By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team has put together an amazing run of success over the past three seasons, advancing to the Class 5A state tournament all three years while posting a 65-8 overall record, including a 47-3 mark over the past two campaigns.
Highland Park boys basketball celebrates its Class 5A sub-state championship after Saturday's 53-35 win over Bashor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's a feeling of emptiness that remains for those closest to the Scot program after back-to-back heartbreaking semifinal losses to the eventual state champions the past two years.
Two years ago Highland Park led virtually the entire game against Andover before the Trojans pulled out a 55-54 win with a late 7-0 run. The drama continued last season when Kapaun Mt. Carmel outlasted the Scots in overtime, 67-64.
Highland Park bounced back both seasons for dominating wins in the third-place game, but that provided little consolation to the Scots.
And now the Scots' main focus -- really their only focus -- is on doing everything they can to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths with a state title run this week in Emporia's White Auditorium.
"I feel like the last three or so years we get down there and I'm not saying we were playing bad but I feel like we could have played a little better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "So we are really, really focused on wanting to get to state and kind of show a little bit of the essence that we saw tonight.
"I like our prep, I like what we're doing going into it and we're looking forward to next week.''
Scot senior standout Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.
"We've got some fire under us,'' Robinson said. "We're trying to go out with a win. We're tired of getting third place. We're trying to finish it all out and win a state championship.''
Highland Park, which has had only three single-digit games all season, enters this year's state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 22-0 record and will face off with No. 8 Andover Central (14-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 5A boys event.
Highland Park made it back to the state tournament with a 53-35 romp past Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Hi Park.
Senior Mikey Williams led the Scots with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against the Bobcats, while Robinson added 15 points.
The Highland Park-Andover Central winner will advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 4 seed Shawnee Heights (19-3) and No. 5 Piper (19-3).
"We're just making it a point to come out every day in the state tournament with the same fire and the same juice and the same fire that we've had throughout this whole season so we can end up hoisting the state championship trophy,'' Mikey Williams said. "
The Shawnee Heights-Piper first-round contest at 4 p.m. Thursday is a rematch of last year's first-round game that saw Piper close with a 14-1 run to pull out a 72-71 win on the way to a runnerup state finish.
Heights and Piper will be playing for the third time this season, with the Pirates winning the first two games.
Shawnee Heights earned its second straight state berth under Ken Darting with a 49-42 sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed and defending champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel (19-3) will play a 6 p.m. first-round game against No. 7 Topeka West (14-8) and No. 3 Andover (19-3) will face No. 6 Bonner Springs (18-4) at 8 o'clock, with the winners playing an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal.
Topeka West is making its first state tournament appearance under coach Christian Ulsaker after making it to state with an 81-54 home win over Valley Center in Saturday's sub-state final.
Here's a team-by-team glance at the other first-round games involving Shawnee County teams:
Washburn Rural seniors King Leonard, Amare Jones and Kaden Ballard will lead the Junior Blues into the Class 6A state tournament Wednesday night in Wichita. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
WEDNESDAY
CLASS 6A BOYS
At Koch Arena, Wichita
8 p.m.
WICHITA HEIGHTS (3: 20-2) vs. WASHBURN RURAL (6: 18-4)
Washburn Rural, the Centennial League champion, advanced to the Class 6A state tournament with a 54-49 win over Junction City in Friday's home sub-state final, the Junior Blues' third win of the season over their league rival. The game was tied 41-41 at the end of the third quarter before Rural pulled out the victory with a 13-8 edge over the final eight minutes. Senior Kaden Ballard led Rural with 16 points while junior John Hoytal added 12 points and senior King Leonard 11. Rural will be facing a Wichita Heights team that finished second in 6A a year ago, dropping a 47-39 decision in the title game. The winner of Wednesday's first-round game will advance to a 6 p.m. Friday semifinal to face the first-round winner between No. 2 seed Derby (21-1) and No. 7 Olathe North (16-6).
Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman celebrates its sub-state championship last Friday after a 55-47 win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
CLASS 5A GIRLS
At White Auditorium, Emporia
6 p.m.
SEAMAN (2: 22-0) vs. PIPER (7: 18-4)
United Kansas Conference rivals Seaman and Piper will be squaring off for the third time this season. Seaman is 2-0 against the Pirates, but both games went down to the wire, with the Vikings taking two and one-point decisions. Seaman earned the opportunity to defend its Class 5A championship with a 55-47 win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel in Friday's sub-state final. Junior Maddie Gragg tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points against Kapaun. The Seaman-Piper winner will advance to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Andover (3: 21-1) and St. James Academy (6: 18-4).
CLASS 3A GIRLS
At Sports Arena, Hutchinson
8 p.m.
SILVER LAKE (4: 21-2) vs. GIRARD (5: 21-2)
Silver Lake, the defending Class 3A state champion, will begin its quest for a second straight crown as the No. 4 seed with a first-round matchup with No. 5 Girard (21-2). The Eagles advanced to this year's state tournament with a 58-25 rout over Wellsville in last Friday's sub-state final at Hiawatha. The Silver Lake-Girard first-round winner will advance to a 6 p.m. Friday semifinal to face the first-round winner between top seed Hesston (23-0) and No. 8 Holcomb (18-5).
CLASS 2A BOYS
At Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
8 p.m.
ELL-SALINE (3: 20-3) vs. ROSSVILLE (6: 16-7)
Rossville punched its ticket to the Class 2A state tournament with a decisive 69-50 romp past top seed Maur Hill-Mt. Academy Friday in Valley Heights. Junior Cameron Miller paced the Bulldawgs with 23 points while junior Jack Donovan added 17 points. The winner of the Rossville-Ell-Saline first-round game will move on to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Saturday to take on the winner between No. 2 Sterling (20-3) and No. 7 Chase County (14-9).
Washburn Rural's girls earned their fourth straight trip to state with Saturday's 46-31 sub-state win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
THURSDAY
CLASS 6A GIRLS
At Koch Arena, Wichita
8 p.m.
BLUE VALLEY NORTH (3: 18-4) vs. WASHBURN RURAL (6: 16-6)
Washburn Rural will be making its fourth straight appearance in the Class 6A state tournament and will be looking to advance to the state championship game for the fourth straight season after winning the title in 2022 and finishing second the past two seasons. Rural advanced to this year's state meet with a 46-31 home win over Centennial League rival Manhattan in Saturday's sub-state final, the Junior Blues' third win of the season over the Indians. Sophomore Kansas State commit Maddie Vickery led Rural with 20 points and 15 rebounds. The Rural-Blue Valley North winner will advance to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the quarterfinal winner between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (19-3) and No. 7 Olathe West (16-6).
Hayden's girls basketball team poses for a picture after winning a Class 4A sub-state title Saturday at Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
CLASS 4A GIRLS
At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina
6 p.m.
HAYDEN (2: 20-2) vs. CLAY CENTER (7: 17-5)
After a third-place state finish in Class 3A a year ago, the Wildcats will be looking to make a title run in 4A this week. Hayden punched its ticket to state with a convincing 52-22 home victory over Baldwin on Saturday as seniors Millie Ramsey and Brylee Meier scored 12 points apiece and freshman Hailey Schmidtlein added 11. The Hayden-Clay Center first-round winner will advance to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 3 seed Eudora (20-2) and No. 6 Bishop Miege (17-4).
CLASS 3A BOYS
At the Sports Arena, Hutchinson
6 p.m.
LAKIN (2: 22-1) vs. SILVER LAKE (7: 18-5)
Silver Lake earned its way into the Class 3A state tournament with a 49-45 win over Sabetha Saturday in Hiawatha and will now be looking to make some noise in a state field that includes six schools with at least 20 victories. The Silver Lake-Lakin winner will advance to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to square off against the quarter final winner between No. 3 seed Cheney (22-1) and No. 6 Goodland (20-3).
