By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Highland Park boys basketball team celebrated its return to the Scots' home gym with an 88-20 flying circus against Wyandotte.
Ja'Corey Robinson, who had 33 points, finishes off a dunk in Friday's 88-20 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Wyandotte. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots go to the holiday break with a 4-0 record, a trophy from the Shawnee Mission East Championship Showdown, and much bigger goals.
Due to water damage to the Highland Park gym floor in January, the team was unable to use the gym last spring. This year, the schedule did not have the Scots at home until the night before the break. Senior Jacorey Robinson scored 33 points in the return.
“It was real fun to have the home crowd, everybody being loud with the crowd on our side,” Robinson said. “Not being able to play here for a year was bad.”
“Last year was so unique,” coach Mike Williams said. “We practiced in the (Highland Park) South Gym or at Washburn University. We played our home games at Topeka High and Topeka West. We’re thankful that our district was able to provide the opportunity for us to still maintain our season. But it wasn’t like playing at home. But that’s the resiliency of our group. These guys don’t care where we play.”
The Scots’ full-court pressure was too much for the Bulldogs. Robinson soared to seven dunks – several of the alley oop variety – in the first period as Highland Park ran out to a 26-4. The Scots didn’t let up, outscoring Wyandotte 32-9 in the second period and 25-6 in the third.
Williams said the Scots are able to make improvements even in a game that gets quickly out of hand.
“We’ve got to remember that the way we play, and who we are, is way more important than who we’re playing against,” Williams said. “So even if we’re playing against a team that we can beat by 70 or 80 points, we’ve still got to do it right. I’ve still got to coach you hard. Because we’re still working for something. And what we’re working toward isn’t on December 20th.”
Williams said that he keeps a close eye on the KSHSAA standings, knowing that post-season seeding is determined by games that might seem inconsequential.
“We’re trying to get a number one seed at substate. We know the importance of that. And then, beyond that, we want the number one seed at state,” Williams said. “We’ve got to understand every time we go out that those games impact our seeding.”
The tournament in the Kansas City area provided the Scots an opportunity to be pushed. It will pay dividends, Robinson said.
“Last year, we didn’t really get any competitive games until (mid-season), so being able to have the close games in a tough tournament, that really prepared us for the big games we will have,” Robinson said. “We take it one game at a time, but this isn’t our main focus. We’re trying to get ready for what’s ahead.”
Senior Mikey Williams scored 14 points in Friday's 88-20 Highland Park win over KC-Wyandotte. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Isaiah Kelley scored 13 points Friday as Highland Park remained undefeated with an 88-20 win over KC-Wyandotte. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Joining Robinson in double figures for the Scots were seniors Mikey Williams with 14 points, Isaiah Kelley with 13, and Jatayvius Bradley with 11 off the bench.
Having taken the Scots to the Class 5A state tournament numerous times in recent years, Williams knows what it takes to play with the best. The holiday break gives him an opportunity to assess this current team.
“We need time to get our defense locking in. That takes time,” Williams said. “We’re not bad defensively. No team has got out of the 40s against us. But I know that to beat the teams we want to beat when it’s all said and done, we’ve got to make sure we’re shoring up that side of the ball.
“I also feel like our offense needs time to grow because we’ve added so many new pieces. And the pieces that have come back are now in elevated roles. But all those holes that we have right now, we expect them right now because of the time of the year. No matter how good we are, those things take time to gel.”
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 88, KC-WYANDOTTE 20
KC-Wyandotte 4 9 6 1 -- 20
Highland Park 26 32 25 5 -- 88
Wyandotte (0-4, 0-2) – McCoy 2-7 2-3 6, King 1-4 0-0 3, Vaughn 1-5 0-0 2, Motilla 1-3 0-0 2, Evans 0-6 0-2 0, Fisher 1-5 0-0 2, Hall 2-6 1-3 5, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Alvarez 0-0 0-0 0, Alejo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 8-36 3-8 20.
Highland Park (4-0, 1-0) – Wilson 2-2 2-2 6, Hales 1-5 0-0 3, Kelley 6-10 1-2 13, Williams 5-8 2-2 14, Robinson 16-23 1-3 33, Brown 3-4 0-0 6, Kingcannon 0-2 0-0 0, Bradley 4-4 0-2 11, Howell 1-2 0-0 2, Thomas 0-1 0-2 0, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Drew 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 38-61 6-13 88.
3-point goals – Wyandotte 1 (King 1), Highland Park 6 (Bradley 3, Williams 2, Hales 1). Total fouls – Wyandotte 9, Highland Park 14. Fouled out – Brown. Technical fouls – none.
