By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
DE SOTO -- Centennial League rivals Washburn Rural and Topeka High squared off Thursday in the first of what will be a minimum of three times this season and the Junior Blues drew first blood, rolling to a 68-44 win over the Trojans in a De Soto Hardwood Classic semifinal.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 27 points in Washburn Rural's 68-44 win over Topeka High Thursday night in the De Soto Hardwood Classic. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
With Thursday's win the 3-0 Junior Blues will play for the tournament championship at 3 p.m Saturday while the 1-2 Trojans will play for third place at 12 p.m.
Maddie Vickery, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, continued her red-hot start to the season for Washburn Rural with a game-high 27 points, including four 3-pointers and a 5 of 6 performance at the free throw line.
Vickery was one of three double-figure scorers for the Junior Blues, with senior Kate Hinck and junior Ella Hirschi adding 11 points each.
Rural took control early with a 19-8 opening quarter and led by a commanding 38-24 margin at the half before posting a 30-20 advantage over the Trojans in the second half.
Topeka High also had three players crack double figures, with junior Keimara Marshall and sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scoring 13 points apiece and senior Jo'Mhara Benning adding 10 points. Freshman Hailey Caryl scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Trojans.
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 68, TOPEKA HIGH 44
Topeka High 8 16 12 8 -- 44
Washburn Rural 19 19 14 16 -- 68
Topeka High (1-2) -- Short 0 2-2 2, Marshall 4 5-5 13, Rayton 5 1-4 13, Gotra 0 0-0 0, Caryl 2 1-2 6, Triplett 0 0-0 0, Conley 0 0-0 0, Benning 4 2-3 10. Totals 15 11-16 44.
Washburn Rural (3-0) -- Hinck 4 2-2 11, Hirschi 4 0-0 11, Vickery 9 5-6 27, Lemke 1 3-4 5, Bunck 2 2-2 8, Moore 0 0-0 0, Rutherford 0 0-0 0, Hayes 0 0-0 0, Walker 2 0-0 4, Simpson 0 0-0 0, Carlgren 0 0-0 0, Petersen 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 12-14 68.
3-point goals -- Topeka High 3 (Rayton 2, Caryl), Washburn Rural 8 (Vickery 4, Hirschi 3, Hinck). Total fouls -- Topeka High 14, Washburn Rural 15. Fouled out -- none.
Hi Park, Rural boys to play for SM East championship
City rivals Highland Park and Washburn Rural will square off at 8 p.m. Friday in the championship game of the Shawnee Mission East Championship Showdown after semifinal wins on Thursday.
Highland Park improved to 2-0 with a 56-49 Class 6A stalwart Blue Valley North while Washburn Rural improved to 3-0 with a 49-36 win over St. James Academy.
Senior Ja'Corey Robinson paced Highland Park with 17 points while Da'mykel Hales added 14 points with four 3-pointers and Mikey Williams scored 13 points.
