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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 4-ranked Highland Park's boys basketball team entered Friday night's game at Seaman coming off back-to-back two-point Centennial League nailbiters against sub-.500 teams.
But Scots coach Mike Williams perceived that as a positive, that his team had been able to show the grit to survive those two upset bids to retain its share of the league lead.
And Highland Park used the close calls against Hayden and Emporia as motivation Friday night, taking a wire-to-wire 73-65 win over the Vikings in front of a big crowd at Seaman.
Highland Park junior Ketraleus Aldridge takes the ball to the hoop in Friday's 73-65 Centennial League win at Seaman. Aldridge led a balanced Scot offense with 22 points. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I've been stressing to our guys that it's February in the Centennial League and I think the biggest thing for us is figuring out how to win,'' Williams said. "The beautiful thing about both those games (Hayden and Emporia) is that late in those games we're executing the whole fourth quarter.
"That was the one thing that we took away from it that I was really, really, really pleased with, seeing our guys execute and stay poised. In the Hayden and Emporia games it was good to see us hang in there and close that gap and get over the hump.''
Improving to 13-2 overall and 10-1 in the league, Highland Park jumped in front 8-0 against Seaman and built double-digit leads in all four quarters while leading by as many as 13 points.
Seaman, which fell to 7-7, 6-5, mounted a late charge to pull within 63-59 with 1:57 remaining on a Gavin Wilhelm 3-pointer, but the Scots responded with six straight points and the Vikings got no closer than the final margin down the stretch.
Junior Ketraleus Aldridge scored 22 points to lead the Scots as all five Highland Park starters scored at least nine points.
Junior Tre Richardson scored 17 points while hitting all seven of his field goal attempts and all three free throws while junior Quentin Adams added 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers and senior Juan'Tario Roberts and junior Jahmir Kingcannon had nine points apiece.
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman scored a game-high 23 points in Friday's 73-65 loss to Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman paced Seaman with a game-high 23 points while senior Dreighton Griess added 14, junior Kaeden Bonner 13 and senior Ty Henry 12 points for the Vikings.
Highland Park will be back at home on Tuesday after three straight road games to host USD 501 rival Topeka High while Seaman will travel to Washburn Rural.
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 73, SEAMAN 65
Highland Park 16 14 18 25 -- 73
Seaman 9 13 16 27 -- 65
Highland Park (13-2, 10-1) – Adams 4-4 0-0 10, Aldridge 7-15 8-9 22, Richardson 7-7 3-3 17, Kingcannon 4-9 0-1 9, Roberts 3-9 3-4 9, Clemons 0-0 0-2 0, Robinson 2-4 0-0 4, Reed 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-49 14-19 73.
Seaman (7-7, 6-5) -- Griess 4-9 5-7 14, Hyman 9-13 5-5 23, Henry 6-12 0-0 12, Bonner 5-10 1-1 13, Wilhelm 1-4 0-0 3, Barta 0-0 0-0 0, Finley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-48 11-13 65.
3-point goals – Highland Park 3 (Adams 2, Kingcannon), Seaman 4 (Bonner 2, Griess, Wilhelm). Total fouls – Highland Park 18, Seaman 19. Fouled out – Griess.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Winning two of its last three games, Topeka High boy’s basketball was riding its best stretch of play heading into Friday night’s matchup with the visiting Emporia Spartans.
The Trojans would maintain that momentum as they took down Emporia for the second time this season, this time with a 70-59 high-scoring affair in the annual Dean Smith Game.
“That’s the key word, progress, we knew it was going to take a while, and we are by no means there. But when the season started we knew we were very young and very inexperienced,” said Topeka High coach Ty Baumgardner. “We just said stay the course and lets build for February.”
Ty Baumgardner's Topeka High boys eclipsed last season's win total with a 70-59 Centennial League victory over Emporia Friday night. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High knocked down 10 triples as the Trojans moved to 4-11 on the season to cap off an undefeated week.
“We got a good week but we got to get ready and move on because there is no rest,” Baumgardner said.
Turnovers dominated early as both teams combined for six field goal attempts in the first four minutes. The six first-quarter points for the Trojans were split between junior Mason Gomez and sophomore Germane Mays as Topeka High trailed 8-6 after one.
The Trojans got down by as many as eight early in the second, after seven quick points from Emporia junior Parker Leeds.
Then Topeka High got hot from deep, with four straight possessions ending in made 3-pointers. The first three came from junior Mason Gomez to retake the lead, with the final shot by sophomore Isaiah Lyons putting them up by four.
“I was just feeling good, every time I was open or felt like I was open I was pulling no matter what,” said Gomez, who finished the night with 24 points.
The Spartans would respond with the final four points of the half to go into halftime tied, 25-25.
The Trojans defense came out of halftime strong, allowing only four points in the first four and a half minutes to build a six-point lead.
Emporia would quickly respond, with six points from Leeds to take a lead. They would control it until Topeka High sophomore Mister Cameron converted an and-one drive with under two seconds left, resulting in a 43-41 lead entering the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Gomez came alive again for the Trojans, knocking down three triples in the first four minutes, putting Topeka High up, 54-49.
“He carried us tonight, there's no question about it and that's what he can do, he can shoot the basketball. He has been having a hard time finding his groove and learning how to do things the way we want them done with a new offense,” Baumgardner said. “But he caught fire, and when he is in a groove he can be dangerous.”
Inside the final four minutes, the Trojans got two baskets from sophomore BJ Canady while Leeds continued to score for the Spartans to keep the deficit within five.
Topeka High turned up its full-court press in the final two minutes, forcing turnovers and in turn getting fouled by Emporia to stop the clock. Canady, Gomez and sophomore Bryson Thrasher each went 2-2 at the line, creating a 10-point cushion.
A few more free throws would seal it for the Trojans, who ended the night with the 11-point win.
“We did guard well down the stretch and we made our free throwsm but we were not real smart with our decisions so that’s a little disappointing and not seeing growth when we need to. But overall, pretty good down the stretch,” Baumgardner said.
The 24 points from Gomez on seven 3-pointers led the Trojans and the game in scoring. Canady and Thrasher each finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Topeka High.
Leeds paced the Spartans with 23 points. Sophomore Sheldon Stewart finished with 12 points and senior Jacob Ortega added 10.
With the win Topeka High eclipsed its win total in the 2020-2021 season and improved to 4-7 in league play.
Next up is a road matchup with Highland Park on Tuesday.
TOPEKA HIGH BOYS 70, EMPORIA 59
Topeka High 6 19 18 27 -- 70
Emporia 8 17 16 18 -- 59
Topeka High (4-11, 4-7-) – Lyons 2-4 0-1 6, Mays 3-8 1-4 7, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Thrasher 2-10 6-6 11, Flenoy 1-4 1-1 3, Hales 0-0 0-0 0, Gomez 7-10 3-4 24, Canady 4-6 4-6 12. Totals 22-42 16-23 70.
Emporia (2-13, 1-10) – Stewart 3-4 6-6 12, Leeds 8-12 6-7 23, Templeton 0-1 0-0 0, Rech 2-4 0-0 4, Hess 3-3 2-2 8, Seeley 0-0 0-0 0, Ortega 4-8 2-3 10, Peters 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 21-38 16-18 59.
3-point goals – Topeka High 10 (Gomez 7, Lyons 2, Thrasher 1). Emporia 1 (Leeds 1). Total fouls – Topeka High 19, Emporia 22. Fouled out – Emporia (Stewart). Technical fouls – None.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls basketball team didn't get off to a great start against Highland Park Friday night.
But it wasn't anything a 19-0 second-quarter run and four double-figure scorers couldn't take care of, with Seaman rolling to a 67-35 home Centennial League win over the Scots.
Seaman freshman Anna Becker (23) scored a game-high 22 points in Friday night's 67-35 win over Highland Park, giving her 48 points in two games on the week. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman, which improved to 10-4 overall and 8-3 in the league, led by just an 18-13 margin after two free throws by Highland Park's Victoria Reed with 3:46 left in the first half, but the Vikings would blank the Scots the remainder of the half while running off 19 straight points of its own to take control with a 37-13 halftime lead.
"I just feel like these kids feed off each other and when someone makes a play, then you can see a pickup on our team with our intensity,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "We play so well together and that kind of carried us during that spurt.''
Highland Park (2-13, 0-11) did not make a field goal in the decisive second quarter, scoring all seven of its points at the free throw line, while Seaman scored 25.
"We wrote up on the board before the game, 'Play without fouling,' and we did the exact opposite,'' Tinsley said. "It's hard to guard them at the free throw line.''
But while Seaman might have sent the Scots to the line more than Tinsley would have liked, the Vikings also forced 20 Highland Park turnovers in the half.
Seaman, ranked No. 9 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, continued to roll in the the third quarter, outscoring Highland Park 22-14 to take a 59-27 lead and force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.
Freshman Anna Becker, who scored 26 points in Tuesday's 49-46 win over Manhattan, followed that performance with a 22-point night against Highland Park, including a seven of seven showing at the free throw line.
And Becker had plenty of help from her teammates, with sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer adding 14 points with four 3-pointers while sophomore Brooklyn Gormley added 11 points and freshman Ava Esser 10 points off the bench.
Gormley, Esser and freshman Maegan Mills all grabbed seven rebounds for the Vikings.
Highland Park freshman Amelia Ramsey registered a double-double Friday night against Seaman with 12 points and 12 rebounds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Amelia Ramsey had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Highland Park while Reed added 10 points.
SEAMAN GIRLS 67, HIGHLAND PARK 35
Highland Park 6 7 14 8 -- 35
Seaman 12 25 22 8 -- 67
Highland Park (2-?, 0-??) – Gonzales 2-5 1-4 7, Reed 2-7 6-7 10, White 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor 2-14 0-1 4, Ramsey 4-8 4-6 12, Parker-Brown 1-3 0-0 2, Nunez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-38 11-18 35.
Seaman (10-4, 8-3) – Schumann 0-4 0-0 0, T. Stallbaumer 5-14 0-0 14, Becker 7-15 7-7 22, Gormley 3-5 5-10 11, Mills 1-4 1-2 3, Anderson 1-5 0-0 3, J. Stallbaumer 1-5 0-0 2, Spurlock 0-2 0-0 0, Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Esser 4-6 2-2 10, Moulden 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-53 15-21 67.
3-point goals – Highland Park 2 (Reed 2), Seaman 6 (T. Stallbaumer 4, Becker, Anderson). Total fouls – Highland Park 17, Seaman 17. Fouled out – none.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Topeka High's girl’s basketball team, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, was aiming to protect its undefeated record Friday night against the visiting Emporia Spartans, ranked No. 3 in the latest 5A Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings.
After a slow start, the Trojans outscored Emporia by 26 points over the final three quarters to do just that, taking a 65-36 Centennial League win.
“We didn’t play our best against Junction when we went down there,” Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander said. “We know we got to turn it on. It’s the prime time of the season and we can’t be relaxed, we can’t be satisfied.”
Kiki Smith
Tae Thomas
The win moved Topeka High to 14-0 on the year and 11-0 in league play as the Trojans were once again led by junior Kiki Smith and senior Tae Thomas, who combined for 36 points.
“Those two just feed off of each other, they both do a good job of looking for one another” Alexander said. “It’s easy for a defense to hone in on one, but when you’ve got two and some very good role players that know their job and do their job very well, it’s really hard (to defend).”
Defenses for both teams dominated early on, slowing each offense down and limiting possessions.
Most of the scoring for each side came from its stars, with Smith for the Trojans and senior Gracie Gilpin of the Spartans scoring five each.
A 3-pointer at the one-minute mark from Topeka High sophomore Ayana Leesman broke the 5-5 tie, giving the Trojans an 8-5 lead after eight minutes.
Topeka High began to create some distance in the second quarter, with a 3-pointer by Smith at the 2:46 mark putting the Trojans up by double digits.
“Once we started to get some defensive stops that kind of let off some pressure for us to relax and do our thing offensively and get some points in transition,” Alexander said.
Gilpin continued to score, as she knocked in the first 10 for Emporia and scored 13 in the half. Late free throws for senior DayShauna Wiley put the Trojans back up by 10, with a halftime lead of 26-16.
Gilpin came out of halftime just as hot, scoring five points in the first two minutes to pull Emporia within seven.
Topeka High’s offense would take off after that, led by Thomas, who scored 13 in the quarter, including converting two and-ones. The Trojans would finish on a 15-3 run to take a 49-27 lead into the fourth.
In the final quarter, nine combined early points from juniors Faith Shields and Adisyn Caryl pushed the lead to as many as 27. A layup by Caryl at the 3:33 mark made it a 30 point game and the clock ran out with a 29-point Trojan win.
“We attacked their man-to-man and then they threw a zone at us and we kept attacking so I think that is why we were successful,” Alexander said.
Smith led Topeka High with 21 points, including three 3-pointers while Thomas added 15 points, including 13 in the second half.
Gilpin was the only scorer in double-figures for the Spartans, finishing with 22 points and four made 3-pointers.
Next up for the Trojans is a road contest against Highland Park on Tuesday.
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 65, EMPORIA 36
Topeka High 8 18 23 16 - - 65
Emporia 5 11 11 9 -- 36
Topeka High (14-0, 11-0) – Leesman 2-3 1-2 6, Baird 0-2 0-0 0, Zimmerman 0-0 0-0 0, Wiley 1-4 2-2 4, Caryl 4-4 0-0 8, Thomas 5-11 4-4 15, Fulton 0-0 0-0 0, Shields 3-7 0-0 8, Sharpe 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 8-10 2-4 21, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Mwangi 1-1 0-0 3, Verser 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-38 9-12 65.
Emporia (11-4, 7-4) – Gilpin 8-16 2-4 22, Kirmer 0-3 1-2 1, Peak 0-1 0-0 0, Stewart 1-2 0-0 3, A. Baker 1-1 0-0 3, Shirley 1-2 0-0 2, T. Baker 0-0 0-0 0, Garcia 0-0 0-0 0, Snyder 1-4 3-3 5. Totals 12-27 6-9 36.
3-point goals – Topeka High 8 (Smith 3, Shields 2, Thomas 1, Leesman 1, Mwangi 1). Emporia 6 (Gilpin 4, Stewart 1, A. Baker 1). Total fouls – Topeka High 15, Emporia 14. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday's Centennial League boys wrestling tournament at Highland Park promises to be a lot bigger and more competitive than last year's league meet.
Highland Park, Topeka High and Topeka West did not wrestle in the 2020-2021 season while Seaman missed the tournament due to a COVID-19 quarantine, leaving just five schools in the field and some of those were missing regulars due to COVID-19.
Another change for Saturday's meet is that the league girls meet will be held in conjunction with the boys tournament after the two tourneys were held separately a year ago.
One thing that remains the same is that Washburn Rural is the team to beat in both the boys and girls divisions after sweeping the Centennial League crowns last season.
The Rural boys had eight wrestlers crowned league champions in the 2021 meet as the Junior Blues won their second straight team championship by a 230-159 margin over Manhattan.
Austin Fager
Washburn Rural's girls pulled out the league title by a 169-164 margin over Emporia after losing a 1-point decision to the Spartans in the first girls league tournament in 2020.
