By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
A team can only get its first win of the season once, and for first-year coach Geo Lyons and the Topeka High boys basketball team, it couldn’t have come at a better time, with the Trojans getting Lions his first win at his alma mater with a 61-48 win over St. Mary’s Academy Tuesday night.
Topeka High boys basketball coach Geo Lyons talks to his team during Tuesday's 61-48 non-league win over St. Mary's Academy. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The win for the Trojans came after a 75-73 double-overtime loss to Valley Center on Saturday, which Lyons was glad the players had a chance to put behind them quickly.
“It feels great man,” Lyons said. “We have had a rough 72 hours with what happened to us on Saturday. It was great to get back and playing so soon to get a little bit of normalcy for these kids but this one means a lot and it means, even more, coming off of what Saturday was.”
In 2021-22 Topeka High started 0-4 before finishing the year 4-17, this season they enter the win column the second week of play, improving to 1-2.
After trailing early on it was junior Isaiah Lyons who stabilized the Trojans, knocking down two 3-pointers late in the first quarter to help High take a 14-11 lead.
T-High was held scoreless on offense in the first five minutes of the second quarter, but a full-court defense kept the Crusaders in check for the most part. Lyons and sophomore Jayden Norman combined to score all seven points in the quarter, good for a 21-20 lead at the break.
St. Mary’s scored two quick baskets out of halftime to lead 24-23, but the rest of the quarter would belong to the home team as Topeka High’s defense forced turnovers and provided easy baskets, helping the Trojans go on a 20-2 run after that point to lead by as many as 16.
“Our first two games we came out of halftime flat. We made it a must at practice on Monday, to have a halftime at practice, and work on the energy … and that showed today,” Lyons said.
The Crusaders continued to attack the paint, and ended the quarter on a 7-0 run themselves.
Senior Jake Van Wamel scored five straight points to begin the fourth for St. Mary’s, which cut the lead to just five. The Trojans got a boost with their first six points of the quarter coming from senior Ty Votow, building the lead back up to nine.
After a layup by sophomore Da’Mykel Hales the lead for Topeka High never got below double-digits again before claiming the 61-48 win.
Geo Lyons was appreciative of his family and former coaches after getting his first win at the school he graduated from in 1998.
The family connection extended on the court, with his son Isaiah Lyons leading the Trojans in scoring with 17 points.
Two others joined Lyons in double figures. Jayden Norman had 15 points on a perfect 7-7 from the floor, and Hales had 12.
Van Wamel led the Crusaders with 24 points, while senior Michael Treacy had 11.
Topeka High heads back on the road to take on Manhattan Dec. 13 in a Centennial League contest.
TOPEKA HIGH BOYS 61, ST. MARY’S ACADEMY 48
Topeka High: 14 7 22 17 - - 61
ST. MARY’S: 11 9 13 15 -- 48
Topeka High (1-2) – Lyons 6-17 2-2 17, Hales 4-11 3-5 11, J. Villegas 0-1 0-0 0, Norman 7-7 0-0 15, Gomez 3-9 0-2 7, M. Villegas 0-1 0-0 0, Votow 3-10 0-0 6, Storrer 1-3 2-2 4, Groves 0-0 0-0 0, Woods 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 7-12 61.
St. Mary’s (2-1) – Treacy 4-10 0-1 11, Whitehead 2-4 0-2 5, Merz 0-4 0-0 0, Archer 0-0 0-0 0, Garland 2-5 2-5 6, Engholm 1-4 0-0 2, Van Wamel 7-12 10-15 24. Totals 16-39 12-20 48.
3-point goals – Topeka High 6 (Lyons 3, Hales 1, Norman 1, Gomez 1). St. Mary’s 2 (Treacy 1, Whitehead 1). Total fouls – Topeka High 20, St. Mary’s 14. Fouled out – St. Mary’s - Garland. Technical fouls – None.
