleeding, but Piper junior Derrick Jackson took over the final minute of the game. His bucket with four seconds remaining put Piper in front for good. He scored seven of his 12 points in the final 52 seconds.
“We’re not more talented, but we’re a better team than they are, and we let it get away,” Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. “We had three or four or five opportunities every quarter that, if you make one of those, you win the game. If you don’t, you lose the game.”
Senior Deacon Pomeroy puts up a shot in Shawnee Heights' 59-56 UKC home loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Darting found plenty to like from individual players, but said the T-Birds need to play better as a unit.
“We are not talented enough individually to beat great teams,” Darting said. “We can do that against every-day teams, but to beat great teams, we have to play together. We have to get shots for each other. We have to rebound.”
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez scored 11 points in the first half, but was held to just one field goal attempt in the second half.
“We were getting Jaret picks, and if you get Jaret a little room, he’s dangerous,” Darting said, noting Piper took many of those opportunities away after halftime.
Lee led the T-Birds with 15 points. Sanchez finished with 13.
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights girls ran into a buzz saw in their second game of the season Tuesday night, losing at home to Piper, 72-47.
The Pirates, seventh in the state in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, outscored Shawnee Heights 26-8 in the second period, turning a 13-11 Shawnee Heights lead into a rout.
Shawnee Heights senior Kaydence Torrez paced the T-Birds with 16 points in Tuesday's 72-47 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Pirates did most of their damage with defense. They picked up Shawnee Heights in the backcourt and created havoc. Some of the damage, T-Bird coach Bob Wells said, was self-inflicted.
“I’m not so much inclined to think it was their pressure, because really, they weren’t putting that much pressure on us,” Wells said. “They put a double team out there, but they weren’t all over us. We just got sped up and made some really bad decisions.
“We had some people decide to not do the things we’ve been working on in practice to get past (the pressure). They had a (19-3 run) and all of a sudden, it’s a different ballgame.”
- Details
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Seaman's boys hosted Lansing in their home opener Tuesday night, with the Vikings picking up their first victory in a 70-50 decision over the Lions.
Junior KaeVon Bonner led Seaman with 25 points in Tuesday's 70-50 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The Vikings and Lions, who were playing their first game, played a back-and-forth first quarter, with the Vikings hitting a basket right before the buzzer to lead 12-10.
Both teams seemed to settle in offensively during the second quarter and the game was tied at 31 at the break.
Seaman went on a 9-0 run to begin the third quarter and kept the nine-point margin with 2:44 left in the quarter, leading 42-33.
Junior KaeVon Bonner scored the last eight points for the Vikings and they led going to the fourth quarter, 50-37.
The fourth quarter began just like the third quarter, with the Vikings starting with an 8-0 run, expanding the lead to 58-37.
The remainder of the quarter was even and the Vikings won the game, 70-50.
“I was really happy with our defense in the first quarter and then our defense in the entire second half,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "We had a letdown in the second quarter and let them get back into the game. Lansing’s Mehki Stephens was hurting us, but Dalton Smith and Matthew McConnaughey combined to lock him down in the second half, which made it difficult for them.”
Senior Bryer Finley scored 24 points in Seaman's 70-50 UKC victory over Lansing. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The Vikings were led by Bonner with 25 points while senior Bryer Finley totaled 24 points. McConnaughey led the Vikings with 8 rebounds, followed by Finley with 7 and Bonner with 6.
- Details
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The defending state Class 5A champion and current top-ranked Seaman Lady Vikings hosted the Lansing Lions in their first home game of the season on Tuesday, improving to 2-0 with a 70-22 romp past the Lions.
Seaman senior Anna Becker led the way with 17 points in Tuesday's 70-22 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The Lady Vikes jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, forcing a Lansing timeout. The lead was extended to 17-0 before Lansing scored its first basket. The quarter ended with Seaman leading 32-5.
The hot shooting of the Lady Vikes cooled in the second quarter and they only outscored the Lions 15-9, taking a commanding 47-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter began like the start of the game, with the Lady Vikes scoring the first nine points of the quarter to lead 56-14 and forcing the Lions to take a timeout. Lansing hit two 3-pointers to end the quarter and the Lady Vikes led 63-20 going to the fourth quarter.
The running clock was in effect for the fourth quarter and the Lady Vikes cruised to the 48-point victory.
“The conversation before the game was to come out and be sharp and keep building those good habits,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "The ball will find the right person to shoot if you keep moving it and I thought we did that tonight, especially in the first quarter.”
The Lady Vikes had six players score at least six points which Tinsley commented, “I like our balance.”
Seaman junior Maddie Gragg scored 14 points Tuesday as the Vikings rolled to a 70-22 win over Lansing. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Seaman junior Ryin Miller scored 14 points as the Vikings improved to 2-0 with a 70-22 win over Lansing. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The Lady Vikes were led in scoring by senior Anna Becker with 17 points while juniors Maddie Gragg and Ryin Miller tallied 14 points each. Becker also had 7 steals, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and one block for the game. With her seven steals Becker took over the No. 1 spot on Seaman's all-time list with 214 for her career.
