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Rayton's 33 points power Topeka High girls to 71-33 non-league win over Atchison
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Before the Capital City Classic tips off later this week, Topeka High hosted the Atchison Phoenix in the Dungeon Monday night and rolled to a 71-33 win.
Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 33 points in Monday's 71-33 win over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
Atchison kept themselves in the hunt in the first quarter, trailing by just five at 19-14.
Junior Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton, who scored a game-high 33 points, scored the first five points for the Trojans followed by a couple of 3-pointers from senior Keimara Marshall while sophomore Hailey Caryl added one, too. Caryl finished with 16 and Marshall ended with 10.
“I wasn’t very happy after that first quarter,” Trojan coach Ron Slaymaker said. “I said in the timeout I called, I didn’t think that they would get that many points in the whole game and they had that in the first quarter… but after that we played pretty good.”
Atchison only had six players and Slaymaker told his team sometimes those games are hard to play, but credits the Phoenix for having the season they’re having despite the low number of players.
Alondra Herrera scored five straight for Atchison putting them up 9-8, forcing Slaymaker into a timeout, but then Topeka High turned it up a notch. Herrera led Atichson with 12 points.
In the second quarter, the Trojans began the quarter on a 14-0 run, leading 33-14 and finished on a 26-5 run, taking a commanding 45-19 lead at the break.
The Trojans were all over the glass, creating second-chance opportunities and creating turnovers on the defensive side leading to points. That’s something Slaymaker stressed before the season began on how important that would be for their success.
Rayton was scoring at will all game, helping the Trojans to a 11-0 run to begin the second half and after a Caryl two-point bucket that would start the running clock with five minutes left in the third quarter and lead 67-26 heading into the fourth.
A1 Lock & Key Performers Jan. 26, 2026
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Dillon Claussen
DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University
A 6-foot-8 sophomore basketball standout, Claussen scored 36 points on the week as No. 1-ranked Washburn improved to 20-0 with a pair of home double-digit MIAA victories. Claussen scored 18 points in Wednesday's 94-44 win over Northwest Missouri State, going 4 of 5 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line. The Omaha, Neb. native also scored 18 points in Friday's 90-78 win over Missouri Western, hitting 7 of 10 shots from the floor and grabbing six rebounds.
Rylee Dick
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
Dick, a senior guard, scored a total of 58 points in three Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs won the Jefferson County North Invitational girls basketball tournament. The Rockhurst signee had 27 points in a 60-22 first-round victory over JCN, scored 16 points in a 54-44 semifinal win over Perry-Lecompton and had 15 points in Friday's 59-51 championship game decision over Oskaloosa, moving into the No. 2 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,310 points.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior guard, Donovan scored 47 points in two Bulldawg victories on the week as Rossville basketball advanced to the championship game of the Valley Falls Invitational before the title game was postponed due to inclement weather. Donovan scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in a 63-54 win over Jefferson West and scored 34 points with six 3-pointers in a 64-29 semifinal victory over Christ Prep.
West pulls away late to take Topeka Invitational title, 71-57 over Trojans
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West had to deal with adversity for much of Monday night's Topeka Invitational Tournament championship game against USD 501 rival Topeka High, fighting through foul trouble and missing shots the Chargers normally make, both from the field and the free throw line.
Topeka Invitational Tournament MVP Prince Lassiter hoists the championship trophy after Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High at Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But thanks in part to some key contributions off the bench, the third-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers were able to keep their head above water through three quarters before closing with a 24-11 burst over the final eight minutes to take a 71-57 win over the Trojans before a nearly packed house at Highland Park.
"These guys have played together for three or four years, so they kind of understand that if one guy's maybe having an off night or in foul trouble they understand who needs to step up and make the big shots,'' West coach Christian Ulsaker said.
"Hats off to coach (Robbie) Sanders and Topeka High. They did play a very physical, tough game. Their guys were here ready and prepared to play against us. It's not an easy task, I'll say that. Watching our (junior varsity) guys go against our varsity, our varsity guys are pretty good and Topeka High held their own for three and a half, four quarters basically.''
Now 12-2 on the season, Topeka West had to play much of the first half without tournament Most Valuable player Prince Lassister and fellow starters Jay'Veon Traylor and Malakyah Duncan, who all got in early foul trouble.
But reserves Jasper Phillips, Corde Fox, Trey Ware and JJ Doby helped West stem the tide and help the Chargers take a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
"Our guys that might not get a ton of minutes finally got some and they proved to us that they're able to take over that if they need to,'' Ulsaker said.
Topeka High (8-6) continued to keep the heat on West throughout the third quarter, trailing by just a point at the start of the fourth stanza after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Octavian McFadden.
The Trojans were still within two points (53-51) with six minutes remaining before the Chargers outscored Topeka High 18-6 down the stretch.
The end result was West's first Topeka Invitational title since 2022 and fifth title overall.
Senior Gad Munganga led Topeka West with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, in Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"If we're winning by 30, losing by 30 or it's a tie game, we still keep the same composure,'' said Topeka West senior guard Gad Munganga, who led Topeka West with 17 points, including three 3-pointers.
Topeka West junior Prince Lassiter scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Lassiter, a 6-foot-6 junior, was named MVP after scoring 16 points (7 of 8 from the field) and grabbing eight rebounds.
"It's always frustrating,'' Lassister said about his first-half foul problems. "But I've just got to keep my composure and when I keep my composure I can continue to play and I don't get in foul trouble any more and I have fun with the game.''
Seniors Keimani Paul and Duncan added 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Paul and Traylor both named to the all-tournament team.
"We went in at halftime knowing that second half we had to come out and stay composed and not them get under our skin and that's what happened,'' Paul said.
Senior Jalen Aldridge led Topeka High with 17 points in Monday's 71-57 Topeka Invitational Tournament loss to Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High senior Jalen Aldridge tied Munganga for game-high scoring laurels with 17 points while senior Elisha Guest added 12 points.
Guest and Trojan senior Bryson McComas were both named to the all-tournament team along with Lansing junior Deacon Manthe, who helped lead the Lions to a third-place tournament finish.
TOPEKA WEST 71, TOPEKA HIGH 57
Topeka High 15 12 19 11 -- 57
Topeka West 15 15 17 24 -- 71
Topeka High (8-6) – Aldridge 6-12 4-7 17, Guest 3-9 3-4 12, McComas 3-10 0-0 6, McFadden 3-5 0-0 8, Redmond 1-5 3-6 5, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Villegas 0-0 0-0 0, Wilkerson 0-0 1-2 1, Luarks 0-3 0-0 0, Campbell 2-6 4-4 8. Totals 18-50 15-23 57.
Topeka West (12-2) – Munganga 5-9 4-6 17, Traylor 1-1 3-4 5, Duncan 4-10 2-7 10, Paul 3-7 4-4 12, Lassiter 7-8 2-5 16, Phillips 1-2 3-5 5, Fox 1-2 0-0 2, Ware 0-1 0-0 0, Doby 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 23-41 20-33 71.
3-point goals – Topeka High 6 (Guest 3, McFadden 2, Aldridge), Topeka West 5 (Munganga 3, Paul 2). Total fouls – Topeka High 21, Topeka West 21. Fouled out – Redmond. Technical fouls – Duncan, Guest, McComas.
