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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
It took the Shawnee Heights boys (5-2 overall, 5-2 in the United Kansas Conference) less than four minutes to build a double-digit lead and for all five starters to score Tuesday night.
The Thunderbirds scored the first 12 points and would run away with a 67-41 win over Turner (0-7, 0-6).
Sophomore Jaret Sanchez led a balanced Shawnee Heights attack as the T-Birds rolled to a 67-41 UKC win over KC-Turner Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
“What I loved is that we played extremely hard, and we shared the ball, we didn’t miss very many open people,” said Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting. “We were getting the ball out and getting the shots we can make, which is what I liked most ... so offensively it was a good night.”
Shawnee Heights lived in the paint, making 30 total field goals with only three 3-pointers as the T-Birds scored 63 points in the first three quarters. Defensively the T-Birds held the Golden Bears to 14 points in the first half.
“I thought our rotation was good except on the weak side, and again, last 10 minutes we got lazy when we were up 35 and they got a bunch on easy backside rotations but when the game was in question I thought our defense was really good,” Darting said.
The win was the fourth straight for the T-Birds. It has been a group effort offensively in that stretch and it was no different Tuesday, with six players scoring at least five points.
“I think we are coming together at the perfect time,” Darting said. “We are a team that has to win with 10 or 12 players, we don’t have a guy that can take the game over, so I like how we are coming together.”
The opening quarter was dictated by the defensive pressure of Shawnee Heights to build a 12-0 lead. Turner was able to knock down a few shots late, playing the rest of the quarter even to trail 19-7.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Even though Topeka High's boys basketball team has struggled in the early going in the 2022-2023 season, Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said he knew his Junior Blues, who cracked the Class 6A state rankings at No. 10 on Tuesday, couldn't afford to take anything for granted Tuesday night, particuarly at the storied Dungeon.
And although things got a little sloppy at times, Hutchins was happy to take the 54-42 Centennial League road win, the Junior Blues' fourth straight, and move on.
Senior Jack Bachelor (12) scored a game-high 17 points as Washburn Rural improved to 6-2 with a 54-42 win at Topeka High Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Max Bettis (53) drives to the hoop between Topeka High junior Bryson Thrasher (2) and senior Ty Votaw Tuesday night at High. Bettis had seven points an 12 rebounds in Rural's 54-42 win while Thrasher led High with 16 points. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural, which improved to 6-2 overall and a perfect 3-0 in the league, trailed just once in the game, at 6-4, and by as many as 18 points (40-22) before fighting through a late Trojan run to claim the double-digit victory.
"If you paid attention you know that they've done this against pretty much everyone they've played,'' Hutchins said about High's rally. "I think Blue Valley Northwest is the only team that really put it to them. They did this against Manhattan, they did this against Emporia. They're scrappy. They hang in it and that 3-point line keeps them in it and keeps it interesting.
"You don't ever want to take wins for granted or ever get to where you're calloused enough where you don't enjoy them, so we'll enjoy this.''
Washburn Rural scored the last six points of the first quarter to take a 10-6 lead and the Junior Blues opened up a 21-6 lead in the second quarter en route to a 23-11 halftime advantage.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Entering Tuesday night's Centennial League game at Topeka High, Washburn Rural's girls basketball team had dropped seven straight games to the Trojans.
As seniors, Brooklyn DeLeye and MaRyah Lutz had been around for all seven of those defeats, and the duo played a huge role as the fifth-ranked (Class 6A) Junior Blues ended the streak with a nail-biting 47-46 victory over eighth-ranked Topeka High.
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye had game-high totals of 17 points and 11 rebounds as Washburn Rural ended its seven-game losing streak against the Trojans with a 47-46 win Tuesday night at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior MaRyah Lutz (right) scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Washburn Rural's 47-46 Centennial League win at Topeka High Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
DeLeye and Lutz combined for 28 points and 18 rebounds to lead the way as Rural improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the Centennial League with its fifth straight win.
Washburn Rural held double-digit leads in each of the opening three quarters, but like most every recent meeting in the series, Tuesday's contest went down to the wire before a Topeka High turnover with 1.7 seconds remaining ended up being the difference as Rural picked up its first win over the Trojans since the 2019 Class 6A state championship game.
"It's like a big relief, like the weight just got off your shoulders,'' Lutz said.
"It definitely was a close one and it was a big win for us, but we can't like make it the state championship,'' DeLeye said. "We've got to treat it like a normal game and keep getting better because we still have a lot to improve on, but I'm just glad we finally got it done and especially at their place is a pretty big thing.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2023 Darting Basketball Academy membership program opened on Tuesday, with DBA continuing to add new programs for its members.
Kerry Darting instructs campers during last month's DBA Community Give Back Shoe Drive Camp. The DBA mem [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
On top of its 18-week skills academy and HoopCulture backpacks, members will also have access to day camps, 3 on 3 leagues, spring and fall leagues, shooting labs, mental performance coaches, private workouts and much more.
For more information email Kerry Darting at
Spots open or MLK Day Camp on January 16
No school, no problem!
Parents will have the opportunity on Martin Luther King Day to drop off young athletes at Topeka Collegiate School to enjoy a day of basketball on Monday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Doores will open at 8 a.m. and lunch is included.
For more information email Kerry Darting at
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls and Highland Park's boys have climbed to the No. 1 spots in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 5A girls and boy state rankings, released Tuesday.
Both the Vikings and Scots were ranked No. 2 in the most recent KBCA polls before making the jump to the top spots this week.
Sophomore Anna Becker (right) and the Seaman girls are ranked No. 1 in the KBCA Class 5A state rankings. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park senior Bo Aldridge and the Scots have climbed to No. 1 in the KBCA Class 5A boys state rankings. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman and Highland Park are two of 10 Shawnee County teams in this week's KBCA rankings this week, with Shawnee Heights' girls and Washburn Rural's boys both newcomers to th the state rankings.
Silver Lake's girls remain No. 2 in the 3A girls rankings behind No. 1 Goodland.
Washburn Rural jumped to No. 5 in the 6A girls rankings while Topeka High is No. 8.
Shawnee Heights' girls entered the 5A rankings at No. 9 while Rossville's girls are No. 10 in 3A.
Washburn Rural entered the 6A boys rankings at No. 10 while Topeka West is No. 6 in 5A and Hayden No. 6 in 4A.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
GIRLS
Class 6A
1. Blue Valley North; 2. Shawnee Mission South; 3. Liberal; 4. Blue Valley; 5. Washburn Rural; 6. Derby; 7. Lawrence; 8. Topeka High; 9. Wichita Southeast; 10. Olathe Northwest.
Class 5A
1. Seaman; 2. Emporia; 3. St. Thomas Aqunas; 4. Bishop Carroll; 5. Hutchinson; 6. Andover; 7. KC-Sumner Academy; 8. De Soto; 9. Shawnee Heights; 10. Salina Central.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege; 2. McPherson; 3. Wameo; 4. Wellington; 5. Rock Creek; 6. Andale; 7. Fort Scott; 8. Independence; 9. Ottawa; 10. (tie Eudora and Louisburg.
Class 3A
1. Goodland; 2. Silver Lake; 3. Phillipsburg; 4. Nemaha Central; 5. Southeast-Saline; 6. Cheney; 7 Haven; 8. Eureka; 9. Atchison County; 10. Rossville.
Class 2A
1. Berean Academy; 2. St. Mary's Colgan; 3. Jackson Heights; 4. Smith Center; 5. Hillsboro; 6. Hoxie; 7. Garden Plain; 8. Riverside; 9. Remington; 10. Mission Valley.
Class 1A-Division I
1. Little River; 2. Osborne; 3. Pretty Prairie; 4. Clifton-Clyde; 5. Madison-Hamilton; 6. Hodgeman County; 7. Centralia; 8. Central Plains; 9. Frankfort; 10. Quinter
Class 1A-Division II
1. Hanover; 2. Lebo; 3. Central Christian; 4. Bucklin; 5. Wilson; 6. Attica; 7. Golden Plains; 8. Thunder Ridge; 9. Linn; 10. Beloit-St. John's.
BOYS
Class 6A
1. Olathe West; 2. Blue Valley North; 3. Wichita Heights; 4. Derby; 5. Blue Valley Northwest; 6. Lawrence; 7. Olathe North; 8. Garden City; 9. Free State; 10. Washburn Rural.
Class 5A
1. Highland Park; 2. Kapaun Mt. Carmel; 3. Hutchinson; 4. St. James Academy; 5. Maize South; 6. Topeka West; 7. De Soto; 8. Andover Central; 9. Andover; 10. Piper.
Class 4A
1. McPherson; 2. Bishop Miege; 3. Eudora; 4. Circle; 5. Atchison; 6. Hayden; 7. Wamego; 8. Wellington; 9. Baldwin; 10. Hugoton.
Class 3A
1. Southeast-Saline; 2. Sabetha; 3. Hesston; 4. Wichita Collegiate; 5. Haven; 6. Galena; 7. Osage City; 8. Colby; 9. Marysville; 10. Humboldt.
Class 2A
1. Wichita Independent; 2. TMP-Marian; 3. Ellinwood; 4. Lyndon; 5. Bennington; 6. Moundridge; 7. Sterling; 8. Inman; 9. Wichita County; 10. Jayhawk-Linn.
Class 1A-Division I
1. Olpe; 2. Centralia; 3. Macksville; 4. Clifton-Clyde; 5. Wichita Classical; 6. Burlingame; 7. Randolph-Blue Valley; 8. Osborne; 9. Norwich; 10. Elyria Christian.
Class 1A-Division II
1. Greeley County; 2. Northern Valley; 3. Hanover; 4. Pawnee Heights; 5. Axtell; 6. Lebo; 7. Cunningham; 8. Bucklin; 9. Logan-Palco; 10. Bird City-Cheylin.
