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Created: 09 January 2026

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

FRIDAY'S GAMES

HAYDEN (7-2, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 1-0 Centennial)

Both defending champion Hayden and perennial Class 6A contender Washburn Rural won their Centennial League openers on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 53-37 home win over Emporia as sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored 14 points and sophomore Blakely Walter 10. The Junior Blues went on the road to beat Junction City, 68-32. Hayden is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and Rural is No. 10 in 6A. Washburn Rural will be playing its third game of the week, dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North on Monday. 

Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High

MANHATTAN (5-2, 0-0 Centennial) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-4, 0-0 Centennial)

Topeka High picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, taking a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence as junior Ahysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 29 points, senior Keimara Marshall 15 and senior Trish Short 13. High sophomore Hailey Caryl contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against the Lions. Manhattan is coming off its second loss of the season, dropping a 58-45 non-league decision to Hays.

ATCHISON (3-6, 3-0 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 1-1 Meadowlark)

Highland Park picked up a Meadowlark Conference forfeit win over Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday while Atchison edged KC-Wyandotte in a conference contest, 42-41. Highland Park played Wyandotte earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs taking a 68-52 victory over the Scots.

Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights

LEAVENWORTH (4-2, 1-2 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (5-3, 4-1 UKC)

Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to four games on Tuesday, with the T-Birds taking a 64-46 home United Kansas Conference win over De Soto. Junior Pearmella Carter led Heights with 19 points while juniors Sami Baum and Imani McGlory scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Leavenworth is coming off a 49-35 home UKC win over Topeka West. 

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Details

Created: 09 January 2026

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Connor Hanika, Hayden

HAYDEN (3-6, 0-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (6-2, 1-0)

Washburn Rural opened defense of its Centennial League championship Tuesday with a 50-45 road win over Junction City, imporoving to 6-2 on the season. Senior Kieffer O'Connor led the Junior Blues with 16 points while senior Simon Rowley added 11. Hayden will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 59-56 home Centennial League loss to Emporia. Senior Connor Hanika scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats while junior Carter Compton added 12 points.

Bryson McComas, Topeka High

MANHATTAN (6-1, 0-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (4-3, 0-0)

Topeka High climbed above the .500 level with a 66-65 nailbiter on the road Tuesday night at Lawrence. Friday's game will be the Centennial League opener for both Topeka High and Manhattan. The Indians are coming off a 62-59 overtime win over Hays, stretching its winning streak to six games.  

ATCHISON (8-0, 3-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 2-0)

Atchison and Highland Park will square off in a game that could go a long ways to deciding the Meadowlark Conference championship. The Scots improved to 2-0 in league play with a 60-32 home win over Kansas City-Schlagle Tuesday night as junior JoJo Kingcannon scored 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Atchison is coming off an 87-32 Meadowlark win over KC-Wyandotte.

LEAVENWORTH (2-4, 1-3) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-4, 2-3)

Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a tough 51-50 United Kansas Conference home loss to De Soto Tuesday night. Junior Cam Ross led the T-Birds with 12 points. Leavenworth is coming off a 74-47 UKC home loss to Topeka West on Tuesday.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

HOLTON (1-7, 1-5) at SILVER LAKE (6-2, 4-0)

Silver Lake posted a 73-61 Big East League victory at St. Marys on Tuesday while Holton picked up its first win of the season, a 57-53 league decision over Riley County. Holton is coached by former Topeka West assistant coach Marco Hunter. Silver Lake is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Not everything went Shawnee Heights' way early in Friday's United Kansas Conference girls game against Leavenworth, with the T-Birds missing some easy shots, turning the ball over and getting in foul trouble right out of the gate.

But Heights' defense kept the hosts in the hunt early and then the T-Birds turned a single-digit halftime advantage into a running clock late as Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to five games with a 53-22 home rout over the Pioneers.

Senior Imani McGlory scored a game-high 18 points with four 3-pointers in Friday's 53-22 Shawnee Heights win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"In the first half we were getting some great shots and they were either rolling around the rim or hitting the bottom of the rim,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "You put those shots in and all of a sudden the first half is a whole lot different and we feel a whole lot better. 

"But the girls did a good job of coming out in the second half and establishing themselves and did a good job of penetrating and making the defense collapse and getting those shots from the perimeter to fall.''

Shawnee Heights, now 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the UKC, fell behind 5-0 early and trailed for most of the opening quarter before scoring the final six points of the quarter to take a 14-10 lead.

The T-Birds led 21-14 at the half after a second quarter that included a total of 11 points for both teams.

But Shawnee Heights left no doubt after the break, outscoring the Pioneers 18-6 in the third stanza to build a 39-20 cushion before closing out things with a 14-2 fourth quarter and forcing a running clock over the final 3:29.

Senior Imani McGlory led the T-Birds with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while junior Pearmella Carter scored all of her 12 points in the second half after missing the bulk of the first half with two fouls.

Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter scored all 12 of her points in the second half in Friday's 53-22 UKC win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Junior KK Emmot scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, with a pair of 3-pointers.

Sophomore Layla Brown led Leavenworth (4-3, 2-3) with 13 points.

Shawnee Heights will be back at home Tuesday, hosting Piper in a UKC contest. 

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 53, LEAVENWORTH 22

Leavenworth        10 4 6 2  -- 22

Shawnee Heights 14 7 18 14  -- 53

Leavenworth (4-3, 2-3) – Walker 1-4 0-0 3, Huewitt 2-7 1-4 6, Brown 4-15 3-7 13, Allen 0-3 0-0 0, M. McIntyre 0-2 0-0 0, Graham 0-2 0-0 0, McCann 0-2 0-0 0, Lovejoy 0-2 0-0 0, P. McIntyre 0-3 0-0 0, Noell 0-0 0-2 0, Tolber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-40 4-13 22. 

Shawnee Heights (6-3, 5-1) – Emmot 3-8 2-2 10, McGlory 5-11 4-4 18, Carter 4-5 4-6 12, Baum 1-4 1-2 3, Vega 2-5 0-0 4, Brees 1-1 0-0 2, Hamilton 2-4 0-2 4, Schmidt 0-2 0-2 0, Karlyle 0-0 0-0 0, Moeder 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-40 11-18 53.

3-point goals – Leavenworth 4 (Brown 2, Walker, Huewitt), Shawnee Heights 6 (McGlory 4, Emmot 2). Total fouls – Leavenworth 16, Shawnee Heights 15. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.