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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
A hot shooting start for the visiting Lions from Lansing did not dissuade No. 9-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West from running away with a dominant 73-44 United Kansas Conference win Tuesday night at West.
“There’s a time in the first quarter where the game settles and it's about how you are playing when the game settles,” said Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist. “We talk about that a lot and we did a great job of maintaining our intensity and maintaining our poise.”
Senior Sincere Austin scored a game-high 21 points as Topeka West rolled to a 73-44 UKC win over Lansing Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Chargers (11-3, 8-2) outscored the Lions 49-14 in the middle two quarters and used a full roster to do it. Even as the teams’ win streak extended to four games, it was Tuesday night’s win that showed Bloomquist that his team was truly moving in the right direction.
“Tonight I feel like that, and I hope I feel like that on Friday, too,” Bloomquist said. “They responded to what I asked them and what they needed to do and change and that’s why I like coaching at Topeka West, kids here really sincerely want to do well.”
Topeka West has now played and defeated Lansing three times already this season, with scores of 65-49, 55-32, and now 73-44, by far the most lopsided of the three.
“No question (we have grown) from the first time we played them … I was pleased with the way we attacked them,” Bloomquist said. “We like to play up and down the floor, and when you play like that every night is going to be different.”
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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
It doesn't matter how it looked or how many points were scored, all that mattered to coach Jeff Skar and the Topeka West girls Tuesday night was that the Chargers won their third game in the last five with a 31-30 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing.
Topeka West junior Brooklyn Alexander scored a team-high eight points in the Chargers' 31-30 UKC win over Lansing Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
“I was proud of them, that’s kind of our personality, we have done that all season,” Skar said of the Chargers' gritty style of play. “I liked our energy most of the game and I liked our effort.”
In December the Chargers (4-10, 3-8) lost a 58-53 decision to the Lions (3-9, 2-8) on the road in overtime, which served as some extra motivation to avoid the same result in another close game.
“Our team personality is that we always battle back but we also let teams back in the game, we haven’t put teams away when we had the chance … I knew that they were going to make it a battle,” Skar said. “After losing in overtime to them the first time around I think our kids probably felt like we owed them a bit tonight.”
The Chargers scored only one point in the third quarter and trailed by four early in the fourth after leading by as many as 10 in the first half.
A 10-1 run in the fourth quarter served as the comeback and put the game away for Topeka West.
Most of the offense for the home team came in the first quarter, with four starters scoring buckets to put the Chargers up 12-7 after eight minutes.
“I think our energy helped us, we were getting some turnovers and attacking the basket,” Skar said.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman's boys were probably going to need to be clicking on all cylinders Tuesday night to knock off visiting Piper, one of the United Kansas Conference's hottest teams, and when Seaman lost one of its main cogs, senior Kaeden Bonner, to an injury less than four minutes into the game, it became apparent that it might be a long night for the Vikings.
Seaman freshman KaeVon Bonner (11) puts up a shot on the way to a game-high 21-point night in the Vikings' 73-60 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior Aron Davis scored 18 points in Tuesday's 73-60 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And although Seaman showed grit in cutting what had been a 22-point Pirate lead to seven late in the game, Piper never trailed en route to a 73-60 win.
Piper, which improved to 11-4 overall and 8-3 in the UKC, already led 10-4 when Bonner, a returning All-Shawnee County pick, crashed hard into the bleachers while trying to make a defensive play, suffering what appeared to be an injury to his left knee, and did not return to the game.
"He can attack and he can create for teammates and he makes the others better,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said of Bonner. "Without him then we lose a really good ball handler, a really good slasher, a really good shooter so we just got really sped up. We couldn't find an answer.''
Piper quickly took control after Bonner left the game, opening up a 21-point advantage on the way to a 39-22 halftime lead and Seaman (7-6, 4-5) never threatened until late in the game.
Piper led by 18 (55-37) at the start of the fourth quarter but Seaman rallied behind some timely 3-pointers to claw all the way back to within seven (67-60) with 1:40 left before the Pirates scored the final six points.
"We gave ourselves a little bit of an opportuity there late, which I was proud of their effort,'' Cox said.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The top-ranked Seaman girls entered Tuesday's home United Kansas Conference contest against Piper still feeling the after-effects of three straight tough single-digit battles in last week's Glaciers Edge Tournament at Emporia.
Seaman junior Taylin Stallbaumer scored 15 points with three 3-pointers in Tuesday's 56-43 UKC win over Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Anna Becker scored 14 points in Tuesday's 56-43 Seaman UKC win over Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after falling behind early and taking a tenuous six-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Vikings, coming off the Glaciers Edge tournament championship, got the job done, pulling away down the stretch for a 56-43 victory.
"We looked like a mentally and physically exhausted team at times tonight,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "Defensively I think we were just tired. (Piper) played hard and they're a better team than they were when we played them early in the year (63-35 Viking win), but you're always happy with a win.
"Our talk after the game was, 'Let's get rested up, some kids are a little under the weather and we've got to get ready for a good game Friday against De Soto.' ''
The Vikings, who improved to 12-1 overall and 8-1 in the UKC, got off to an 8-1 lead out of the gate but the Pirates (10-5, 7-4) fought back to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the opening quarter and went up 15-10 with 6:48 left in the half before Seaman rallied to take a 27-20 lead into the locker room at the break.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The red-hot Washburn University men's basketball team will be looking for its sixth straight win and a regular-season sweep over Missouri Western when the Ichabods begin a three-game road trip at 7:30 p.m. Wednesay at Western.
Sophomore Andrew Orr is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game for Washburn, which plays at Missouri Western Wednesday. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 10-9 overall and 7-6 in the MIAA after winning their fifth-straight game in a 66-56 decision over Northeastern State last Saturday at Lee Arena.
The Griffons (8-12, 4-10) lost their sixth game in a row last Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney, 85-75. WU won the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 17 in Topeka, 76-51.
Washburn has won the last five in the series with the Griffons after losing the previous four in a row.
Seaman Andrew Orr leads the Ichabods in scoring at 13.1 points per game while averaging 13.6 ppg in MIAA contests. Orr has reached double figures in 13 of 19 games this season. He is third on the team in rebounds at 5.9 per game.
