By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys took down Meadowlark Conference rival Atchison for the second time this season, putting the Scots in the driver’s seat for the league title.
Junior Ja'Corey Robinson goes in for two of his 19 points in Highland Park's 63-45 win over Atchison Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Tamir Anderson scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in Highland Park's 63-45 win over Atchison Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Playing at Topeka West while the Highland Park court undergoes repairs, the Scots held off the Phoenix – one of the top-ranked teams in the 4A classification – to win 63-45. The win lifted Highland Park to 9-0 in the conference while Atchison fell back to 7-2.
“These two teams have been consistently towards the top of the league,” said coach Mike Williams. “The football matchup has been good. The basketball matchup has been good for the last couple of years. We’re searching for good matchups on our schedule.”
Both periods of the first half followed the same script. Atchison allowed the Scots to pull away to a double-digit lead, only to come roaring back. The Phoenix closed out the second period on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 30-30 at halftime.
“We kept going up 10 but then we would make a couple of mistakes,” said junior Ja'Corey Robinson. “We weren’t scared or anything. We just knew that we had to keep turning it up and stop making the little mistakes.”
The Scots’ defense locked in after the break. They held Atchison to just nine points in the third period, and six in the fourth. Senior Bryson Thrasher led the Scots with 12 points in the second half, and Highland Park outscored the visitors 33-15 after halftime.
“It’s good for our guys to face some adversity, figure some things out over the course of the game, and come together,” Williams said.
Highland Park shot an efficient 21-41 from the field in the game. Robinson led the Scots with 19 points. Tamir Anderson added 13.
Atchison was led by Xiomar Hernandez with 15 and Eric Smith with 10.
Williams and his players understood how significant the win Tuesday was for league standings, as well as a gauge of where they stand in the state picture.
“I feel like there are checkmarks along the way,” Williams said. “Ultimately, we have the goal at the end, on March 9, to be competing for and winning a state championship. But I truly believe that along the way those road marks keep you moving toward your goal. The league title is something we circle on our calendar as a team goal every single year. We want to make sure we are hoisting that Meadowlark League championship at the end of the year.”
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 63, ATCHISON 45
Atchison 14 16 9 6 -- 45
Highland Park 18 12 19 14 – 63
Atchison (15-2, 7-2) – Hernandez 7-14 1-4 15, J. Purdy 3-10 2-2 9, Carter 1-6 2-4 4, Kelley 1-7 0-0 3, Smith 5-10 0-0 10, Richards 0-1 2-2 2, Y. Purdy 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-49 7-12 45.
Highland Park (16-1, 9-0) – Taylor 2-3 1-2 5, Wilson 0-3 2-2 2, Williams 3-9 3-6 9, Robinson 8-10 2-3 19, Anderson 4-9 2-4 13, Cameron 1-2 1-2 3, Thrasher 3-5 4-4 12, Kelley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-41 15-23 63.
3-point goals – Atchison 2 (J. Purdy, Kelley), Highland Park 6 (Anderson 3, Thrasher 2, Robinson). Total fouls – Atchison 19, Highland Park 19. Fouled out – Wilson, Carter, Smith. Technical fouls – None.
