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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Daniel Allen

DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural

Allen, a junior swimming star, won a Class 6A state championship in Saturday's Class 6A state meet in the 100-yard butterfly in a personal-record time of 50.85 seconds and earned four state medals overall as Rural finished sixth as a team. Allen finished third in the 100 backstroke (53.38) and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97). 

Thomas Appuhn

THOMAS APPUHN, Washburn Rural

A sophomore swimming standout, Appuhn earned four state medals in Saturday's Class 6A state meet, helping Washburn Rural post a sixth-place state finish as a team. Appuhn finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 58.59 seconds, was fourth in the 100 backstroke in 54.71 seconds and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97).

Megan Glinka    

MEGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural

Glinka, a junior bowler, won the girls individual championship in Thursday's Centennial League tournament at Manhattan with a three-game series of 610, winning the title by 37 pins. Glinka, who rolled games of 193, 204 and 213, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Centennial League team title by a 2,881-2,758 margin over runnerup Junction City.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After leading by as many as 12 points late in the first half, Topeka West had to withstand threat after threat from USD 501 rival Topeka High the rest of the way Monday night.

Topeka West junior Prince Lassiter had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 78-73 win at Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But the Chargers had an answer for everything the Trojans threw at them, holding on for a 78-73 win in the Dungeon.

"I felt we were getting high percentage shots and we were doing everything we could to stop those streaks, but they were lights out,'' Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said of the Trojans. "And it was a playoff atmosphere, and that's what you want. I love to see it.'' 

Topeka High got a career-high 30-point game, including six 3-pointers, from Trojan senior Jalen Aldridge and canned 14 3-pointers as a team, but the Chargers exhibited plenty of firepower themselves, with 6-foot-6 junior Prince Lassiter recording a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead four West players in double figures.

"We always have to deal with adversity, so it's really nothing new for us and we always battle through it,'' Lassister said. "There's definitely going to be a lot of teams that are able to shoot that three-ball really good and T-High, they're a good team that can shoot the 3, so that's a good look for what we're going to come up against in sub-state and state.''

Lassiter got West off to a fast start with 11 points in the first quarter and also came up big late, scoring six points in the fourth quarter, including a hoop inside the final minute that put the Chargers up by eight points.

"I appreciate that my teammates are always feeding me the ball so I can go to work,'' Lassiter said.

Topeka West also got 20 points from senior Malakyah Duncan, 17 from senior Keimani Paul and 10 from senior Jay'Veon Traylor en route to improving to 18-3 on the season.

Monday's win was the Chargers' second of the season over the rival Trojans, with Topeka West also topping High in the championship game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament in mid-January.

Topeka High senior Jalen Aldridge (1), battling Topeka West senior Malakyah Duncan for a loose ball, scored a game-high 30 points with six 3-pointers Monday night, while Duncan had 20 points. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

In addition to Aldridge's big night, Topeka High, now 11-11, got 21 points and four 3-pointers from senior Bryson McComas and 10 points and a pair of 3s from senior Octavian McFadden.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Playing its first of two back-to-back games, Topeka High girls basketball did exactly what Trojans coach Ron Slaymaker wanted to see Monday night, tuning up for Tuesday's Centennial League road game at Washburn Rural with a 74-35 win over USD 501 rival Topeka West on Senior Night at High.

Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points Mondsay night in Topeka High's 74-35 win over Topeka West [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka High, which improved to 14-8 on the season, took control early which allowed the Trojans to work on different aspects of their game while Slaymaker was able to empty his bench, playing 14 different players.

"We've got a pretty big game tomorrow night and we tried do some different things tonight that we would have done in practice and we got to do that in game conditions and that's kind of what we wanted,'' Slaymaker said.

Slaymaker said he's not worried by the fact that the Trojans are playing on back-to-back nights.

"The conditioning factor, most kids this time of year, they can play two games in a row,'' Slaymaker said.  "Three, that's a stretch, but two in a row I've never worried about.''

The Trojans, who have now won eight straight games, jumped out to 20-8 first-quarter lead and were in command 41-14 at the half.

Topeka High led by as many as 42 points (65-23) late in the third quarter and took a 65-26 advantage into the fourth quarter, forcing a running clock.

The Trojans started all five of their seniors Monday night, with High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton coming off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and lead four Trojans in double figures.

Seniors Keimara Marshall and Sasha Gotru backed Rayton with 14 and 12 points while sophomore Hailey Caryl had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Topeka West was short-handed for Monday's game, playing without injured senior Addaline Hall and lost junior Aveah McGlory to an injury in the second half.

Junior Sydney VanDyke paced the Chargers (5-16) with 10 points while junior Patience Allen added eight points.

Topeka West will also play back-to-back nights, hosting Turner in a United Kansas Conference contest on Tuesday.

TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 74, TOPEKA WEST 35

Topeka West   8 6 12 9  -- 35

Topeka High 20 21 24 9 -- 74

Topeka West (5-16) – Allen 4-9 0-0 8, Gonzales 0-7 0-0 0, VanDyke 3-9 4-6 10, Kutina 0-3 0-0 0, McGlory 2-4 0-0 4, Ogles 3-6 2-4 8, Perkins 1-2 3-4 5, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-48 6-10 50.

Topeka High (14-8) – Short 1-3 0-0 2, Triplett 1-2 0-0 2, Whayne 0-0 0-0 0, Marshall 6-12 2-2 14, Gotru 5-6 1-1 12, Hartz 2-4 0-0 4, Rayton 10-19 0-0 22, Caryl 5-10 1-2 11, Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Marshall 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 1-3 0-0 3, Conley 1-3 0-0 2, Robbins 0-1 0-0 0, Cortez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-64 4-5 74. 

3-point goals – Topeka High 4 (Rayton 2, Gotru, Martin). Total fouls – Topeka West 4, Topeka High 8. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.