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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Breezy Canady wasn't expecting to get the ball, and wasn't necessarily supposed to get the ball for Shawnee Heights' last-gasp shot at the end of regulation Tuesday night against Topeka West.
But once the ball ended up in the 5-foot-5 sophomore's hands she did the rest, draining a 3-pointer to force overtime.
The T-Birds, who trailed by 11 points with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, then took full advantage of their second chance, outscoring Topeka West 12-3 in the OT to take a 64-55 win at Shawnee Heights.
"It was a risky shot,'' Canady said of her clutch 3-pointer. "I wasn't set or anything. I was definitely expecting our top person to shoot that and I stepped in and I was waiting to go rebound and she passed it to me so I just threw it up a little bit.''
Shawnee Heights sophomore Breezy Canady (24), who forced overtime with a last-second 3-pointer in Tuesday's 64-55 win over Topeka West, celebrates with T-Bird senior Abby Schulte. {Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN}
"(Canady) was option No. 3 on that inbounds set,'' Heights coach Bob Wells said of the last play. "It was going there or it was going there and if they don't got it you step in and it's all yours.''
Once Shawnee Heights, which improved to 2-1, got to overtime it never looked back, scoring seven straight points to take control.
"They started playing to win instead of playing not to lose,'' Wells said. "I think that was the big thing.''
Canady, who finished with 15 points, scored the first five points of the extra session and had six in the OT while junior Emari Doby had four points in overtime and finished with a game-high 20 points.
"The 3 definitely motivated us,'' Canady said. "It was our spark to the game, definitely. It got us going. My adrenalin was pumping, I couldn't stop it.''
Senior Abby Schulte joined Doby and Canady in double figures with 15 points while senior Zoe Oczko grabbed 12 rebounds.
Defense was also a big key for the T-Birds, who forced 33 turnovers.
Topeka West, which fell to 0-4, led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter and the Chargers took an 18-17 lead at the half and were in front 35-30 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Chargers went in front 47-36 with 2:56 remaining on a pair of free throws from junior Azaryah Duncan, but Shawnee Heights outscored West 16-5 over the remainder of the fourth quarter to extend the game.
Sophomore Siana Sanchez led Topeka West with 12 points while Whitley Benson, Zoe Clark and Jazmyn Ford scored nine points apiece and Rebecca Bearman had eight points and 12 rebounds.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A whopping seven Shawnee County basketball teams earned spots in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association state rankings, released Tuesday.
Washburn Rural, Topeka High, Hayden and Silver Lake are all ranked on the girls side while Highland Park, Hayden and Cair Paravel earned spots in the boys rankings.
Washburn Rural's girls basketball team remains No. 2-ranked in Class 6A by the KBCA. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural remains No. 2 in the latest Class 6A girls state rankings while Topeka High girls moved up to sixth. Both the Junior Blues and Trojans are 3-0 on the season entering Tuesday night's games.
Hayden, 1-1 on the season, is ranked No. 10 in the 4A girls rankings while Silver Lake is No. 8 in 3A.
Highland Park, 3-0 entering Tuesday night's game, earned its way into the 5A boys rankings at No. 6 while 1-1 Hayden is ranked eighth in 4A and Cair Paravel Latin No. 9 in 1A Division I.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Kansas State High School Activities Association is currently in the midst of its 50 for 50 project, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which opened the door for female athletes across the United States. As part of that project TopSports.news contributor Rick Peterson wrote the following story on former Hayden multi-sport star Brooklyn Hunter.
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Former Hayden Catholic High School three-sport star and seven-time state champion Brooklyn Hunter knew there would probably be times she would miss sports after making the decision to call an early end to her college tennis career at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
But the 21-year-old Hunter also knew it was time.
"Honestly, I thought that I would miss it a lot more,'' Hunter said. "I think that I just got so many years out of tennis and sports in general that I was just ready for the next stage of my life.''
That next stage for Hunter is attending nursing school at Washburn University after injuries played a major part in her decision to give up tennis after two seasons with the Lopers and get an early start on her nursing degree.
Former Hayden superstar Brooklyn Hunter has stepped away from competitive athletics and and turned her attention to getting her nursing degree at Washburn University. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hunter did recently pick up a racket to play with friends in a holiday get together in Topeka, but that only re-inforced the feeling she had that she made the right decision.
"I played in a group on Thanksgiving at Genesis and that was fun, but after an hour I was like, 'OK, I scratched my itch now,' '' Hunter said.
While Hunter is comfortable with life after sports, she'll always cherish the experiences she had, particularly at Hayden.
Hunter became the first girls tennis player in Class 4A, and only the third all-time, to win four state singles championships while also helping the Wildcats win three Class 4A-Division II state volleyball titles and playing for a Hayden team that advanced to the state championship game in basketball.
Although Hunter gave brief consideration to specializing in one sport, probably tennis or volleyball, she's happy that she took advantage of every opportunity she had.
"I'm actually really glad that I played all three,'' Hunter said. "I feel like looking back I have a lot of good memories from all three of the sports. I think it was maybe my sophomore year where I got asked to be on a competitive team for volleyball, and that's when I thought that I was going to play volleyball in college, and I remember turning that down because I didn't want to quit basketball and I knew I would have to to be able to have time for everything.
"I think high school's more about playing everything instead of specializing in one. My goal was never to play Division I or go to the biggest school. It was more to get my college paid for and have some memories to look back on.''
Although she was a multiple-time all-state selection in volleyball and also earned numerous honors in basketball, Hunter is best known for her long, dominant career in tennis after first picking up a racket when she was 3 or 4 years old.
Hunter posted a 20-1 record as a senior in 2018 and finished off her high school career with a 78-2 record.
Hunter beat Wichita Collegiate’s Lauren Conrad 6-3, 6-1 in the '18 final to join Kapaun’s Megan Russell (1993-96) and Osborne’s Brittany Dietz (’97-’00) as the state’s only four-time girls singles winners.
"I think more than even just the state championships it was just all the great experiences I had, especially state tennis,'' Hunter said.
Adding icing on the cake was the fact that Hunter got the opportunity to win her historical fourth state title on her home courts at Topeka's Kossover Tennis Center with a large throng of her fellow Hayden students on hand to root her on.
"That was so much fun,'' Hunter said. "That was definitely my favorite memory.''
Of course, with success came pressure.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The names should probably already be familiar to anyone who follows local sports, but a long and growing list of athletes who call Topeka/Shawnee County home have made a big-time mark at a big-time level in just the past few weeks.
Here's a look at just some of the stars who continue to make their hometown proud:
Carly Bachelor
CARLY BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Creighton -- Bachelor earned All-State recognition in basketball, volleyball and soccer at Washburn Rural, leading the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state basketball title and a runner-up state finish in soccer in 2019. A 6-foot guard/forward, Bachelor is coming off the best game of her college career for 6-2 Creighton, scoring a game and career-high 23 points in the Bluejays' 69-62 win over Arizona State on Sunday. Bachelor hit nine of 11 shots, including two of two 3-pointers, and went three of four from the free throw line while also grabbing five rebounds and recording two steals.
Megan Cooney
MEGAN COONEY, Shawnee Heights/Illinois -- Cooney helped Shawnee Heights win a Class 5A state volleyball title as a senior in 2016 and helped Illinois reach the Final Four in 2018. Cooney, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter who competed as a graduate student this fall, was an All-Big 10 first-team selection, helping the lead the Illini to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and a 22-12 record. Cooney had 376 kills this season and over 1,500 in her career and finished her career at Illinois' all-time leader for sets played with 546. Cooney had 83 blocks, 282 digs and 29 service aces this season.
Teven Jenkins
TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Chicago Bears -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. In preseason Jenkins was forced to undergo back surgery which sidelined him for a big chunk of his rookie season, but he has returned to play in the past two games and saw his most extensive action in Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers, throwing the lead block on a Chicago touchdown.
Faith Rottinghaus
FAITH ROTTINGHAUS, Shawnee Heights/Washburn -- A former state champ at Shawnee Heights in volleyball and softball, Rottinhaus capped a record-setting volleyball career at Washburn University last Saturday in the NCAA Division II championship match, helping lead the Ichabods to a program-best national runner-up finish and a 31-6 record. Rottinghaus, who set the Washburn record for career digs, earned first and second-team All-America honors, was named to the Elite Eight all-tournament team and received the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 academic award at the national tournament for having a 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a kinesiology major.
Mitch Schurig
MITCH SCHURIG, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- Schurig received All-MIAA first-team honors at quarterback as a senior this fall, helping lead the Ichabods to a 9-3 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II national football playoffs. Schurig finished his career as Washburn's career leader in completion percentage (63.8 percent) and he finished his career No. 3 on the Ichabods all-time list with 6,825 passing yards and No. 2 with 63 career touchdown passes. As a senior Schurig completed 191 of 288 attempts for 2,602 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Ky Thomas
KY THOMAS, Topeka High/Minnesota -- After ending his football career at Topeka High as the second-leading rusher in Kansas high school history, Thomas has continued to shine as a redshirt freshman at Minnesota. Getting his chance to play after injuries to other Minnesota running backs, Thomas leads the 8-4 Gophers in rushing with 680 yards and five touchdowns on 145 carries (4.7 yards per carry) in just eight games. Thomas has surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark four times. Minnesota is currently preparing to play West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Camryn Turner
CAMRYN TURNER, Seaman/Kansas -- A 5-foot-8 true freshman setter, Turner helped the Kansas Jayhawks volleyball team reach the NCAA Sweet 16 for only the third time in program history. Turner played in 27 of 30 matches for the 18-12 Jayhawks and the former city and Centennial League multi-time player of the year registered 602 assists and 217 digs. Turner, who finished her high school career as Seaman's all-time leader in kills and assists, also had 39 kills and 10 service aces this past season.
Ty Zentner
TY ZENTNER, Shawnee Heights/Kansas State -- Zentner was a basketball state champion for Shawnee Heights in 2017 as well as a standout in soccer and football before excelling for Kansas State as a punter and kickoff specialist. Zentner earned All-Big 12 honorable mention as a punter this fall for the 7-5 Wildcats, who will face LSU in the Textas Bowl, averaging 44.3 yards on 39 punts, with a long of 63 yards and 15 punts inside the 20-yard-line. Zentner also recorded 33 touchbacks on 58 kickoffs for the Wildcats.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When NiJaree Canady, a 1,000-point scorer in just three high school basketball seasons, decided to bypass her senior season to concentrate on her future in softball, Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander knew her Trojans were going to need to make some changes, both in terms of personnel and style of play.
As a result, Topeka High, 68-5 over the past three seasons, is forcing the pace more offensively without the 6-foot Canady, a Stanford softball commit, in the middle while also trying to turn up the heat even more on the defensive end.
And while Alexander knows there's still plenty of work to be done, she's excited about the Trojans' 3-0 start and the way this year's team is creating its own identity heading into Tuesday's 6 p.m. Centennial League game at 2-1 Emporia.
"I think our true test is definitely going to be Tuesday against Emporia to see what we do against them, but I think that the guards know we're that fast-paced kind of team and we want to push it to the max,'' Alexander said. "We've got to do just a little better job or rebounding and things like that, but I think our leadership is key out there and they know when to push it and when to pull back a little bit.''
Topeka High junior Kiki Smith, who had 32 points, puts up a shot against Topeka West in the Trojans' 85-31 win last Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Tae Thomas (center) is coming off a 23-point performance in Topeka High's 85-31 win over Topeka West last Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans have outscored their first three opponents by a 228-96 margin and are coming off an 85-31 league win at Topeka West last Friday night.
High got off to a little bit of a slow start offensively against the Chargers and Alexander credited the Trojans' effort on the defensive end for getting them up to speed.
"Things kind of started flowing once they got some easy touches underneath the basket,'' Alexander said. "Defensively we just tried different things against (West) -- zones, halfcourt traps, presses, just to work on a few things.''
Alexander also got the opportunity to play 13 players against West, which she feels will help the Trjojans' depth moving forward.
"It was good for us to see and get all those different people in and get them some touches,'' Alexander said.
Not surprisingly, Topeka High's most experienced players, senior Tae Thomas and junior Kiki Smith, have set the tone for the Trojans and combined for 55 points against West.
"Those guards have been playing ball their whole life, so when we found out about NiJa it was heartbreaking, but we knew we had to move forward because had too much talent to waste this season,'' Alexander said. "We're just excited for the season and want to keep going.''
A look at Tuesday's Shawnee County games:
