By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Bo Aldridge
BO ALDRIDGE, Highland Park
The Highland Park junior basketball standout scored 54 points in two games last week as the Scots advanced to the Class 5A boys state tournament for the second time in three seasons. Aldridge scored 27 points in a 78-65 sub-state semifinal victory over St. Thomas Aquinas last Tuesday and followed that up with another 27-point performance in Friday's 89-52 romp past Piper in the sub-state championship game.
Malachi Berg
MALACHI BERG, Topeka West
A junior, Berg turned in a pair of big performances as Topeka West advanced to the Class 5A boys state basketball tournament for the second straight season. Berg scored 16 points in last Tuesday's 78-46 sub-state semifinal win over Goddard Eisenhower and then followed that up with a career-high 23-point game in Friday's 73-59 victory over Andover in the sub-state final as the Chargers improved to 21-1 with their 20th straight victory.
Ethan Burns
ETHAN BURNS, Seaman
A junior bowler, Burns rolled a three-game series of 668 in last Friday's Class 5A-1A state bowling tournament at Wichita's Northrock Lanes, tying for ninth place and finishing 10th on a tiebreaker as Seaman captured the state 5A-1A team championship by a 3,483-3,472 margin over Goddard Eisenhower. Burns, who finished 13th at state as a sophomore, bowled a high game of 257 in his first game at state.
Kaitlyn Doyal
KAITLYN DOYAL, Washburn Rural
Doyal capped her high school career with a fourth-place finish in last Thursday's Class 6A state bowling tournament at Wichita's Northrock Lanes, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-placer team finish. Doyal bowled a 616 series with a high game of 235 to crack the top five after finishing seventh individually as a junior. Doyal helped Washburn Rural finish third in the 6A state meet for the second straight season.
Makenzie Millard
MAKENZIE MILLARD, Seaman
Millard, a senior bowler, earned her third Class 5A-1A girls state medal last Friday at Wichita's Northrock Lanes, posting a career-best second-place finish while leading Seaman to the state team championship. Millard bowled a 697 three-game series, including a first-game 279, after finishing fifth at the state meet as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. Millard led the Vikings to the team championship by a 3,173-3,144 margin over Bishop Carroll.
Kiki Smith
KIKI SMITH, Topeka High
A junior guard, Smith scored 33 points with three 3-pointers as Topeka High's girls advanced to the Class 6A state basketball tournament for the fourth straight season with a 67-46 victory over Liberal last Friday at Topeka High. Smith will be playing in her third straight state tournament, helping the Trojans post a runner-up state finish last season and helping lead High to a perfect 23-0 record as a sophomore before the tourney was cut short due to COVID-19.
