By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Highland Park took care of business on the road Friday night, improving to 5-0 with a 62-50 Centennial League win over rival Topeka High.
Senior Juan'Tario Roberts scored a game-high 23 points and reached the 1,000-point mark for his career as the Scots continued their early-season roll.
Highland Park gathers around senior Juan'Tario Roberts (middle with ball) after the Scots' 62-50 win over Topeka High Friday night. Roberts scored 23 points to eclipse the 1,000-point scoring mark for his career. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
“Obviously, it was a rivalry game,'' Highland Park coach Michael Williams said. "The game was going to be uglier than we wanted it to be. The game could’ve gone either way. With the win, our guys held it down, together. We had to stay in the zone and keep our guys packed in, which they did a good job of that.
"It took us about a quarter and a half to figure the game out. That’s the good thing about this group. Throughout the first five games, they’ve endured a lot, didn’t point fingers, we never backed down, we never shut down, and we are able to figure things out on the fly.''
The first two quarters of Friday night’s contest were closely competitive. Strong defense from both Highland Park and Topeka High forced contested shots that resulted in a high number of missed shots from the field.
Friday’s third quarter was Highland Park’s for the taking. The Scots would outscore the Trojans, 28-15, to take control.
Ketraleus Aldridge, Jahmir Kingcannon and Roberts combined for 22 points in the third quarter out of the 28 scored. This effort from the trio would have a big impact on the win.
Kingcannon finished the night with 12 points and Aldridge with 10.
With a seven-point lead with 31 seconds to go in the game, Scots guard Richardson made a defensive statement, stealing the ball on back-to-back possessions and driving the ball twice in for layups.
High’s intimidating defense wasn’t enough to stop Highland Park’s quick, high-flying offense throughout the game. High has four players listed above 6-foot-5 while Highland Park only has one player listed above 6-5. The Scots believe they can still be as effective against teams that are bigger than them.
“Topeka (High) has really good size,'' Williams said. "A couple of our guys caught the ball in the paint, looked around and saw some trees. At the end of the day, it’s basketball. Despite the size some of our opponents have, we need to find ways to spread the ball around to different parts of the floor.
"Even though some guys are bigger than us, we need to stop staying away from the post and earn points inside. We have to find more ways to exploit our opponents on the inside.''
Sophomore BJ Canady led Topeka High with 14 points while sophomore Isaiah Lyons added 11.
A great team win heading into the break was the only thought in the mind of the Scots staff and players. While most coaches and players despise the two-week winter break, Highland Park actually loves the two-week hiatus from competition according to Williams.
“A lot of people may say that a two-week break isn’t ideal,'' Williams said. "I would disagree with that statement. It’s beneficial to our team. Some people don’t know that we were down 10 days due to COVID. We missed 14 practices. That happened on November 20th. We didn’t come back until December 1st.
"In reality, two weeks off is heaven. We will be honest with you, this break is to take advantage of the down time and we are going to utilize it. We are looking forward to those two weeks away with no games.The rest will make us better. When we get back from break and back into the lab, we will get better.''
When competition resumes, Highland Park (5-0) will make the trip to Atchison (3-2) on January 4th while Topeka High (1-5) will hit the road to take on Centennial League foe Washburn Rural (2-3).
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 62, TOPEKA HIGH 50
Highland Park 13 6 28 15 – 62
Topeka High 11 8 15 16 – 50
Highland Park (5-0, 5-0) – Roberts 9 3-3 23, Kingcannon 5 0-0 12, Aldridge 5 0-1 10, Richardson 4 0-1 8, Adams 3 0-0 6, Robinson 1 1-2 3.
Topeka High (1-5) – Canady 5 4-7 14, Lyons 4 0-0 11, Gomez 3 0-0, 8, Flenoy 2 2-2, 6, Thrasher 2 0-0, 5, Morales 2 0-1, 4, Mays 1 0-0 2.
3-point goals – Highland Park 4, Topeka High 6. Total fouls – Highland Park 12, Topeka High 16. Fouled Out – Thrasher.
