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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After watching probably her team's most disappointing performance of the season in a 13-point loss at Washburn Rural Tuesday night, Topeka High girls basketball coach Brittney Redmond could have been forgiven for putting her Trojans through some arduous practice sessions in the wake of that setback.
Instead, Redmond went completely the other way, a tactic that paid immediate dividends for her No. 4-ranked (Class 6A) Trojans in Friday's 60-37 home Centennial League romp past No. 10 (4A) Hayden.
"We didn't practice the two days leading up to this, and I won't say I was expecting this, but this is what I had hoped for taking those two days off,'' Redmond said. "We just took days off. We needed them and we had to regroup and get our minds right.
"I know this is the type of team that we can do that and come back stronger.''
Topeka High, which improved to 14-5 overall and 5-4 in the league, never trailed against Hayden and there was just one tie at 3-3 before the Trojans took control early behind a 14-point first-quarter barrage from senior star Kiki Smith, including four 3-pointers over the first seven minutes.
The Trojans built a 21-10 lead at the end of the opening quarter and High led by as many as 20 points late in the first half before taking a commanding 37-20 lead to the locker room.
Topeka High made it a 29-point game (55-26) by the end of the third quarter and forced a running clock when sophomore Jo'Mhara Benning hit a free throw with 7:22 remaing to put the Trojans up by 30.
Smith finished with a game-high 28 points, hitting five 3-pointers and going five of five at the free throw line while also grabbing six rebounds.
Benning came off the bench to score nine points and grab eight rebounds for the Trojans while junior Ladaysha Baird added eight points off the bench.
"It was great, I loved it,'' Redmond said of the Trojans' performance. "I think our energy and our intensity was probably the highest I've seen it all season.''
Sophomore Kaliya Fulton led Hayden (11-7, 3-6) with 10 points while sophomore Brylee Meier added eight points and sophomore Norma Greco seven.
TOPEKA HIGH 60, HAYDEN 37
Hayden 10 10 6 11 -- 37
Topeka High 21 16 18 5 -- 60
Hayden (11-7, 3-6) -- Sandstrom 3-10 0-0 6, Fulton 3-12 4-6 10, Huscher 1-2 0-0 3, Meier 3-9 1-2 8, Greco 2-5 3-6 7, Grunert 0-0 0-0 0, Lenherr 0-1 0-0 0, Reid 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 13-40 9-16 37.
Topeka High (14-5, 5-4) -- Leesman 1-4 0-0 2, Marshall 0-2 2-2 2, Caryl 1-2 2-2 4, Shields 2-5 0-0 5, Smith 9-16 5-5 28, Baird 3-6 0-0 8, Sharpe 1-1 0-0 2, Benning 3-5 3-5 9 Verser 0-0 0-0 0, Huggins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-42 12-14 60.
3-point goals -- Hayden 2 (Huscher, Meier), Topeka High 8 (Smith 5, Baird 2, Shields). Total fouls -- Hayden 14, Topeka High 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- Shields.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn women's basketball led by as many as 28 points and never trailed in Thursday's 75-58 MIAA road victory at Lincoln.
Washburn (11-14 overall, 7-12 MIAA) jumped out to a 6-0 start in the game, with Emma Chapman scoring all six points, and the Ichabods closed out the final 55 seconds of the opening quarter with a pair of free throws and a layup from Macy Doebele to extend the lead to 17-10.
The Ichabods carried their momentum into the second quarter and outscored the Blue Tigers 14-4 leading up to the media timeout with just under the five minutes left in the first half.
Lincoln (5-20, 3-16 MIAA) came out of the timeout with a 6-0 scoring run, but WU freshman Gabi Artis put an end to that with a 3-pointer that sparked a run of 10 unanswered points for Washburn to finish out the half in front, 41-20.
The Ichabods shot a blistering 81.8 percent from the field (9-of-11) and made 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the quarter, with Artis making all three of her shot attempts from beyond the arc.
The Blue Tigers put up nine of the first 11 points scored to start the second half and trimmed the deficit to 43-29, but the Ichabods quickly regained control of the game with a 14-0 burst to go up by a game-high 28 points, 57-29, with 2:49 left in the third frame. The Blue Tigers closed out the quarter almost exactly how they started with an 8-2 run to cut the Washburn lead to 59-37 heading to the fourth.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (9-8, 3-5) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-15, 0-8)
Hayden will be looking for its third win of the week affter beating non-league foe Tonganoxie on Monday and taking a 56-45 home Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. Senior Joe Otting led the Wildcats with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Junction City while senior Jake Muller added 13 points. Topeka High is coming off a 61-35 league loss to Washburn Rural, with senior Mason Gomez scoring 12 points to lead the Trojans. Hayden will be playing Topeka High for the third time this season, with the Wildcats taking 67-57 and 64-47 wins in the earlier two games.
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (6-11, 5-8) at SEAMAN (10-7, 7-6)
Seaman has won three straight games after a 56-50 United Kansas Conference decision over Leavenworth on Tuesday. Senior Aron Davis led the Vikings with 25 points against Leavenworth, including 21 points in the second half. Seaman took a 48-39 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood in the first meeting between the Vikings and the Bobcats.
KC-SUMNER (10-8, 7-4) at HIGHLAND PARK (16-0, 8-0)
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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (11-6, 3-5) at TOPEKA HIGH (13-5, 4-4)
Hayden is 2-0 on the week, posting a 55-16 non-league win over Tonganoxie Monday and taking a 48-21 home Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. Sophomore Norma Greco led Hayden with 14 points against Junction City while junior Lauren Sandstrom added 11 points and sophomore Brylee Meier 10. Topeka High is coming off back-to-back league losses to Emporia and league-leading Washburn Rural, with the Trojans dropping a 55-42 decision at Rural Tuesday night. Freshman Keimara Marshall scored 11 points to lead the Trojans against the Junior Blues. Topeka High took a 60-25 win over Hayden earlier in the season.
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (12-5, 10-3) at SEAMAN (16-1, 12-1)
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman will have an opportunity Friday night to avenge its only loss of the season, a 74-71 overtime defeat at Basehor-Linwood earlier in the year. The Vikings have won 10 straight games since that loss to the Bobcats. Seaman is coming off a 61-22 win over Leavenworth on Tuesday while Basehor-Linwood beat KC-Turner, 58-17.
KC-SUMNER (13-5, 7-3) at HIGHLAND PARK (13-3, 8-0)
Highland Park took a 65-51 home Meadowlark Conference win over Atchison on Tuesday while Sumner is coming off a 50-46 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Highland Park beat Sumner 64-20 earlier in the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After combining for 10 gold medals in league competition, city swimming stars Luke Perkins of Shawnee Heights and Brogan Meier and Jack Miranda of Washburn Rural lead the city contingent into Friday and Saturday's state championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.
Perkins, a senior, captured four gold medals in his final United Kansas Conference meet last week. Perkins, winning the 200-yard individual medley (2:02.46) and the 100 butterfly (52.83) and swimming on the T-Birds' winning 200 medley relay (1:44.59) and the winning 200 free relay (1:33.47).
Both Meier and Jack Miranda captured three gold medals -- two individual wins and a relay victory -- in last week's Centennial League meet. Meier won the 100-yard freestyle (48.79 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (55.76) while Miranda won the 200 freestyle (1:46.47) and the 500 free (4:53.69). Meier and Miranda also swam on Rural's winning 400 free relay (3:26.57).
Perkins has been a mutlti-time state placer in the Class 5A-1A state meet three straight seasons, including four state medals a a junior after earning two medals as a freshman and sophomore.
Perkins placed second in the 5A-1A 100 butterfly and sixth in the 200 individual medley as a junior while also helping the T-Birds place fifth in the 200 medley relay and sixth in the 200 free relay.
Perkins enters this year's state meet seeded No. 2 in the 100 butterfly (52.63) and No. 4 in the 200 individual medley (2:01.12) while Shawnee Heights is the No. 5 seed in the 200 medley relay (1:41.44) and fourth in the 200 free relay (1:33.47).
Meier was a 6A state medalist last season, placing eighth in the 500 freestyle. Meier also finished 13th in the B Final in the 200 free at state and helped the Junior Blues finish 10th in the 400 free relay.