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No. 3-ranked Shawnee Heights girls top No. 1 Basehor-Linwood for UKC wrestling title
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls regained the United Kansas Conference wrestling championship Saturday at Piper, with the Class 5A No. 3-ranked T-Birds topping No. 1 Basehor-Linwood by a 179.5-163 margin.
Shawnee Heights senior Olivia Stevens (left) reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's UKC wrestling tournament while T-Bird senior Cianna Graves registered her 100th career pin. [Photo courtesy of Shawnee Heights wrestling]
The T-Birds garnered five individual conference titles while posting 10 top-three finishes.
Shawnee Heights got gold-medal performances from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris, junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly, sophomore 130-pounder Olive Jones, senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens and senior 155-pounder Cianna Graves.
Stevens, 27-4 on the season, and Graves, 28-2, both reached career milestones on Saturday, with Graves reaching 100 pins for her career while Stevens notched her 100th career victory.
Shawnee Heights also got runnerup UKC finishes from sophomore Bianca Juarez (110), senior Shelby Watson (170) and junior Brooklyn Binkley (190) while sophomore Halle Hall (115) and freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) placed third.
Scots snap seven-game losing streak, dismantle Wyandotte, 68-19
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
From the jump Friday night the Highland Park Runnin’ Scots couldn’t miss from anywhere on the floor, romping to a 68-19 Meadowlark Conference home victory over Kansas City-Wyandotte.
Nate Wallace's Highland Park boys snapped a seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 68-13 Meadowlark Conference rout over KC-Wyandotte. [File photo/TSN]
“For the last seven games, when we took the court all of our guys were looking up (height wise). It was really good to see the ball go in the hoop and I was really proud of how we shared it,'' Highland Park coach Nate Wallace said. "We stayed poised and that’s the testament to the work we put in. We got clean looks, everyone touched the ball often and when that’s happening this group can be really dangerous.''
“It was real fun, we were finding the open guy, making layups, making the right play and we executed,'' said Highland Park junior Kasiaun Drew, who led the Scots with 19 points. "It felt good. We were all communicating and we were all on the same page.''
Highland Park began the game up 12-1 after a Davion Anderson bucket and the rout was on from there.
Junior Jojo Kingcannon continued his strong campaign, converting an and-one, making it 15-3. After three threes, including one from Kingcannon, the Runnin’ Scots led 26-3.
In the second quarter, it wasn’t much different in terms of scoring for Highland Park. Threes were falling, as well as easy transition buckets off creating turnovers and playing an up tempo style the whole game.
Highland Park nailed four 3-pointers, two by Anderson and scored nine total in the quarter. The Scots led 47-9 going into halftime.
“It feels amazing, it takes a toll off your lungs being in the game most of the way, it certainly helps,” Drew said after finding that rhythm early in the game.
The Bulldogs did not score any more than six points in one quarter, making just eight field goals in the game and attempting six free throws, making only one.
Then to begin the second half, the running clock went into effect, but Highland Park led by 50, 63-13 before the start of the fourth with everyone getting involved in the scoring.
Kingcannon backed Drew with 14 points and Anderson dropped 11.
“We’re setting standards and there’s a certain way you have to play for Highland Park when you want to take that varsity court and we didn’t see some of the things that we would’ve liked to have seen in the fall so we’re sending a message to our program that it’s not given, everything here is earned. We’re going to play the guys that want to play Highland Park basketball and want to buy in,” Wallace said.
Highland Park girls fall short against Meadowlark Conference foe KC-Wyandotte, 48-42
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
The Highland Park girls were the “away” team on the scoreboard Friday night against Kansas City-Wyandotte after a schedule change moved the game to Highland Park, and the Lady Scots found themselves struggling to find an offensive rhythm, falling 48-42 in the Meadowlark Conference contest.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones (13) scored a game-high 17 points in Friday's 48-42 loss to KC-Wyandotte. [File photo/TSN]
German Sanford started out hot for the Bulldogs, scoring the team's first six points and Wyandotte started the game on an 8-0 run.
Sophomore Daniela Astorga got Highland Park on the board after an and-one opportunity with 3:39 left in the first quarter. The Lady Scots ended the quarter on a 7-1 run thanks to senior Koralee Jones' effort not just in that quarter but the whole game. diving all over the floor for loose balls and grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court to give Highland Park more scoring chances.
The Bulldogs took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter but the Lady Scots took their first lead of the game off senior Taniyah Barnett’s putback lay-up, 14-13.
Highland Park led by four after a triple from junior Zayah Kincade, but for the rest of the half, Wyandotte went on a 10-3 run to take a 23-20 lead into the break.
Highland Park stayed in the game with 3-point shooting. Junior Miluv Cosey hit two threes, one of which helped the Scots retake the lead, 25-24. And then a Jones bucket put them up by four, their biggest lead of the game.
The game was tied at 30, but from the time of the 29-25 score, the Bulldogs outscored the Lady Scots 12-5 to end the quarter, leading 37-34.
In the fourth quarter, Wyandotte’s Jocelyn Carrera nailed a triple making it 43-38 and Highland Park couldn’t recover.
Wyandotte hit its free throws down the stretch to extend its lead to 47-39, matching the Bulldogs' largest lead since the first quarter with 1:25 to go.
KC-WYANDOTTE 48, HIGHLAND PARK 42
Wyandotte 11 12 14 11 -- 48
Highland Park 10 10 14 8 -- 42
Wyandotte (9-8) -- Sanford 5 3-5 13, Burton 4 6-10 14, Carrera 3 1-2 7, Aldana 2 7-12 11, Dudley-Roark 1 0-0 2.
Highland Park (5-13) -- Cosey 2 1-6 3, Kincade 2 0-0 6, Inyard 1 1-4, Jones 6 5-12 17, Barnett 2 0-0 4, Astorga 1 1-1 3.
3-point goals -- Highland Park 4 (Cosey 2, Kincade 2,). Total fouls -- Wyandotte 21, Highland Park 29 . Fouled out -- Dudley-Roark, Atkins, Astorga, Barnett.
