By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
The duo of junior Reianna Vega and senior Kaydence Torrez proved to be too much for the visitors as the Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds cruised to a 56-12 United Kansas Conference victory over KC-Turner on Friday night at Shawnee Heights.
Junior Reianna Vega scored a game-high 16 points in Friday's Shawnee Heights 56-12 UKC win over KC-Turner. [File photo/TSN]
Vega got things started for the T-Birds by knocking down a jump shot to open the scoring. Torrez then answered with back-to-back layups before Vega earned her second quick basket, forcing a Golden Bears timeout just over two minutes into the contest.
The two post players continued to trade baskets as Shawnee Heights opened up a 23-0 lead after the first quarter.
Sophomore KK Emmot added all five of her points on the evening in the period. A 3-pointer from senior Haley Bowers and a layup from Torrez extended the T-Birds’ lead to 28-0 before Alyasia Ollie’s jumper gave Turner its first points of the evening.
Aubrey Hamilton joined in on the scoring later in the second quarter, tallying all seven of her points in the frame as the hosts took a 43-3 lead at halftime.
Shawnee Heights opened the second half on a 9-0 run, featuring a 3-pointer from Taylor Brees and a pair of baskets from Vega.
Andrea Ruby answered by hitting Turner’s first 3-pointer of the night, while Jerzey Hanna knocked down a shot from well beyond the arc a few minutes later.
With the contest in hand for the T-Birds, the remainder of the game was played with a running clock, with both sides giving playing time to their reserves.
Vega led Shawnee Heights with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting, while making both of her free throw attempts and adding eight rebounds. Torrez also reached double figures, scoring 14 points.
Hanna led Turner with five points and five rebounds, while Ollie added four points for the Golden Bears.
Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells used the contest as an opportunity for the T-Birds to fine-tune their skills in preparation for a difficult stretch of games.
“I really wanted the girls to come out and execute, to play sharp and have a purpose in what we were doing,” Wells said. “There were some things that we were working on throughout the game just to get ready for next week and getting into the postseason.”
Shawnee Heights will take a week off before closing the regular season by hosting defending state champion Seaman, a rematch of a Feb. 11 contest that saw the T-Birds fall, 64-54.
Wells emphasized the need for strong teamwork in order to be competitive with the undefeated Vikings.
“I think the biggest thing is that we play as a unit, because that’s the only way that you’re going to stand a chance against a team like Seaman,” Wells said. “Everybody’s playing together, and all five people on the court make a difference.”
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 56, KC-TURNER 12
KC-Turner 0 3 6 3 - 12
Shawnee Heights 23 20 12 1 - 56
KC-Turner (2-14, 0-11 UKC) -- Ruby 1-3 0-0 3, Boyd 0-0 0-0 0, Chavez 0-0 0-0 0, Henderson 0-1 0-0 0, Bodkin 0-0 0-0 0, Ollie 2-8 0-0 4, Hanna 1-8 2-4 5, Jones 0-5 0-0 0, Dickerson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 4-25 2-4 12.
Shawnee Heights (13-6, 10-5 UKC) -- Emmot 1-6 2-2 5, T. Brees 1-5 0-0 3, Hanshaw 0-3 0-0 0, Hamilton 3-7 1-2 7, Bowers 1-7 0-0 3, Torrez 7-10 0-0 14, Vega 7-11 2-2 16, Akins 2-3 0-0 4, L. Brees 1-3 0-0 3, Scherer 0-0 1-2 1, Karlyle 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-57 6-8 56.
3-point goals -- KC-Turner 2 (Ruby, Hanna), Shawnee Heights 4 (Emmot, T. Brees, Bowers, L. Brees). Total fouls -- KC-Turner 9, Shawnee Heights 6. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
