By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
No basketball team enters a tournament with the goal of playing for fifth place.
But now that the pairings are set for the final day of the Topeka Invitational Tournament, Topeka High coach Geo Lyons can't help but be excited about the opportunity to face city and USD 501 rival Topeka West in Saturday's 11:45 a.m. consolation final.
Antwan Simms (35) scored 13 points to lead a balanced attack in Topeka High's 66-49 win over Hayden on Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
After a first-round loss to Wichita Northwest, Lyons' Trojans bounced back with a 66-49 consolation win over Hayden at the Bueltel Activity Center while Topeka West rebounded from an opening-round loss to Shawnee Mission North with a 54-46 win over Lawrence.
"Even on a Saturday, with the leagues the way they are and us not facing them any more, I think it's going to be a great basketball game with us and West,'' said Lyons, a former Topeka West assistant.
"Those are my guys over there. I have the utmost respect for coach Bloom (Rick Bloomquist) and coach (Marco) Hunter. When he started I was an assistant coach over there, so he and I go back and then coach (Dwayne) Anthony, that's my buddy. I'm so happy that I get to play coach Bloomquist.''
On Friday, Topeka High squared off with Centennial League foe Hayden for the second time in a week, which Lyons admitted made him uneasy.
"For me, this is probably the most nervous I've gone into a basketball game, just because you're dealing with 14 through 18-year-old young men who just got their butt kicked the day before and now we're playing a team who we just kicked their butt a few nights prior,'' Lyons said. "What I wrote on the board was, 'Don't assume.'
"That's a tough ballclub over there and I'm sure they felt they let one get away when they played us on Friday night, plus they weren't at full strength without (Jacob) Padilla and (Dom) Ridley.''
But after a bit of a slow start, with the Trojans trailing 8-7, Topeka High rallied for a 16-11 first-quarter advantage and then pushed its lead to 37-27 at the half after leading by as many as 16 points.
Topeka High, which improved to 5-6, led by 21 points (53-32) late in the third quarter and took a 57-38 advantage into the fourth.
The Trojans went up by 28 (66-38) in the final stanza before Hayden ended the game with an 11-0 run.
Topeka High senior Jalen Freeman (2) scored 12 points in Friday's 66-49 win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High had four players in double figures, with junior Antwan Simms scoring 13 points and Da'Mykel Hales, Miguel Villegas and Jalen Freeman adding 12 points apiece.
Senior Jacob Padilla led Hayden (4-6) with 15 points while Jacob Deister added 12 points.
Hayden will face Lawrence in the seventh-place game at 10 a.m. Saturday.
TOPEKA HIGH 66, HAYDEN 49
Hayden 11 16 11 11 -- 49
Topeka High 16 21 20 9 -- 66
Hayden (4-6) -- Padilla 4 6-6 15, Colboch 0 0-0 0, Charvat 2 0-0 4, Becker 3 0-0 8, Grace 1 0-0 2, Banks 0 0-0 0, Deister 4 1-2 12, Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Hanika 2 1-2 5, Kidd 0 0-0 0, Kuta 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 8-10 49.
Topeka High (5-6) -- Lyons 2 0-0 6, Hales 5 0-0 12, Groves 0 0-0 0, Villegas 5 2-2 12, Norman 3 2-2 9, Freeman 5 0-0 12, McFadden 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Murph 0 0-0 0, Carter 0 0-0 0, Simms 5 2-3 13. Totals 26 6-7 66.
3-point goals -- Hayden 7 (Deister 3, Becker 2, Padilla, Kuta), Topeka High 8 (Lyons 2, Freeman 2, Hales 2, Norman, Simms). Total fouls -- Hayden 15, Topeka High 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical foul -- Topeka High bench.
RESULTS FRIDAY
Topeka West 54, Lawrence 46
Topeka High 66, Hayden 49
Highland Park 67, Shawnee Mission North 52
Wichita Northwest 81, Lansing 46
GAMES SATURDAY
10 a.m. -- Lawrence vs. Hayden.
11:45 -- Topeka West vs. Topeka High.
1:30 -- Shawnee Mission North vs. Lansing.
2:45 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
