By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Bo Aldridge
BO ALDRIDGE, Highland Park
A 6-foot-5 senior, Aldridge scored 67 points in three games as the undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park boys basketball team won its first Topeka Invitational Tournament championship in 10 years Saturday at Topeka West. Aldridge scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 67-36 first-round win over Shawnee Mission North, scored 27 points with eight dunks in an 86-48 semifinal win over Wichita Southeast and had 18 points in the Scots' 58-47 win over Lawrence in the tournament championship game as Highland Park improved to 9-0.
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural
Bachelor, a 6-foot-2 senior, Bachelor helped lead the 10th-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural's boys basketball team to a third-place finish in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg, scoring 51 points on the week. Bachelor scored 10 points in the Junior Blues' 68-30 first-round win over Joplin, Mo., had 23 points with three 3-pointers and a four of four performance at the free throw line in a 61-43 semifinal loss to Blue Valley Northwest and had 18 points with a six of seven showing at the free throw line and three steals in 8-4 Rural's 69-63 win over Pittsburg. on Saturday.
McKinley Kruger
McKINLEY KRUGER, Silver Lake
Kruger, a 5-foot-6 junior basketball player, was named the Burlington Invitational Most Valuable Player after helping lead No. 7-ranked (Class 3A) Silver Lake to the tournament championship. Silver Lake defeated Independence 52-39 in the championship game, with Kruger scoring 20 points and hitting five 3-pointers as the Eagles improved to 10-1 on the season.
Brylee Meier
BRYLEE MEIER, Hayden
A 6-foot sophomore, Meier scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Hayden's girls basketball team in last Friday's 35-31 non-league victory over No. 7-ranked (Class 5A) Shawee Heights on the T-Birds' home floor. Meier scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first half and hit three 3-pointers on the night for the 5-4 Wildcats.
Tyler Nelson
TYLER NELSON, Washburn University
Nelson, 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 41 points in two Washburn University MIAA men's basketball wins on the week as the Ichabods stretched their winning streak to three games. Nelson scored 16 points and had four assists in Washburn's 74-64 win over Fort Hays State last Wednesday and followed that up with a career-high 25 points in Saturday's 65-62 victory over Nebraska-Kearney.
Joe Otting
JOE OTTING, Hayden
A 6-foot-5 senior, Otting scored a total of 69 points in three Topeka Invitational Tournament games to lead Hayden to a 2-1 record and a fifth-place finish. Otting scored 28 points in a 76-75 first-round overtime loss to Wichita Southeast, scored 27 points, including 16 points in the first half, in the Wildcats' 55-45 win over Shawnee MIssion North and had 14 points in the Wildcats' 64-47 win over Topeka High as Hayden improved to 6-5 on the season.
