By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After scoring four points in Washburn Rural's 67-27 runaway over Lawrence in Thursday's opening round of the Capital City Classic, Maddie Vickery knew that her team would need more from her in Friday's semifinal matchup with No. 2-ranked and previously-undefeated Wichita Heights.
Washburn Rural freshman Maddie Vickery scored 25 points in Friday's 50-43 Capital City Classic semifinal win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Vickery, a 6-foot-1 freshman, responded with the best game of her young high school career, scoring a game-high 25 points as the ninth-ranked Junior Blues advanced to the tournament championship game with a 50-43 win over the Falcons at Seaman.
Vickery went six of 12 from the field, with three of her makes coming from 3-point range, and was a clutch 10 of 12 at the free throw line as Rural improved to 8-2 on the season.
"I definitely had a chip on my shoulder I would say,'' Vickery said. "It's part of playing. You've just got to play, you've got to run with it. Last night all of my teammates were hitting so I just keep feeding them and that was what was working.
"This game it was more me driving and others kicking it out to me or us getting in motion. We were constantly pushing and we secured on defense and we played excellent offense, I think. It was great to get a team win for sure.''
Washburn Rural trailed by a point (13-12) at the end of the opening quarter but rallied for a 24-22 halftime advantage and never trailed in the second half.
"We kind of challenged them that this is a state tournament atmosphere with the quality of teams that the tournament has,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "You're in the second game in a row, so how tough can you be, how much to you want it and what are you willing to do to get to that end?
"I really thought the answer developed pretty well. There at the end I think we got a little complacent, a little lax with the ball, but through the whole game I thought we matched their intensity and matched their toughness.''
Rural held Heights (11-1) to just three points in the third quarter and took a 36-25 advantage into the fourth stanza.
The Junior Blues opened up a 44-31 advantage on two Vickery free throws with 4:07 left and Rural withstood a rally from the Falcons down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Heights cut Rural's lead to five points (48-43) before junior Tenly Bunck hit a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left to clinch the win.
"We can obviously do a lot of things better, but mentally I was really happy with where we are,'' Bordewick said.
Washburn Rural senior Zoe Canfield is fouled as she drives to the basket in Friday's 50-43 win over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Vickery was the lone double-figure scorer for the Junior Blues, but Rural got nine points from senior Zoe Canfield and seven from senior Destiny Ochs.
Junior Samiyah Ellis led Wichita Heights with 19 points, the only Falcon to crack double figures.
Rural advanced to Saturday's 2:30 p.m. final to face Wichita South, a 58-53 winner over previously-unbeaten Seaman, while Heights will face Seaman in the 12:45 third-place game.
WASHBURN RURAL 50, WICHITA HEIGHTS 43
Washburn Rural 12 12 12 14 -- 50
Wichita Heights 13 9 3 18 -- 43
Washburn Rural (8-2) -- Vickery 6 10-12 25, Hinck 1 1-2 3, Ochs 3 0-0 7, Canfield 2 4-6 9, Bunck 0 2-2 2, Rutherford 0 0-0 0, Walker 0 0-0 0, Carlgren 0 2-2 2, Lemke 1 0-2 2. Totals 13 19-26 50.
Wichita Heights (11-1) -- Jackson 1 5-8 7, Mayberry 1 0-0 2, Walker 0 0-0 0, Ellis 7 4-7 19, Manuel 2-9 0-3 4, Maze 1-2 0-0 3, Brown 2-3 0-4 4, Gilbert 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 16 9-19 43.
3-point goals -- Washburn Rural 5 (Vickery 3, Ochs, Canfield), Wichita Heights 2 (Maze, Ellis). Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 22, Wichita Heights 24. Fouled out -- HInck, Bunck, Ellis. Technical foul -- none.
Seaman junior Anna Becker (23) led the Vikings with 18 points in Friday's 58-53 semifinal loss to Wichita South. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
WICHITA SOUTH 58, SEAMAN 53
No. 2-ranked (5A) Seaman made run after run at No. 10 (6A) Wichita South down the stretch in Friday's Capital City Classic semifinal, but the Titans found an answer each and every time, holding on for a 58-53 win on the Vikings' home court.
Seaman, which suffered its first loss of the season, led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter, but Wichita South rallied for a 30-27 halftime advantage and the Vikings were in chase mode the rest of the way.
Wichita South led by just a 40-38 margin at the start of the fourth quarter and the game was tied at 45-45 and 47-47 but Seaman could never get over the hump as the Titans used 12 3-pointers on the night an some timely free throws down the stretch to take the win.
"When a team's hitting 3s like that you have to be more efficient on offense to counter back, and we weren't,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "But credit them, they hit some big shots, and I felt like we pressed a little bit offensively and forced some shots.
"When the going gets tough we've got to find a way to get tougher and run our offense.''
South (10-2) advanced to Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship game to face Washburn Rural while Seaman (10-1) will face Wichita Heights in the third-place game at 12:45 p.m.
The Butler sisters, senior Zion and junior Mahogany, did most of the damage for Wichita South, combining for 34 points and eight 3-pointers on the night.
Wichita South also got 12 points from senior Ramya Kennedy.
Seaman got 18 points from junior Anna Becker and 10 from junior Jaida Stallbaumer, but the Vikings hurt themselves with a 3 of 12 performance at the free throw line and couldn't match South's success from 3-point range.
WICHITA SOUTH 58, SEAMAN 53
Wichita South 10 20 10 18 -- 58
Seaman 15 12 11 15 -- 53
Wichita South (10-2) -- M. Butler 4 2-4 13, Z. Butler 7 2-2 21, R. Kennedy 3 6-10 12, Robinson 2 0-0 6, Smith 0 0-0 0, A. Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Hartzler 2 0-0 6, Barkus 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-16 58.
Seaman (10-1) -- J. Stallbaumer 4 1-2 10, T. Stallbaumer 2 0-0 5, Becker 8 1-3 18, Gragg 4 0-0 8, Esser 4 0-5 8, Wilhelm 1 1-2 4, Moulden 0 0-0 0, E. Stallbaumer 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 3-12 53.
3-point goals -- Wichita South 12 (Z. Butler 5, M. Butler 3, Robinson 2, Hartzler 2), Seaman 4 (E. Stallbaumer, T. Stallbaumer, Becker, Wilhelm). Total fouls -- Wichita South 19, Seaman 21. Fouled out -- none. Technical foul -- none.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST 47, TOPEKA WEST 33
Shawnee Mission West and Topeka West took turns in the first half swapping the lead back and forth before the Vikings (4-7) took control in the second half for a 47-33 win in Thursday's consolation contest.
SM West advanced to Saturday's 11 a.m. fifth-place game (main gym) to face Lawrence, a 48-31 winner over Topeka High.
SM West led 9-8 at the end of the first quarter and was in front by just a 19-17 margin at the halftime break.
But the Vikings opened the second half with six straight points to open up a 25-17 advantage and never trailed the rest of the way.
Senior Izzy Joyce scored a game-high 21 points for Shawnee Mission West while junior Kate Van Deventer added 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
Sophomore Addaline Hall led Topeka West (4-7) with 10 points.
The Chargers will face USD 501 rival Topeka High in Saturday's 11 a.m. seventh-place game in the north gym.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST 47, TOPEKA WEST 33
Topeka West 8 9 7 9 -- 33
Shawnee Mission West 9 10 12 16 -- 47
Topeka West (4-7) -- I. McGlory 2 0-0 4, Hall 4 1-4 10, Gonzales 3 0-0 7, Clark 3 1-6 7, Bearman 2 1-2 5, Keeling 0 0-0 0, A. McGlory 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 3-12 33.
Shawnee Mission West (4-7) -- Joyce 8 4-5 21, Lippold 2 0-0 4, Safly 1 1-4 4, Chiarello 0 1-2 1, Van Deventer 4 0-0 10, Loe 3 1-4 7, Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-15 47.
3-point goals -- Topeka West 2 (Hall, Gonzales), Shawnee Mission West 4 (Van Deventer 2, Joyce, Safly). Total fouls -- Topeka West 14, Shawnee Mission West 5. Fouled out -- none. Technical foul -- none.
LAWRENCE 49, TOPEKA HIGH 31
Topeka High dropped to 2-9 with a 49-31 consolation loss to Lawrence and will play at 11 a.m. Saturday in the north gym, facing USD 501 rival Topeka West in the seventh-place game.
Topeka High jumped out in front 13-8 at the end of the opening quarter but Lawrence (6-5) outscored the Trojans 41-18 the rest of the way to earn a berth in the fifth-place game against Shawnee Mission West (11 a.m. main gym).
Freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton had a big game for the Trojans, scoring a team-high 20 points with three 3-pointers, but only three other High players cracked the scoring column, combining for 11 points.
Cami Nauholz, a 6-foot-1 freshman, scored a game-high 25 points for Lawrence.
LAWRENCE 49, TOPEKA HIGH 31
Lawrence 8 10 15 16 --49
Topeka High 13 2 10 6 -- 31
Lawrence (6-5) -- Clark 2 0-0 4, Savannah 1 0-0 2, Barnes 1 1-2 3, Hardy 3 0-0 8, Nauholz 12 1-2 25, Pickman 0 1-2 1, Roman Nose 1 0-2 3, Ramos 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 3-8 49.
Topeka High (2-9) -- Triplett 0 1-2 1, Clanton 0 3-4 3, Mayfield 0 0-0 0, Marshall 0 0-0 0, Rayton 6 5-6 20, Gotru 3 1-2 7. Totals 9 10-14 31.
3-point goals -- Lawrence 4 (Hardy 2, Roman Nose, Ramos), Topeka High 3 (Rayton 3). Total fouls -- Lawrence 10, Topeka High 10. Fouled out -- none. Technical foul -- none.
RESULTS FRIDAY
Lawrence 49, Topeka High 31
Shawnee Mission West 47, Topeka West 33
Washburn Rural 50, Wichita Heights 43
Wichita South 58, Seaman 53
GAMES SATURDAY
11 a.m. -- Topeka High vs Topeka West (seventh place).
11 -- Lawrence vs. Shawnee Mission West (fifth place).
12:45 p.m. -- Seaman vs. Wichita Heights (third place).
2:30 -- Washburn Rural vs. Wichita South (championship).
