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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Hayden's rally from a 13-point deficit came up just short Thursday night, with Lansing taking a 48-45 victory in the opening round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament at the Bueltel Activity Center.
Senior Jacob Padilla, coming off an injury, led Hayden with 15 points in Thursday's 48-45 Topeka Invitational loss to Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But even though the Wildcats suffered their fourth straight loss to fall to 4-5 on the season, Hayden coach Trey Brown saw plenty of positives that his team can build on moving forward.
"We got a small taste of it and we've got to figure out what it's like to win again,'' Brown said. "We were right there and I think when we get healthy that will make a big difference but I thought the guys played hard and executed for the most part down the stretch.
'We got a great look with a great player at the end so we told them we've just got to keep hammering away, got to keep bulding. We're getting so much experience right now, playing all these big schools and good teams, so at the end of the year this is going to pan out for us.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High boys basketball coach Geo Lyons didn't get the performance he was looking for from his Trojans in Thursday's Topeka Invitational first-round game against Wichita Northwest at Hayden.
Topeka High coach Geo Lyons looks on during Thursday's 60-34 loss to state-ranked Wichita Northwest in the Topeka Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Dai'Quan Groves scored 12 points to lead Topeka High in Thursday's 60-34 loss to Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after taking a 60-34 loss to the Grizzlies, Lyons was ready to turn the page and focus on trying to bounce back in the final two games of the tournament on Friday and Saturday.
"That was the message in the locker room right now,'' Lyons said. "Going into the tournament you want to go 3-0 and if you can't go 3-0 you definitely want to win your last two.
"We're telling the boys right now fifth place is better than fourth place, better than second place. Even though second place is 2-1. Even though fourth place finishes above you they actually go 1-2 and second place finishes with a loss and you don't want to end with a loss so we we need to salvage it right now and really try and go 2-1 the rest of the way.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After winning three of its first four games, Topeka West's boys basketball game has encountered some tough sledding, losing three of its past four games, including a 49-47 heartbreaker to Shawnee Mission North on Thursday in the opening round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament at Hayden.
Junior Jalen Foy (22) led Topeka West with 15 points in Thursday's 49-47 loss to Shawnee Mission North in the first round of the Topeka Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
And while he still has high hopes for his young Chargers, veteran Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist admits it's been a tough stretch to deal with.
"We're struggling right now, ever since the De Soto game (a 76-30 loss), which I'm going to be frank when I tell you the De Soto game was probably the most embarrassing night I've spent on the bench,'' Bloomquist said. "I've never spent a night like that on the bench and I don't want to do it again.
"It's not just the fact that I was embarrassed, I felt like a fool. I felt like we're not accomplishing anything here and it's frustrating. We have things that we have to fix and it's not physical, it's mental. It's a mental situation and I'm trying my damndest to fix it. It's still early, but we're not playing well at all. We have no chemistry, we have no unity, we have no resilience. We just shut down way too easy.''
But Bloomquist still believes his team has time to reverse its fortunes in the second half of the season
"We're going to keep working at it because I like my team,'' Bloomquist said. "I really like them and we show signs of brilliance. Unfortunately, we don't see that very much.''
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• Isiah Pacheco. Hand it. Pitch it. Screen it. Wheel it. Kansas City, please. Try any of those options inside the 10-yard line.
• Do it for four downs if you must. In compacted goal-to-go space, coupled with wideouts limited by separation anxiety, Pacheco is your dude.
• Everyone marvels at how hard he runs. He could walk in spike-less golf shoes and still make greenskeepers shutter.
• No trickery needed near the goal line, Andy, except for a dash of misdirection. Pacheco should find the end zone.
• Please, try that. Rob Harrison Butker from becoming Super Bowl MVP.
• Remember when red zone confidence seemed limitless?
• The Chiefs would ring around their rosy huddle.
• Or, steal Rose Bowl relics coach Reid unearthed from grainy film reels.
• Compare that to today when they seem content to find a good angle for Butker to chip from.
• Even Travis Kelce sputters and backfires like a junkyard Maauto.
• Wait a second. Super Bowl? Yes, I raise that possibility, largely because of the impressive work of a young KC defense.
• Is George Karlaftis coming into his own? Is L’Jarius Sneed sufficiently miffed over being overlooked for honors? Is Chris Jones capable of thwarting opponents with his menacing presence?
• If so, Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes could be the solution to the Chiefs’ scoring issues.
• Or, the de-icer for Andy Reid’s mustache.
• Granted, it’s one thing to maul the frozen fish of Miami into submission.
• It’s another thing to stiffen defensively throughout the postseason.
• However, I think most of us would take Patrick Mahomes over the remainder of the many talented AFC quarterbacks.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park and Lawrence ended the 2023 Topeka Invitational Tournament facing off against each other in the championship game and opened the 2024 version of 62nd annual event on Thursday in a first-round rematch.
And like it did in the '23 final, Highland Park got the best of its Class 6A foe, rolling to Friday's semifinals with a 75-44 romp past the Lions at the Bueltel Activity Center.
Junior Ja'Corey Robinson recorded game-high totals of 21 points and 13 rebounds in Highland Park's 75-44 Topeka Invitational win over Lawrence at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
"I knew better than to overlook them, and it was also, too, just trying to sell the mindset to our kids that we can't overlook anybody,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "I think we're pretty good. I think we've got a chance to be really good, but we're not there yet and we've got to make sure that we approach the game the right way.
"So we're still scouting them, we're still going over stuff. We knew (Zaxton) King was a really, really good player and we knew they did a good job finding him and getting him the ball so he could get his shots up.''
Highland Park, which improved to 5-0, will play a 5:30 p.m. semifinal against Shawnee Mission North on Friday, with the Bison advancing with a 49-47 win over Topeka West.
