By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High boys basketball coach Geo Lyons didn't get the performance he was looking for from his Trojans in Thursday's Topeka Invitational first-round game against Wichita Northwest at Hayden.
Topeka High coach Geo Lyons looks on during Thursday's 60-34 loss to state-ranked Wichita Northwest in the Topeka Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Dai'Quan Groves scored 12 points to lead Topeka High in Thursday's 60-34 loss to Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after taking a 60-34 loss to the Grizzlies, Lyons was ready to turn the page and focus on trying to bounce back in the final two games of the tournament on Friday and Saturday.
"That was the message in the locker room right now,'' Lyons said. "Going into the tournament you want to go 3-0 and if you can't go 3-0 you definitely want to win your last two.
"We're telling the boys right now fifth place is better than fourth place, better than second place. Even though second place is 2-1. Even though fourth place finishes above you they actually go 1-2 and second place finishes with a loss and you don't want to end with a loss so we we need to salvage it right now and really try and go 2-1 the rest of the way.''
But Lyons also knows that to do that the Trojans will have to play better than they did on Thursday.
'I'm definitely disappointed,'' Lyons said. "Watching (Northwest) on film I knew they were a good team. I talked about Wichita's flavor of basketball, they want to get in your shorts and they want to guard you and all that stuff, and they did that tonight.
'I thought I had a guard trio that would rise to the occasion but they just got in our shorts and we just turned it every time, so back to the drawing board.''
Topeka High, which fell to 4-6 on the season, never really got untracked against the Grizzlies, who are 8-2 and ranked No. 8 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
Wichita Northwest jumped out to a 21-10 first-quarter advantage and still led by 11 points at the half, 30-19.
The Grizzlies then put the game away with a 20-8 third quarter, opening up a 50-27 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
Northwest went on to force a running clock over the final 6:42 and led by as many as 31 points.
Senior Dai'Quan Groves led Topeka High with 12 points, the lone Trojan in double figures.
Senior Jayce Glasper led Northwest with a game-high 16 points while junior Eli Benning added 11 points for the Grizzlies.
Topeka High will face Hayden, a 48-45 first-round loser to Lansing, in a 3:45 p.m. consolation game on Friday. Topeka High took a 63-49 Centennial League win over Hayden last Friday at High.
Northwest will play Lansing in a 7:15 semifinal Friday night.
WICHITA NORTHWEST 60, TOPEKA HIGH 34
Topeka High 10 9 8 7 -- 34
Wichita Northwest 21 9 20 10 -- 60
Topeka High (4-6) -- Lyons 1 0-0 3, Hales 1 0-0 2, Groves 5 1-1 12, Villegas 1 0-0 3, Norman 1 0-0 2, Freeman 2 0-0 5, Brown 1 0-0 2, Simms 1 3-4 5. Totals 13 4-5 34.
Wichita Northwest (8-2) -- Williams 3 0-0 6, Hammond 3 0-0 7, Benning 4 1-2 11, Henderson 3 0-0 7, Glasper 8 0-2 16, Dirting 0 0-0 0, Erve 2 1-2 5, Calvert 2 0-0 5, Redd 1 1-2 3, Hopkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 3-8 60.
3-point goals -- Wichita Northwest 5 (Benning 2, Henderson, Calvert, Hammond), Topeka High 4 (Lyons, Freeman, Groves, Villegas). Total fouls -- Wichita Northwest 12, Topeka High 8. Fouled out -- none.
RESULTS THURSDAY
Highland Park 75, Lawrence 44
Shawnee Mission North 49, Topeka West 47
Wichita Northwest 60, Topeka High 34
Lansing 48, Hayden 45
GAMES FRIDAY
2 p.m. -- Lawrence vs. Topeka West.
3:45 -- Topeka High vs. Hayden.
5:30 -- Highland Park vs. Shawnee Mission North.
7:15 -- Wichita Northwest vs. Lansing
