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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Underdog Hutchinson got Topeka West's attention with a strong first quarter in Tuesday's Class 5A West sub-state semifinal.

But that proved to be the Salthawks' undoing, with the No. 2-seeded Chargers outscoring No. 15 seed Hutch 34-10 over the middle two quarters en route to a 55-32 win at West.

Senior Keimani Paul scored a game-high 16 points in Topeka West's 55-32 Class 5A sub-state win over Hutchinson Tuesday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"We came out a little bit slow the first quarter and we just knew that our defense was going to keep us in the game,'' said Topeka West senior Keimani Paul, who scored a game-high 16 points. "If we're not making shots, the defense was going to keep us in the game for sure.''

With the win the 21-3 Chargers advanced to a 6 p.m. sub-state final on Friday at West to face No. 7 seed Bishop Carroll (16-7). The Eagles advanced with a 62-53 win over Andover.

Hutchinson, which finished its season 7-16, led through most of the opening quarter and the game was tied at 12-all at the start of the second period.

"Their coach (Bryan Miller) did a great job,'' West coach Christian Ulsaker said. "I felt like they knew our offense better than we did at times. He was calling out everything, so our guys did a great job of adjusting to that and defensively we threw some different things at them to try to confuse them a little bit and get out and run.'' 

But at that point Topeka West took control, outscoring the Salthawks 18-6 in the second quarter to take a 30-18 lead at the half.

The Chargers then put the game away with a dominant 16-4 third quarter, taking a 46-22 lead into the fourth stanza and forcing a running clock at 55-24 with 4:44 remaining on a 3-pointer from senior Malakyah Duncan.

"We just wanted to get this game out of the way, quick, easy, and get ready for Bishop Carroll,'' Paul said.

"The guys came out a little jittery in the first quarter, but I feel like they settled in and did what they needed to do to get the win and move on to a team (Carroll) that we've kind of had circled now for about a week and a half,'' Ulsaker said.

"We knew this was a possiblity that we'd meet up with Bishop Carroll. They're very well-coached and will be ready to play.''

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

For three quarters Tuesday night, Shawnee Heights' boys flirted with a semifinal collapse until a freshman put the T-Birds on his back and ensured they would survive their home sub-state match with De Soto, 49-37.

When his team needed someone to step up, freshman Quincy Dixon ripped off 13-straight points to make sure that Shawnee Heights, and retiring coach Ken Darting, would play again Friday.

Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon scored a game-high 19 points in Tuesday's 49-37 sub-state win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

With Shawnee Heights clinging to a 33-31 lead, Dixon converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 5.4 seconds left in the third period. The freshman continued that theme, scoring two more three-point plays in the fourth quarter. Then Dixon hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win. Dixon hit 7-7 free throws on the night while the rest of the team hit just 6-14.

“From Day 1, Quincy’s been a senior-plus,” Darting said. “He’s the guy that takes over when nobody’s scoring. If he doesn’t have to score, he’ll distribute. He’s a mature basketball player.”

“Whatever my team needs me to be, I’ll be,” Dixon said. “If I need to be the leader, if I need to pick guys up, or if I need to follow the seniors, or if I need to lead the seniors, I’ll do whatever for my team to win.”

The fourth-seeded T-Birds got all they wanted from the 13 seed. Shawnee Heights came out sluggish, shot poorly and turned the ball over often in the first half. The home team trailed 14-10 after one period and 25-21 at the half. In the first half, Shawnee Heights hit just 8-23 attempts while allowing the Wildcats to shoot 10-17 from the field.

“In practice and in every other game, we always talk about adversity and how we’re going to bounce back, don’t let it get in our heads,” Dixon said. “Tonight, we had adversity, we bounced back. We just played together, we all stepped up and I think we all did our part.”

The T-Birds locked in at the defensive end, holding De Soto to just six points in the third period, and just six more in the fourth. That allowed Dixon’s 13-point spree to turn the tables.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Senior Rylee Dick scored 23 points to reach the 1,500-point career milestone Tuesday night on the road as No. 9 Class 2A seed Rossville girls basketball topped No. 1 seed Kansas City Christian 71-49 in a sub-state semifinal.

Senior Rylee Dick reached the 1,500-point milestone Tuesday night in Rossville's 71-49 Class 2A sub-state win over No. 1 seed Kansas City Christian. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Rossville junior Nora Burdiek backed Dick with 22 points while Bristol Miller added 16 points as the Bulldawgs improved to 13-10.

With Tuesday's win Rossville advanced to Friday's 7:30 p.m. sub-state championship game at Mission Valley to face No. 4 seed Maur Hill-Mt. Academy. 

Silver Lake boys advance with 58-39 win over Sabetha

No. 2 Class 3A boys sub-state seed Silver Lake is a win away from making a return trip to the state tournament after 58-39 home win over Big East League rival Sabetha.

Now 18-6 on the season, Silver Lake advanced to a 7:30 p.m. sub-state championship game at Sabetha to face Perry-Lecompton, a 62-41 winner over Jefferson West. 

The Eagles and Bluejays were tied 12-12 at the end of the first quarter and Silver Lake led by just a 20-18 margin at halftime.

Silver Lake opened up a 36-28 advantage by the end of the third quarter and doubled up Sabetha 22-11 over the final eight minutes to turn the game into a rout.

Junior Camden Kruger led Silver Lake with 18 points on six 3-pointers while senior Dayne Johnson added 15 points.

Scots drop 5A sub-state decision to KC-Washington

Kansas City-Washington took a 68-38 Class 5A sub-state semifinal win over Meadowlark Conference rival Highland Park Tuesday night on the Wildcats' home floor.

Washington improved to 16-8 on the season while Highland Park ended its season 7-17.

Washington advanced to a 6 p.m. sub-state final on Friday, hosting 14-10 Basehor-Linwood, a 63-47 win over Pittsburg.

Hayden girls advance to Friday final with forfeit win

Due to a shortage of available players, Atchison girls forfeited Tuesday's Class 4A sub-state game at Hayden.

With the forfeit win the Wildcats improved to 18-6 and will host Baldwin (11-13) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Baldwin upset Independence 48-38, with the Bulldogs falling to 18-5.