Welcome to Top Sports News
Rural girls hold on late for 40-38 Centennial League win over Hayden
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The final minutes of Friday's Centennial League basketball game at Hayden got a lot tighter than Washburn Rural girls coach Kevin Bordewick would have preferred.
Washburn Rural's girls celebrate Friday's 40-38 Centennial League win at Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But after seeing Hayden rally from a 13-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to have an opportunity to send the game to overtime, Bordewick was relieved to get out of the Bueltel Activities Center with a 40-38 win.
"It was ugly and we've got to take care of the ball better, we have to understand situations,'' Bordewick said. "We got a couple of five-second counts, but we fought through a lot of adversity and I told them if we can persevere and be that resilient than that's really a good sign to come in here and get a win like that.''
Rural's win avenged an earlier 38-35 home league loss to the Wildcats as the Junior Blues improved to 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the league with their second one-possession win in as many nights.
After trailing 6-5 at the end of the first quarter, Washburn Rural took a slim 18-16 halftime advantage over the Wildcats before opening up a 29-21 cushion at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Junior Blues extended their lead to a game's biggest 36-23 midway through the final stanza on a basket from freshman Brynn Anderson, but Hayden (15-6, 6-3) stepped up the defensive pressure and went on a 14-3 run to cut its deficit to just two points (39-37) with 14.7 seconds remaining.
Anderson hit one of two free throws to push Rural's lead back to three, but the officials ruled that Hayden senior Lauren Borjon was fouled on a desperation 3-point attempt as time ran out. Three-10ths of a second were put back on the court and Borjon went to the free throw line for three shots with a chance to force OT.
After missing the first charity Borjon hit the second free throw before being called for a line violation as she purposely missed the third shot to try to give the Wildcats a chance at a game-tying bucket.
Washburn Rural freshman Brynn Anderson led all scorers with 19 points in Friday's 40-38 Centennial League win at Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Maddie Vickery had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 40-38 win at Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Anderson led Washburn Rural with a game-high 19 points with three 3-pointers while junior Maddie Vickery had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in her second game back from ACL surgery.
I feel like our whole team was doing a good job of moving the ball and getting each other open,'' Anderson said. "We gave up a couple (baskets) towards the end but I feel like we did a pretty good job of getting stops on defense and staying physical.
"It's good to have (Maddie) back as another option on offense and she moves the ball well, so our offense is moving a little bit better.''
Topeka High girls shake off slow start, take 58-40 Centennial League win over Spartans
yBy TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Topeka High girls shook off a sluggish start Friday to defeat Emporia 58-40 and remain in the Centennial League race with two games remaining in the regular season.
Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 20 points in Friday's 58-40 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emporia, with just one league win to its credit, led the Trojans three minutes into the second period, 15-14. Topeka High responded with a 10-0 run and went to the locker room leading 27-21 at the half. But when the Trojans returned for the second half, their faces showed the effect of a Ron Slaymaker halftime lecture.
“I get pretty fired up. I try to be positive, but I wasn’t real positive about halftime. And they deserved it,” Slaymaker said. “But we played really well for seven games in a row. And hey, somewhere down the line in sports, you take a little dip. You know you don’t want to. Don’t plan on it. But you do. And we did.
“They got gnawed on a little bit a halftime. As a coach, you can’t do that very often. And I hope I don’t have to again.”
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, the city’s leading scorer at about 23 points per game, scored just three points in the first half. But the junior went to work, racking up 14 points in the third period. The Trojans blitzed the Spartans 22-9 in the third quarter and ran away with their eighth straight win.
Topeka High senior Trish Short scored 13 points Friday, helping the Trojans take a 58-40 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I feel like we started out slow because we didn’t know Emporia would run as much as they did,” senior Trish Short said. “The first game we played against them (a 63-38 win at Emporia), they weren’t running as much. In the past few games, we’ve been winning. So, this game we’re thinking ‘Ok, we’re gonna go in, win easily.’ But no, Emporia came out with a good fight. We had to really step it up in the second half.”
Rayton finished with 20 points, followed by Short’s 13 and Sasha Gotru’s 11.
Trojans survive Emporia rally to take 73-69 Centennial League win
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Topeka High shot the lights out for three quarters, then held on desperately to upset Emporia, ranked seventh in Class 5A, 73-69 Friday.
Senior Bryson McComas led a balanced Topeka High attack with 19 points in Friday's 73-69 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High scorched the nets for 16 three-pointers in the first three periods to build a 60-46 lead. The Spartans mounted a furious rally, outscoring the Trojans 23-13 in the final period, but couldn’t overcome the Trojans’ sharpshooting.
“This was a very, very big win for us,” said Topeka High coach Robbie Sanders. “We were on a four-game losing streak, and just needed to win desperately. So, I’m just happy for the guys.
“We’ve got to clean up our late-game execution. I dang near had a heart attack over there. But, like I told the guys, I don’t complain about winning.”
Sanders admitted the Emporia rally might have done in previous iterations of the Topeka High team.
“I see a lot of growth,” Sanders said. “Emporia is a tough bunch of kids. They’re strong, they’re physical and they’re well-coached. We knew they would make a run. I was just glad we were able to make enough plays to hold on.
“I just want our guys to believe that we can beat anybody. We’ve got a competitive bunch of guys that can play ball, and we can play with some of the best teams in the state.”
Senior Jalen Aldridge scored 16 points with four 3-pointers in Friday's 73-69 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Ajalon Ross scored 14 points with four 3-pointers in Friday's 73-69 Topeka High win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans took turns displaying the hot hand. Seniors Jalen Aldridge and Ajalon Ross hit crucial 3-pointers in the first half. Bryson McComas tossed in 12 points in the first half.
Senior Octavian McFadden scored 18 points with four 3-pointers in Topeka High's 73-69 Centennial League win over Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Then, after intermission, Octavian McFadden – crowned Homecoming King prior to the game – caught fire. The senior hit six shots in a row, four of them 3-pointers, to tally 16 points in the third period.
“Every shot I took was catch-and-shoot, so all credit goes to my teammates who were finding me open,” McFadden said. “Every day at practice, every game, I’m ready for that opportunity.”
