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Created: 20 January 2022

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Topeka West senior star Elijah Brooks scored 34 points in Thursday's Topeka Invitational Tournament opener against Lawrence, but it was the final two that were by far the biggest, lifting the Chargers to a 59-57 victory at Highland Park.

Brooks had hit just two of his first six free throw attempts against the Lions and West had gone two of nine as a team before Brooks was fouled with 3.5 seconds remaining and calmly hit both ends of the one-and-one situation for the game-winning points.

"Elijah's a different animal,'' Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist said. "He's a different breed of kid. There's a lot of kids his size, a lot of kids just as smart as he is, but I'll be gone before I'll coach another kid like that. I'll probably be dead before I coach another kid like that.''

After a time out following Brooks' free throws, Lawrence had one last chance to pull out the win but West 6-foot-8 senior Nathan Bearman, who entered the game for the final play, deflected the inbounds pass and the Lions were only able to get off a desperation 3-point attempt, which bounced away as time ran out.

Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist talks to his Chargers during a late time out in Thursday's 59-57 first-round victory over Lawrence in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

With the victory Topeka West, now 8-1, advanced to Friday's 6:45 p.m. semifinal to face St. Marys, a 52-51 winner over Topeka High. Lawrence (7-3) will play Topeka High at 5 p.m. Friday in a consolation contest.

Highland Park, a 65-57 winner over Shawnee Mission North, will face off against Wichita Northwest, a 63-46 winner over Hayden, in the 8:30 p.m. semifinal. Hayden will play Shawnee Mission North in the 3:15 p.m. consolation game.

The Chargers, ranked No. 4 in the Class 5A state rankings by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, dominated the first half against the Lions, leading by as many as 16 points (34-18) and taking a 36-25 advantage to the locker room behind Brooks' 20 first-half points.

Topeka West led by 13 points after a Brooks 3-pointer with 3:07 left in the third quarter, but Lawrence ran off 14 straight points, including the final 11 of the third quarter, to take a 47-46 lead (the Lions' first of the game) on a Pearse Long 3-pointer with 6:55 remaining.

"The game got too easy for us,'' Bloomquist said. "I warned them about Lawrence. I told them at halftime, 'We don't have the lead.' In some people's eyes that lead looked humongous, but the way we played we had a false sense of security.

"You don't do that against Lawrence High. We did a good job of keeping them out of rhythm the first half and they found their moxy and obviously you know that's going to happen with those kids. It was a good win. We handled things well except for about a four-minute span when those kids came back on us.''

That brief 47-46 lead was Lawrence's only lead of the game, however, as West answered with six straight points, taking a 52-47 lead with 4:51 left after back-to-back baskets from junior Malachi Berg.

The Lions forged ties at 52, 55 and 57 and had a chance to take the lead after getting the ball on an alternating possession call with 26.6 seconds left, but Lawrence missed a shot and Brooks grabbed the ball (his 10th rebound of the game) and was fouled to set up his game-deciding charities.

Only four players cracked the scoring column for Topeka West, but three Chargers were in double figures, with senior Zander Putthoff scoring 12 points on four 3-pointers and Berg finishing with 10.

Sophomore Zaxton King and Long both scored 17 points for Lawrence, combining for seven 3-pointers.

HIGHLAND PARK 65, SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH 57 -- A year ago former Topeka High coach Pat Denney's Shawnee Mission North team entered the Topeka Invitational with just one win and promptly pulled off an upset victory over Topeka West.

In a similar situation Thursday night, North (1-9) couldn't quite pull off a second straight upset Thursday, but the Bison gave 9-1 Highland Park all it wanted before the Scots held on for a 65-57 win.

"They come from a great league (Sunflower) and their record is not indicative of who they are as a group,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said of North. "They play in an amazing league, they're playing great competition every night, that's a 6A school and they've got a head coach that's going to coach them up the right way and have them ready to compete.

"But it's good to get that win and we'll go right back at it tomorrow.''

North roared out to a 14-4 lead at the 1:45 mark of the first quarter and led 17-9 at the start of the second quarter before Highland Park answered with a 23-9 second quarter to build a 32-26 halftime advantage.

North go within two points early in the third quarter but the second-ranked Scots responded with a 9-0 run to go up 41-30 with 2:40 left in the third and Highland Park took a 45-36 lead into the final period.

Highland Park led by 14 twice in the fourth quarter but the Bison roared back to get as close as six three times over the final 1:28.

Highland Park junior Tre Richardson (left) led the Scots with 16 points in Thursday's 65-57 win over Shawnee Mission North in the first round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Tre Richardson led a balanced Highland Park attack with 16 points while senior Juan'Tario Roberts and junior Ketraleus Aldridge added 15 points apiece and junior Jahmir Kingcannon added 13.

Senior James Shepherd scored 17 points with four 3-pointers to lead Shawnee Mission North while senior Vincent Rolls had 13 points and 12 rebounds and senior Jacob Hines 10 points.

ST. MARYS  52, TOPEKA HIGH 51 -- Junior Keller Hurla hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining to send St. Marys to 52-51 first-round win over Topeka High and a semifinal matchup with Topeka West.

St. Marys junior Keller Hurla (12) hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining to give the Bears a 52-51 Topeka Invitational win over Topeka High Thursday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

K. Hurla's game-winning free throws put the capper on a 17 of 17 performance by the Bears at the line on the night while St. Marys also connected on seven 3-pointers in the game.

Topeka High, which fell to 1-8, jumped out to a 15-8 first-quarter advantage before the Bears used a 16-8 second quarter to go in front at the half, 24-23.

St. Marys (9-1) led 37-35 at the start of the fourth quarter but the Trojans led by a slight margin through much of the fourth quarter, taking a 49-46 lead with 1:28 remaining on a hoop by BJ Canady.

Canady broke a 50-50 tie with a free throw with 19.7 seconds remaining, but after a St. Mary's time out with 11 seconds left , K. Hurla was fouled as the clock ran down and hit the deciding free throws.

Topeka High still had a chance to pull out the win, but sophomore Bryson Thrasher's 3-point attempt bounced away as time ran out.

Topeka High sophomore BJ Canady scored 23 points in the Trojans' 52-51 Topeka Invitational loss to St. Marys Thursday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Canady, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, had a huge 23-point night for Topeka High while Thrasher added 12 points.

Senior Fred Criqui led St. Marys with 15 points while K. Hurla added 14 points and senior Luke Homan 11.

WICHITA NORTHWEST 63, HAYDEN 46 -- Hayden stayed within striking distance of Wichita Northwest, No. 8-ranked in 6A by the KBCA, through three quarters before the Grizzlies put the Wildcats away with a 21-11 fourth quarter in Thursday's final first-round Topeka Invitational game.

Hayden, which fell to 1-7, trailed by just a point (20-19) at the end of the first quarter and the Wildcats were still within eight (29-21) at the half and down by seven (42-35) at the start of the fourth quarter before 8-1 Northwest dominated the final eight minutes.

Junior Jake Muller tied for team-high scoring honors with 13 points in Hayden's 63-46 Topeka Invitational loss to Wichita Northwest Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Trent Duffey scored 13 points for Hayden in the Wildcats' 63-46 Topeka Invitational loss to Wichita Northwest Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Jake Muller and senior Trent Duffey led Hayden with13 points apiece while junior Joe Otting added 11 points before fouling out.

Senior Kee'on Hutton paced Wichita Northwest with 15 points while seniors Geremiah Moore and Kevin Brown added 12 points each.

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Details

Created: 19 January 2022

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural's girls basketball team went on the road Wednesday night and took a decisive 46-34 non-league battle over Shawnee Mission Northwest in a matchup between the two most recent Class 6A state champions.

Washburn Rural won the 2019 6A state title and Shawnee Mission Northwest won the championship last March after the 2020 state tournament was canceled after the first round due to COVID-19.

The Junior Blues, No. 7-ranked in 6A, led the sixth-ranked Cougars 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and then used a 13-5 second quarter to take a 23-12 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Rural, now 8-1, outscored Northwest by a slight 23-22 margin in the second half to close out the win.

Washburn Rural rode its balance to the victory, with five Junior Blues scoring at least six points.

Senior Emma Krueger scored a game-high 13 points in Washburn Rural's 46-34 non-league win at Shawnee Mission Northwest Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 12 points for Washburn Rural in Wednesday's 46-34 non-league win at Shawnee Mission Northwest. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Emma Krueger led Washburn Rural with a game-high 13 points while junior Brooklyn DeLeye joined Krueger in double figures with 12 points.

Junior MaRyah Lutz added seven points while senior Campbell Bagshaw and sophomore Zoe Canfield scored six apiece, with Canfield draining a pair of 3-pointers.

Shawnee Mission Northwest, which fell to 5-2, was led by senior Saige Grampsas with 11 points.

Washburn Rural will face another tough test on Friday, traveling to 7-2 Emporia for a Centennial League contest.

The Junior Blues took a 52-41 over the Spartans, No. 6-ranked in 5A, in the second game of the season.

Details

Created: 19 January 2022

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Zander Putthoff is sick of being sick.

But fortunately for the 6-foot-4 senior, he is finally starting to turn the corner in both the way he's feeling and the way he's playing for the Topeka West basketball team, which will take a 7-1 record into Thursday's 3:15 p.m. Topeka Invitational Tournament opener against Lawrence at Highland Park.

A year ago Putthoff was named the TopSports.news Shawnee County newcomer of the year and earned third-team All-Shawnee County recognition and All-Centennial League honorable mention after playing a key role for the 21-3 Chargers, who finished second in Class 5A.

 Topeka West senior Zander Putthoff (center) is coming off a 17-point performance in the Chargers' 79-67 win over previously-unbeaten Highland Park last Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Putthoff averaged 9.3 points as junior and was one of the state's top 3-point shooters, connecting on 63 treys while shooting 42 percent from outside the arc.

Coming off that success Putthoff entered his senior year with high hopes, but encountered a series of medical setbacks that slowed his progress.

"It started in the fall during workouts, I kept getting sick,'' Putthoff said. "I had tonsillitis , then I had COVID. It was mentally defeating because I was up in weight more than I've ever been and then I dropped way back down. I was starting to feel better and then I got (sick) again right before the (Shawnee) Heights game.''

Throw in the fact that Putthoff is also a diabetic and the West standout faced a severe uphill climb..

"I've been a Type 1 diabetic since I was three.'' Putthoff said. "That was a big thing. That's why I really couldn't get over it because blood sugar has a lot to do with sickness. If it's high your immune system doesn't fight off disease as well, so it was a battle.''

Putthoff wasn't the player in the early going that veteran Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist expected, but Bloomquist also knew there was a reason why.

"I've known he hasn't been feeling well,'' Bloomquist said. "You're a diabetic and then you're playing with a cold and the flu and everything else it takes you down, but we just had to be patient.''

Topeka West senior Zander Putthoff is feeling better and playing better for the Chargers have fighting through a variety of medical issues. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Over the last several games Putthoff has started to come around and turned his best game of the year in last Friday's 79-67 Centennial League win over previously-unbeaten Highland Park, scoring 17 points with three long-range 3-pointers.

"The Hayden game is probably when I felt pretty normal and then (against Highland Park) I felt pretty much like myself,'' Putthoff said. "I was in bed for weeks and when I came back my shot was not there. It was really a mental game but now that I've gotten a few weeks under me I'm starting to feel better. 

"My shot slowly got there but if I was anywhere not on the (3-point) line I still felt like my legs weren't fully there. Now I'm finally starting to feel like I was in the fall. Now I'm good.''

Putthoff has been known primarily as a shooter throughout his career, but has been focused this season on trying to become a more complete player.

"I've been taking good shots but if someone else is open I'm going to try to find them,'' Putthoff said. "I feel like I'm still known as a shooter but I feel like (teams) are respecting me a little more because I've gone to the rim the past few games a little bit.

"I just want to do whatever will get us the win.''

Details

Created: 19 January 2022

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Some big-name football programs reached out to former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas after he entered the transfer portal following a breakout redshirt freshman season for Minnesota.

But the University of Kansas offered something that other programs couldn't ... a chance to come home.

"It was more about me just wanting to be closer to home,'' Thomas told TopSports.news Tuesday night. "I've got younger brothers and I haven't been able to watch them play. My sister (Tae) committed and I wasn't able to see her sign or go to her games, so I just wanted to be closer to my family.

"I'm a huge family person, so that had a huge impact on me making my decision.''

Ky Thomas

Thomas, a 6-foot, 205-pounder, made the decision to enter the transfer portal shortly after being named the offensive most valuable player in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl and said it didn't take long to realize KU was the place for him, announcing his commitment to the Jayhawks last weekend.

"I had a few schools (contact me) and some of the schools will make you turn your head just because they're the bigger schools and stuff like that, but I felt like at heart after the first few days, I knew where I was headed,'' said Thomas, who ended his high school career at Topeka High as the No. career rusher in Kansas history with 7,703 yards, including 3,009 yards as a senior.

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