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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Sophomore Zoe Canfield hit six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points Friday night as No. 7-ranked Washburn Rural rolled to a decisive 58-32 Centennial League win at Emporia.
The Junior Blues, who improved to 9-1 overall and 8-1 in the league, capped a 3-0 week in impressive fashion, putting the No. 6-ranked (Class 5A) Spartans away by halftime on the way to their fourth straight victory.
Washburn Rural sophomore Zoe Canfield hit six 3-pointers and led all scorers with 20 points as Rural improved to 9-1 with a 58-32 win at Emporia Friday night. [FIle photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural bolted out to a 17-7 first-quarter advantage behind Canfield's four 3-pointers and the Junior Blues took a 32-15 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Rural's lead grew to 42-19 by the end of the third quarter and the Junior Blues outscored the Spartans 16-13 down the stretch.
Canfield was one of three Junior Blues in double figures, with junior Brooklyn DeLeye adding 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers and senior Emma Krueger finishing with 10 points.
Gracie Gilpin led Emporia (7-3, 6-3) with 13 points and three 3s while Rebecca Snyder added 10 points as the Spartans had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Friday's Rural win followed a win over 2021 Class 6A state champion Shawnee Mission Northwest on Wednesday and a win over Topeka West on Tuesday.
JUNCTION CITY BOYS 61, WASHBURN RURAL 57 (OT) -- The battle between the two Centennial League rivals went down to the wire, with Junction City outscoring Washburn Rural 9-5 in overtime to take the victory in Friday's semifinals of the Basehor-Linwood Invitational.
Junction City, ranked ninth in 6A, led 16-13 at the end of the opening quarter but Rural responded with a 20-12 second quarter to take a 33-28 halftime lead.
The Blue Jays outscored the Junior Blues 17-8 in the third quarter to take a 45-41 lead into the fourth but Rural came back to force overtime with an 11-7 fourth quarter.
Brock Howard led Washburn Rural (5-4) with 15 points while Griffin Durst added 11 points and Quincey Kidd nine. Rural had a three-game win streak snapped.
Howard Johnson paced Junction City (8-1) with 21 points, including three 3-pointers.
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST BOYS 71, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 34 -- Shawnee Mission Northwest spoiled Shawnee Heights shot at the Viking Classic championship with a 30-4 first-quarter onslaught and never looked back, rolling to a 71-34 win in Friday's tournament championship game and improving to 9-2 on the season.
Senior Carter Olson led Shawnee Heights (9-2) with 10 points and 10 rebounds while senior Jarin Sanders also scored 10 points.
Northwest, ranked 10th in 6A, led 46-14 at halftime and 63-30 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Friday's loss was Shawnee Heights' first of 2022 and snapped the T-Birds' six-game winning streak.
ST. JAMES ACADEMY BOYS 70, SEAMAN 63 -- St. James Academy took control early in Friday's McPherson Invitational semifinal and held off the Vikings the rest of the way.
The Thunder, who improved to 7-3, outscored the Vikings 22-10 in the first quarter and led 43-27 at the half, but Seaman used an 18-8 third quarter to get back in the game before St. James held off the Vikes down the stretch.
Senior Ty Henry led Seaman (6-3) with 16 points and three 3-pointers while junior Aron Davis scored 15 points and Kaeden Bonner 12.
ROCK CREEK BOYS 54, SILVER LAKE 43 -- Troy Heiman and Kamryn Kaniper combined for 29 points for Silver Lake, but it wasn't enough for the Eagles to keep pace with the Mustangs in a consolation game of the Burlington Invitational on Friday.
Heiman scored 15 points and Kaniper added 14 but Rock Creek (3-8) jumped out to a 10-7 first-quarter lead and then outscored the Eagles 27-18 over the second and third quarters to take control.
Silver Lake, which fell to 4-5, played for seventh place on Saturday afternoon.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN GIRLS 46, MARANATHA ACADEMY 32 -- Senior Jaley Barkley led Cair Paravel with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Lions posted a 46-32 victory in the McLouth Invitational.
Cair Paravel put itself in command with a 9-0 opening quarter and led 20-12 at the half before outscoring Maranatha 12-2 in the third quarter to take a 32-14 lead into the fourth stanza.
Freshman Gracie Babbitt backed Barkley with 10 points and sophomore Allison Schwarz added nine for the Lions, who improved to 4-5 with their second straight win.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The question, in the wake of Topeka West's 50-point first half against St. Marys Friday night, wasn't that surprising, but neither was Charger coach Rick Bloomquist's answer
After West put on a clinic in the first half of its Topeka Invitational Tournament semifinal en route to opening up a commanding 50-25 lead, Bloomquist was asked if the Chargers' could play any better.
"I hope so,'' Bloomquist said with a big smile. "I'm planning on playing better every game, but we played very well. We moved the ball well and we guarded against the David-Goliath syndrome that a lot of people suffer from.
"We talked about playing against the game itself and not against the team that we're playing against and I thought our kids did a very good job of that.''
The pace slowed somewhat after the break, but the 9-1 Chargers were never seriously threatened, forcing a running clock late in the game en route to an 85-55 victory over the 9-2 Bears.
Topeka West senior Elijah Brooks soars in for one of his four dunks in Friday night's 85-55 Topeka Invitational semifinal win over St. Marys. Brooks scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Elijah Brooks led Topeka West, ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four dunks while junior Xavier Alexander had 16 points with four 3-pointers and senior Zander Putthoff and junior Malachi Berg added 11 points apiece.
Topeka West junior Xavier Alexander (right) had 16 points with four 3-pointers in Friday's 85-55 semifinal win over St. Marys in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
With the victory, Topeka West advanced to its third Topeka Invitational final in the last five years and will face Wichita Northwest, a 66-60 winner over Highland Park, in the 2:15 p.m. championship game at Highland Park. The Chargers will be looking for their first Topeka Invitational title since 2004.
St. Marys and Topeka West were tied at 8-8 before the Chargers ended the first quarter with a 16-8 run to build a 24-16 advantage.
Things got worse for the Bears, No. 2 in 2A, in the second quarter, with Topeka West putting St. Marys away with a 26-9 second-quarter blitz.
St. Marys cut its deficit to 19 points (64-45) by the end of the third quarter but Topeka West ended its big night with a 21-10 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
St. Marys was led by junior Keller Hurla with 16 points and three 3-pointers while 6-foot-4 senior Fred Criqui added 14 points and seven rebounds.
St. Marys will face Highland Park in the third-place game at 12:30 p.m.
WICHITA NORTHWEST 66, HIGHLAND PARK 60 -- In the midst of an outstanding season, Wichita Northwest, No. 8-ranked in 6A, scaled a new height in Friday's Topeka Invitational Tournament semifinal, knocking off Highland Park, No. 2-ranked in 5A, 66-60 on the Scots' home floor.
"I think without question this is our biggest win to this point in the season,'' Northwest coach Andy Hill said. "We have had a nice year, but when we've played the teams that are the best of the best we've come up short, so to get this one done in this environment I was real proud of them.''
Northwest, which improved to 9-1, jumped out to a 20-9 lead over Highland Park (9-2) with two minutes left in the opening quarter, but Highland Park battled all the way back to knot the game at 46-46 on a 3-point play from junior Ketraleus Aldridge at the 7:51 mark of the fourth quarter and the Scots went up 48-46 on a basket by senior Juan'Tario Roberts with 7:21 remaining.
Northwest quickly regained control, however, scoring six straight points and Highland Park got no closer than two points the rest of the way while the Grizzlies led by as many as nine points twice down the stretch.
Junior Ketraleus Aldridge scored a game-high 21 points in Highland Park's 66-60 semifinal loss to Wichita Northwest in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Aldridge scored a game-high 21 points for Highland Park and Roberts added 15, but Northwest countered with five players scoring between eight and 17 points.
Senior Kevin Brown led Northwest with 17 points while senior Kee'on Hutton added 16 points and 11 rebounds, sophomore TaSean Williams 13 points, senior Geremiah Moore 10 points and senior Demarcus Hoover eight.
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH 63, HAYDEN 49 -- Shawnee Mission North, which improved to 2-9 on the season, led Hayden by just three points (41-38) at the end of the third quarter before taking control with a 22-11 fourth quarter.
The Bison looked to be on the verge of blowing the Wildcats out when they built a 25-8 advantage with 7:40 left in the first half but Hayden battled back to within four points and trailed 35-27 at the half.
Hayden, which fell to 1-8, never led in the game but got within three points three times in the third quarter and was still within three with less than six minutes remaining before North ended the game with a 20-9 run.
Junior Joe Otting led Hayden with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds while junior Jake Muller added 11 points.
Senior James Shepherd led Shawnee Mission North with 21 points while senior Vincent Rolls added 14 points and 10 rebounds and senior Jaylen Gray 10 points.
Shawnee Mission North advanced to Saturday's 10:45 a.m. fifth-place game to face Lawrence, which posted a 73-62 win over Topeka High.
Hayden will play Topeka High in the seventh-place game at 9 a.m.
LAWRENCE 73, TOPEKA HIGH 62 -- Looking for its second win of the season, Topeka High led Lawrence 29-26 at halftime and was still in front 36-34 midway through the third quarter before Lawrence took control with a 15-3 run to end the third quarter.
Topeka High (1-9) battled back to get as close as four points four times in the fourth quarter, but the Lions (8-3) ended the game with an 11-4 run.
Sophomore BJ Canady had another big game for Topeka High, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore Bryson Thrasher added 11 points and Germane Mays and Mason Gomez scored nine points apiece. All nine of Gomez's points came on 3-pointers.
Sophomore Zaxton King led Lawrence with a game-high 25 points while senior Pearse Long added 20 points and senior Truman Juelsgaard 11 points.
TOPEKA WEST 85, ST. MARYS 55
Topeka West 24 26 14 21 -- 85
St. Marys 16 9 20 10 -- 55
Topeka West (9-1) -- Austin 2 2-3 6, Brooks 14 2-3 30, Alexander 5 2-4 16, Berg 4 3-6 11, Putthoff 4 0-0 11, Robinson 3 0-0 6, Foy 0 0-0 0, Sowell 0 0-0 0, Noonoo 0 0-0 0, Reimer 1 0-0 2, Wilkerson 0 0-0 0, Bearman 1 1-4 3. Totals 34 10-20 85.
St. Marys (9-2) -- Jacobson 2 0-1 6, J. Hurla 2 0-0 6, K. Hurla 6 1-2 16, Homan 2 0-0 6, Criqui 6 2-3 14, DeDonder 1 0-0 2, B. Hurla 0 0-0 0, Ewing 2 1-2 5. Totals 21 4-8 55.
3-point goals -- Topeka West 7 (Alexander 4, Putthoff 3), St. Marys 9 (K. Hurla 3, Jacobson 2, J. Hurla 2, Homan 2). Total fouls -- Topeka West 13, St. Marys 15. Fouled out -- J. Hurla.
WICHITA NORTHWEST 66, HIGHLAND PARK 60
Wichita Northwest 22 15 9 20 -- 66
Highland Park 14 16 13 17 -- 60
Wichita Northwest (9-1) -- Hoover 3 1-2 8, Williams 4 2-2 13, Moore 2 4-6 10, Hutton 7 1-3 16, K. Brown 5 4-6 15, James 0-0 2-2 2, T. Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23 13-20 66.
Highland Park (9-2) -- Adams 2 1-1 6, Aldridge 9 2-2 21, Richardson 4 0-1 8, Kingcannon 2 0-0 6, Roberts 5 4-6 15, Martin 0 0-0 0, Robinson 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 7-10 60.
3-point goals -- Wichita Northwest 7 (Williams 3, Moore 2, Hoover, Hutton), Highland Park 5 (Kingcannon 2, Adams, Aldridge, Roberts). Total fouls -- Wichita Northwest 11, Highland Park 15. Fouled out -- none.
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH 63, HAYDEN 49
Hayden 8 19 11 11 -- 49
SM North 22 13 6 22 -- 63
Hayden (1-8) -- Muller 4 1-2 11, Duffey 2 2-2 7, Ham 1 0-0 2, Alfonsi 1 0-0 2, Otting 10 2-3 22, Bartlett 0 0-0 0, Gorman 1 0-0 2, Rice 0 0-0 0, Ridley 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 5-7 49.
Shawnee Mission North (2-9) --Hines 4 0-0 8, Shepherd 8 1-3 21, Gray 4 0-0 10, Rolls 5 4-4 14, Oberle 1 0-0 2, White 0 0-0 0, Schneider 1 1-2 3, Boldridge 2 1-1 5. Totals 25 7-10 63.
3-point goals -- Hayden 4 (Muller 2, Duffey, Ridley), Shawnee Mission North 6 (Shepherd 4, Gray 2). Total fouls -- Hayden 13, Shawnee Mission North 11. Fouled out -- none. Technical foul -- Gray.
LAWRENCE 73, TOPEKA HIGH 62
Lawrence 14 12 23 24 -- 73
Topeka High 12 17 10 23 -- 62
Lawrence (8-3) -- Nelson 2 0-0 4, Juelsgaard 2 7-8 11, King 9 6-8 25, Watson 1 1-1 3, Long 5 9-10 20, Bowen 2 0-0 5, Herlihy 0 3-6 3, Bassett 0 0-0 0, Cleavinger 0 2-2 2. Totals 21 28-35 73.
Topeka High (1-10) -- Lyons 2 0-0 6, Mays 4 1-3 9, Cameron 2 0-0 4, Thrasher 3 5-6 11, Canady 6 9-10 21, Brown 0 0-0 0, Norman 0 0-0 0, Gomez 3 0-0 9, Morales 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 15-19 62.
3-point goals -- Lawrence 3 (Bowen, King, Long), Topeka High 5 (Gomez 3, Lyons 2). Total fouls -- Lawrence 18, Topeka High 25. Fouled out -- Bowen, Mays. Technical foul -- Mays.
RESULTS FRIDAY
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Topeka High goes back on the court for the fourth quarter Thursday night against Hayden after taking control in the third quarter. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The No. 4-ranked Topeka High girls continued their undefeated basketball season Thursday night with a 59-33 home victory over the Hayden Wildcats.
While the Lady Trojans were coming off of a 78-53 Centennial League victory over Manhattan on Tuesday, Hayden hasn’t played a game since January 7th’s 65-47 victory over Topeka West due to COVID-19 issues.
Entering Thursday night’s makeup game, the Trojans had outscored Centennial League opponents at home, 289-131, in the four home games they’ve played, with the most competitive game at home a five-point victory against Seaman on Jan. 7th, while the largest margin of defeat was a 70-point victory against Highland Park back on Dec. 17th.
“Every day we tell our team to stay hungry,” Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander said. “They’ve been hearing for the last two months that they can’t do this without Nija (Canady). That’s been a thing that’s motivated the team. Yes, we lost something huge, but there is still a lot here. They’ve felt like people have given up on them. They always feel like they’re the underdogs and are earning respect.''
It wasn’t all roses and confetti for the Lady Trojans in their latest contest.
The first quarter was abysmal for High. The shots were not falling while Hayden seemed to make every shot with ease. Hayden’s tough interior offense was able to send their best shooters to the free throw line in the first quarter. Freshman Brylee Meier went four of four from the free throw line, while senior Macy Smith went two of two.
Things were looking bleak for Topeka High going into the beginning of the second quarter.
After Hayden went up by 10 points, Alexander called an important time out that turned the game around.
Immediately after the time out, High became more aggressive behind the 3-point line. Two 3s by Ayana Leesman and one by Kiki Smith brought the Trojans within reach. High would fight their way back to a close game before the second quarter ended, trailing at the half, 26-22.
Hayden’s Carly Stuke and Smith combined for 15 points out of the 26 on the board.
“We came out a little timid. Defensively, we didn’t get after it like we normally do. Other things frustrated us along the way. I told our girls at the half that we needed to dig deep and play the best half they ever played when they step back on that court,” said Alexander.
The third quarter was all High. The Lady Trojans distributed the ball to everyone on the court more effectively than they did in the first half. As good as the ball distribution was, the press defense was even better.
High’s press defense held Hayden to just three points in the third quarter while the Wildcats turned the ball over 13 times.
High’s prolific offense scored 20 points in the third quarter as Smith, Tae Thomas and Leesman led the charge.
Topeka High held Hayden to seven points in the entire second half after the Wildcats put up 26 in the first half. Alexander said it was one of the best halves of basketball she had ever seen after High outscored Hayden 37-7 in the second half.
High was able to rest their key starters in the fourth quarter.
“We’re banged up. Getting some rest going into the tournament next Thursday will be nice. It’ll be difficult playing back-to-back-to-back, but this is something this team has done before. We’ll have to bear through it and ice up,” said Alexander.
Hayden (4-3, 4-3) will host Highland Park (1-9, 1-8) Friday night.
Topeka High (9-0, 9-0) will host Blue Valley Southwest (0-9, 0-7) next Thursday in the opening round of tournament play at Topeka High.
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 59, HAYDEN 33
Topeka High 9 13 20 17 – 59
Hayden 15 11 3 4 – 33
Topeka High (9-0, 9-0) – Smith 6 2-2 15, Leesman 5 0-0 12, Thomas 5 0-0 11, Caryl 2 3-4 7, Shields 2 0-0 5, Mwangi 1 0-0 3, Wiley 1 0-2 2, Benning 1 0-0 2, Verser 0 1-2 1, Fulton 0 1-2 1.
Hayden (4-3, 4-3) – Smith 3 4-6 10, Stuke 3 1-3 8, Meier 0 4-4 4, Huscher 1 0-0 3, Grunert 0 2-4 2, Lenherr 0 2-3 2, Sandstrom 1 0-0 2, Anguiano 1 0-0 2.
3-point goals – Topeka High 6, Hayden 2. Total fouls – Topeka High 19, Hayden 8.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights advanced to the championship game of the Viking Classic with a 73-54 semifinal romp past Lansing Thursday night at Shawnee Mission West.
Now 9-1 on the season, the T-Birds will play for the tournament title at 7:45 p.m. Friday against Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Shawnee Heights posted its second win of the season over Lansing, the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival. as Brennon Dodge, Nate Pewe and Carter Olson combined for 55 points.
Sophomore Brennon Dodge scored 23 points and hit three 3-pointers as Shawnee Heights advanced to the championship game of the Viking Classic with a 73-54 semifinal win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
Dodge, a sophomore, led the T-Birds with 23 points, including three 3-pointers, while seniors Pewe and Olson added 19 and 13 points and Olson also grabbed 10 rebounds to register a double-double.
Shawnee Heights led the Lions 20-15 at the end of the opening quarter and used a 14-8 second quarter to open up a 34-23 haltime advantage.
The T-Birds boosted their lead to 52-34 at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Lions 21-20 over the final eight minutes.
Shawnee Heights shot a glossy 54.5-percent from the field although the T-Birds struggled from the free throw line, hitting just nine of 25 attempts.
Shawnee Mission Northwest advanced to the championship game with a 63-56 semifinal win over Blue Valley North.
SEAMAN BOYS 63, BLUE VALLEY 55 -- Seaman opened its tournament bid in the McPherson Invitational Thursday night with a 63-55 win over Blue Valley, earning a berth in Friday's semifinals.
Senior Mateo Hyman scored 16 points to lead the way as Seaman advanced to the semifinals of the McPherson Invitational with a 63-55 first-round win over Blue Valley. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Mateo Hyman led Seaman, now 6-2 on the season, with 16 points while junior Kaeden Bonner added 15.
Junior Aron Davis, who is coming off an injury, was the third Seaman player to crack double figures, finishing with 10 points.
Seaman led 16-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Blue Valley cut its halftime deficit to 28-23 and trailed by just three points (43-40) at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Vikings held off the Tigers down the stretch, holding a 20-15 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
Seaman will face St. James Academy in Friday's 6:30 p.m. semifinal.
St. James Academy advanced to the semifinals with a 68-31 win over Wichita North.
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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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