By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with girls basketball and readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 21, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4865891x55AA4428-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
--------------------------------------------------------
Picking the top teams in the TSN Shawnee County Best of the Best project will be a challenge in every sport.
But its hard to imagine a much tougher task than in girls basketball, where it's a top-heavy group of contenders.
Silver Lake's girls basketball posted a perfect 25-0 record in 1983, recording the first of three perfect seasons and six Class 3A state titles. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.com]
Washburn Rural's girls went 23-2 in 1996, winning the first of five Class 6A state championships. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.com]
Five county teams from three different schools posted undefeated records on the way to state championships while a sixth team, the 2019-2020 Topeka High Trojans, were a perfect 23-0 when the season was halted after the first round of the state tournament due to Covid 19.
Four other county teams posted one-loss campaigns.
County teams have won 22 state titles overall, led by perennial Class 3A contender Silver Lake with six championships, including perfect seasons in 1983, 1984 and 2016.
Loren Ziegler coached the Eagles to five state titles, including all three undefeated campaigns, while Tyler Stewart also led Silver Lake to a 3A crown.
Mark Henry coached Shawnee Heights to a 23-0 record and the 5A championship in 1986 while Mike Goehring's Topeka West team rolled to a perfect 25-0 record and the 6A title in 1994.
Washburn Rural is next in line behind Silver Lake with five Class 6A state titles.Bill Annan coached Rural to three titles while Kevin Bordewick, an assistant under Annan, coached the Junior Blues to championships in 2019 and 2022, the county's most recent girls titles.
Mark Henry's 1986 Shawnee Heights girls basketball team went 23-0 and won the Class 5A state title. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Topeka West went wire to wire for the Class 6A state title in 1994, posting a 25-0 record. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Hayden has won four 4A state championships, including three titles under Rick Strecker ('92, '93 and '95). Doug Finch led the Wildcats to the 2004 state championship.
Shawnee Heights also captured a state title in 1977 under Roger Toelkes while Goehring coached to a second state crown in 5A in 2000.
Topeka High also won a pair of state titles, winning back-to-back in 6A in '81 under Ted Juneau and '82 under Tom Rothschild while Ron Vnduska led Seaman to its lone state crown (6A) in 1991.
Vote for your favorite team at https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4865891x55AA4428-151 while readers also have the option of writing in a candidate.
Vote as many times as you wish. Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 21 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in late July and August.
NEXT UP: Boys basketball (ballot will be published on TopSports.news on Saturday).
