By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's girls basketball team has suffered its lumps while facing a United Kansas Conference schedule that includes three of Class 5A's seven top-ranked schools.
Topeka West celebrates Thursday's 52-45 overtime win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the Chargers put their lessons learned to good use Thursday night, picking up their second win of the season while handing USD 501 rival Highland Park only its second loss in a 52-45 overtime decision in the opening round of the Capital City Classic on West's home court.
"At the beginning of the season it's hard to keep those girls focused, but it's like, 'Hey, we're playing the top teams in the state,' '' West coach Angie Ketterman said. "But this helps a lot. It's good to see them happy and it was a good, hard fought win.''
West, now 2-8, and Highland Park, 7-2, locked up in a nail-biter from start to finish, with the Chargers' final margin the biggest lead by either team on the night.
With the victory Topeka West advanced to a 6:30 p.m. Friday semifinal to face Shawnee Heights, a 54-47 overtime winner over Blue Valley. Washburn Rural, a 76-25 winner over Free State, will take on Lawrence in the 8 o'clock semifinal, with the Lions advancing with a 54-36 win over Shawnee Mission West.
Topeka West junior Addaline Hall sent Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Topeka West junior Addaline Hall reacts after sending Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Topeka West forced the extra session when junior Addaline Hall came out of a scrum to convert a breakaway layup with two seconds left to tie the game at 39.
"I just saw a loose ball, hustled to get it and made the layup and that's about it,'' Hall said. "I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the clock and I was like, 'Four seconds, I've got to make this.' ''
Highland Park led for much of the overtime, including a 45-42 advantage after two Pearmella Carter free throws with 1:51 remaining, before West scored the final 8 points of the game, all by junior Imani McGlory.
McGlory went an amazing 17 of 18 from the free throw line on the way to a game-high 28 points while the Chargers also took advantage of a 10 of 32 showing at the line from Highland Park.
"We practice a lot on our free throws,'' McGlory said. "I feel like as the season goes on we get better and are more like a team together. We got our second win of the season and it feels good.
"I feel like we really stayed composed this game and really played as a team and didn't give up.''
Hall added 11 points for West.
Carter, a sophomore, paced Highland Park with 21 points while senior Tahtionna Broils added 11 points and senior De'Asia Sanders 9 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
TOPEKA WEST 52, HIGHLAND PARK 45 (OT)
Highland Park 5 12 11 11 6 -- 45
Topeka West 9 6 14 10 13 -- 52
Highland Park (7-2) – Kincade 0-5 0-0 0, Broils 4-14 4-7 12. Harts 1-8 0-6, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 7-20 8-13 22, Paredes 0-0 0-0 0, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Sanders 3-11 1-6 9. Totals 15-54 13-32 45.
Topeka West (2-8) – I. McGlory 5-19 17-18 28, VanDyke 0-2 0-0 0, Keeling 0-3 0-4 0, Gonzales 2-8 0-0 4, A. McGlory 2-5 0-0 4, Allen 1-2 2-2 5, Hall 4-11 2-4 11, Kutina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-40 21-28 52.
3-point goals – Highland Park 2 (Sanders 2), Topeka West 3 (Allen, I. McGlory, Hall). Total fouls – Highland Park 25, Topeka West 20. Fouled out – Allen, VanDyke, Gonzales, Jones. Technical fouls – none.
Junior Reianna Vega led Shawnee Heights with 19 points in Thursday's 52-45 OT win over Blue Valley. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
T-Birds advance to semis with 54-47 OT win
Shawnee Heights was forced to play the entire overtime without leading scorer KK Emmot after the sophomore standout fouled out with 6.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
But Emmot's teammates quickly picked up the slack, with the T-Birds holding a 9-2 advantage over Blue Valley in the four-minute extra session to take a 54-47 first-round win and move on to Friday's 6:30 p.m. Capital City Classic semifinals to face Topeka West.
"It was something that we've been trying to get through in practice and make sure that there's times when we get (KK) out and play for an extended period of time just in case something silly happens,'' Heights coach Bob Wells said. "And I thought the girls responded well.''
Heights senior Kaydence Torrez opened the overtime with a hoop to put the 7-4 T-Birds ahead to stay and junior Reianna Vega hit two free throws to put Heights up 49-45 with 2:28 left in the OT.
After Blue Valley (3-8) scored its only basket of the OT, the T-Birds scored the final 5 points, including the final four from senior Haley Bowers.
Vega led the T-Birds with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds while Emmot finished with 14 points and Torrez had 9 points and 14 rebounds.
"I felt very proud of us,'' Vega said. "I think on the court we show that we're a very capable team.''
Freshman Devin Splittorff tied Vega for game-high scoring honors with 19 points.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 54, BLUE VALLEY 47 (OT)
Blue Valley 11 14 7 13 2 -- 47
Shawnee Heights 13 14 8 10 9 -- 54
Blue Valley (3-8) – Goldstein 2-7 0-0 5, Forgy 0-1 0-0 0, Splittorff 6-16 4-4 19, Ashley Bergeson 1-1 0-0 3, Barnes 4-6 2-4 10, Wombolt 1-12 3-6 6, Lund 1-5 0-0 2, Suhr 1-2 0-0 2, Tenpenny 0-3 0-0 0, Faulkner 0-0 0-0 0, Avery Bergeson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 9-14 47.
Shawnee Heights (7-4) – Emmot 4-14 5-6 14, Brees 0-3 0-2 0, Euwer 1-7 0-0 2, Torrez 2-10 5-8 9, Vega 6-13 7-8 19, Hanshaw 0-1 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 3-4 3, Bowers 2-8 2-2 7. Totals 15-57 22-30 54.
3-point goals – Blue Valley 6 (Splittorff 3, Wombolt, Goldstein, Ashley Bergeson), Shawneee Heights 2 (Emmot, Bowers). Total fouls – Blue Valley 27, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out – Emmot, Ashley Bergeson, Barnes. Technical fouls – none.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 21 points in Washburn Rural's 76-25 win over Free State Thursday night in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural rolls to 51-point first-round win over Firebirds
On paper, No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural looked to be a heavy favorite over Free State in final first-round game of the Capital City Classic.
And the Junior Blues lived up to that billing and then some, rolling to a 76-25 win over the Firebirds.
"We put on the board that we just had to prove to ourselves that we'd gotten better since the last time we'd played and I think that our mental toughness and focus was where it needed to be,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "We made a couple of turnovers in the first two or three minutes, but maybe had four for the game.
"We wanted to prove that we could play tough defense without fouling, have weakside help, keep them off the boards and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.''
The game was decided by the conclusion of the opening quarter with Rural (6-3) opening up a 30-7 cushion, and the Junior Blues went on to lead 48-18 at the half and 72-25 at the start of the fourth quarter before a running clock was used over the final eight minutes.
Senior Kate Hinck scored 18 points in Washburn Rural's 76-25 win over Free State Thursday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Rural with a game-high 21 points while senior Kate Hinck added 18 points and junior Josie Carlgren 10 points as the Junior Blues advanced to an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal to face Lawrence, a 54-36 winner over Shawnee Mission West.
Junior Addie Fulscher led Free State (3-7) with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
WASHBURN RURAL 76, FREE STATE 25
Free State 7 11 7 0 -- 25
Washburn Rural 30 18 24 4 -- 76
Free State (3-7) – Fulscher 3-9 2-2 11, Easter 0-1 0-0 0, Copeland 1-1 0-0 3, Clossen 0-5 2-2 2, Preston 2-4 2-3 6, Hice 1-1 0-0 3, Hothan 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 0-2 0-0 0, Jones 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 7-24 6-9 25.
Washburn Rural (6-3) – Hinck 8-11 2-2 18, Rutherford 2-2 0-0 6, Vickery 8-12 2-3 21, Lemke 0-1 0-0 0, Bunck 1-2 0-0 3, Hirschi 3-5 0-0 7, Moore 1-1 0-0 2, Hayes 2-6 0-0 5, Walker 2-4 0-0 4, Simpson 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 3-5 2-2 10, Petersen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-50 6-7 76.
3-point goals – Free State 5 (Fulscher 3, Hice, Copeland), Washburn Rural 10 (Vickery 3, Carlgren 2, Rutherford 2, Bunck, Hirschi, Hayes). Total fouls – Free State 7, Washburn Rural 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC
RESULTS THURSDAY
Shawnee Heights 54, Blue Valley 47 (OT).
Lawrence 54, SM West 36.
Topeka West 52, Shawnee Heights 45 (OT).
Washburn Rural 76, Free State 25.
GAMES FRIDAY
3:15 p.m. -- SM West vs. Free State.
4:45 -- Highland Park vs. Blue Valley.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. Shawnee Heights.
8 -- Lawrence vs. Washburn Rural.
