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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When high school basketball practice began back in November, it's probably safe to say that very few people outside of the Highland Park girls basketball program thought there was even a chance that the 2022-2023 season would end with the Scots in the Class 5A state tournament.
Highland Park poses for a team picture after punching its ticket to the Class 5A state tournament with a win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But that's exactly where Highland Park will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday when the Scots square off against six-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas at Emporia's storied White Auditorium.
"We're going to go down there and have fun and try to shock the world,'' Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. "We have no seniors so it will definitely be a great learning experience for us.''
Highland Park made major strides in Brown's first season as head coach in 2021-2022 but nothing like the progress the Scots made this season.
The Scots went undefeated in their first season in the Meadowlark Conference and went 19-3 overall, earning their first state berth since 2012 with a win over city rival Shawnee Heights in Friday's sub-state championship game.
"I'm extra proud of our girls, our coaches, everybody,'' Brown said. "It's been a day by day process, keeping everybody on track, getting our grades right, staying out of trouble, coming to practice every day with energy, working hard and keeping everybody bought in.''
Highland Park is the No. 5 seed for state while St. Thomas Aquinas, also 19-3, is the No. 4 seed.
The Scots and Saints are on the same side of the bracket with No. 1 seed Seaman (21-1), which will face No. 8 St. James Academy (17-5) in the opening round at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
On the other side of the bracket No. 2 seed Bishop Carroll (20-2) will face No. 7 Andover Central (17-5) and No. 3 Andover (20-2) will take on No. 6 Emporia (18-3).
The Highland Park-Aquinas and Seaman-St. James winners will play a 2 p.m. semifinal on Friday while the Carroll-Andover Central and Andover-Emporia winners will play the second semifinal at 6 o'clock.
The state championship game will be played at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Here's a look at the other five Shawnee County teams in state tournaments:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Avery Grunert banked in a long 3-pointer at the buzzer Saturday night to give Hayden a 42-40 overtime Class 4A sub-state championship-game win over Fort Scott and a berth in the state tournament at Salina.
Junior Avery Grunert (right) is mobbed by her teammates after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime to give Hayden a 42-40 win over Fort Scott Saturday night. [Twitter/Hayden girls basketball]
Hayden girls engage in the tradition of taking a bite out of the championship trophy after Saturday night's 42-40 overtime win in Fort Scott. [Twitter/Hayden girls basketball]
Hayden poses for a team picture after winning a Class 4A sub-state championship Saturday night in Fort Scott. [Twitter/Hayden girls basketball]
Trailing 40-39, Hayden inbounded the ball with 3.3 seconds left in overtime and Grunert released her game-winning shot as time ran out.
Fort Scott led 7-5 at the end of the opening quarter before Hayden took a 14-11 lead at the half.
Hayden led 28-21 at the start of the fourth quarter but the Tigers battled back to send the game to overtime tied at 33.
Norma Greco paced the 15-7 Wildcats with 12 points while Kaliya Fulton added 11 and Lauren Sandstom eight points.
Keegan Yarick led Fort Scott, which finished 19-3, with 19 points, hitting nine consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime.
PITTSBURG BOYS 53, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 52 -- Shawnee Heights came within a whisker of earning a berth in the Class 5A state tournament, dropping a 53-52 decision to Pittsburgn in Saturday night's sub-state championship game.
The game was tied at 12-12 at the end of the opening quarter before Pittsburg (17-5) took a 25-20 advantage at the half.
Shawnee Heights battled back to take a 39-38 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
The T-Birds finished their season 15-7.
HUTCHINSON BOYS 66, TOPEKA WEST 38 -- Once-beaten Hutchinson took control in the first half, opening up a 16-point lead, on the way to a 66-38 win over Topeka West in Saturday's Class 5A sub-state final.
The Salthawks led 19-15 at the end of the first quarter but led by a commanding 36-20 advantage at the half.
Hutch, 21-1, le 54-32 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Topeka West finished its season 14-8.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
PERRY – In the 2022 Class 3A state tournament, the Silver Lake girls' basketball team left the arena feeling empty, sad and hungry for the gold.
A year later, Silver Lake is heading back to Hutchinson and will look to avenge its state tournament loss after a 46-26 3A sub-state championship victory over its deepest rival, Rossville.
Silver Lake is presented its Class 3A sub-state championship trophy Saturday night at Perry-Lecompton. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Silver Lake celebrates Saturday's 46-26 Class 3A sub-state championship game win over Rossville at Perry-Lecompton. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
With Silver Lake's win, the Eagles have won their sub-state bracket three times in a row. For the second straight year, the same starting lineup will try and win the Eagles' first state championship since 2016.
"This feeling never gets old," Silver Lake junior McKinley Kruger said. "For this being our third time in a row doing this, it still feels as great as the last two. There are a lot of great teams in 3A, and everyone is out to get us based on our success last year and this year. We need to keep staying together and playing as a team. We are unstoppable if we play at our best, and nobody can beat us."
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural girls will have a chance to defend their Class 6A state title next week, thanks to a sub-state title-game win over rival Topeka High, 45-29, on Saturday night at Topeka High.
Washburn Rural senior MaRyah Lutz and her Junior Blue teammates celebrate Saturday night's Class 6A sub-state championship. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick gives senior MaRyah Lutz a hug after being presented with the Class 6A sub-state championship trophy. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural poses for a team picture after winning a Class 6A sub-state title with a 45-29 win Saturday night at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seeded fifth in the 6A West bracket, the Junior Blues had their work cut out for them to reach the state tournament. They would be required to defeat, for the third time this season, Centennial League foes Manhattan and fourth-seeded Topeka High.
The phrase, 'It’s hard to beat a team three times,' was uttered frequently, but the Junior Blues did it.
Washburn Rural jumped on the Trojans out of the gate and didn’t let up.
Topeka High was held to just four points in each of the first three periods, finding themselves in an insurmountable deficit of 32-12. The Trojans were limited to just three field goals prior to the fourth period.
“It’s a big testament to what these kids are like,” Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. “The toughness, the resiliency facing adversity. This might have been our toughest game, having to come to their place, after what we’ve been through.”
Foremost in the challenges the Junior Blues have overcome was the mid-season loss of senior point guard Zoe Canfield. An injury to the Kansas University-commit deprived Washburn Rural of a ball handler and consistent outside shooter. Canfield wouldn’t be replaced by any one individual and Bordewick pointed to the play of sophomores Kate Hinck and Tenly Bunck and junior Destiny Ochs as instrumental.
“They had some big shoes to fill,” Bordewick said. “They had to pick up a lot of slack. If they hadn’t, we aren’t here.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Obviously, undefeated and top-ranked Highland Park's goals are set higher than winning a Class 5A sub-state championship.
But the Scots couldn't even think about mounting a state title run until they took care of business in Saturday's sub-state final against St. James Academy, and Highland Park checked that off its to-do list with an impressive 80-52 romp past the Thunder at Hi Park.
Highland Park senior standouts Tre Richardson (0) and Bo Aldridge cut down the nets after Saturday's 80-52 home win over St. James Academy in a Class 5A sub-state championship game. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park poses for a team picture after earning a second straight trip to state with an 80-52 win over St. James Academy Saturday night at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"That's paramount because there's no tomorrow, there's no state tournament without tonight,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said about the importance of sub-state. "A lot of times in these games you run the risk of getting caught up in the moment or getting away from a game plan or get out of whack just because there's no much at stake.
"I thought our guys did a good job of staying even keel, staying poised and figuring out the game along the way.''
