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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fans have grown accustomed to Highland Park's boys basketball team running up and down the court with numerous dunks and highlight-film plays.
Senior Mikey Williams scored a game-high 17 points Friday as Highland Park advanced to its third straight Topeka Invitational championship game with a 52-41 semifinal win over Lawrence. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson scored 13 points Friday in the Scots' 52-41 semifinal win over Lawrence in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Friday night was more about getting the job done at a slower, grind-it-out pace, with the 10-0 and top-ranked (Class 5A) Scots advancing to the Topeka Invitational Tournament championship game for the third straight season with a 52-41 semifinal win over Lawrence at Topeka High.
"When it comes down to it, we're going to see games like we've had over the last couple of nights,'' said Scots coach Mike Williams, whose team took a 12-point win over Shawnee Mission North in Thursday's opening round. "Over the last couple of years I can count on two fingers the single-digit games that we've gotten in the regular season.
"So we've found pockets to get a few more games that are kind of challenging us in a different way and we're seeing different things show up for our guys. Some things aren't as good at times, but it's OK. It's not the end of the world if we get out there and make a mistake or two. That allows us as coaches to do our job.''
Highland Park, which has won 19 Topeka Invitational titles, trailed just once, at 2-1, in the game, but the Lions (2-6) were able to stay within single-digits most of the night before the Scots closed out the 11-point victory to earn a berth in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship game against city rival Topeka West.
The Scots led 8-5 after a slow-paced opening quarter and led 22-12 at the half after senior Mikey Williams scored three straight points to end the second quarter.
Highland Park went up 13 points (29-16) with 5:42 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from senior Da'Mykel Hales but Lawrence got within six late in the third before Scot senior Ja'Corey Robinson hit a follow shot at the buzzer to put Hi Park up 33-25 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Lawrence got no closer, with Highland Park leading by as many as 14 points (43-29) midway through the final quarter.
Williams scored a game-high 17 points to lead three Scots in double figures, with Robinson adding 13 points and Hales 11 with three 3-pointers.
Lawrence got a team-high 11 points from freshman Joey Dooley while senior Aden Ramirez added nine points.
Scot coach Mike Williams wasn't surprised to get a test from Lawrence, which has advanced to the Topeka Invitational championship game nine times since 2010 with four titles and a championship-game loss to the Scots in 2023.
"They've got pride,'' Williams said of the Lions. "Highland Park and Lawrence is a traditional matchup in the TIT. They know that, the fans know that, their school knows that.
"The coaches have pride and they're going to get their kids out there and compete, and when you get in tournament play, records are out the window. I'm just happy our guys were able to get a challenge and overcome.''
HIGHLAND PARK 52, LAWRENCE 41
Lawrence 5 7 13 16 -- 41
Highland Park 8 14 11 19 -- 52
Lawrence (2-6) – Johnson 1-4 0-0 3, Ramirez 2-5 4-4 9, Foster 3-3 0-2 6, Roman Nose 3-8 1-2 7, Dooley 4-8 1-1 11, Becker 0-0 0-0 0, Simar 1-2 0-2 2, Doleman 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 15-32 6-12 41.
Highland Park (10-0) – Wilson 2-5 0-0 5, Hales 4-7 0-0 11, Kelley 2-4 0-0 4, Williams 6-13 5-8 17, Robinson 4-7 4-6 13, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Kingcannon 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 19-38 9-14 52.
3-point goals – Lawrence 5 (Dooley 2, Johnson, Ramirez, Doleman), Highland Park 5 (Hales 3, Wilson, Robinson). Total fouls – Lawrence 13, Highland Park 14. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
Lansing pulls away late to top Topeka High
For the second straight night Topeka High put itself in a position to post its first win of the season.
But after Topeka High took a six-point lead at 55-49 with 4:10 left, Lansing scored the final 14 points of the night to take a 63-55 win on Friday on the Trojans' home court.
High fell to 0-10 on the season while Lansing improved to 2-8.
"I told the guys, this one's on me,'' Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. "I knew we were playing at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, no band, no student section. It was like a middle school basketball game and I didn't have my team ready to go and that's what it came down to.
"And once a team already has it on and then you try to turn it on, it's hard to play catchup. We put so much energy into trying to get back into the basketball game and even taking the lead that we just didn't have it down the stretch and really that came down to we were mentally tired.''
Topeka High led 16-10 after one quarter but the Lions rallied to take a 31-29 advantage at the half.
The Trojans led 45-43 at the start of the final period and held a lead until Lansing went in front to stay with 2:14 remaining.
Junior Jalen Aldridge led Topeka High with 19 points while junior Octavian McFadded added 16 points.
Junior Jesse Wilson came off the bench to lead Lansing with a game-high 21 points.
LANSING 63, TOPEKA HIGH 55
Topeka High 16 15 14 10 -- 55
Lansing 10 19 14 20 -- 63
Topeka High (0-10) – Guest 3-9 0-0 9, McFadden 7-10 0-0 16, Aldridge 7-14 2-3 17, Campbell 1-2 0-0 2, McComas 3-6 3-6 9, Redmond 0-5 0-0 0, Wilkerson 0-3 0-0 0, Trotter 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 0-3 0-0 0, Dingle 0-1 0-0 0, Mallory 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-56 5-9 55.
Lansing (2-8) – Stephens 8-18 0-2 18, Heim 1-4 0-0 2, Zimmerman 0-7 1-2 1, Mattingly 2-6 4-5 8, Boden 5-8 0-0 13, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Wilson 6-9 9-14 21. Totals: 22-52 14-23 63.
3-point goals – Topeka High 6 (Guest 3, McFadden 2, Aldridge), Lansing 5 (Boden 3, Stephens 2). Total fouls – Topeka High 22, Lansing 8. Fouled out – McComas. Technical fouls – none.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
RESULTS FRIDAY
Wichita SE 69, SM North 66
Lansing 63, Topeka High 55
Highland Park 52, Lawrence 41
Topeka West 71, Olathe East 59
GAMES SATURDAY
10 a.m. -- Topeka High vs. SM North (seventh place).
11:30 -- Wichita SE vs. Lansing (fifth place).
1 p.m. -- Lawrence vs. Olathe East (third place).
2:30 -- Highland Park vs. Topeka West (championship).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball will put its three-game winning streak on the line Saturday as the Ichabods head to St. Joseph, Mo. for a 1:30 p.m. contest against Missouri Western.
MIAA player of the week Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn in scoring and rebounding and leads the nation in field goal percentage. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are11-8 on the year and 5-4 in the MIAA after beginning their road swing with a 71-60 win over Northwest Missouri on Wednesday.
Missouri Western fell to 11-6 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA with a 68-62 overtime battle to Central Missouri at home on Wednesday.
Saturday's contest against Missouri Western will be the 106th all-time meeting between the two teams.
Washburn opened up the 2025 calendar year inside Lee Arena with an 88-73 win over Missouri Western, snapping the Griffons' seven-game winning streak.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah leads Washburn with a 17.8 scoring average and 7.5 rebounds while also shooting a team-high 67.0 percent from the field. Nwidadah has started all 17 games she has played in, logging 27.5 minutes per game. She has shot at or above 50.0 percent in all but one game and has four double-doubles.
The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking second in the MIAA in points per game and eighth in rebounds. She has 15-plus points in 12 games this year. She was named the MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week on Monday for the first time in her career.
With 194 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is seventh in program history. She needs 23 offensive boards to move up to sixth. In overall rebounds she is 15th in Washburn history with 519. Her career field goal percentage of .585 is the best in program history. In scoring she ranks 38th with 807 career points.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High sophomore girls basketball standout Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton and Shawnee Heights junior bowler Henry Schattilly have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Rayton and Schattilly over the past week:
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the week. [File photo/TSN]
AHSIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High
Rayton scored 34 points last Friday in an 80-33 Centennial League home win over Junction City and had 19 points in a 53-45 non-league win over previously-unbeaten Highland Park on Tuesday in a matchup between USD 501 rivals.
Rayton, a 5-foot-6 guard, has helped lead Topeka High get off to a 5-3 record this season, with the Trojans already equaling their victory total for the entire 2023-2024 campaign.
Shawnee Heights junior Henry Schattilly, a Class 5A state medalist for the state-champion T-Birds last season, has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week. [File photo/TSN]
HENRY SCHATTILLY, Topeka West
Schattilly bowled a perfect 300 game in a meet at Lawrence on Tuesday and won individual titles in that meet and the Shawnee Heights quadrangular on Wednesday, leading defending Class 5A state champion Heights to team titles in both events.
Schattilly bowled his 300 in his second game at Lawrence to take individual honors with a 693 series while helping the T-Birds win the team title by a 2,703-2,342 margin over Free State. Schattilly won his second individual championship in as many days on Wednesday at Gage Bowl, rolling a 643 series to claim top honors as the T-Birds finished first as a team by a 2,479-2,306 margin over Piper.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman boys basketball advanced to the semifinals of Valley Center's January Jam Thursday, with the Vikings posting a 74-64 first-round win over Maize.
Junior KaeVon Bonner (3) led Seaman with 26 points in Thursday's 74-64 January Jam tournament win over Maize. [File photo/TSN]
The No. 7-ranked (Class 5A) Vikings, now 7-2, will face No. 9-ranked (6A) Olathe Northwest in an 8 p.m. semifinal Friday night.
Junior KaeVon Bonner paced Seaman with 26 points, backed by senior Bryer Finley with 17 points and junior Landon Wiltz with 10 points.
Seaman's semifinal opponent, Olathe Northwest, is also 7-2 on the season after Thursday's 58-20 tournament rout over Garden City.
Senior Deacon Pomeroy led Shawnee Heights with 16 points in Thursday's 67-39 Viking Classic win over SM West. [File photo/TSN]
T-Bird boys roll past SM West, 67-39
No. 4-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights posted a 67-39 first-round win over tournament host Shawnee Mission West Thursday in the Viking Classic, earning a 7:30 p.m. semifinal matchup with Ozark, Mo. Friday night.
The 7-2 T-Birds were led by senior Deacon Pomeroy's 16 points while senior Jaret Sanchez added 14 points and junior Tyren Parker 11.
Junior Ontarius Emmot narrowly missed double figures with 8 points while junior Da'Quan Lee had 6 points.
Ozark improved to 8-6 on the season with a 63-32 first-round win over Louisburg.
Junior Blues advance in Pittsburg tourney, 65-58
Washburn Rural improved to 7-2 on the season Thursday night with a 65-58 quarterfinal win over Joplin, Mo. in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament.
With Thursday's win the Junior Blues advanced to a 7:30 p.m. Friday semifinal, facing the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal between Webster Groves, Mo. and Branson, Mo.
Washburn Rural jumped out to an 18-7 first-quarter lead and held on the rest of the way as Joplin outscored Rural 51-47 over the final three quarters.
Senior Amare Jones led five double figure scorers for the Junior Blues with 15 points, followed by senior Kaden Ballard and junior Simon Rowley with 13 points apiece, junior Draden Chooncharoen with 11 points and junior John Hoytal with 10.
Both Ballard and Hoytal went 4 of 4 at the free throw line for Rural.
Junior Maddie Gragg (32) led Seaman with 16 points in Thursday's 59-44 UKC road win at De Soto. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman girls take crucial UKC road win at De Soto
Seaman, the top-ranked team in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, improved to a perfect 10-0 Thursday night with a 59-44 United Kansas Conference road win over No. 4-ranked De Soto.
Now 9-0 in the UKC, the Vikings posted the double-digit win over the Wildcats (9-2) after posting a 3-point 53-50 win over De Soto on Dec. 20 at Seaman.
Seaman got 16 points from junior Maddie Gragg, followed by seniors Anna Becker and Jaida Stallbaumer with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball returns to the road on Saturday to face Missouri Western in a 3:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Ichabods moved to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the MIAA after rallying from a 3-point halftime deficit at Northwest Missouri to win 80-69 on Wednesday.
Senior Andrew Orr and the Washburn Ichabods will be looking for their 19th straight win Saturday in a road matchup with Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Missouri Western is 13-6 overall and 5-4 in MIAA play after an 81-62 win over Central Missouri on Wednesday, with the Griffons winning their second straight contest.
The Ichabods won the first meeting this season with the Griffons 92-74 in Topeka.
Washburn is off to its best start to begin at season at 18-0 since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular- season championship.
The Ichabod record for the most wins to start the season is 19 coming in the 1992-93 season. WU is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining No. 2 Daemen (14-0).
Senior Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club earlier this season and now has 1,143 career points, sitting 17th all-time. Next on the chart is Jemi Johnson with 1,215 career points from 1992-95. Orr will be playing in his 100th career game on Saturday.
Senior Michael Keegan has 922 career points in 114 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into a tie for fifth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 94, tying Bobby Chipman who had 94 from 2009-13. Keegan is also fifth all-time in steals with 144.
