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Seaman outlasts Topeka High for 73-64 non-league win
By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
Four Vikings reached double figures as the Seaman boys basketball team downed Topeka High 73-64 on Wednesday night at Seaman.
Junior KaeVon Bonner led Seaman with 16 points in Wednesday's 73-64 non-league win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Both offenses took several minutes to warm up, with the visiting Trojans (0-12) jumping out to a quick 5-2 lead in the opening stages of the contest.
A 3-pointer from Landon Wiltz and a layup from KaeVon Bonner gave a five-point swing to the Vikings (9-3).
With little separation between the two teams early on, Seaman’s Matthew McConnaughey began his big screen-worthy first half performance, earning an and-one opportunity and completing the 3-point play to give the Vikings a 16-13 lead after one quarter of play.
Seaman used a big second quarter to pull away, out-scoring Topeka High 22-9 in the period.
The Vikings used a balanced attack to extend their lead, with 3-pointers from Griffin Zuniga and Bonner, along with a 3-point play from Wiltz.
Seaman closed the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 38-22 lead into halftime.
Despite a discouraging second quarter, Topeka High stayed within striking distance, scoring the first 5 points of the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Elisha Guest and a pair of free throws from Octavian McFadden.
The Vikings held on to the double-digit lead for the entirety of the third quarter, with Bonner adding seven of his team-high 16 points in the period.
The Trojans started the fourth quarter much like they did the third, with a quick basket from Jalen Aldridge and a 3-pointer from Mar’Saun Redmond cutting the deficit to seven.
With the lead shrinking, momentum swung back in favor of the hosts following a pair of free throws and a fast-break dunk from Finley to give the Vikings a 63-52 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The teams continued to shoot at high percentages for the remainder of the contest, but the Vikings held the Trojans at bay.
Aldridge knocked down a pair of late 3-pointers for Topeka High to bring the game to its 73-64 final.
Seaman senior Bryer Finley scored 15 points in the Vikings' 73-64 win over Topeka High Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Landon Wiltz scored 14 points as Seaman improved to 9-3 with a 73-64 win over Topeka High Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bonner led Seaman with 16 points on 7-9 shooting in the victory. Finley chipped in with 15 points, while Wiltz added 14 points.
McConnaughey scored all 13 of his points in the first half, while leading the Vikings with seven rebounds.
Seaman shot just over 56 percent from the floor as a team.
Jalen Aldridge led all scorers with 25 points in Topeka High's 73-64 loss to Seaman Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Aldridge led all scorers with 25 points for Topeka High while Bryson McComas fell one rebound short of a double-double, tallying 12 points and nine boards. Guest knocked down three triples for nine points.
Seaman coach Craig Cox was impressed with multiple phases of his team’s offense in the victory.
“If we’re able to score over 70 points in a game, we’re going to be pretty happy with that,” Cox said. “We like the way that we can shoot the basketball, and we’re getting better at moving without the ball and hitting cutters and getting some nice shots.”
Tuesday prep BB roundup: Hi Park boys survive Meadowlark Conference test with Atchison, 51-48
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park took command of the Meadowlark Conference boys basketball race Tuesday night with a hard-earned 51-48 road win at Atchison.
Senior Mikey Williams led Highland Park with 17 points in Tuesday's 51-48 Meadowlark Conference victory over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park, which improved to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference, led 14-12 at the end of the opening quarter and 23-18 at halftime before Atchison (7-4, 3-2) cut its deficit to 39-38 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Scots held a 12-10 advantage over the final eight minutes to hold on for the win.
Highland Park senior Mikey Williams scored 8 of the Scots' 12 fourth-quarter points and went 4 of 4 at the free throw line en route to finishing with 17 points.
Senior Ja'Corey Robinson added 14 points for the Scots.
Junior Kailyn Hanni (4) scored 16 points in Silver Lake's 50-49 win over Rock Creek Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake girls edge Rock Creek, 50-49
Junior Kailyn Hanni led the way with 16 points as Silver Lake improved to 9-1 with a 50-49 non-league win at Rock Creek Tuesday night.
The Eagles trailed 15-14 after one quarter, 26-24 at the half and 42-39 at the start of the fourth quarter before Silver Lake closed with an 11-7 edge over the final eight minutes to pull out the win.
Taylor Zordel and Ella Bolan added 12 points apiece for the Eagles.
Lucy Martinie led Rock Creek with 13 points and Kylee Frazee added 10.
Home sweet home! Ky Thomas stoked to close out college football career for hometown Ichabods
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Even the casual local football fan knows the name Ky Thomas, but it may have been awhile since you've heard as much about the former Topeka High legend.
Former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas is back home for his final collegiate season, transferring to Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That will change this fall, with the 6-foot, 200-pound running back coming home to play his final collegiate season for Zach Watkins' Ichabods after previous stops at Minnesota, Kansas and, most recently, Kent State
"It feels good, it feels great,'' Thomas told TopSports.news. "Coach Watkins, speaking to him and seeing his vision that he had for this offseason and the season and for me moving forward and everything he has planned, it was easy to trust and easy to come back home and be a part of this.''
A 2020 Topeka High graduate, Thomas finished his prep football career for the Trojans in 2019 as the city's all-time rushing leader and the No. 2 rusher in state history with 7,703 yards, including 3,009 yards as a senior, when he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Thomas began his college career at Minnesota, where as a redshirt freshman he led the Gophers with 824 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries and capped his Minnesota career with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, earning offensive most valuable player honors in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
Former Kansas running back Ky Thomas scored a pair of TDs in the 2022 Liberty Bowl. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Thomas then transferred to Kansas for the 2022 season, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries while catching five passes for 39 receiving yards and a TD. Thomas scored two touchdowns, on a 29-yard pass reception and a 2-yard run, in Kansas’ 55-53 triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
