By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Highland Park Scots don’t have much time to celebrate Friday night’s 95-53 blitzing of Sumner Academy. They will return to their home court on Saturday to take on Atchison in a makeup game.
Senior Ja'Corey Robinson led all scorers with 30 points in Friday's 95-53 Highland Park win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The flexibility of Mike Williams’ Scots is being tested in an odd stretch. After playing on February 10, the Scots went 11 days without a game. Weather restricted their practice time. Now, beginning with the Sumner blowout, they will play four times in an eight-day stretch.
“I think anybody who’s been coaching around Topeka or Kansas, you kind of expect with the winter months, there’s going to be some kind of shutdown sooner or later,” Williams said. “I tell our kids they’ve got to be fluid. They’ve got to flow with it.
“And I’ve got to make sure that when we get gym time, we take advantage of it. It’s causing our kids to make sure, day in and day out, that we bring it.”
The Scots brought it to Sumner Academy Friday, with a running clock the only thing that kept them from blowing past the 100-point mark.
Senior Mikey Williams scored 21 points in Friday's 95-53 Highland Park win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park senior Isaiah Kelley scored 16 points in Friday's 95-53 win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Jacorey Robinson tossed in 30 points while missing just five shots from the field. Mikey Williams scored 21 and Isaiah Kelley added 16.
Senior Da'Mykel Hales scored 15 points on five 3-pointers in Friday's 95-53 Highland Park win over KC-Sumner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Dropping in five 3-pointers for 15 points was senior Da’Mykel Hales, who transferred to Highland Park after playing three seasons at Topeka High.
“I felt like (Highland Park) was a better fit and better for my career,” Hales said. “They brought me in and treated me well. They gave me a role and helped me to get better every day.”
Hales was a go-to player at Topeka High, shouldering a heavy load. He said he has enjoyed blending with the talented Scots, who enter the final week of the season ranked atop the 5A class.
“This role takes a lot of load off,” Hales said. “It’s easier for me to score without the ball than it is with the ball.”
Williams said what made the Hales transfer work so well was the long-term relationship he had with the senior. Williams said he coached Hales on youth teams that consisted of many of the Scots’ current players.
“Our relationship didn’t just start this year. Da’Mykel played for me when he was young,” Williams said. “I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. For new guys coming in, I’ve got to build that relationship because I’m going to coach you hard.
“Because he had a relationship with the boys, they welcomed him. They want him to shoot. They want him to handle the basketball. They want him to be aggressive.”
Hales stepped into a starting role with the Scots in which he is primarily a shooter. But having carried a big load at Topeka High, Hales is capable of providing just about whatever is needed.
“These guys have been around. They know they can’t do it on their own. We know we need pieces around us,” Williams said. “Da’Mykel is a ‘green light’ guy from three. We need him to shoot in order to get the floor spacing.”
The Scots have yet to lose a basketball game with Hales on the roster. He said he is enjoying being part of a state-caliber team for his senior season.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Hales said. “In practice, every day we get to compete against the best on the best. Games, we go into every game knowing we gotta win. We’ve got a lot of stuff on the line working towards the championship. Knowing every game is meaningful, I’ve got to go in with a different mentality.”
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 95, SUMNER ACADEMY 53
Sumner Academy 15 12 18 8 -- 53
Highland Park 31 20 27 17 -- 95
Sumner Academy (6-11, 6-4) – Neely 0-5 1-2 1, Wing 9-18 0-0 23, Davis 5-10 0-0 10, Ross 1-4 0-0 2, Mathew 0-1 1-2 1, Reese 5-9 2-2 14, Wilson 1-4 0-0 2, Ramirez 0-0 0-2 0. Totals: 21-51 4-8 53.
Highland Park (17-0, 9-0) – Wilson 1-5 0-0 3, Hales 5-12 0-0 15, Kelley 6-10 4-5 16, Williams 7-15 2-2 21, Robinson 13-18 2-2 30, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 3-6 0-1 6, Kingcannon 2-5 0-0 4, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 37-72 8-10 95.
3-point goals – Sumner Academy 7 (Wing 5, Reese 2), Highland Park 13 (Hales 5, Williams 5, Robinson 2, Wilson 1). Total fouls – Sumner Academy 8, Highland Park 6. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – Brown.
