By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
The Class 4A No. 8 Hayden girls hosted Junction City on Friday night and delivered a dominant performance, rolling to a 61–23 Centennial League victory.
The Blue Jays stayed within striking distance early, pulling to within one midway through the first quarter at 9–8, but that would be as close as they would get.
Hayden quickly took control with a 12-0 run to close the opening period, building a 19-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
From there, the Wildcats’ pressure defense and aggressive play in the paint made it difficult for Junction City to find any offensive rhythm.
Hayden consistently attacked the basket, converting high-percentage looks and forcing turnovers on the defensive end.
Junior Alana Mitchell continued her strong recent play late in the second quarter, providing a spark that helped Hayden pull away before halftime.
Mitchell knocked down two 3-pointers and scored seven of her 10 points in the closing minutes of the half, sending the Wildcats into the locker room with a commanding 35-13 lead.
“I have been playing the best that I can, putting all my effort into it, being aggressive, and working extremely hard to help my team win,” Mitchell said.
Hayden showed no signs of slowing down after the break.
The Wildcats came out firing in the third quarter, with Hailey Schmidtlein scoring nine consecutive points during a decisive run that pushed the lead to 44-15.
Hayden continued to stretch the margin, closing the quarter ahead 56-21 and triggering a running clock in the fourth.
Schmidtlein led Hayden with a game-high 18 points.
Junction City was led in scoring by Laniyah Warmack, who finished with 10 points.
The Blue Jays struggled all night to generate consistent offense against Hayden’s defensive pressure.
With the win, Hayden built momentum heading into a challenging road matchup on Tuesday against Topeka High.
The Trojans are coming off an impressive 45-26 win over Washburn Rural, though Hayden defeated Topeka High earlier this season, 51–40, at home.
“They’re a dangerous team with a lot of talent,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. “We’ll have to play good defense and move the ball well on offense.”
HAYDEN 61, JUNCTION CITY 23
Junction City 8 5 8 2 --23
Hayden 19 16 21 5 -- 61
Junction City (2-13 0-4) -- Warmack 4-8 2-2 10, Henry-Rivers 1-3 1-4 3, Pruitt 1-12 0-0 2, Riley 1-3 0-0 2, Nabus 1-1 0-0 2, Covington 2-4 0-0 2, Hatcher 0-1 0-0 0, Douglas 0-2 0-0 0, Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Briley 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 10-36 3-6 23.
Hayden (13-4 4-1) -- Schmidtlein 6-14 6-9 18, Walter 3-11 0-2 7, Foster 2-5 0-0 4, Watts 1-1 1-2 3, Huscher 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell 3-5 2-4 10, Borjon 3-8 1-1 8, Wichman 3-6 1-2 7, Connell 2-8 0-0 4, Wrench 0-1 0-0, Slyter 0-1 0-2 0, Scheer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 11-22 61.
3-point goals -- Hayden 4 (Mitchell 2, Walter, Borjon). Total Fouls -- Junction City 17, Hayden 10. Fouled out -- Pruitt.
