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Chargers hold off rival Trojans for 78-73 road win
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.
Trojan girls roll to 74-35 Senior Night win over district rival West
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.
Ichabod softball fights through winter weather to improve to 17-3
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
This past weekend was more suited for the Winter Olympics than it was for softball, but host Washburn University did what it needed to on and off the field to get the Washburn Invitational in the books.
Washburn senior pitcher Sadie Walker improved to 8-1 Sunday with a five-hitter in the Ichabods' 5-1 win over Minnesota State-Crookston. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn was able to get the tournament, which included games at three sites, in the books while dealing with cold weather throughout and Saturday morning snow.
"All these teams, they all have the same conditions and it puts everybody in a tough spot because you travel here, you spend the money and you want to play,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said. "I felt like it was our job to get the fields ready for those teams that wanted to play.
"We had some dads that jumped in and helped out and our maintenance crew here and the folks out at Silver Lake and Washburn Rural did everything they could to get it ready and that's all we could do is get it ready and then leave it up to the teams whether they wanted to play or not. But I felt like we owed it to everybody to do that. I would want teams to do that for us and I think teams overall were glad to get the games in.''
On the field the Ichabods posted a 4-1 record to improve to a glossy 17-3 record on the season.
The Ichabods capped the event on Sunday with a 5-1 victory over Minnesota State-Crookston on Sunday at Gahnstrom Field.
"The loss that we took against Wayne State (6-0 on Friday night) was more of a credit to them,'' Holaday said. "Their pitcher pitched really well against us and we struggled a little bit pitching and gave up some hits we wouldn't normally give up, but for the weekend I was really pleased overall with how we did.
"Today I don't think we hit the ball as well as we did (Saturday) for sure but it feels like 25 (degrees) out there so it's easy for me to sit back here and want them to hit a little bit better, but it's hard to square it up in that. I thought Sadie was really strong for us today and needed to be, knowing that it was going to be a lot harder to hit. It's hard to spin it, too, in this weather and she did a good job.''
