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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After having five of its previous six games decided by four or fewer points, including a tough four-point loss at Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night, ninth-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights enjoyed a rare blowout Friday night, rolling to a 62-43 home United Kansas Conference win over Leavenworth.
Senior Emari Doby scored a game-high 18 points as Shawnee Heights rolled to a 62-43 UKC win over Leavenworth Friday night at Heights. [File photo/TSN]
"I think we set the tone in practice this week after coming home from the Basehor game and understanding that it's one game, it's not life or death,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "Lets just play this season out and play the best that we can play.
"We changed some things up in practice and played with a lot more freedom tonight.''
All five of Shawnee Heights' five losses have come by four or less points and Wells said it was important for the T-Birds to get a statement win Friday.
"I think that was eating on them that we were losing by three and that we were losing by four and all those games it was like a layup here, some free throws there, and that was leading to missing free throws and that was leading to missing some of those layups,'' Wells said. "Hopefully they're understanding that that's in the past and we can't change it now, so let's do our best to not let it happen in the future.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
While fans, players and even some coaches may get more fired up by slam dunks, acrobatic scoring plays and long-distance 3-pointers, it's defense that excites hall of fame high school basketball coach Ken Darting more than any other facet of the game.
Sophomore Jaret Sanchez scored a game-high 18 points, with three 3-pointers and a 4-point play, in Shawnee Heights' 69-32 UKC romp past Leavenworth Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
And Darting had plenty to get excited about Friday night in Shawnee Heights' 69-32 United Kansas Conference romp past Leavenworth at Heights.
Leavenworth jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes of the game, but the Pioneers were held scoreless over the next 10 and a half minutes as the T-Birds went on a 26-2 run to take charge.
"Defense just sets up everything, it just does,'' Darting said. "We walk in and see some of those athletes and you think, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do with them?' But we just help each other so much.
"What's making the difference this year over the last four years, and certainly the last two, is the kids believe the same thing I do. They believe that defense wins, that they can't go out and get in a shootout and win.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Getting the opportunity to come home to Hayden as a school counselor wasa dream come true for Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy.
Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy, who helped lead Hayden to its first Class 4A state volleyball championship in 2007, has been named the Wildcats' head coach. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And now the 2008 Hayden graduate will get the chance to guide the Wildcat volleyball program she starred in, which is icing on the cake.
"I love being a school counselor,'' McGreevy said. "I love this job so much, I can't say that enough, but now that I get to coach on top of that, too, and be a part of the game I love is just so exciting for me.''
McGreevy led Hayden to its first Class 4A state championship as a senior in 2007 after a pair of third-place state finishes and went on to play college volleyball at Kansas, Pittsburg State and Washburn.
McGreevy was coached her final three seasons in high school by Jesica Farmer-Walter and Carrie Schmidt and said the two coaches strongly encouraged to take on the coaching role.
"One hundred percent,'' McGreevy said. "They've been so positive and uplifting with it and they really encouraged me to take it. They just kept telling me all these positive things, how I could really make an impact on these girls, and they talked about how I know what it takes to win a state title and because I went here they said, 'It would be a great fit for you.' ''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE – The Silver Lake boys' basketball squad cut into a substantial deficit against Clay Center late in the fourth quarter on Thursday evening, but couldn't complete its rally and secure the victory.
Despite a low-scoring second quarter, Silver Lake kept itself an eyelash away from winning in the 57-49 loss to non-conference opponent Clay Center.
Senior Troy Heiman scored a team-high 13 points in Thursdays 57-49 non-league loss to Clay Center. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake faced multiple double-digit deficits throughout the game, and several times throughout the game the Eagles brought the game back within either four or five points.
Clay Center sophomore Cole Pladson was a nightmare for Silver Lake in the first half. Pladson had a game-high 25 points with 20 of those coming in the first half.
"We didn't do a good job, especially against (Cole Pladson)," Silver Lake coach Johnny Roberts said. "He got downhill and attacked… did a great job and killed us. Their penetration and quickness overmatched us at times tonight.
"We tried to shut (Pladson) down in the second half, put Dayne (Johnson) on (Pladson), and it helped, but it might've been a little too late. I probably made that adjustment too late tonight, and I should've made that adjustment quicker. It's not fair to our guys, and I should've done a better job as the coach."
Silver Lake kept Clay Center scoreless for 2:46 in the first quarter. Silver Lake used that defensive momentum to key a 6-0 drive to begin the game. Clay Center took less than two minutes to bite back with a run of its own.
Pladson had all seven points in a 7-0 Tiger run. That run forced Roberts to take a timeout as Clay Center gained a 7-6 lead with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter.
In the final 3:36, 6-foot-4 Fort Hays State football signee Braxton McDaniel gave the Silver Lake offense a spark. McDaniel provided seven points off of the bench and hit a free throw to give Silver Lake a one-point lead before the first quarter clock expired.
"Braxton has been huge for us off the bench," Roberts said. "He's really stepped into his role. He knows his role and does a good job. He did a better job today of knowing when the defense was going to come and collapse. He did a great job of attacking and squaring up while knowing where everyone was."
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE – It was just another night in the office for Class 3A's No. 6-ranked Silver Lake's girls' basketball team on Thursday night as the Eagles swiftly took care of business over non-conference opponent Clay Center, 64-38.
Silver Lake junior Makenzie McDaniel led the way with 19 points as the No. 6-ranked Eagles to a 64-38 win over Clay Center Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Lady Eagles notched another dominant win in a near unblemished season while Clay Center was worn down, out-worked and needed help to keep up with Silver Lake's aggressive fastbreak offense.
Since the Lady Eagles lost its first and only game of the season on Jan. 13 against Mid-East League foe Riley County, they've smothered the opposition.
After its only loss of the 2022-2023 campaign eight games ago, Silver Lake has had a positive point differential of 163.
"You learn from every game, and we learned a lot from Riley (County)," Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. "I don't know if it was a turning point for us; I just think it was a game for us to learn from and get better. I think what we are seeing right now is a result of coming in and getting better each and every day.
"I mean, there is no magic from that loss, and now everything is great. I think it's just playing more consistent basketball, getting better shots on the offensive end, and we are really improving our defense and finding out what we have to do to get consistent stops against quality teams."
