By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
The postseason is officially under way, and while Topeka High has been one of the hottest girls basketball teams in the state, the playoffs bring a new level of intensity where anything can happen.
Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 26 points to lead Topeka High to a 69-45 Class 6A sub-state win over Maize Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 19 points for Topeka High in a Class 6A 69-45 sub-state win over Maize Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Ron Slaymaker's Trojans hosted Maize Tuesday in a Class 6A sub-state semifinal, and after a slow start, Topeka High took care of business, taking a 69-45 win.
Topeka High got off to a promising start when junior Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton knocked down a 3-pointer to open the scoring.
But the Eagles quickly responded with an 11-0 run to take an 11-3 lead, holding High scoreless for four minutes as the Trojans’ offense stalled.
Rayton helped spark life back into her squad by attacking the rim, drawing contact, and converting both free throws. She then forced a turnover and finished at the basket to cut the deficit to 11-7.
Despite the push, Maize held a 16-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Trojan senior Keimara Marshall made sure the momentum didn’t stay with the Eagles for long. She opened the second quarter with back-to-back steals, igniting an 11-0 High run.
Her first steal led to a breakaway layup, and the second turned into an assist to sophomore Hailey Caryl.
“Coach knew that we could play better than we were playing,” Caryl said. “But at the end of the the quarter, he just talked to us about how we just need to get our stuff together. Like, there's no reason we should be playing like this when this game is make it or break it. He just wanted to motivate us to get going.”
Marshall’s defensive energy fueled the comeback, giving the Trojans a 17-16 lead.
They kept building from there, finding Caryl for a layup before Rayton closed the half with five more points -- part of her game-high 26 -- to give High a 28-21 advantage at halftime.
“We changed our defense to be a little more aggressive and then things just started to roll,” Slaymaker said. “We got some loose balls and it was from the runouts and shots that go in -- and bingo. That’s why basketball is a really interesting game.”
The Trojans carried that momentum into the third quarter.
Senior Sasha Gotru got involved offensively, and Rayton went on a personal 7-0 run to stretch the lead to 37-21. Sophomore Sophia Brown made a big impact inside, scoring four straight points to push the lead to 47-31.
High maintained control throughout the third quarter, taking a 53-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
Caryl took over down the stretch, scoring seven of her 19 points in the final frame to seal the victory and punch High’s ticket to the next round.
“I knew I wasn't playing my best basketball in the first quarter,” Caryl said. “I knew I could be way more aggressive than I started. I kept getting my boards and finding ways to score because I knew I could play better. And I knew that if we wanted to win, I needed to play better -- and that's what I did.”
“She’s so steady,” Slaymaker said of Caryl. “She just gets it done. Not flashy. Just does the job. I wouldn’t have said she had 19 points. It was quiet, but that’s the type of player she is.”
Maize was led by freshman Heidi Williams with 21 points.
With the win, the Trojans now turn their attention to a road trip to Liberal High School for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Friday for a sub-state final.
TOPEKA HIGH 69, MAIZE 45
Maize 16 5 17 7 -- 45
Topeka High 9 19 24 17 -- 69
Maize (10-14) -- Williams 8-23 3-5, Anderson 2-7 0-0 5, Harris 2-3 0-0 4, Allen 1-4 0-0 3, Shipp 1-13 0-2 3, Sabbagh 2-4 0-0 6, Topping 1-1 0-0 3, Baker 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-56 3-7 45.
Topeka High (16-8) -- Rayton 9-23 5-10 26, Caryl 7-11 5-9 19, Short 1-2 3-4 5, Gotru 2-8 1-4 5, Marshall 2-7 0-0 4, Brown 3-6 3-6 9, Hartz 0-1 1-2 1, Triplett 0-1 0-2 0, Martin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 42-59 18-37 69.
3-point goals -- Maize 8 (Williams 2, Sabbagh 2, Allen, Anderson, Shipp, Topping), Topeka High 3 (Rayton 3). Total Fouls -- Maize 24, Topeka High 11. Fouled Out -- Harris.
