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By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Cair Paravel Latin's boys basketball team picked up its 15th straight win Friday on Senior Night, improving to 18-2 with a 73-34 home victory over Heritage Christian.

 

“It’s obviously super fun,'' CPLS senior Caleb Cleverson said. "I think with this group of guys, I couldn’t pick a better group to do it with. At a Christian school, we talk about God is the middle term and we’re united as a team with God in mind, so when the first five go out there, we are pursuing Christ.”

 

“It was kind of a weird game,'' Lions coach Chip Kueffer said. "I thought our kids did well. I felt like they did some things fundamentally sound like they should. It’s tough because you want to stay sharp and when things are going well in games like this, it’s really easy to develop some bad habits, get away with one handed passes, jump to pass or take some sloppy shots, but I think we did a pretty good job in spurts of trying to stay disciplined.”

 

Senior Lucas Marichal continued his stellar season, especially his 3-point shooting, hitting two in the first quarter, pushing CPLS in front 5-4. The team would go on a 9-0 run, leading 13-4. Marichal pushed that lead to 10, 18-8 and pushed the Red Lions to a 22-12 advantage after one.

 

“We had all the pieces but I don’t think we knew we could play to this level that we’ve been playing at and we’ve played some really good teams this year,'' said Marichael, who finished with a game-high 20 points. "I think we’ll be very well prepared down the road.''

 

CPLS put up 23 points in the second quarter from a variety of players, thanks to another 12-0 run. Cleverdon knocked down a triple at 29-12. Then at 31-12, the Eagles called timeout with 4:27 before halftime.

 

Senior Drew Fay, who chipped in 11 points, capped off the 12-0 run with a bucket down low to put CPLS in front, 34-12.

 

CPLS then ran away with the game late in the second quarter, taking a commanding 45-16 lead while holding Heritage Christian to four points in the quarter.

 

In the third quarter, CPLS jumped out to another big run of 10-0. Fay got an and-one opportunity, missed the free throw but sophomore Blain Durbin, who provided 19 points, grabbed the rebound for the putback as the Lions opened up a 39-point cushion, their biggest of the game (55-16).

 

Kueffer did pull the seniors with over five minutes left in the third quarter but they returned to begin the fourth quarter before they were eventually pulled once again.

 

The Lions led by 43 at one point with the running clock in effect (73-30).

 

“If you come out and watch some pretty poor basketball you kind of get out of it but I don’t think our guys or their team did that,'' Cleverdon said. "Both of us were playing really hard and fighting for every point so I think it was pretty easy for us on the bench to stay locked in.''

 

“I think we’re having fun, there’s a lot of season left,'' Kueffer said. "We have big dreams, big aspirations. I think we’re treating people the right way. One of our advantages is we don’t have one guy, we’ve got five or six that can lead the charge.

 

"Basketball is a crazy sport that’s why March is Madness because anybody can beat anybody. We have to stay disciplined and sharp.''

 

CAIR PARAVEL 73, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 34

Heritage Christian 12 4 11 7 – 34

Cair Paravel           22 23 21 7 – 73

 

Heritage Christian (9-6) – Freerksen 2 0-0 5, June 2 0-0 4, May 2 2-4 6, Perry Cruz 7 5-5 19.

Cair Paravel (18-2) – Gossard 1 0-0 2, Turcato 1 2-2 5, Congdon 1 0-0 2, Hastert 4 0-0 9 Marichal 7 3-4 20, Durbin 9 12 19, Cleverdon 2 0-0 5, Fay 5 1-2 11, Bond 0 0-3 0.

 

3-point goals – Heritage Christian 1 (Freerksen), Cair Paravel 6 (Marichal 3, Hastert, Turcato, Cleverdon). Total fouls – Heritage Christian 8, Cair Paravel 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

The turnovers the Topeka High girls create night in and night out to create points on the offensive end have been a huge part in their success this year, and that was the story again Tuesday night, as the Trojans knocked off Centennial League rival Junction City, 66-33.

 

Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored a game-high 30 points Tuesday night in Topeka High's 66-33 win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]

“No question the defense turned into offense,'' Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said. "We had 50 something points at the half? That’s a lot on any level. We’re not interested in how badly we can beat somebody, that’s not what this is all about. At halftime, I really tried to slow us down and that’s so hard.

"Any coach will tell you it just doesn’t work from going to go, go, go and then woah woah woah… I was so proud of that first half.''

With this seven-game winning streak the 12-8 Trojans are on, Slaymaker said it’s a great time to start doing this and he’s hoping that continues on as they’ve shot the ball very well and are playing good defense.

The Trojans started the game up 6-2 after junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton drilled a triple and then pushed it to a 12-4 lead after another three from Rayton.

It just kept raining from the floor for T-High, as sophomore Hailey Caryl had herself another stellar performance, going coast-to-coast off a turnover to put the Trojans up 21-5 and Topeka High would lead 32-5 at the end of one. 

The clinic continued as Rayton started the second quarter with another tray to give High a 35-5 lead and the Trojans stretched their lead to 43-7. After senior Trish Short and Rayton scored a quick five points, it was 50-12. The Trojans took a commanding halftime lead of 56-18.

From then on, Topeka High would not relinquish the advantage. Slaymaker emptied his bench with 1:35 left in the third quarter and the starters sat the rest of the game.

Rayton led all scorers with 30 points.

Sophomore Hailey Caryl set Topeka High's single-season assist record Tuesday night in the Trojans' 66-33 win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]

Caryl accomplished a milestone feat, setting the Topeka High single-season assist record at 115 and counting.

“There’s no question she has a really good basketball IQ,'' Slaymaker said. "We’re constantly talking about what’s next… where’s the next pass going, the next dribble, is there going to be a shot and she’s really good at seeing that. She’s a really good all-around player and that's her value. She plays smarter than a lot of other players.''

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By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Topeka High boys basktball dropped a 61-59 Centennial League heartbreaker to Junction City Tuesday night on a buzzer-beater.

 

Senior Bryson McComas scored 26 points Tuesday night but Topeka High dropped a 61-59 Centennial League heartbreaker to Junction City. [File photo/TSN]

 The Trojans led by six points (57-51) with about two minutes left in the game, but the Blue Jays pulled to within two (57-55) with 55.6 seconds left.

Senior Lovell Autry, who had a team-high 26 points, put his team on his back in the final ticks of the game, scored four straight to put the Blue Jays up 59-57 with 9.5 seconds left, forcing Topeka High coach Robbie Sanders into a timeout.

T-High inbounded and called another timeout to advance the ball with six seconds.

Trojan senior Bryson McComas, who had a stellar 26-point performance, drove to the bucket for a layup, but a Blue Jays player smacked the backboard, prompting the referees to call a goaltend, tying the game at 59-all.

With just 1.5 seconds left on the clock in regulation, Autry got open down the sideline, a hail mary pass fell right in his arms and he scored the game-winning lay-up, stunning Topeka High, 61-59.

 

A dejected Sanders in the locker room took a few seconds to gather his thoughts on what happened.

“In the month of January we found ways to win and this month we’ve consistently found ways to lose,” he said. “We’ve been in every game. Four game losing streak. We haven’t been able to step up and make the necessary plays to get some victories.

"I think it’s a little bit of nerves, a little bit of coaching mistakes and possibly having the wrong people in the game. This one is on me. I have to make adjustments. I have to figure out some ways to get another win.”

 It was a back and forth contest between the league rivals and the Blue Jays had the last answer. Sanders said the last player he wanted the ball in the hands of was Autry.

“I don’t understand how we allowed that to happen but things happen,'' Sanders said. "What I said to them in the locker room is, 'I’m trusting you guys to make plays but sometimes you have to be able to step up and make that play.'

"Trust is a two-way street and me placing my trust and belief in them, you got to give me something to trust and believe in. We’ll get back to work and we’ll fight and scrap and try to get a win on Friday.''

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