By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Hayden senior basketball player Lauren Sandstrom believes she may have found something in the past week. She followed up a 22-point effort against Washburn Rural with 32 points in a 61-32 win at Topeka High Friday.
Senior Lauren Sandstrom scored 32 points in Friday's 61-32 Hayden win at Topeka High, giving her 54 points over her last two games. [File photo/TSN]
The win pushed the Wildcats’ record to 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the Centennial League.
Hayden has been winning despite early-season struggles from Sandstrom, a third-team All-Class 4A pick a year ago. Friday, she knocked down three 3-pointers and drove to the basket relentlessly, knocking down 13 of 22 shots.
“It’s really nice seeing Lauren attack like she’s attacking,” said Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson. “The last two games, it’s like the other team really doesn’t have an answer for her.
“She had several nights like this last year. But this year, it’s been a bit of a struggle. She had a breakout game against Washburn Rural last Friday and that carried over to tonight.”
“The games before (Washburn Rural), I was in a little bit of a slump I guess,” Sandstrom said. “I honestly was sort of disappointed in myself. But then Washburn Rural was like my breakout game. I honestly think that was what I needed. And tonight, to get 32 really helps my confidence.
“Tonight, I just kept driving the ball, and I decided if they’re not going to stop me, why not just keep going? My teammates did a great job of moving the ball around, giving me open looks.”
The Wildcats started the game slowly, and the Trojans kept it close, even taking an 11-10 lead early in the second period. But Sandstrom responded with 12 points in the second quarter to help Hayden pull out to a 29-17 halftime advantage.
The Wildcats rolled out an 8-0 run to start the third period and never looked back. They dominated the offensive glass, earning a multitude of second-chance shots. The Wildcats attempted 66 shots to Topeka High’s 35.
“We’ve got good size and when we play with energy, we’ve got good athleticism,” Reynoldson said. “So, I hope we start dominating the boards even more.”
Despite getting the victory, Reynoldson found plenty of things for the Wildcats to work on.
“We hit two 3-pointers in the first half, but I don’t know how many we shot,” Reynoldson said. “That’s uncharacteristic of us. Our girls were open, but just launching 3s isn’t what we want to do. It came back to bite us because it was a rough first half.
“It seemed like tonight we let some external things get in our minds instead of just playing our brand of basketball.”
Hayden’s Brylee Meier supported Sandstrom’s 32 points with 15 of her own.
Topeka High sophomore Keimara Marshall led the Trojans (2-7, 0-3) with 13 points.
HAYDEN GIRLS 61, TOPEKA HIGH 32
Hayden 10 19 16 16 -- 61
Topeka High 8 9 8 7 -- 32
Hayden (7-1, 3-1) – Grunert 2-9 2-2 6, Sandstrom 13-22 3-6 32, Fulton 0-4 0-0 0, Meier 6-18 2-4 15, Greco 2-8 0-2 4, Reid 2-3 0-0 4, Foster 0-1 0-0 0, Huscher 0-0 0-0 0, Connell 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, Gregg 0-0 0-2 0, Borjon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-66 7-16 61.
Topeka High (2-7, 0-3) – Kincaide 0-3 2-2 2, Triplett 0-3 0-0 0, Marshall 5-12 3-7 13, Rayton 3-7 0-2 8, Gotru 2-5 2-4 5, Clanton 2-5 0-0 4, McGuire 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-35 6-18 32.
3-point goals – Hayden 4 (Sandstrom 3, Meier 1), Topeka High 2 (Rayton 2). Total fouls – Hayden 11, Topeka High ?15. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None
