High school basketball is back after a holiday hiatus! Every city team hit the hardwood on Friday night to resume their seasons and Centennial League play. In case you missed any of it, here’s a look back.
-Our featured Friday night game saw Seaman top Junction City 50-48 in a battle of undermanned teams. Both rosters have been hit hard by injuries, but Seaman has taken the opportunity to discover that they might just have even more depth than they expected. Kobe Bonner and Trey Duffey contributed their usual solid play, but it was players making the most of their chance off the bench that really saved the Vikings. When they needed some breathing room in the third quarter, sophomore Jacob Boyles hit two threes. When they needed a hoop to keep pace with a late Junction City run, junior Uziah Irvin attacked the basket. And when the score was tied at 48 with time winding down, it was junior Trent Cox who popped free on a cut to the rim. Eli Laird found Cox for the game-winning layup with just seven seconds left to give the Vikings their first league victory of the season. Once the Vikings get Nathan Heinen and Kaden Henley back – they already saw the return of Jackson Cobb for spot minutes on Friday – Seaman might be the deepest team in the league.
-The Seaman girls struggled from the field in a 43-40 loss to Junction City. The Lady Vikes have as much young talent as any team but have found themselves on the wrong side of some tight games early on, with two losses coming by just three points. When their shots fall, Seaman can give anybody in the league a game, but offensive consistency has been slow to come for them so far.
-The lone matchup between city schools this week saw Topeka High’s boys earn a 56-45 win over Washburn Rural at The Dungeon in a performance that might be the breakout the Trojans need. Larry White was phenomenal, posting 21 points and nine rebounds while helping to protect the rim against a Junior Blues team that was frustrated offensively all night. It wasn’t the offensive explosion that the Trojans perhaps might be capable off, but having three players in double figures is definitely a step in the right direction in that regard. Jordan White scored 16 for Rural, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped. I saw Rural in their overtime win at home over Emporia last week, and it’s clear that they’re an athletic team that is still finding its identity under their new head coach Kevin Muff.
-The star of the night at The Dungeon was Carly Bachelor, who poured in 28 points as the Rural girls topped the Lady Trojans 69-45. What impresses most about Bachelor is how easily scoring seems to come for her – she gets into good spots on the floor, her teammates find her, and she puts the ball through the net. It’s not a loud or a flashy 28 points, but it’s dominance all the same. But the Lady Junior Blues aren’t just a one-player show – Kendall Michalski and Kasey Hamilton also scored in double-figures. Seven different players scored for Topeka High, who played Rural to within eight points in the first half before the Lady Junior Blues pulled away late.
-The Highland Park Scots haven’t had much luck in Manhattan over the years, and almost saw a big lead get away late on Friday, but they held on for a 51-47 win, their fifth straight. Kenny Stewart and Dasani Giardina did their thing offensively, combining for 30 points, but the story of the night for the Scots was their defense. They forced 23 turnovers and held the Indians to 2-for-18 shooting from three-point range. Jason Jones’ bunch is committed to making it hard for their opponents to score and they’ve ridding that mindset, plus plenty of backcourt scoring, to a 3-0 record in the Centennial League.
-After a dream 5-0 start for the young Lady Scots, things have hit a snag. They fell 71-44 at Manhattan on Friday for their third straight defeat. Jae’Mya Lyons scored 17 points and Dariauna Carter added 15 but the Lady Scots had difficulties with the myriad talented scorers for Manhattan throughout the night. The key for Mike Calhoun’s squad will be maintaining confidence. They’re a young group and growing pains were inevitable, even given their early success. Learning how to respond to adversity will be a big part of how these Lady Scots grow up on the floor this season.
-Big weekend for the Hayden Wildcats, who picked up two hard-fought road wins in two nights. First, it was a league win over Emporia on Friday night, a gritty 60-55 triumph. Then on Saturday, the Wildcats earned a 66-61 win at Aquinas. The scoring symmetry was something to behold for the Wildcats. DeShawn Hanika was the main man on offense both nights, scoring 20 against the Spartans and 21 against the Saints. Zach Harvey and Levi Braun were also in double figures – Harvey scored 16 in both games, and Braun scored 13 in both games. After a bumpy start, the Wildcats are right where they figured to be – unbeaten in the Centennial League, half a game behind Highland Park – and with their offense starting to find a groove, look out.
-The Lady Wildcats had a rougher go at Emporia, falling to the Lady Spartans 40-37. Poor shooting was the culprit for the Lady Wildcats, who shot just 28 percent and couldn’t catch up after Emporia took an early lead. Brooklyn Hunter scored 12 points and Madison Ellis sparked a second-half comeback attempt, scoring nine points.
-Two games, two nights, two wins for the Topeka West Chargers. First it was a league triumph, 56-48 over Junction City at the Chargerdome on Thursday. The Chargers withstood a late Blue Jay rally, with Koriyon Carr playing the closer’s role. He scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and iced the game from the free throw line in the final two minutes. Elijah Griffin also scored 20 as West improved to 2-1 in the league. Friday night the Chargers went on the road and showed no fatigue, rolling past KC Washington 66-39. Carr and Griffin combined for 32 points, and Elliot Mehrens and Korbin Kido also scored in double figures. At 5-1, Topeka West has the best record in the Centennial League heading into this week – and it’s no fluke.
-The West girls also put together a pair of wins last week, with the return of Miyah Larson helping in a big way. Larson adds another ballhandling and scoring option to a Lady Charger team that struggled in both departments before the holiday break. With Larson leading the way with 12 points and eight rebounds, the Lady Chargers topped Junction City 43-40 on Thursday night for their first Centennial League win of the season. Larson scored six points and the post duo of Gabby Rivera and Brendeja Holloman combined for 23 in Friday night’s 46-28 road win at KC Washington.
-After starting the season 2-0, the Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds have lost four straight. They fell 77-58 at Bonner Springs on Friday night. The second, third and fourth quarters were played to a tie but the Braves raced out to a 23-4 lead in the first quarter and the T-Birds couldn’t catch up. Two positives for Shawnee Heights came in the play of two young players. Sophomore Marquis Barksdale scored 16 points and freshman Harvey Davis added 15. The T-Birds really missed senior Zach Cummings, who was out with an injury. His two-way excellence had been a pleasant surprise in the early going.
-The Heights girls had a more successful trip east Friday night, stifling the Lady Braves in a 37-20 win. Lydia Ostenson scored 14 points to lead the way for the Lady T-Birds, who would surely like to see more offense develop but will be glad to get back on the winning track after a tough start in pre-holiday play.
