By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Topeka West hung with the second-ranked team in the state, but an icy start to the fourth period put the Chargers off the pace. Piper took a 71-60 victory against the Chargers, the only team in the United Kansas Conference to beat the Pirates this season.
Topeka West senior Kamoni Ford scored 14 points with three 3-pointers in Friday's 71-60 UKC loss to No. 2 Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West won a dramatic 59-58 battle at Piper in December and it hoped for another upset Friday, and to stop a three-game losing skid in the process.
The Chargers led once in the contest, when Kamoni Ford dropped in a 3-pointer midway through the second period to take a fleeting 24-23 lead. But Piper kept a slim margin on the Chargers for the next quarter and a half.
Leading 56-51 to start the fourth quarter, the Pirates turned it on. They reeled off a 13-0 run to start the final period and held Topeka West scoreless until the 3:30 mark. It was too much for the Chargers to overcome.
“We were right in it, and then we kind of let the wheels fall off at the end,” Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said. “Basketball is a game of runs and I think what happened is we just couldn’t sustain the run as long as it needed to happen. It’s hard to do that against a team like Piper.
“They are a very well-coached team by coach (Steve) Wallace. They’ve got some very good players. They got to their spots and we kind of let them on the defensive end.”
Piper guard Derrick Jackson dominated the game by penetrating and scoring in the mid-range. He hit his first seven shots to score 17 points in the first half. He finished shooting 13-17 for 28 points on the night.
Freshman Isaiah Sayles contributed 12 and PJ Moore added 11.
Topeka West senior Jalen Foy scored 11 points in Friday's UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West sophomore Prince Lassiter came off the bench to score 11 points in Friday's 71-60 loss to Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Leading the Chargers was Ford, who buried three 3-pointers in the spirited second-quarter rally. He finished with 14 points. Jalen Foy and Prince Lassiter both came off the bench to score 11 points apiece.
But despite their effort Friday, the Chargers dropped their fourth game in a row after an 8-2 start to the season. Ulsaker is working to help the team find hope to carry on.
“I said in (the locker room), ‘Well take a different route on this,’ ” Ulsaker said. “We’ll say we were right in it with one of the best teams in the state that we think is a state champion-caliber team.
“If we make a few adjustments, it’s ours to win. We’ve seen it happen. We beat Piper once this year. We just have to make sure that we’re making those adjustments and making sure our players are understanding what they’re capable of.”
PIPER BOYS 71, TOPEKA WEST 60
Piper 19 16 21 15 -- 71
Topeka West 13 19 19 9 -- 60
Piper (12-3, 9-1) – Moore 5-18 0-3 11, Vogel 1-5 0-0 3, Brooks 4-8 1-2 9, Jackson 13-17 1-2 28, Sayles 5-7 2-2 12, Walton 3-7 1-2 7, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Labat 0-5 1-4 1. Totals: 31-68 6-15 71.
Topeka West (8-6, 7-4) – Ford 4-5 3-5 14, Traylor 1-6 2-2 4, Duncan 1-8 1-2 4, Paul 3-6 0-2 6, Chambers 5-6 0-0 10, Foy 4-11 2-2 11, Munganga 0-1 0-0 0, Lassiter 5-6 1-4 11. Totals: 23-49 9-17 60.
3-point goals – Piper 3 (Moore 1, Vogel 1, Jackson 1), Topeka West 5 (Ford 3, Duncan 1, Foy 1). Total fouls – Piper 18, Topeka West 15. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
