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By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Topeka West girls basketball had a tough time against Piper at home on Tuesday night, falling to 1-4 on the year, 60-31.

Junior Sydney VanDyke scored eight points to tie for team-high scoring honors in Topeka West's 60-31 UKC loss to Piper Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]

The Chargers began the game with five straight turnovers but luckily for Topeka West that only led to four Pirates points.

The full court pressure from Piper caused fits for Topeka West the whole first half, holding the Chargers almost four minutes without any points in the first quarter as Piper led 6-2.

Topeka West got it to 8-7 on a 3-pointer from Patience Allen, who ended with five points, but Piper ended the quarter on top 15-9 which could’ve been more if Piper knocked down more free throws after being in the bonus for the last half of the quarter.

 

“After that first quarter the girls settled down a little bit,'' Topeka West coach Angie Ketterman said. "We knew Piper coming in was going to be very fast and we really focused on making sure we’re getting back all the way to slow them, down which I thought we did for most of the game. We missed a lot of easy shots that we normally make.''

The Pirates then put their foot on the gas pedal, extending their lead to 20-9 off an Angela Walker three on the left wing, finishing with five points. They got up to 24-9 forcing a Topeka West timeout at the 4:04 mark, securing a 9-0 run.

The Chargers got it back to 14 off a Aveah McGlory three but Piper in transition immediately drilled a three of their own to bring the lead back to 17. Piper would take the 31-13 lead into halftime, holding the Chargers to just four points in the quarter.

The rest of the game, Piper was in complete control and never looked back. They got their lead up to 31, 55-24 in the fourth quarter and that would make it a running clock for the rest of the game with seven minutes left. The biggest lead was 32 at one point, 58-26.

Teairra Gonzales and Sydney VanDyke both finished with a team-high eight points for the Chargers.

Despite the 1-4 start, they can use this as a learning lesson.

“We’ve got some young girls rotating in and for them to see that pace of the game and that level that they have to get to, these first couple of games we’ve played they’ve had to step up with that and I think they did that. The scoreboard seemed a lot closer to us because I feel like we were getting back, they were doing the things that we asked them to do, our stuff just wasn’t falling,” Ketterman said.

 

PIPER 60, TOPEKA WEST 31

Piper             15 16 18 10 -- 60

Topeka West  9 4 11 7 -- 31

Topeka West 1-4 - Allen 2-2 0-0 5, Gonzales 2-2 3-4 8, Traylor 0-2 1-2 1, VanDyke 3-8 2-5 8, Hall 0-0, 4-4 4, Perkins 1-1 0-0 2, McGlory 1-1 0-0 3.

Piper 4-1 - Bendetto 1-2 7, McPherson 2-2 4, McCallop 3-4 17, Kolenda 0-0 2, Hollinshed 6-7 14, Walker 0-0 5, Gerber 0-2, 10

3-point goals – Piper 3 (McCallop 2 Walker 1) Topeka West 3 (Allen 1, Gonzales 1, McGlory 1). Total fouls – Piper 16, Topeka West 14. Fouled out – Ogles. Technical fouls -- none.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Silver Lake girls looked so good in the first half, the fact Rossville made the second half tense is a credit to both teams. Silver Lake ultimately won 69-53, but the War on 24 revealed the talent on both sides of the rivalry.

Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter (23) puts up a shot over Rossville's Nora Burdiek (22) and Shailee Hubbell (21) in Tuesday's 69-53 Silver Lake win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Eagles dominated the second period, reeling off 18 straight points before Rossville finally scored with 2:06 before halftime. Prior to the drought-ending basket, Silver Lake led 33-9 and appeared headed for a blowout win. Seven Eagles got in the scoring column in the first half, which the home team led 41-15.

But it was Rossville’s turn after halftime to light up the scoreboard. Behind eight third-quarter points from Rylee Dick and Nora Burdiek, the Bulldawgs outscored the Eagles 20-9 to get back into the game.

“We came out pretty slow and they came out good, and it was hard for us to wake back up and find our groove again,” said Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni. “But props to Rylee and Nora. They played really well that second half.”

Rossville pulled to within 10 points with 4:40 remaining in the game but could draw no closer. Burdiek and Dick finished with 23 and 20 points, respectively, but they couldn’t match the balanced scoring of Silver Lake.

Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni scored 12 points in Tuesday's Silver Lake 69-53 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Silver Lake sharpshooters Karys Dieter and Savanah Wende dropped in 18 and 17 points, respectively, with Hanni adding 12.

“Rossville is a team that we knew we were going to get their best shot,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “We talked at halftime that it’s a 0-0 ballgame in the third quarter, and (Rossville) played with a lot of confidence and punched us in the mouth that third quarter.

“Now, with that said, I am proud of how we responded. Fortunately, we made a lot of shots that second half that helped us extend the lead. But they forced us to get better that second half.”

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A barnburner befitting the War on 24 went the way of host Silver Lake Tuesday 71-68, with Dayne Johnson – a fixture in the rivalry – bouncing back from a miserable first half to lead all scorers with 21 points.

Senior Dayne Johnson (2) led Silver Lake with 21 points in Tuesday's 71-68 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Johnson hit just one of seven attempts in the first half and was visibly frustrated by his inability to get untracked. His teammates picked up the slack, giving the Eagles a 19-12 lead after one period.

Junior Camden Kruger (0) gave Silver Lake scored 18 points in Tuesday's 71-68 War on 25 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

“Dayne’s a great player, but I feel like we have so many players who can make plays, many players who can do the right play at the right time,” said junior Camden Kruger, who chipped in 10 points in the first half to lead Silver Lake. “I think that a big thing that we focus on in our program is adversity. We had to know that we were going to respond as a team and how we’re going to do it together.”

With Johnson struggling, Rossville roared back to close the half trailing just 33-31. Seniors Cameron Miller and Jack Donovan tossed in 11 points apiece in the first half.

Silver Lake came out on fire after the half with Johnson leading the way. The senior attacked the rim onnearly every possession, and scored 12 of the Eagles’ 24 points to build a 57-50 lead.

But Rossville just wouldn’t back down. With their backs to the wall, Rossville hit three three-pointers in the final couple of minutes of the game to cut the lead to 71-68 before time ran out.

“No surprise,” Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger said of Rossville. “They’re really good. They’ve got really good players, they’re well coached and they’ve got the combination of skill with just super competitive.”

The Eagles got 21 points – 18 in the second half – from Johnson and 18 from Camden Kruger. Hunter Rooks and Joel Miller added 10 apiece. Silver Lake hit an efficient 24-45 from the field and 15-21 from the line.

“I thought a lot of guys played well,” Shannon Kruger said. “A lot of these guys contributed last year with, you know, a couple of minutes here or there. We have to have these guys who were JV guys last year, quote-unquote, step up. And man, a lot of them did tonight.”

“I’ll be honest, it was probably the worst half of my life,” Johnson said. “I was a little down on myself, but my teammates made plays, kept us in it, and then second half I got back in my rhythm and made some plays.

“This rivalry, I think it’s the best in Kansas. Both communities show out every game. The stands were packed, the fans were loud, and it was just a great game.”

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