By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Veteran Shawnee Heights boys basketball coach Ken Darting has no doubt that the United Kansas Conference race, which includes four state-ranked Class 5A schools, will go down to the wire.
But Darting's No. 3-ranked T-Birds made a statement Friday night that they will be a major player in the race for the UKC championship as well as 5A supremacy with a 74-45 wire-to-wire road romp at No. 8 Topeka West.
Senior Jaret Sanchez (3) scored a game-high 25 points in Shawnee Heights' 74-45 UKC road win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"It was a really good performance,'' Darting said. "It's too early to say vital, but every win against each other is big because six of the nine teams can beat anyone of us on a given night.
"We've just got to stay the course and play it out.''
Now 3-1 overall and in the UKC, Shawnee Heights set the tone for the night when it jumped out to an 8-0 lead to open the game and West (2-2, 2-2) got no closer than four points over the remainder of the first half and no closer than nine after the T-Birds took a 14-point lead (33-19) to the locker room at the half.
A key point in the game came with 4:50 left in the third quarter when Heights star Jaret Sanchez picked up his fourth foul and West hit two free throws to cut its deficit to single-digits at 37-28.
But after just a minute on the bench Darting put Sanchez back in the game and the 6-foot-6 senior played a major role as Shawnee Heights turned the game into a rout, including a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that put Heights up 65-34 and forced a running clock the rest of the way.
"(Darting) didn't really say anything,'' Sanchez said. "He trusted me to go in there and play smart and continue to play and continue to keep the energy going without fouling.''
Darting agreed.
"He's real smart and I've got trust in him,'' Darting said. "Jaret can play with four. We're going to ride it along and if he fouls out, he fouls out.''
Sanchez did foul out shortly after his fourth 3-pointer of the night, but not before he scored a game-high 25 points.
Senior Deacon Pomeroy scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in Friday's 74-45 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Deacon Pomeroy also had a big night for the T-Birds, adding 13 points, including three 3-pointers that helped put the game away for Heights.
Pomeroy, an Oklahoma State baseball signee, said Friday's performance helped Heights put a three-point home loss to No. 6-ranked Piper, when the T-Birds let a 14-point halftime lead get away, in the rearview mirror.
"Obviously we played Lansing after the Piper game, but I think that's the bigger bounce back right there,'' Pomeroy said. "We gave that Piper game away, honestly. I think everybody knows that and we just proved that to ourselves after that type of win right there.''
Topeka West, which was coming off a road win over Piper, got 14 points from junior Malakyah Duncan and 13 from junior Keimani Paul, but no other Chargers had more than six points.
Shawnee Heights will return to action on Jan. 3 with a non-league game at Hayden while Topeka West will host Leavenworth in a UKC matchup on Jan. 7.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 74, TOPEKA WEST 45
Shawnee Heights 23 10 24 17 -- 74
Topeka West 11 8 15 11 -- 45
Shawnee Heights (3-1, 3-1) -- Cook 2 0-0 6, Pomeroy 5 0-0 13, Sanchez 9 3-3 25, Ross 2 0-2 4, Lee 2 1-2 5, Parker 2 0-0 4, Alston 3 2-2 9, Emmot 3 0-0 8, Ledell 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 6-9 74.
Topeka West (2-2, 2-2) -- Ford 0 1-2 1, Duncan 5 2-4 14, Paul 4 4-6 13, Foy 1 0-0 3, Chambers 1 0-0 2, Dillahunt 0 0-0 0, Mudganga 0 0-0 0, Traylor 1 0-0 2, Lassiter 2 0-0 4, Davis 2 0-0 6. Totals 16 7-12 45.
3-point goals -- Shawnee Heights 12 (Sanchez 4, Pomeroy 3, Cook 2, Emmot 2, Alston), Topeka West 6 (Duncan 2, Davis 2, Paul, Foy). Total fouls -- Shawnee Heights 17, Topeka West 14. Fouled out -- Sanchez. Technical foul -- none.
