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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There were a lot of tense moments in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship tilt between Topeka High and Wichita Heights, with the Trojans having to fight back after letting a 17-point lead get away while the game included 10 lead changes and was a one-point contest with less than three minutes left.
Topeka High junior standout Kiki Smith said she cherished every minute of it, especially after the No. 4-ranked Trojans escaped with a 65-57 win over the Falcons at Topeka High.
"I love games like that,'' Smith said. "Games like that are so fun -- the intensity, the crowd, everything about is just so fun.''
Topeka High celebrates at the end of Saturday's 65-57 win over Wichita Heights in the championship game of the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans, who improved to a perfect 12-0 on the season, looked like they might run away with the win after doubling up the 9-3 Falcons 14-7 in the first quarter and going in front 24-7 with 4:35 left in the first half.
Topeka High was still up 31-22 at the half, but the Falcons opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take a 33-31 lead midway through the third quarter/
Trojan senior standout Tae Thomas scored High's first points of the third quarter on a 3-pointer at the 3:34 mark, the first of five straight lead changes before the Trojans took a slim 40-39 advantage into the fourth quarter.
A 5-0 mini-run -- two points by Smith and three by Thomas -- gave the Trojans 45-39 advantage with 5:20 remaining and High held on the rest of the way.
"This group never quits, they never stop and they always persevere,'' Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander said. "Their team chemistry is thick and they mess up, but do something phenomenal to get it right back.
"I love their no-quit mentality and just their tougness. You can't coach that.''
Wichita Heights got within a point (51-50) with 3:29 left, but Topeka High used an 11-1 run to put the Falcons away.
"We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy,'' Smith said of Heights' second-half rally. "They were down at half and we knew exactly what they were going to do.
"We came out slow but I'm really happy with the way we responded after seeing the way they came out and how we responded to that.''
![Topeka High's Kiki Smith (23) and DayShauna Wiley go to the floor to battle Wichita Heights' Zyanna Walker for a loose ball in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]](/images/2024/08/THighscramble.jpg)
Topeka High's Kiki Smith (23) and DayShauna Wiley go to the floor to battle Wichita Heights' Zyanna Walker for a loose ball in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High senior Tae Thomas (15) battles Wichita Heights' Mya Mayberry for the ball in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Smith led Topeka High with 20 points, including a seven of eight performance at the free throw line, while also grabbing nine rebounds and coming up with multiple steals.
Thomas was right behind with 19 points and junior Adisyn Caryl added 10 points and nine rebounds and came up big down the stretch.
Louisville signee Zyanna Walker scored a game-high 23 points to lead Wichita Heights while senior Cayanna Stanley added 12 points.
Smith and Thomas earned all-tournament honors for Topeka High while Walker and Stanley represented Wichita Heights on the all-tournament team.
SEAMAN GIRLS 61, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 32 -- Having dropped a 22-point semifinal decision to Wichita Heights Friday night, Seaman coach Matt Tinsley was eager to see how his Vikings would bounce back in Saturday's Capital City Classic third-place game against Shawnee Mission East.
Tinsley couldn't have been any happier with his team's response, with the Vikings posting a wire-to-wire 61-32 win and forcing a running clock in the fourth quarter.
"The last three minutes of last night's game, we were down 20, and I said that we needed to set the momentum for (this) game,'' Tinsley said. "Our quote before today's game was, 'You're going to get knocked down. Are you going to have the courage to get back up again?'
"I thought the girls did that today. I'm really proud of my team for stepping up to the challenge.''
Seaman, which improved to 8-4, roared out to a 19-4 first-quarter advantage and took a huge 34-11 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Vikings continued to roll in the second half, outscoring the Lancers 23-9 in the third quarter to push their lead to 57-20 and force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer was named to the Capital City Classic all-tournament team after helping lead Seaman to a third-place finish. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Vikings with a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and also grabbed seven rebounds.
Junior Jaycee Schumann joined Stallbaumer in double figures with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while freshman Ava Esser had nine points.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
After holding Newman to just 30 points on Wednesday, Washburn women’s basketball gave up 93 to the University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday but was able to come out on top for a fourth straight win.
“Every time we play Central Oklahoma we score,'' Washburn coach Ron McHenry said. "I’m not saying they don’t guard, but they allow do some things that we are comfortable with.
“We just never shut down, we just kept banging.”
The 98-93 win at Lee Arena was the most points that the Ichabods have scored this season, topping the previous high of 79.
“I think we feel really good, and are feeling really confident how each other are playing, getting the ball to each other, feeding whoever is going that night and really just going back to defense,” Ichabod sophomore Macy Doebele said.
Washburn sophomore Macy Doebele (left), scored 18 points, including the basket to send the game to overtime, in the Ichabods' 98-93 MIAA win over Central Oklahoma Saturday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
A fourth straight win moved Washburn to 9-9 on the season and 7-5 in conference play.
After a slow offensive game Wednesday, Washburn’s offense looked completely different early on, scoring 23 in the first quarter, including hitting four of five shots from deep.
Seniors Hunter Bentley and Shae Sanchez led the charge, combining for 15 points in the quarter, matching the total of the Bronchos.
“In the first quarter if they have a hard time getting good shots off, so we can start and set the tone like that, it’s hard for them to get into their offense and then it helps us because it makes it a little easier for us to get transition buckets,” Bentley said.
Strong rebounding and quick passing from the Ichabods extended the lead to as many as 15 points in the second quarter after a jumper by freshman Mackenzie Gamble.
Central Oklahoma began to press Washburn fullcourt, forcing nine turnovers in the second quarter and allowing the Bronchos to pull as close as one before the Ichabods made it a 39-37 game at the break.
Both teams offenses came out hot in the third quarter, first Washburn beginning with an 8-2 run followed by a 9-2 run from the Bronchos to pull within one before taking the lead at the 5:09 mark of the third.
“When UCO wants to run up and down they don’t necessarily want to guard. So we knew that if we could score with them, our defense would be good enough to keep them to a number where we could win,” Bentley said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Juan'Tario Roberts scored with five seconds left to give Highland Park's boys a 62-60 Centennial League road win at Hayden Friday night.
Roberts' game-winning hoop capped a game that saw notable individual performances by players on both teams.
Juan'Tario Roberts
Junior Tre Richardson tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points for Highland Park while junior Ketraleus Aldridge added 15 points, junior Jahmir Kingcannon 13 points with three 3-pointers and Roberts with 12 points.
Hayden had four players with at least nine points, led by junior Joe Otting, who tied Richardson for game-high honors with 19 points. Senior Trent Duffey scored 16 points with a pair of 3-pointers for the Wildcats while senior Peyton Bartlett added 11 points with three 3-pointers and junior Jake Muller nine points.
Highland Park doubled up Hayden 20-10 in the opening quarter and still led by a 37-29 margin at halftime but Hayden got within 46-45 at the end of the third quarter with a 16-9 third quarter and the game went down to the wire.
ROSSVILLE GIRLS 49, NEK SAINTS 34 -- Sophomores Kinsey Perine and Emma Mitchell combined for 29 points as Rossville took a 49-34 win over the NEK Saints Friday night in the Jefferson County North Invitational.
Kinsey Perine
Emma Mitchell
Perine paced the Bulldawgs with 17 points while Mitchell added 12 points as Rossville advanced to Saturday's 3 p.m. championship game to face Jefferson County North.
NEK built an 11-5 first-quarter lead over the Bulldawgs and led 24-23 at halftime before Rossville outscored the Saints 26-10 in the second half, including a 16-5 fourth quarter.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN BOYS 74, MARANATHA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 63 -- Senior Noah Hastert scored 26 points and grabbed 24 rebounds and senior Zach Clark added 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Cair Paravel Latin boys posted a 74-63 road win over Maranatha Academy Friday night.
Noah Hastert
Zach Clark
Maranatha came out firing, scoring all 15 of their first-quarter points on five 3-pointers, and finished with 11 treys on the night.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Class 6A No. 6-ranked Washburn Rural's girls collected their biggest win of the year against No. 3-ranked Derby Friday in shockingly blowout fashion.
Derby had not lost a regular-season game since Feb. 9 of last year, but the Junior Blues took control early in Friday's Lady Firebirds Winter Classic semifinal at Free State en route to a 54-37 rout.
Friday night’s contest between two of the best teams in Class 6A was all about physicality.
Derby, which has one of the biggest starting fives in the state, was matched up well with an aggressive Washburn team.
The aggressiveness began with Junior Blues senior Emma Krueger, who locked up with Derby’s most physical player, Maryn Archer, and Rural fed off of Krueger’s energy and defensive toughness from the start.
“There was a tone set by (Krueger) early,” Lady Blues coach Kevin Bordewick said. “She’s a defensive stopper that every team wishes they could have. She was a key figure in not allowing (Derby) to do what they wanted to do more.”
“In physical games like those, the referees aren’t going to give you many calls,” Washburn Rural junior Brooklyn DeLeye said. “You have to be tough and fight through it, and do whatever it takes to control the ball.”
Rural's starters had their way against Derby from the tipoff.
MaRyah Lutz and Zoe Canfield knocked down two 3-pointers apiece before the halftime break, while DeLeye and Jada Ingram combined for 19 points, all in the paint.
The second half continued the Junior Blues' momentum, with Rural able to extend their lead.
MaRyah Lutz scored 14 points and hit three 3-pointers in Friday's 54-37 semifinal win over Derby in the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 14 points in the Junior Blues' 54-37 semifinal win over Derby on Friday in the Lady Firebirds' Winter Classic. [File photo/TSN]
Lutz and DeLeye would go on to lead the Lady Blues in points with 14 points each.
“I feel more confident with my shot,” Lutz said after converting three 3-point shots. “Tonight was big for my game.''
The red-hot Lady Blues won't have much time to savor Friday's win for long, with Rural taking on No.1-ranked Shawnee Mission West in Saturday's tournament championship game.
“I’m going to enjoy this win for about five minutes before thinking about Shawnee Mission West,” Bordewick said.
WEST GIRLS FALL TO LEAVENWORTH, 51-34
Topeka West held a 22-21 advantaing going into the halftime break, but Leavenworth used to a 22-5 third quarter to take control on the way to a 51-34 in Friday's tournament consolation game.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Seaman and Topeka West's boys basketball teams faced off on Friday night in a rematch of the Dec. 7 game which saw the Vikings hand the Chargers their only loss of the season.
Topeka West senior star Elijah Brooks was not going to let that happen again as he followed up his 43-point effort earlier in the week with 33 more, breaking the all-time career scoring record at Topeka West.
“They just told us before the game, but whatever happened happened,'' Brooks said. " I wasn’t hunting for it, but it’s good to have it. Every time I would have went over there out of bounds they (the fans) would have told me I broke it and I was like I just wanted to finish the game really cause I was tired.”
Topeka West star Elijah Brooks scored 30 or more points for the fifth straight game in Friday's 74-58 win over Seaman, becoming the career scoring leader in West history. [File photo/TSN]
The previous record of 1,235 was held by Luke Dwyer and had stood since 2000, but after Brooks' 33 points he leaped up to 1,250 in his career.
“It’s definitely great because I spent all my four years here, I worked hard for it,'' Brooks said. "And just, every year they told me I could be a special player, so just seeing the proof is in the pudding, that’s really the great thing about it.''
The 74-58 win moved the second-ranked Chargers to 12-1 on the season overall and 8-1 in the Centennial League while the Vikings fell to 7-5, 5-3.
