By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High girls basketball coach Hannah Alexander is always quick to point out that defense is a big focus and a big key for her Trojans.
And Alexander was just as quick to point out that without that defense in the second half Friday night the Trojans probably wouldn't be headed to Saturday's 2:30 p.m. Capital City Classic championship game.
The undefeated and fourth-ranked Trojans trailed underdog Shawnee Mission East 25-23 at halftime and the Lancers held a 31-28 advantage with 5:30 left in the third quarter before Topeka High, forcing a rash of East turnovers, used a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead on an Adisyn Caryl hoop with 1:14 left in the quarter.
East was still within 38-33 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Trojans, who forced 25 Lancer turnovers on the night, scored the first seven points of the final quarter and the final five to hold on for the 52-43 win.
"It didn't go as well as planned in the first half and they had some girls really step up for them, but (defense) is the thing that we've got to live or die by and I think we tightened things up at the end of the third and the fourth quarter,'' Alexander said. "That was huge for us.''
And although Friday wasn't necessarily one of the 11-0 Trojans' best performances, Alexander knows that there are going to be nights like that and that the key was finding a way to win.
"We did not play our best but that's just something we've got to bounce back from and understand that and drive and penetrate a little bit more,'' Alexander said. "But that was a solid team and they really brought everything that they had.''
Topeka High, now 11-0, will face Wichita Heights, a 50-28 winner over Seaman in the second semifinal, for the championship while Shawnee Mission East will play Seaman in the 1 p.m. third-place game.
Topeka High junior Kiki Smith scored a team-high 13 points as the Trojans remained unbeaten with a 52-43 win over Shawnee Mission East Friday night. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans were led by junior Kiki Smith with 13 points and senior Tae Thomas with 11 while sophomore Ayana Leesman added nine points.
Shawnee Mission East got a game-high 25 points and five 3-pointers from sophomore Abigail Long while senior Tess Roman added 14 points and nine rebounds.
WICHITA HEIGHTS 50, SEAMAN 28 -- Seaman was within eight points at halftime and within six early in the third quarter before Wichita Heights (9-2) took control behind Louisville recruit Zyanna Walker.
Seaman's Brooklyn Gormley scored the first basket of the second half to cut Wichita Heights' lead to 19-13, but the Falcons answered with a 14-2 run and led by 20 late in the quarter before Seaman freshman Kinley Wilhelm hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter (38-21).
Heights went on to lead by 24 points twice over the final eight minutes.
Walker, a 5-10 senior, led all scorers with 22 points, including 15 in the second half.
Senior Cayanna Stanley added 13 points for Wichita Heights, with three 3-pointers.
Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer led Seaman (7-4) with nine points, the only Viking with more than five points.
HIGHLAND PARK 50, SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH 47 -- Highland Park rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to pick up its second win of the season, taking a 50-47 win over Shawnee Mission North in a Capital City Classic consolation game.
The Scots trailed 18-4 at the end of the opening quarter and 26-15 at the half, but cut their deficit to 32-27 at the start of the fourth quarter and outscored the Bison 23-15 over the final eight minutes.
Aisya Taylor
Senior Aisya Taylor scored 22 points with three 3-pointers to lead Highland Park while sophomore Victoria Reed added 13 points and freshman Amelia Ramsey 12 points and 20 rebounds.
With Friday's win, Highland Park advanced to Saturday's fifth-place game at 2:30 p.m. to face Maize.
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 52, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 43
SM East 10 15 8 10 -- 43
Topeka High 15 8 15 14 -- 52
Shawnee Mission East -- Long 7 6-7 25, Eck 0 0-0 0, Roman 5 3-5 14, Zastrow 0 0-0 0, Birch 1 0-0 2, McGuire 1 0-1 2, Winter 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-13 43.
Topeka High (11-0) -- Wiley 1 2-2 4, Caryl 2 3-4 7, Thomas 4 2-6 11, Shields 2 0-0 6, Smith 5 1-2 13, Leesman 4 0-0 9, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Fulton 0 2-2 2. Totals 18 10-16 52.
3-point goals -- Shawnee Mission East 6 (Long 5, Roman), Topeka High 6 (Shields 2, Smith 2, Thomas, Leesman). Total fouls -- Shawnee Mission East 13, Topeka High 15. Fouled out -- none.
WICHITA HEIGHTS GIRLS 50, SEAMAN 28
Seaman 7 4 10 7 -- 28
Wichita Heights 13 6 19 12 -- 50
Seaman (7-4) -- Anderson 0 0-0 0, T. Stallbaumer 3 2-2 9, Becker 1 2-7 4, Gormley 2 0-4 4, Mills 1 0-0 3, Schumann 0 0-0 0, Spurlock 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Wilhelm 2 0-0 5, Esser 2 0-0 4, Stuewe 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 4-13 28.
Wichita Heights (9-2) -- Stanley 5 0-0 13, Mayberry 2 0-0 5, Jackson 2 1-2 6, Bell 0 1-2 1, Zy. Walker 9 2-4 22, Brown 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-2 0, Gilbert 1 1-2 3, Za. Walker 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 5-12 50.
3-point goals -- Seaman 2 (Stallaumer, Wilhelm), Wichita Heights 7 (Stanley 3, Mayberry, Jackson, Zy. Walker 2). Total fouls -- Seaman 13, Wichita Heights 12. Fouled out -- none.
HIGHLAND PARK GIRLS 50, SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH 47
SM North 18 8 6 15 -- 47
Highland Park 4 11 12 23 -- 50
Shawnee Mission North -- Weineke 5 2-2 16, Frame 1 0-1 2, Mojica 6 0-4 12, Doolin 2 2-2 7, Mendez 0 1-2 1, Brown 4 1-3 9, Washington 0 0-2 0. Totals 18 6-16 47.
Highland Park -- Gonzales 1 1-2 3, Reed 5 2-4 13, White 0 0-0 0, Taylor 9 1-5 22, Ramsey 5 2-7 12, Parker-Brown 0 0-0 0, Nunez 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-18 50.
3-point goals -- Shawnee Mission North 5 (Weineke 4, Doolin), Highland Park 4 (Taylor 3, Reed). Total fouls -- Shawnee Mission North 20, Highland Park 18. Fouled out -- none.
