By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The wins have been hard to come by for the Topeka High boys basketball team.
But with the losses that stacked against them, the Trojans haven't let doubt shatter their confidence.
One thing that stands out about this particular Topeka High team in the 2022-2023 campaign is its mental toughness, with the Trojans finding ways to combat adversity and not crumble when things get rugged.
Topeka High boys basketball coach Geo Lyons talks to his team during Friday's 47-43 non-league win over Sunrise Christian Academy. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
And Topeka High's confidence was elevated Friday night after a 47-43 home victory over Sunrise Christian Academy.
"We've been right there all season long outside of the Blue Valley Northwest game," Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. "I told the boys that from here on out, every game is a one-game tournament. This win helps us. We are on the bottom part of sub-state. Only the top 16 teams on your side get to go to sub-state, so we need to win games from here on out."
Two of Topeka High's most significant contributors, senior wing player Mason Gomez and sophomore guard Da'Mykel Hales, stole the show on Friday.
Gomez had a team-high 18 points while Hales added 17.
"The (win) was huge," Gomez said. "We desperately needed a big swing. We were tagging up losses. We needed change, and we got it tonight. We have to keep this together. We can get too high on ourselves. We have to stay humble and keep going."
Sunrise Christian controlled every aspect of the game in the first quarter. Offensively, Sunrise outscored the Trojans, 16-5. Defensively, it forced six turnovers and made the Trojans work extra hard.
"We started out a little shaky," Lyons said. "It's never good having a single-digit first quarter."
Topeka High is a guard-heavy team and it had its work cut out for it; matching up with Sunrise Christian's 6-foot-8 sophomore Marko Pavlovic. Pavlovic had nine points in the opening quarter.
It was the opposite story in the second quarter, and the momentum would side with Topeka High after its struggles in the first quarter.
Topeka High turned the ball over only once in the second quarter and outscored Sunrise Christian, 19-7.
The Trojans were paced by excellent guard play from Hales. Hales had nine points in the quarter. Defensively, Hales had a pair of steals and a block. In addition, Gomez, Bryson Thrasher and Miguel Villegas played exceptionally well in the quarter. Instead of a one-man-show in the first quarter, the Trojans found their groove.
"I feel like I did pretty well out there," Hales said. "I feel like I could've facilitated more, though, and got my team involved more. I usually just try to attack defenses to get myself going. We can compete with the best. We need to keep playing like this so we can keep our season going."
Although Pavlovic's giant presence was an enormous issue in the first quarter, Topeka High held the post-player to zero points in the second quarter.
"It took a team effort to guard (Pavlovic)," Lyons said. "Once the ball entered a side, we made them play one side of the floor. We heavily emphasized pushing the ball down to the corner and not letting (Pavlovic) see it. We had help-side over the top so that he couldn't hurt us. Once the ball got passed down the post, we did a good job of ball pressure."
Similar to the first quarter, when Gomez had the entire team's point load, Hales accounted for all seven of the team's points in the third quarter. Without Hales attacking the paint and getting several free throw opportunities, Sunrise Christian could've gone on a game-breaking run.
"The third quarter has been our nemesis all season," Lyons said. "We got punched early in the third quarter. But this time, we actually responded. We were able to respond and take that lead into the fourth quarter."
The fourth quarter was the Gomez show. Gomez had 11 points in the quarter and went four of five from the charity stripe. Although three other Trojan players did score, Gomez sealed the deal with a free throw to put the game out of reach.
"I was just happy that we all stayed calm and didn't freak out in the fourth quarter," Gomez said. "That's been a big problem in our previous games when it's been close. We played really well down the stretch, especially defensively. We gang-rebounded and boxed out (Pavlovic), which was a problem for most of the game."
With Topeka High's post-season hopes hanging by a thread, Lyons made the message simple for the team immediately after Friday night's non-conference victory.
I"We are on to Junction City; that's what we need to focus on," Lyons said. "I didn't hold back to the guys in the locker room. They can have their time, but we are now in a one-game tournament with Junction City."
Topeka High travels for its Centennial League matchup against Junction City next Friday.
TOPEKA HIGH BOYS 47, SUNRISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 43.
Sunrise Christian 16 7 9 11 – 43
Topeka High 5 19 7 16 – 47
Sunrise Christian – Williams 0 2-2 2, Figueira 3 1-2 10, Pavlovic 7 7-9 21, Kobari 0 0-0 0, Hart 2 2-4 7, Lindsted 1 0-0 3. Totals – 13 12-17 47
Topeka High (3-11) – Thrasher 2 2-2 6, Hales 4 8-10 17, Norman 0 0-0 0, Gomez 5 6-7 18, Votaw 1 0-0 2, Villegas 2 0-0 4. Totals – 14 16-19 47.
3-point goals – Sunrise Christian 5 (Figueira 3 Lindsted, Hart), Topeka High 3 (Gomez 2, Hales). Total fouls – Sunrise Christian 19, Topeka High 12. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
