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By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

With No. 6-ranked Shawnee Heights girls basketball on an eight-game winning streak it might have been cold outside but it was not cold inside for the Lady T-Birds, who rolled to a 74-26 United Kansas Conference road win at Topeka West.

Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot scored a game-high 20 points in Friday's 74-26 UKC win at Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]

The T-Birds would get off to a hot start as junior KK Emmot would score 10 of her game high 20 points in the first quarter.

The Chargers would try to keep it close and made it a 9-5 game before the T-Birds would go on a 23-0 run that would stretch from the middle of the first quarter to the three-minute mark of the second quarter.

The Lady Chargers would hit a 3-pointer and then the Lady T Birds would take flight again, going into the locker room with a commanding 41-10 lead and Emmot having 18 of her 20 at the break.

The third quarter would be the same as former Charger and T-bird senior Imani McGlory would score 9 of her 13 points in the quarter.

“It was very nostalgic and lots of memories, but I really just wanted to go out there and play to the best of my abilities,”  McGlory said about her return to West.

The T Birds would leave the third quarter with a 68-21 lead to force a running clock going into the fourth quarter and cruised the rest of the way.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka West entered the 2026 Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park as the pre-tourney favorite, and over the opening two days, the Chargers have certainly lived up to that top billing.

West, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, opened its tournament bid on Thursday with a 20-point win over St. Thomas Aquinas and followed that up with an 86-64 win over Wichita Northwest on Friday afternoon, punching its ticket to a second straight Topeka Invitational championship game.

Topeka West senior Malakyah Duncan led Topeka West with a game-high 19 points in Friday's 86-64 Topeka Invitational semifinal win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"We turned up the heat in the third quarter and I think really stretched the game to where it was a little bit unattainable for Northwest to get there,'' Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said. 

Due to expected inclement weather over the weekend, the 11-2 Chargers, who lost to Highland Park in the 2025 championship game, will have two days off before facing off with USD 501 rival Topeka High at 7 p.m. Monday in the championship game at Highland Park. The 8-5 Trojans advanced to the title game with a 69-62 semifinal win over Lansing.

Because of the weather-related schedule changes Topeka West played its semifinal at 3:30 p.m., a time slot normally reserved for consolation games, but the Chargers trailed for less than a minute (21-20) against Wichita Northwest and outscored the Grizzlies 49-29 over the middle two quarters to turn the game into a rout.

"We started a little slow, but it was a 3:30 game with no crowd,'' Ulsaker said. "The guys did what they needed to do for the most part, high intensity. I think Northwest was trying to match what we were doing as well, but we just did it just a notch above and that's about it.''  

All five Charger starters cracked double figures against 6-7 Wichita Northwest, led by senior Malakyah Duncan with 19 points.

Junior Prince Lassiter scored 18 points in Friday's 86-64 Topeka West win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Jay'Veon Traylor had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Topeka West's 86-64 win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Prince Lassiter added 18 points, senior Jay'Veon Traylor recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, senior Keimani Paul had 13 points and senior Gad Munganga 12 points on four 3-pointers.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

As a four-year member of the Topeka High boys basketball program, senior Jalen Aldridge has had an up-close look at the Trojans' recent struggles, including a 1-19 record a year ago and nine total victories over the previous three seasons.

Senior Jalen Aldridge led Topeka High with 15 points in Friday's 69-62 Topeka Invitational Tournament win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

And Aldridge and his Trojan teammates are savoring every moment of what has been a dramatic turnaround this season, including a 69-62 win over Lansing on Friday at Highland Park that put High in the Topeka Invitational championship game for the first time since 2019.

"We had a hard time during the years and it's a blessing to be going to the championship,'' Aldridge said. "It comes in practice. You've got to work hard and you've got to get everybody involved and nobody's left out over here.

"We do our best and work hard to get to where we need to be.''  

The 8-5 Trojans have already posted their highest win total since the 2019-2020 season and will be looking for their first Topeka Invitational title since 1998 when they square off with USD 501 rival Topeka West at 7 p.m. Monday in the tournament championship game. West earned its second straight trip to the Topeka Invitational final with an 86-64 win over Wichita Northwest in the first semifinal.

"We wanted to hold up our part of the bargain,'' first-year Topeka High coach Robbie Sanders said of the all-city matchup. "This is the Topeka Invitational Tournament and usually its an out-of-town team, so when we had the opportunity to face off against Topeka West in the championship we had to hold up our end of the bargain.''  

After knocking off Shawnee Mission East in overtime in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday, Topeka High played another nailbiter against Lansing in a game that included 23 lead changes and 11 ties.

Topeka High led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter, trailed the 4-6 Lions 26-25 at the half and led 50-48 at the end of the third quarter.

Freshman Jaxon Luarks scored 11 points, including the go-ahead basket in the closing seconds as Topeka High took a 69-62 victory over Lansing Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The game continued to go back and forth through the bulk of the fourth quarter, with Topeka High trailing 62-61 with less than a minute remaining before freshman Jaxon Luarks converted a follow shot with 42 seconds left to put the Trojans ahead to stay as High scored the final eight points.

Senior Bryson McComas (4) celebrates a big play in Topeka High's 69-62 Topeka Invitational win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Aldridge led the Trojans with 15 points while fellow seniors Elisha Guest and Bryson McComas added 12 apiece and Luarks scored 11.

"We're growing up, and we're getting contributions off the bench from the young players,'' Sanders said. "First of all, hats off to Lansing. That's a well-coached team and that was a tough game, but I'm just proud of the guys.'' 

Junior Mekhi Stephens led Lansing with a game-high 23 points (four 3-pointers) while junior Deacon Manthe added 13 for the Lions.

TOPEKA HIGH 69, LANSING 62

Topeka High 13 12 25 19 -- 69

Lansing          11 15 22 14 -- 62

Topeka High (8-5) – Aldridge 4-7 5-6 15, Guest 5-14 0-0 12, McComas 4-16 3-5 12, McFadden 3-7 1-1 9, Redmond 1-3 4-4 6, Ross 1-5 0-0 2, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Luarks 5-8 1-1 11, Campbell 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-62 14-17 69.

Lansing (4-7) – Mehki Stephens 7-13 5-8 23, Heim 0-1 0-0 0, Manthe 6-8 1-2 13, Anderson 2-3 0-0 4, Wilson 4-8 1-1 9, Mattingly 0-0 1-2 1, Mason Stephens 1-2 0-0 3, Bolden 4-9 0-0 9. Totals 24-44 8-13 62.

3-point goals – Topeka High 7 (Aldridge 2, Guest 2, McFadden 2, McComas), Lansing 6 (Mehki Stephens 4, Mason Stephens, Bolden). Total fouls – Topeka High 17, Lansing 16. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.

TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT

RESULTS FRIDAY

Topeka West 86, Wichita Northwest 64

Topeka High 69, Lansing 62

St. Thomas Aquinas 68, Highland Park 47

SM East 60, SM North 52 

GAMES MONDAY

(All games in Ken Darting Gym)

3:30 p.m. -- Third place: Wichita NW vs. Lansing.

5 -- Seventh place: Highland Park vs. SM North.

7 -- Championship: Topeka West vs. Topeka High.

Note: St. Thomas Aquinas and SM East will play the fifth-place game Monday at SM East.