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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
In a season of big wins, Highland Park notched its biggest victory Tuesday night, romping to a 70-54 Centennial League decision over previously-unbeated Junction City on the Blue Jays' home court.
Highland Park, which improved to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the league, took control with an 18-7 first quarter and then hit the Blue Jays with a 21-13 second quarter to open up a commanding 39-20 halftime cushion.
The Scots led 58-37 at the start of the fourth quarter and cruised the rest of the way, dropping Junction City to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the league race.
"We've got to keep taking every day serious and continue to work to get better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said in a text.
Senior Juan'Tario Roberts (23) scored a game-high 24 points as Highland Park improved to 8-0 with a 70-54 road romp past previously-unbeaten Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Ketraleus Aldridge scored 18 points Tuesday night to help Highland Park remain unbeaten with a 70-54 road win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Juan'Tario Roberts scored a game-high 24 points for Highland Park while junior Ketraleus Aldridge added 18 points and junior Tre Richardson 10 points.
Howard Johnson led Junction City with 14 points.
Highland Park faces another key Centennial game on Friday, playing at Topeka West.
Senior Elijah Brooks scored 21 points to lead three double-figure scorers in Topeka West's 71-57 road win at Emporia Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 71, EMPORIA 57 -- Topeka West rode a big first half to a 71-57 Centrennial League road win at Emporia, improving to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the league.
The Chargers hit the winless Spartans with an 18-6 first quarter to take control and were in command 38-21 at the half.
Topeka West senior Elijah Brooks scored a game-high 21 points to pace the Chargers while junior Xavier Alexander added 18 points, including five 3-pointers, and senior Zander Putthoff had 17 points and three 3-pointers.
Parker Leeds and River Peters scored 20 points apiece for Emporia (0-8, 0-7).
With Tuesday's win Topeka West remained a game out of the Centennial League lead and the Chargers will host league-leading Highland Park on Friday.
Senior Quincey Kidd scored 18 points to lead the way as Washburn Rural improved to 4-3 with a 51-31 win at Manhattan Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 51, MANHATTAN 31 -- Senior Quincey Kidd scored a game-high 19 points and junior Jack Bachelor added 11 as Washburn Rural climbed above .500 with a 51-31 Centennial League road romp Tuesday night at Manhattan.
Washburn Rural, now 4-3 overall and in the league, trailed by a 7-6 margin at the end of the first quarter but took command with a 17-5 second quarter, taking a 23-12 lead to the locker room at the half.
The Junior Blues boosted their advantage to 42-28 by the end of the third quarter and outscored the Indians 9-3 in the fourth.
Kidd canned a pair of 3-pointers on the night and also connected on five of six free throw attempts.
Tate Brown led Manhattan, 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the league, with 14 points.
Washburn Rural will be at home on Friday to host Junction City.
WABAUNSEE BOYS 52, SILVER LAKE 49 -- Silver Lake suffered a heartbreaking 52-49 loss to Wabaunsee Tuesday night, with Wabaunsee's Brayden Meseke capping a 24-pound night with a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining.
Silver Lake had one last desperation possession to try to force overtime, but the 6-1 Chargers came up with a steal as time ran out.
Junior Kamryn Kaniper had a big night for Silver Lake (4-3), finishing with 21 points, while senior Troy Heiman added 12 points.
Silver Lake led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Wabaunsee answered with a 20-4 second quarter to take a 28-19 haltime advantage.
Silver Lake outscored Wabaunsee 30-24 in the second half to give itself a chance before Meseke pulled out the win for the Chargers.
ROCK CREEK BOYS 61, ROSSVILLE 43 -- Junior Kade Perine scored a game-high 17 points for Rossville, including five 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough to overcome a dominant middle third quarter by the Mustangs.
Rossville and Rock Creek were locked in a 30-30 deadlock at the half but the Mustangs hit the Bulldawgs with a 17-5 third quarter to take control and held a 14-8 scoring edge the rest of the way.
Rock Creek improved to 2-6 on the season behind three double-figure scorers while Rossville fell to 1-7.
Senior Aiden Garcia added nine points for Rossville.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' boys basketball team was solid offensively against Leavenworth Tuesday night, shooting just under 50 percent from the field while having four players crack double figures.
But it was the T-Birds' defense that turned what could have been a nail-biter into a 66-44 home United Kansas Conference romp past the Pioneers as Heights improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the UKC while equaling its win total from the entire 2020-2021 season.
Shawnee Heights pestered Leavenworth (3-4, 1-1) into a 16 of 57 shooting night and 15 turnovers while holding the Pioneers to just 22 points in both halves.
"Look, how many times are we going to lose or anybody else is going to lose when when (the other team) gets 44 points?'' Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. "We held a team to 39 last week, 23 in another game, 35 in another game.
"We just flat play hard and tough. That's all there is to it.''
Senior Carter Olson scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Shawnee Heights' 66-44 UKC win over Leavenworth Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Nate Pewe tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points in Shawnee Heights' 66-44 UKC win over Leavenworth Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Leavenworth took an early 3-0 lead and there were ties at 4-4 and 6-6 before Shawnee Heights got back-to-back baskets from junior Jeremyah Kendrick to take the lead for good.
Shawnee Heights led by just a 17-15 lead at the end of the opening quarter but opened up an 11-point (30-19) advantage late in the first half before taking a 30-22 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Birds went in front 39-24 with 2:16 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from sophomore Brennon Dodge, took a commanding 42-29 advantage into the start of the fourth quarter and turned the game into a rout down the stretch.
Seniors Carter Olson and Nate Pewe scored 14 points each to pace the T-Birds while Kendrick finished with 13 points and Dodge 12.
Olson registered a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds on the night.
Darting was pleased with the fact that the T-Birds got contributions from players up and down the Heights bench.
"You know how I feel about defense and if you will rebound and defend, I'm not afraid to put you in the game,'' Darting said. "You will luck into two or three baskets, just on putbacks or interception layups or whatever.
"In our top 12 I would say we've got 10 that can score seven or eight.''
Junior Eddie McLaughlin led Leavenworth with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, but was just seven of 25 from the field.
Junior Jeremiah Lewis added 11 points, including three 3's, for the Pioneers.
Shawnee Heights will return to action Friday, traveling to Turner.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 66, LEAVENWORTH 44
Leavenworth 15 7 7 15 -- 44
Shawnee Heights 17 13 13 23 -- 66
Leavenworth (3-4, 1-1) -- Darthard 3-10 1-6 8, Miller 1-5 1-2 3, Chapman 0-1 0-2 0, Lewis 3-13 2-5 11, McLaughlin 7-25 0-0 17, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Bethea 0-0 1-3 1, Crawford 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 16-57 5-18 44.
Shawnee Heights (6-1, 2-0) -- Pewe 7-15 0-0 14, Sanders 1-2 0-0 2, Dodge 4-11 2-2 12, Olson 6-12 2-2 14, Kendrick 6-9 1-6 13, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Ginter 1-1 0-0 2, Pomeroy 0-0 1-2 1, D. Sanchez 0-0 0-0 0, Holly 1-1 0-1 2, Malcom 1-3 0-0 2, J. Sanchez 1-1 0-0 3, Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Purdie 0-0 0-0 0, Poyner 0-1 0-0 0, Terry 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 28-58 7-15 66.
3-point goals -- Leavenworth 7 (McLaughlin 3, Lewis 3, Darthard), Shawnee Heights 3 (Dodge 2, J. Sanchez). Total fouls -- Leavenworth 15, Shawnee Heights 14. Fouled out -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Shawnee Heights girls basketball coach Bob Wells saw plenty of things Tuesday night against Leavenworth that his T-Birds still need to work on.
But Wells couldn't complain about the final result, a 50-38 United Kansas Conference victory over the Pioneers at Heights.
Shawnee Heights trailed just once, at 2-0, and the T-Birds led by 11 points (26-15) at the half and by 14 (34-20) midway through the third quarter, but Heights also had to withstand several runs by Leavenworth and overcome 23 turnovers while improving to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the UKC.
Heights bounced back against Leavenworth after dropping a tough 67-61 home decision against undefeated Lansing last Friday.
"I think the Lansing loss had a lot more positives to it than negatives,'' Wells said. "I think (the girls) figured out that, 'Hey, we can did this.'
"Now we just need to fine tune it and dial it in a little bit.''
Shawnee Heights built an 11-4 first-quarter advantage and went up 13-4 before Leavenworth (2-4, 1-1) rallied to within two points at 17-15.
Shawnee Heights junior Emari Doby (right) scored a game-high 15 points as the T-Birds improved to 4-2 with a 50-38 UKC win over Leavenworth Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Heights quickly regained control, however, ending the half with a 9-0 run, capped by an Emari Doby 3-pointer.
Heights went in front 34-20 on a hoop by senior Abby Schulte with 3:45 left in the third quarter but Leavenworth cut its deficit to six (34-28) at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Pioneers got within four points (38-34) with 5:37 remaining, but Heights outscored Leavenworth 12-4 the rest of the way to put the game away.
Shawnee Heights senior Zoe Oczko scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked multiple shots in the T-Birds' 50-38 win over Leavenworth Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Abby Fleischer scored 10 points on five of six shooting in Shawnee Heights' 50-38 win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Doby led Shawnee Heights with 15 points while junior Abby Fleischer added 10 points on five of six shooting from the field and 6-foot-3 senior Zoe Oczko had 10 points, nine rebounds and multiple blocked shots.
Leavenworth, which committed 27 turnovers, was led by senior Kianna James with 14 points, but no other Pioneer had more than eight points.
Shawnee Heights has two games remaining this week, hosting Blue Valley Northwest on Thursday before traveling to Turner on Friday.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 50, LEAVENWORTH 38
Leavenworth 4 11 13 10 -- 38
Shawnee Heights 11 15 8 16 -- 50
Leavenworth (2-4, 1-1) -- McLain 2-9 1-2 6, K. James 7-11 0-0 14, DeLeon 0-0 0-0 0, Gardner 1-8 2-4 4, Wright 0-4 2-2 2, Barker 3-6 0-0 8, J. James 0-2 0-2 0, West 2-3 0-2 4. Totals 15-43 5-12 38.
Shawnee Heights (4-2, 1-1) -- Doby 6-13 2-3 15, Schulte 1-7 2-3 4, Canady 1-8 0-0 2, Fleischer 5-6 0-0 10, Oczko 4-9 2-5 10, Showalter 2-6 0-0 4, Rantz 0-0 0-0 0, Rottinghaus 2-2 1-2 5, Hill 0-0 0-0 0 . Totals 21-51 7-13 50.
3-point goals -- Leavenworth 3 (Barker 2, McLain), Shawnee Heights 1 (Doby). Total fouls -- Leavenworth 14, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior star Brooklyn DeLeye has been named the 2021-2022 Gatorade Kansas Volleyball Player of the Year.
DeLeye is the second Gatorade Kansas Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Washburn Rural High School in Gatorade's 37th year of honoring Kansas high school athletes.
Washburn Rural junior volleyball star Brooklyn DeLeye has been named the Gatorade Kansas Volleyball Player of the Year after leading the Junior Blues to a 41-2 record this past fall. [File photo/TSN]
The Gatorade award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes DeLeye as Kansas’ best high school volleyball player.
The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter compiled 586 kills and 259 digs this past season, leading the 41-2 Junior Blues to 41 straight victories and a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament.
DeLeye, who has orally committed to Kentucky, also tallied 133 service aces, 38 assists and 26 blocks while posting a .563 kill percentage and a .438 hitting percentage.
The Class 6A Player of the Year, DeLeye is a three-time All-State first-team selection and is ranked as the nation’s No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2023 by PrepVolleyball.com. She concluded her junior year with a school-record for career kills with 1,633.
“Brooklyn DeLeye is the best all-around player in the state, hands down,” said Nancy Dorsey, coach of St. James Academy. “Playing their team is like playing a game of keep-away from Brooklyn.”
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month, DeLeye joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including USA Volleyball players Kayla Banwarth (2006-07, Wahlert High School, Iowa), Alisha Glass (2005-06, Leland Public High School, Mich.), Jordan Larson (2004-05, Logan View High School, Neb.) and Foluke Akinradewo (2004-05, St. Thomas High School, Fla.).
DeLeye works in the Washburn Rural coffee shop and is the secretary of the school’s National Technical Honor Society. She has also volunteered locally as a youth volleyball and basketball coach.
DeLeye has maintained a weighted 4.18 GPA in the classroom.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
DeLeye joins recent Gatorade Kansas Volleyball Players of the Year Caroline Bien (2020-21, St. Thomas Aquinas High School), Kendra Wait (2019-20, Gardner Edgerton High School), Audrey Klemp (2018-19, St. James Academy), and Taylor Kuper (2017-18, Olathe Northwest High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Gatorade has a long-standing history of serving athlete communities and understands how sports instill valuable lifelong skills on and off the field. Through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, DeLeye has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of their choosing that helps young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. DeLeye is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year.
To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County boys and girls wrestlers turned in a strong weekend, led by team championships from the Shawnee Heights boys and Washburn Rural girls teams and multiple individual champions.
Here's a tournament by tournament look at the county highlights:
• Shawnee Heights boys rolled to the team championship by a 246.5-118.5 over Blue Valley North in Shawnee Mission South's Joel Rios Invitational, with eight T-Birds earning individual titles.
Brock Ferguson
Preston Hartman
Heights got individual championships from 120-pound senior Brock Ferguson (23-1), 132-pound sophomore Andrew Bonebrake (19-3), 138-pound senior Ty Lewis (21-3), 145-pound senior Joey Hilton (18-5), 152-pound junior Nick Freeland (16-6), 170-pound senior Cole Manrose (20-3), 182-pound senior Preston Hartman (18-2) and 195-pound junior Sean Wunder (17-6).
Bonebrake, Lewis, Freeland and Wunder recorded all five of their wins by fall while Ferguson recorded four pins and a technical fall.
Topeka West finished ninth in the tournament, led by 126-pound freshman Malachi Kuebler, who finished third and is 13-6 on the season.
• Washburn Rural's girls won the team title and Shawnee Heights finished third in the Blue Valley Southwest Xtreme Invitational, with the Junior Blues and T-Birds combining to win nine 'A' division individual championships.
Washburn Rural won the team title by a 454.5-404.5 margin over Spring Hill while Shawnee Heights was third with 332 points.
Addison Broxterman
Jaliah Johnson
The Junior Blues got 'A' division titles from 101-pound sophomore Kristen Rezac (13-4), 120-pound junior Addison Broxterman (17-1), 132-pound junior Alexis Fredrickson (17-2), 138-pound freshman Madison Davison (15-4), 143-pound sophomore Laiken Clark (14-4), 155-pound senior Jaliah Johnson (15-1) and 235-pound sophomore Sophia Ross (15-4).
Maranda Bell
Heights got wins from 115-pound junior Molly Busenitz (12-0) and 191-pound senior Maranda Bell (12-0).
• Washburn Rural's boys posted a strong third-place finish in the Derby Panthers Invitational, led by individual champions Easton Broxterman, Jonathan Morrison and Jacob Tangpricha.
Broxterman, a freshman, won the 106-pound title, while sophomore Morrison was the 113-pound champion and senior Tangpricha bested the field at 126 pounds.
Broxterman went 5-0 with four pins while Morrison was 5-0 with three pins and a technical fall and Tangpricha was 5-0 with three pins.
Kendra Hurla
• Four Bulldawg standouts captured individual championships in the Rossville Invitational.
Rossville sophomore Kendra Hurla, a returning state champion, won the 126-pound girls championship while her Bulldawg teammate, Keera Lacock, finished second.
The Bulldawg boys got wins from 138-pounder Colby Hurla, 160-pounder Sam Twombly and 220-pounder Barrett Lietz.
Hayden 220-pounder Juan Roman-Perez finished second in the boys division while Hayden's Elaina Wolff (109) and Kylie Carswell (115) posted third-place finishes in the girls division.
• Highland Park finished third as a team in the Shawnee Mission South Girls Mixer, led by individual runner-ups Kimberly Rodriguez (106), Ruby Hernandez (132) and Celeste Gonzalez (191).
Topeka West finished ninth as a team, led by runner-up Trysten Johnson (235).
Daigan Kruger
• Silver Lake's boys finished fourth in the Burlington Invitational, getting an individual championship from senior 170-pounder Daigan Kruger, who improved to 16-0 on the season.
Sophomore Chase Root (12-4) finished second at 152 pounds for the Eagles while senior Tristan VandeVelde (16-1) was second at 182 pounds and junior Kaden Walker finished third at 220 pounds.
