By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West boys basketball doesn't necessarily have a go-to player.
Instead, Christian Ulsaker's Chargers have four or five players that can fill that role on any given night, which could make Topeka West a very dangerous team over the course of the 2025-2026 season.
opeka West senior Loc Duncan (12) led all scorers with 26 points Friday as the Chargers opened their season with an 81-54 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
West's balance was on full display in Friday's 81-54 United Kansas Conference home victory over De Soto, with senior Loc Duncan leading the way with a game-high 26 points while all five West starters cracked double figures.
Junior Prince Lassiter scored 18 points in Friday's 81-54 UKC Topeka West win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West senior JayVeon Traylor slams home a dunk in Friday's 81-54 Charger win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Prince Lassiter backed Duncan with 18 points, while senior Jay'Veon Traylor added 12 points and seven rebounds, senior Gad Munganga 11 points and senior Keimani Paul 10.
"Thankfully our guys don't have a huge ego,'' Ulsaker said. "I've got guys like Loc standing next to me and he understands that nobody's above the team, so they get what they need to do.
"If it's Kei's night, he's OK with that. If it's Jay'Veon's night he's OK with that. Tonight it was just Loc's night.''
Duncan agreed with his coach that the Chargers have the firepower to share the wealth.
"I absolutely agree with that,'' Duncan said. "Everybody in the whole starting five can get going and it can be anybody's night any given night.
"If teams try to key on me that leaves my other teammates open, to get open easy buckets for them. They can't really key on one person because we've got five guys that can do anything.''
Both Munganga and Duncan hit three 3-pointers apiece as West, currently ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, finished with eight 3s as a team.
The Chargers went wire to wire for the victory, opening up a 17-11 first-quarter advantage and taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
West boosted its lead to double-digits at 53-41 by the end of the third quarter and the Chargers turned the game into a rout with a 28-13 fourth quarter.
Senior Brayan Salas led De Soto (0-1, 0-1) with 15 points while senior Dylan Narayan added 10 for the Wildcats.
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 81, DE SOTO 54
De Soto 11 13 17 13 -- 54
Topeka West 17 14 22 28 -- 81
De Soto (0-1, 0-1) – Patterson 3-8 1-2 9, Dickinson 4-11 1-4 9, Narayan 5-6 0-0 10, Salas 7-19 1-3 15, Krier 1-3 0-0 2, Rapp 1-2 3-3 5, Brady 0-2 0-0 0, Morton 1-1 0-0 2, Hastings 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 6-12 54.
Topeka West (1-0, 1-0) – Munganga 4-9 0-0 11, Traylor 5-8 1-3 12, Duncan 9-13 5-8 26, Paul 3-6 3-3 10, Lassiter 6-8 6-6 16, Ware 1-3 0-2 2, Phillips 0-2 0-0 0, Fox 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-50 15-22 81.
3-point goals – De Soto 2 (Patterson 2), Topeka West 8 (Munganga 3, Duncan 3, Traylor, Paul). Total fouls – De Soto 14, Topeka West 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- De Soto (pre-game dunk), Munganga, Duncan.
Wildcat girls ride 3-point barrage past Chargers
De Soto made nine 3-pointers on the night, including seven in the first half, en route to a 68-21 UKC romp past Topeka West Friday at West.
Five different Wildcats drained 3-pointers, including four players with multiple treys, as De Soto (1-0 overall, 1-0 UKC) took control early and forced a running block throughout the fourth quarter.
Junior Clare Leis paced De Soto with a game-high 15 points while freshman Maddie Leis added 12 points and junior Katie Bush 10.
Junior Sydney VanDyke led Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) with 10 points and eight rebounds.
DE SOTO GIRLS 68, TOPEKA WEST 21
De Soto 18 27 18 5 -- 68
Topeka West 6 8 6 1 -- 21
De Soto (1-0, 1-9) – C. Leis 6-10 1-2 15, O'Brien 2-4 0-0 6, Cinotto 3-3 1-2 9, Gulley 0-0 2-2 2, Chappel 0-2 0-0 0, M. Leis 4-11 2-3 12, Bush 4-9 2-2 10, Carpenter 2-6 3-4 7, Major 1-3 0-0 3, Stapp 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Reiswig 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 24-53 11-17 68.
Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) – Sa'Niya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, VanDyke 3-10 4-8 10, Ogles 1-5 0-0 2, Hall 0-6 1-2 1, McGlory 1-2 0-0 3, Allen 1-3 0-0 3, Sa'Mya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, Traylor 1-3 0-2 2, Fox 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 7-33 5-14 21.
3-point goals – De Soto 9 (C. Leis 2, O'Brien 2, Cinotto 2, M. Leis 2, Major), Topeka West 2 (McGlory, Allen). Total fouls – De Soto 16, Topeka West 18. Fouled out – Chappel. Technical fouls -- none.
