By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's boys basketball team entered Tuesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal against Eisenhower as a huge favorite.
After all, the Chargers were playing on their home court, entered the game with a 13-win advantage over their opponents and started the night with a gaudy 18-game win streak.
But none of that did anything to calm veteran Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist's nerves.
"This game scared me,'' Bloomquist said after the Chargers advanced with a 78-46 romp past Eisenhower. "I've been doing this long enough that I've been on the other end.
"I've been part of upsets both ways. We don't know these people, they don't know us and they're coming up here with everything to gain and nothing to lose and that's the way they played. I was nervous about this game because the first game of sub-state is always a tough game. You always want to get this one out of the way.''
Topeka West senior Elijah Brooks scored 27 points, 20 in the first half, and had three dunks as the Chargers rolled to a 78-46 sub-state semifinal win over Eisenhower Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Malachi Berg scored 16 points in Topeka West's 78-46 Class 5A sub-state victory over Eisenhower Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Chargers, now 20-1 with 19 straight victories, helped put Bloomquist's mind at least a littie bit at ease with a 27-point opening quarter to take a 14-point advantage over the Tigers and led 46-31 at the half, 64-42 after three quarters and forced a a running clock over the final five minutes.
With the victory Topeka West, the 5A state runner-up a year ago, advanced to Friday's 6 p.m. sub-state final to host Andover, a 59-48 semifinal winner over Bishop Carroll.
Eisenhower, which finished its season 6-15, led just once in the game, at 3-2, and the Chargers used a 9-0 run to take a 27-11 advantage on a hoop from senior star Elijah Brooks late in the opening quarter before junior Jaden Roth scored at the buzzer to cut Eisenhower's deficit to 27-13.
Topeka West led by 18 points (46-28) late in the half and took a 15-point lead to the locker room at the break as Brooks scored 20 first-half points and junior Sincere Austin added 14.
West outscored the Tigers 18-11 in the third quarter to push its advantage to 22 points at the start of the fourth quarter and cruised the rest of the way.
Brooks finished with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds while junior Malachi Berg added 16 points, Austin 14 and senior Zander Putthoff with 12 points, including three 3-pointers.
Senior Owen Rush led Eisenhower with 13 points (three 3-pointers), but was the lone Tiger with more than seven points.
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 78, EISENHOWER 46
Eisenhower 13 18 11 4 -- 46
Topeka West 27 19 18 14 -- 78
Eisenhower (6-15) -- Roy 1-3 0-0 3, Libel 3-9 0-0 6, Rush 5-12 0-2 13, Friend 1-6 0-0 3, Omli 1-2 1-2 3, Dexter 1-3 0-0 3, Roth 2-2 0-0 4, Conyers 2-3 0-0 4, Rackley 0-2 0-0 0, Purkey 3-7 0-0 7, George 0-0 0-0 0, Blue 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-49 1-4 46.
Topeka West (20-1) -- Austin 5-10 2-4 14, Brooks 12-16 3-4 27, Alexander 1-7 0-0 2, Berg 6-7 4-7 16, Putthoff 4-11 1-2 12, Robinson 3-3 0-2 6, C. Foy 0-1 0-0 0, Sowell 0-2 0-0 0, J. Foy 0-1 0--0 0, Noonoo 0-0 1-2 1, Reimer 0-0 0-0 0, Bearman 0-0 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-58 11-20 78.
3-point goals -- Eisenhower 7 (Rush 3, Dexter, Roy, Friend, Purkey), Topeka West 5 (Putthoff 3, Austin 2). Total fouls -- Eisenhower 14, Topeka West 8. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- Aiustin, Conyer.
