By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls, ranked No. 4 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, took control with a huge first half on the way to a 59-38 home non-league victory over No. 3 Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night at Rural.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 19 points in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural, now 4-1 on the season, jumped out to a 20-5 first-quarter lead over the Cougars and followed that up with a 19-6 second quarter to take a commanding 39-11 advantage at the half.
Northwest (2-1) outscored the Junior Blues 27-20 in the second half, but Washburn Rural was never seriously threatened.
Maddie Vickery, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, led Washburn Rural with a game-high 19 points while seniors Kate Hinck and Tenly Bunck added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Senior Tenly Bunck had 14 points with three 3-pointers in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Kate Hinck scored 15 points with a pair of 3-pointers in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Bunck connected on three 3-pointers and Hinck two as five Rural players combined for eight treys.
Shawnee Mission Northwest did not have a player score more than eight points.
Tuesday's win wrapped up Washburn Rural's 2024 schedule, with the Junior Blues returning to action Jan. 6 at Olathe North.
No. 8 West boys hold on to top No. 4 Piper, 59-58
Topeka West, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, jumped out to a 13-point lead through three quarters Tuesday night at No. 4 Piper and held on down the stretch to escape with a 59-58 United Kansas Conference victory.
Junior Keimani Paul scored 18 points Tuesday night as Topeka West took a 59-58 UKC win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]
West, now 2-1 overall and in the UKC, built a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and took a 34-22 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
The Chargers outscored Piper 16-15 in the third quarter to go in front 50-37 but the Pirates mounted a furious rally over the final eight minutes, outscoring West 21-9.
Junior Keimani Paul led Topeka West with 18 points, tying for game-high honors, and came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring five points, including a three of four performance at the free throw line. West went five of 10 from the line as a team in the final stanza, but Paul helped the Chargers hold on for the win.
Topeka West will play its third straight state-ranked team on Friday, hosting No. 3 Shawnee Heights in a UKC contest.
Piper's girls, No. 6 ranked in 5A, took a 70-30 win over Topeka West Tuesday night.
West will host Shawnee Heights in a 5:45 p.m. game Friday, followed by the boys game.
