By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Before the Capital City Classic tips off later this week, Topeka High hosted the Atchison Phoenix in the Dungeon Monday night and rolled to a 71-33 win.
Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 33 points in Monday's 71-33 win over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
Atchison kept themselves in the hunt in the first quarter, trailing by just five at 19-14.
Junior Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton, who scored a game-high 33 points, scored the first five points for the Trojans followed by a couple of 3-pointers from senior Keimara Marshall while sophomore Hailey Caryl added one, too. Caryl finished with 16 and Marshall ended with 10.
“I wasn’t very happy after that first quarter,” Trojan coach Ron Slaymaker said. “I said in the timeout I called, I didn’t think that they would get that many points in the whole game and they had that in the first quarter… but after that we played pretty good.”
Atchison only had six players and Slaymaker told his team sometimes those games are hard to play, but credits the Phoenix for having the season they’re having despite the low number of players.
Alondra Herrera scored five straight for Atchison putting them up 9-8, forcing Slaymaker into a timeout, but then Topeka High turned it up a notch. Herrera led Atichson with 12 points.
In the second quarter, the Trojans began the quarter on a 14-0 run, leading 33-14 and finished on a 26-5 run, taking a commanding 45-19 lead at the break.
The Trojans were all over the glass, creating second-chance opportunities and creating turnovers on the defensive side leading to points. That’s something Slaymaker stressed before the season began on how important that would be for their success.
Rayton was scoring at will all game, helping the Trojans to a 11-0 run to begin the second half and after a Caryl two-point bucket that would start the running clock with five minutes left in the third quarter and lead 67-26 heading into the fourth.
In the end, Slaymaker emptied his bench and Topeka High picked up its fifth win of the season.
Rayton came into the game 49 points away from the 1,000 point club, and with her 33 points Monday, she’s just 16 points away.
“The crazy part is, I think the best is yet to come,” Slaymaker said. “She’s played well, but I think she can play better… she can score in a lot of different ways with how quick she is. I think we’ll see even better from her the rest of the year.”
TOPEKA HIGH 71, ATCHISON 33
Atchison 14 5 7 7 – 33
Topeka High 19 26 22 4 – 71
Atchison (7-8) -- Downing 2 3-4 7, Ross 1 0-0 2, Clem 2 0-0 6, Burge 1 0-1 2, Herrera 4 2-2 12, Tate 1 2-2 4.
Topeka High (5-6) -- Short 1 0-0 2, Whayne 1 0-0 2, Brown 2 0-0 4, Marshall 4 0-0 10, Rayton 15 0-1 33, Caryl 7 0-2 16, Gotru 2 0-0 4.
3-point goals -- Atchison 4 (Clem 2 Herrera 2). Topeka High 7 (Rayton 3, Marshall 2, Caryl 2,). Total Fouls -- Atchison 4, Topeka High 9. Fouled out -- None.
