By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2025 portion of the Shawnee County high school basketball season begins with a pair of doubleheaders on Friday, Jan. 3.
Highlighting Friday's slate is a boys clash between USD 501 rivals Highland Park and Topeka High as well as an all-city twinbill between Hayden and Shawnee Heights. Topeka High's girls will also be in action Friday, hosting Wichita Life Prep Academy.
Here's a glance at all four of Friday's games involving county teams:
FRIDAY GIRLS
Senior Millie Ramsey leads 5-0 Hayden with a 13.8 scoring average. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore KK Emmot is averaging a team-high 20.5 points for Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-1) at HAYDEN (5-0)
Shawnee Heights completed its pre-holiday slate with a 57-40 United Kansas Conference win at Topeka West while Hayden, third-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, remained unbeaten with a 56-37 win over defending 6A champion Shawnee Mission South to close out 2024. Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot ranks No. 4 in the city of Topeka with a 20.5 scoring average and has hit 13 3-pointers while T-Bird senior Kaydence Torrez is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds. Senior Millie Ramsey is averaging a team-high 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds for Hayden and reached the 1,000-point milestone for her career against SM South. Senior Brylee Meier is averaging 13 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Wildcats with 11 3-pointers while freshman Hailey Schmidtlein is averaging 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 steals. Game time: 4 p.m.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton leads Topeka High's girls with a 20.8 scoring average and has hit a city-high 14 3-pointers. [File photo/TSN]
WICHITA LIFE PREP ACADEMY (5-7) at TOPEKA HIGH (2-2)
Topeka High has been idle since posting a 58-40 win over Notre Dame de Sion in the third-place game of the De Soto Hardwood Classic and will be facing a Life Prep Academy team that has already played 12 games while facing schools from seven different states. The Fire are coming off a 51-42 loss to Fort Smith, Ark.-Northside. Trojan sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton is No. 3 in the city in scoring with a 20.8 average and has connected on a city-high 14 3-pointers while junior Keimara Marshall is averaging 11.3 points and is also averaging 4.3 steals and 3.0 assists. Game time: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY BOYS
Senior Jaret Sanchez leads Shawnee Heights with a 17.8 scoring average. [File photo/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-1) at HAYDEN (3-2)
Shawnee Heights, third-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a 74-45 United Kansas Conference romp at Topeka West in the T-Birds' final game of 2024 while Hayden wrapped up its pre-holiday schedule with a 91-21 non-league rout over Wichita Independent. Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez ranks No. 2 in the city with a 17.8 scoring average and is No. 4 in the city with a 7.5 rebounding average. T-Bird senior Deacon Pomeroy is averaging 11 points and is No. 2 in the city with a 9.5 rebounding average while hitting six of 10 3-point attempts. Senior Jacob Deister leads a balanced Hayden attack with a 9.6 scoring average and a team-high seven 3-pointers while sophomore Mason Becker averages 9.2 points, junior Connor Hanika 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds and senior James Kuta 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. Game time: 5:30 p.m.
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson leads the city in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots. [File photo/TSN]
HIGHLAND PARK (4-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (0-5)
No. 2-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, Highland Park wrapped up 2024 with an 88-20 romp past Kansas City-Wyandotte in the Scots' Meadowlark Conference opener while Topeka High is still looking for its first win after an 83-34 loss to St. Joseph, Mo.-Benton. Highland Park senior star Ja'Corey Robinson is the city leader in scoring (22.5-point average), rebounding (11.0), steals (6.3) and blocked shots (2.0) while senior Mikey Williams is averaging 14.5 points and senior Jamon Wilson is the city leader with 7.8 assists per game. Junior Elisha Guest leads Topeka High with a 13.2 scoring average and has hit a city-high 14 3-pointers while junior Jalen Aldridge averages 11.8 points and has hit eight 3s. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
