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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Topeka High may have fallen short to Centennial League foe Emporia 69-59 on Friday night, but the Trojans showed resilience, grit and poise in challenging situations, keeping the Trojans within striking distance of a victory.
For a youthful group like Topeka High, not folding under tight-game pressure has more meaning than what's on the stat sheet.
Topeka High junior Isaiah Lyons scored 21 points with five 3-pointers in the Trojans' 69-59 Centennial Leaue loss to Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Mason Gomez scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in Topeka High's 69-59 loss to Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emporia had substantial leads throughout the game, but Topeka High kept Emporia from getting comfortable.
"We're playing hard, and I think our guys would run through a brick wall for me,'' Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. "Tonight there were times when we looked like one of the best teams out there and other times when our age showed. We have to find that balance.
"The guys are upset, and that's a good thing. They're not crying or anything, but they felt like they let one get away. We can build on that. Our JV (Junior Varsity) heads to a tournament this weekend, so the next couple practices are just varsity. It's the top 12 guys we have. We can grind it out and get prepared for another league contest."
That Centennial League contest will be against Washburn Rural (5-2, 2-0) on Tuesday at Topeka High.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Class 5A No. 3-ranked Emporia girls left the capital city with a massive 51-40 Centennial League win over 6A No. 6-ranked Topeka High on Friday night, snapping Topeka High's seven-game win streak.
Topeka High had won its previous seven meetings against Emporia, outscoring the Spartans 409-258 in the seven-game span. One of those contests was by a two-point spread back on December 14, 2021, but HIgh won the rest by large margins.
Topeka High senior Kiki Smith (23) tries to get past Emporia junior Lexsey DeWitt in Friday's 51-40 Emporia win Friday night at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emporia junior Emeil Bennett (5), defending Topeka High's Faith Shields, scored 13 points in Friday's 51-40 Centennial League win over the Trojans. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
On Friday night, however, Emporia looked like one of the most dominant teams in the state, with the Spartans taking control offensively and shutting Topeka High down defensively.
The Lady Trojans outrebounded the Spartans and forced Emporia to turn the ball over 14 times but Emporia went eight of 14 from the 3-point line and gained 23 opportunities from the charity stripe from Lady Trojan fouls.
Besides a high rate of fouls, Topeka High saw some notable performers defensively. Star senior Kiki Smith, Ladaysha Baird, Keimara Marshall and Adisyn Caryl combined for nine steals. The defense stumbled early but picked it up throughout the game.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After building a commanding 14-point halftime lead, Washburn Rural's boys basketball team let Hayden back in the game in the third quarter before regaining control down the stretch in a 46-36 Centennial League win Friday night at Hayden.
Washburn Rural, which improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the league, rode a stifling defensive effort to a 22-8 halftime advantage over the Wildcats, but Hayden turned the tables in the third quarter, using a 19-8 scoring edge to get back within three points (30-27) at the start of the fourth quarter.
Senior Jack Bachelor went eight of eight at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points in Washburn Rural's 46-36 win at Hayden Friday night. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Hayden senior Joe Otting scored a game-high 18 points Friday night in the Wildcats' 46-36 Centennial League loss to Washburn Rural. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats got no closer, however, as the Junior Blues scored all 16 of their fourth-quarter points at the free throw line to pull away for the 10-point win.
"I think third quarter we kind of let them bring the aggression to us and we kind of played on our heels a little bit,'' Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. "A couple of times this year defensively we like to reach and put our hands on people and put them at the free throw line. I feel like we spent most of the third quarter playing defense and boxing out for free throws.
"But the guys did a really good job of responding and kind of flipping that script in the fourth quarter.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Not a lot from the Washburn Rural girls' second-half performance at Hayden Friday night is likely to make the Junior Blues' highlight reel as things got a little ragged over the final two quarters
But it didn't matter, as the No. 7-ranked (Class 6A) Junior Blues had already put the Centennial League game out of reach by halftime in a 56-32 romp past the Wildcats.
Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn DeLeye splits Hayden defenders Avery Grunert (3) and Lauren Sandstrom (5) during Friday's 56-32 Rural Centennial League romp at Hayden. DeLeye led all scorers with 17 points. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Zoe Canfield (left) had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 56-32 Centennial League win over Hayden. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN
Washburn Rural, which improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the league with its fourth straight win, scored the final nine points of the first quarter to take a 19-10 lead over the Wildcats and then outscored Hayden 20-4 in the second quarter to take a commanding 39-14 advantage at the half.
Hayden (3-3, 0-2) actually outscored defending state champ Rural by an 18-17 margin after halftime as the Junior Blues committed 15 of their 18 turnovers in the second half.
"I think overall it was a good win, coming in here and playing, and they're a really good team,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "I was just wanting us to be more intense on both ends.
"I thought in the first half we were and I thought we had a decent lead at halftime. No matter what we talked about at haltime, which is not what got done, I thought we had this mentality of we can coast and you can't coast against any team, let alone a team like Hayden and I thought they outplayed us in the third and fourth quarter.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topekan Tyrell Brown knew he was stepping into a special opportunity when he joined the Texas Christian University football staff a year ago.
But the Topeka West and Washburn University product couldn't have envisioned just how special his first season with the Horned Frogs would be, with TCU set to play Georgia for the national championship Monday night in Inglewood, Calif.
Topeka West and Washburn University graduate Tyrell Brown will cap his first year on the TCU football staff in Monday's national championship game in Inglewood, Calif. [Submitted photo]
Topeka West and Washburn product Tyrell Brown celebrates TCU's 51-45 College Football Playoff semifinal win over Michigan. [Submitted photo]
The Horned Frogs, whose only loss in a 13-1 season came against Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference championship game, earned their chance to play for the national championship with a 51-45 win over Michigan and Brown said he's been overwhelmed with the response from his friends and former teammates back home in Topeka, which started as soon as the College Football Playoff semifinal game ended.
"Oh yeah, my phone started blowing up,'' Brown said. "I told my girlfriend I had over 200 texts when I eventually got back to the locker room. I’ve appreciated all the love from everyone back home in Topeka -- the texts, calls, messages.
"They’ve all meant so much to me because those are the people who supported me from Day One, so thank you to everyone who has reached out and know that I appreciate it.''
Brown, who played football and basketball at West, graduating in 2010, and wide receiver at Washburn, landed his position as assistant director of human performance at TCU after stints on the strength and conditioning staffs at Washburn, the University of Kansas, Troy and Middle Tennessee State.
"The strength and conditioning field is a relationship-based business – people hire people that they trust and that they know will get the job done,'' Brown said. "You are constantly aiming to add value day in and day out. I have been going to strength and conditioning conferences since I was an intern at Kansas in 2017 actively networking.
"I had gone to a Hammer Strength Conference in Atlanta during 2019 while I was a graduate assistant at Troy University, which is where I was fortunate enough to first meet coach Kaz Kazadi who I now work under here at TCU. We developed a relationship and stayed in touch, so when he was hired by TCU he had an opportunity available on his staff and he called me up and offered it to me . I said, 'Yes sir,' and left Middle Tennessee State and moved to Forth Worth a year ago this week.''
