Highland Park Scots
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
From the jump Friday night the Highland Park Runnin’ Scots couldn’t miss from anywhere on the floor, romping to a 68-19 Meadowlark Conference home victory over Kansas City-Wyandotte.
Nate Wallace's Highland Park boys snapped a seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 68-13 Meadowlark Conference rout over KC-Wyandotte. [File photo/TSN]
“For the last seven games, when we took the court all of our guys were looking up (height wise). It was really good to see the ball go in the hoop and I was really proud of how we shared it,'' Highland Park coach Nate Wallace said. "We stayed poised and that’s the testament to the work we put in. We got clean looks, everyone touched the ball often and when that’s happening this group can be really dangerous.''
“It was real fun, we were finding the open guy, making layups, making the right play and we executed,'' said Highland Park junior Kasiaun Drew, who led the Scots with 19 points. "It felt good. We were all communicating and we were all on the same page.''
Highland Park began the game up 12-1 after a Davion Anderson bucket and the rout was on from there.
Junior Jojo Kingcannon continued his strong campaign, converting an and-one, making it 15-3. After three threes, including one from Kingcannon, the Runnin’ Scots led 26-3.
In the second quarter, it wasn’t much different in terms of scoring for Highland Park. Threes were falling, as well as easy transition buckets off creating turnovers and playing an up tempo style the whole game.
Highland Park nailed four 3-pointers, two by Anderson and scored nine total in the quarter. The Scots led 47-9 going into halftime.
“It feels amazing, it takes a toll off your lungs being in the game most of the way, it certainly helps,” Drew said after finding that rhythm early in the game.
The Bulldogs did not score any more than six points in one quarter, making just eight field goals in the game and attempting six free throws, making only one.
Then to begin the second half, the running clock went into effect, but Highland Park led by 50, 63-13 before the start of the fourth with everyone getting involved in the scoring.
Kingcannon backed Drew with 14 points and Anderson dropped 11.
“We’re setting standards and there’s a certain way you have to play for Highland Park when you want to take that varsity court and we didn’t see some of the things that we would’ve liked to have seen in the fall so we’re sending a message to our program that it’s not given, everything here is earned. We’re going to play the guys that want to play Highland Park basketball and want to buy in,” Wallace said.
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
The Highland Park girls were the “away” team on the scoreboard Friday night against Kansas City-Wyandotte after a schedule change moved the game to Highland Park, and the Lady Scots found themselves struggling to find an offensive rhythm, falling 48-42 in the Meadowlark Conference contest.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones (13) scored a game-high 17 points in Friday's 48-42 loss to KC-Wyandotte. [File photo/TSN]
German Sanford started out hot for the Bulldogs, scoring the team's first six points and Wyandotte started the game on an 8-0 run.
Sophomore Daniela Astorga got Highland Park on the board after an and-one opportunity with 3:39 left in the first quarter. The Lady Scots ended the quarter on a 7-1 run thanks to senior Koralee Jones' effort not just in that quarter but the whole game. diving all over the floor for loose balls and grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court to give Highland Park more scoring chances.
The Bulldogs took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter but the Lady Scots took their first lead of the game off senior Taniyah Barnett’s putback lay-up, 14-13.
Highland Park led by four after a triple from junior Zayah Kincade, but for the rest of the half, Wyandotte went on a 10-3 run to take a 23-20 lead into the break.
Highland Park stayed in the game with 3-point shooting. Junior Miluv Cosey hit two threes, one of which helped the Scots retake the lead, 25-24. And then a Jones bucket put them up by four, their biggest lead of the game.
The game was tied at 30, but from the time of the 29-25 score, the Bulldogs outscored the Lady Scots 12-5 to end the quarter, leading 37-34.
In the fourth quarter, Wyandotte’s Jocelyn Carrera nailed a triple making it 43-38 and Highland Park couldn’t recover.
Wyandotte hit its free throws down the stretch to extend its lead to 47-39, matching the Bulldogs' largest lead since the first quarter with 1:25 to go.
KC-WYANDOTTE 48, HIGHLAND PARK 42
Wyandotte 11 12 14 11 -- 48
Highland Park 10 10 14 8 -- 42
Wyandotte (9-8) -- Sanford 5 3-5 13, Burton 4 6-10 14, Carrera 3 1-2 7, Aldana 2 7-12 11, Dudley-Roark 1 0-0 2.
Highland Park (5-13) -- Cosey 2 1-6 3, Kincade 2 0-0 6, Inyard 1 1-4, Jones 6 5-12 17, Barnett 2 0-0 4, Astorga 1 1-1 3.
3-point goals -- Highland Park 4 (Cosey 2, Kincade 2,). Total fouls -- Wyandotte 21, Highland Park 29 . Fouled out -- Dudley-Roark, Atkins, Astorga, Barnett.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural freshman girls basketball standout Brynn Anderson and Highland Park junior boys basketball standout JoJo Kingcannon 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 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Anderson and Kingcannon.
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player in last week's Glaciers Edge Tournament at Emporia after helping lead Washburn Rural to the tournament title. Anderson scored a game-high 20 points in the championship game as Rural captured the tournament championship with a 48-42 win over Wichita Southeast. Anderson hit 5 of 10 shots from the field and went 9 of 10 at the free throw line against the Buffs. Anderson followed up her tournament performance with 25 points in Wednesday's 55-42 win over Blue Valley, hitting five 3-pointers and going six of six at the free throw line.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park [File photo/TSN]
JOJO KINGCANNON, Highland Park
Kingcannon, who ranks second in the city of Topeka in scoring, continued his outstanding season with 49 points in a pair of Highland Park games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Kingcannon scored 26 points in Tuesday's 62-51 Meadowlark Conference loss to Kansas City-Washington, hitting 8 of 18 shots from the field and going 9 of 10 at the free throw line. The Scot standout scored a game-high 23 points in Wednesday's 84-60 loss to city rival Topeka West, hitting 8 of 15 shots from the floor and all five of his free throw attempts with a pair of 3-pointers.
NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the second of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats. Topeka West statistics were not available.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Rayton, Topeka High 13 307 23.6
Schmidtlein, Hayden 13 230 17.7
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 16 275 17.2
Caryl, Topeka High 10 152 15.2
Anderson, Washburn Rural 13 190 14.6
McGlory, Shawnee Heights 15 194 12.9
Gragg, Seaman 13 163 12.5
Marshall, Topeka High 14 158 11.3
Carter, Shawnee Heights 15 163 10.9
Kincade, Highland Park 13 137 10.5
Beaton, Seaman 11 114 10.4
Jones, Highland Park 13 134 10.3
Carlgren, Washburn Rural 14 143 10.2
Hirschi, Washburn Rural 14 130 9.3
Backman, CPLS 13 115 8.8
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Caryl, Topeka High 10 116 11.6
Walker, Washburn Rural 14 124 8.9
Gragg, Seaman 13 105 8.1
Schmidtlein, Hayden 13 92 7.1
Carter, Shawnee Heights 12 84 7.0
Jones, Highland Park 13 88 6.8
Dreher, Seaman 13 83 6.4
Vega, Shawnee Heights 13 74 5.7
Gotru, Topeka High 13 72 5.5
Anderson, Washburn Rural 13 71 5.5
Marshall, Topeka High 14 76 5.4
Watts, Hayden 13 70 5.4
Carlgren, Washburn Rural 14 74 5.3
Barnett, Highland Park 12 60 5.0
Walter, Hayden 13 60 4.6
Baum, Shawnee Heights 13 60 4.6
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Caryl, Topeka High 10 69 6.9
Jones, Highland Park 13 42 3.2
Beaton, Seaman 11 35 3.2
Gragg, Seaman 13 41 3.2
Marshall, Topeka High 14 42 4.0
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 13 35 2.7
Baum, Shawnee Heights 13 34 2.6
Foster, Hayden 13 30 2.3
Cosey, Highland Park 13 30 2.3
Anderson, Washburn Rural 13 29 2.2
Schmidtlein, Hayden 13 28 2.2
Vega, Shawnee Heights 13 28 2.2
Rayton, Topeka High 13 28 2.2
Rutherford, Washburn Rural 13 28 2.2
Watts, Hayden 13 26 2.0
Kincade, Highland Park 13 26 2.0
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls and Washburn Rural's boys earned bragging rights in Friday's third annual Topeka Shawnee County Bowling Championships at Gage Bowl, with the Vikings winning their third straight girls team championship and Rural repeating as the boys champion.
Seaman girls bowling won its third straight city title Friday at Gage Bowl, putting four bowlers in the top six places individually. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural won its second straight city bowling team title Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Individually, Seaman sophomore Leah Crawford shot a 661 three-game series to win the girls title by 36 pins while Topeka High junior Adrian Meraz Jara shocked the boys field with a 700 to win by 16 pins.
Seaman's girls won the team title by a 3,293-2,970 margin over Washburn Rural, including the four Baker format games, as the Vikings put four bowlers in the top six.
"The girls have really been pretty solid all year,'' Seaman coach Bob Benoit said. "When they get to striking they seem to feed off of each other. I'm really pleased with where they're at. We've just got to clean up the spares.
"Their morale's really good. There's no drama with the girls. It's a real pleasure to coach them.''
Washburn Rural junior Megan Glinka and Seaman junior Paige Snyder tied for second with 625 series, with Glinka taking second on a tiebreaker with a 256 high game while Snyder had a high game of 235.
Seaman's Claire LaDuke finished fourth with a 613 series while the Vikings' Ava Carlson finished sixth with a 559 series.
Seaman sophomore Leah Crawford won the city girls individual bowling title Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Crawford bowled games of 224, 211 and 226 as she broke through for the title in her second city meet.
"Last year at the city meet I placed 12th and it was not my best day,'' Crawford said. "I was very surprised with how I did today.
"Normally when I come to Gage I get very nervous because it's not my favorite place to bowl. So I was pretty impressed with how I did and I was trying to keep my head up the whole entire day.''
Washburn Rural took its second straight boys team title by a 3,517-3,474 margin over Shawnee Heights, including the Baker games, as Matthew Richard led the Junior Blues with a runnerup individual finish with a 684 series.
The Junior Blues also got a seventh-place finish from Jackson Keller (644), a ninth from Andrew Faurot (633) and a 10th-place showing from Cody Spangler (631).
"The titles are nice to have, but we're always looking for improvement each time out as we get closer and closer to the end of the season,'' Washburn Rural coach Jo Ricard said. "We know that there's definitely the potential there for them, and it's a matter of staying focused the whole way through the whole time.
"It's not just only about strikes, but also when that spare piece is there you've got to hit your spares and stay focused on that. And that includes Baker. If you're rolling through the first five frames and we're hot and on, we've got to stay focused. That's something obviously we continue to work on constantly because looking ahead we know how tough our regional is going to look like.''
Boys runnerup Shawnee Heights put four bowlers in the top six, with Trey Donath third (683), Chevy Stallbaumer fourth (669), Evan Jones fifth (664) and Henry Schattilly sixth (645). Kelton Meier finished eighth (638) for third-place Hayden.
Topeka High's Adrian Meraz Jara won the city boys bowling title with a 700 series. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
But the star of the day was Merez Jara, who shattered his previous personal best by about 170 pins with games of 212, 255 and 233.
"I hadn't been close to that at all,'' Merez Jara said. "The closest I got was like 530. I didn't think I was ever going to get this high.''
In fact, Friday was the first time Merez Jara had placed in a meet.
"I have never placed, ever,'' he said. "I'm just shocked because I would have never expected to be up there.''
TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
City and USD 501 girls basketball rivals Topeka West and Highland Park faced off again Wednesday night in a rematch from Dec. 3rd when Topeka West took a 23-point win at Highland Park.
The Chargers finished off the regular-season sweep over the Scots with a 65-33 romp on West's home court.
Senior Addaline Hall scored a game-high 15 points in Topeka West's 65-33 win over Highland Park Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Chargers were coming off a seventh-place Glaciers Edge finish in Emporia over the past weekend by defeating Shawnee Mission West 57-54 in overtime and the Lady Scots were coming off a 50-31 win over Kansas City-Washington on Tuesday.
With both teams entering the game off wins 6-foot junior Sydney VanDyke stole the show for the Lady Chargers as she would use her length to turn the game into a block party down low all night long.
VanDyke would get the first basket of the night before the Scots' Zayah Kincade would hit two shots at the free throw line to tie it up at 2-2 before VanDyke would score again to give her team the early 4-2 lead.
Kincade tied things back up at 4 before Charger Patience Allen hit the first of her two 3s to make it 7-4.
Highland Park would go on a 9-0 run with Kincade scoring five more points during the run as the Scots would end the first quarter with a13-9 advantage.
The Scots would start the second quarter with nine quick points to stretch the lead to 22-15, but the Chargers would tighten up and go on a 9-2 run to force a tie at halftime, 26-26.
“We kind of challenged them to come out the second half and put it together and they did, they worked hard and earned it,” Topeka West coach Angie Ketterman said.
The Lady Scots would come out of the locker room ice cold as West, led by VanDyke, would out-score the Scots 25-2 with VanDyke scoring nine more points in the third quarter.
“We have been like that all season where we play better in the second half of games then we do in the first half,” VanDyke said.
Topeka West would end the third quarter with a commanding lead of 51-28. The fourth quarter would see Highland Park try to come up with an answer, but the Lady Chargers would lock the Scots down and out-score them 14-5 in the fourth to finish the season sweep with the 32-point victory.
Senior Addaline Hall led Topeka West with a game-high 15 points while Allen had 14 points and VanDyke 13.
The Scots would be led in scoring by Kincade with 12.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Class 5A No. 2-ranked Topeka West hosted crosstown rival Highland Park on Wednesday night, seeking a regular-season sweep after dropping two games to the Scots last season.
Senior Malakyah Duncan led Topeka West with 19 points Wednesday as all five Charger starters cracked double figures in West's 84-60 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And the Chargers delivered in convincing fashion, taking an 84-60 win to improve to 14-2 on the season.
After West trailed 5-2 early, senior Keimani Paul would score five straight points to put his team up 7-5 and the Chargers would go on a 12-0 run to stretch the lead to 19-5 before ending the first quarter with a commanding 26-11 lead.
Paul scored 10 of his 14 points in the first quarter while West senior Gad Munganga would score the first basket of the second quarter and the eighth point of his 16 total on the night.
“Gad is never afraid of the big moment,'' Topek West coach Christian Ulsaker said. "I think he's kind of developed that over the past year with just tons of reps and shots in the gym in the summer. And that's what it takes to become a great shooter, just repetition after repetition.”
Highland Park junior JoJo Kingcannon would get to the basket for the Scots, but they would keep chasing the Chargers, who would turn to their size with 6-foot-4 senior Malakyah Duncan and 6-6 junior Prince Lassiter.
West would start to feed Lassiter but the Scots would crash on Lassiter and force him to pass it out to others.
“I told them just keep on attacking in terms of slashing to the rim,'' Ulsaker said. "When Prince gets it, if they do double, he'll be able to find you either when you relocate for 3 or when you slash backside, cut back door to get an easy bucket from Prince.”
The Scots would hold Lassiter to only seven points at halftime, but West would take a commanding 52-29 lead into the locker room.
Paul would drive to the basket at the start of the third and pick up the and-one for an old fashioned three-point play. Kingcannon would try to get the Scots back in it as he would hit back to back 3-pointers and go on a 10-1 run by himself to make it 56-38.
But that would be the Scots' last gasp of air as the Chargers would just start to pound it inside and force contact with the Scots to get fouls and get to the free throw line.
Lassiter would score six in the third quarter, helping Topeka West push the lead to 70-47 going into the fourth quarter.
Ulsaker would pull his starters and let his backups get some minutes in the fourth as they would pull out the 24-point rivalry win.
“It was good to get the monkey off our back,'' Ulsaker said. "I don't think our boys had ever beat Park yet, so it was just another milestone for them. The first one was they beat Shawnee Heights at Shawnee Heights for the first time in their career and the same thing now as beating Highland Park for the first time in their career.
"Whenever you beat a storied program like Highland Park, It's always a monumental thing.”
Duncan led Topeka West with 19 points as all five Charger starters cracked double figures.
Highland Park junior JoJo Kingcannon led all scorers with 23 points in Wednesday's 84-60 loss to Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots got another huge night from Kingcannon, who would lead all scorers with 23.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Highland Park girls basketball, which was fighting a five-game losing streak entering Tuesday's home Meadowlark Conference game against Kansas City-Washington broke through with a 50-31 home win.
Junior Miluv Cosey led a balanced Highland Park attack with 12 points in Tuesday's 50-31 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Washington. [File photo/TSN[
Zayah Kincade hit a 3-pointer to get things going for the Scots as they would get off to a 7-0 start before Washington would go on a 12-1 run to take the lead 12-8 to end the first quarter.
The Scots would come out in the second quarter and go on a 6-0 run but Scot junior Miluv Cosey would pick up her second foul of the game and have to go to the bench, which would allow the Wildcats to go on their own run to tie the contest at 16.
Senior Koralee Jones would get two baskets in a row to put her team up 20-16 and they would follow that up with another Kincade 3-pointer to go into the locker room with a 26-20 lead.
Cosey would make her return in the third quarter and score eight straight points of her team-high 12 to stretch the Highland Park lead to 34-22.
“At halftime while I was talking, Miluv really took it to heart,'' Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. "I could tell she was looking at me in my eyes. And she went on that third-quarter run where she had eight straight points, all off steals. If she keeps doing that she'll help us out a lot.”
“It was just the talk that we had during halftime, you know we came together,'' Cosey said. "He told us, we just got to stretch the lead out and I feel that's what we did. I came out with a better mindset and my confidence goes down when I miss a couple shots, but he knows how to motivate me to get out there and let it out. And that's what I feel I did.”
The Scots they would leave the third quarter with a commanding 39-26 lead and the halftime message would be enough as they would go on to pick up the 19-point victory.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Junior JoJo Kingcannon scored a game-high 26 points for Highland Park Tuesday night, but Kansas City-Washington pulled away in the second half for a 62-51 Meadowlark Conference win at Hi Park.
Junior JoJo Kingcannon (11) led Highland Park with 26 points in the Scots' 62-51 loss to Kansas City-Washington Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Scots, who lost nine seniors from a year ago and with Kingcannon being the lone returner with major varsity experience and coach Nate Wallace in his first season as a head coach, Highland Park knew it was going to go through growing pains this season and entered Tuesday's game on a five-game losing streak.
“Poise. I think we're losing the close ones that we have lost over the season just because of the experience factor, understanding how to value the possession, understanding kind of what I want and who I want to have the ball at certain times of certain possessions to give us the best opportunity to win,'' Wallace said.
Both teams would come out giving everything they had early as they would trade basket for basket and tie it up at six early in the game.
After a Washington 3-pointer, which the Scots would answer with a Kingcannon 3 for his seventh point of the first quarter to make it 9-9, Washington would then hit two consecutive treys to end the quarter with the 15-9 lead.
The second quarter would see both teams light up the scoreboard as Kingcannon would go to work again for his team.
Kingcannon would score the first basket of the quarter and later score five straight points to get within one at 21-20.
The Wildcats and Scots would continue to battle it out until Kingcannon would drive and get the and-one to tie it up 26 and hit the ensuing free throw to giver Highland Park the lead by a point.
Washington would then get fouled and make both free throws to re-take the lead at 28-26 before Kingcannon would drive again and get the shot to go back up 29-28.
Washington would then out-score the Scots 7-1 in the final two minutes of the second quarter to go into halftime with the lead, 35-30.
The Scots would come out of the locker room with sophomore Davion Anderson hitting his first basket of the night with a 3-pointer to get within two before Kingcannon would get fouled shooting a 3-pointer and hit all three charities to enable Highland Park to re-take the lead, 36-35.
Elliot Berry for Washington would get a shot to fall and give Washington a 37-36 advantage and that would be all it wrote for the Scots, who would run out of gas at the end of the quarter when Washington would go on a 11-0 run to make it 52-40 to end the third.
The Scots would play catch-up in the fourth and came up short in the 11-point defeat.
NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the second of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Bonner, Seaman 14 345 24.6
Kingcannon, Highland Park 14 274 19.6
Ross, Shawnee Heights 13 249 19.2
Compton, Hayden 15 239 15.9
Hanika, Hayden 15 230 15.3
Paul, Topeka West 14 202 14.4
Rowley, Washburn Rural 10 144 14.4
Duncan, Topeka West 14 196 14.0
McComas, Topeka High 14 196 14.0
Durbin, Cair Paravel 13 181 13.9
Lassiter, Topeka West 14 191 13.6
Marichal, Cair Paravel 13 177 13.6
Aldridge, Topeka High 14 172 12.3
Hastert, Cair Paravel 13 158 12.2
Ballard, Washburn Rural 12 145 12.1
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
McComas, Topeka High 14 111 7.9
Durbin, Cair Paravel 13 100 7.7
Fay, Cair Paravel 13 90 6.9
Hanika, Hayden 15 101 6.7
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 12 74 6.2
Hastert, Cair Paravel 13 78 6.0
Lassiter, Topeka West 14 83 5.9
Zuniga, Seaman 14 76 5.4
Schmidt, Washburn Rural 12 63 5.3
Scott, Shawnee Heights 13 66 5.1
Kidd, Hayden 15 76 5.1
Paul, Topeka West 14 64 4.6
Dixon, Shawnee Heights 12 45 4.5
Tourtillott, Hayden 15 60 4.0
Bonner, Seaman 14 56 4.0
Chase Hastert, Cair Paravel [Photo by Barry Benteman/Special to TSN]
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Hastert, Cair Paravel 13 75 5.8
Bonner, Seaman 14 73 5.2
Fay, Cair Paravel 13 59 4.5
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 12 47 3.9
Guest, Topeka High 14 52 3.7
Duncan, Topeka West 14 49 3.5
Traylor, Topeka West 14 49 3.5
Paul, Topeka West 14 48 3.4
Mitchell, Hayden 15 47 3.1
Marichal, Cair Paravel 13 38 2.9
McComas, Topeka High 14 40 2.9
Cook, Shawnee Heights 13 34 2.6
Scott, Shawnee Heights 13 33 2.5
Nimz, Washburn Rural 12 30 2.5
Luarks, Topeka High 14 34 2.4
Hanika, Hayden 15 36 2.4
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights girls basketball saw its 10-game winning streak snapped in Friday's Capital City Classic semifinal at the hands of Derby, but the T-Birds would answer the call against Garden City in Saturday's third-place game, posting an 80-68 victory at Topeka High.
Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot, an all-tournament pick, scored a game-high 25 points in Saturday's 80-68 Capital City Classic win over Garden City. [File photo/TSN]
“Super, because after you lose a game like that, you kind of just need to adjust, take it away from your mind and stuff,” T-Bird junior all-tournament KK Emmot said on the importance of bouncing back.
“Yeah, it was very important for us, especially to not stay on the loss and drag that with us to a new day. Just forget about it and stay in our game, and keep a good record for the season,” Heights junior Pearmella Carter agreed.
Carter and her teammates had no problem answering the call as they would hit 12 3-pointers with six of those coming in the first quarter.
Emmot would hit three treys in the first quarter as she would score 11 of her game-high 25 over the first eight minutes to help her team take a commanding 28-16 lead.
Emmot and senior Imani McGlory would hit eight combined 3s in the game.
“KK and Imani have just done a great job of stepping up and helping lead the team,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "And, you know teams have a hard time sagging off or going and covering up one without leaving the other one open. And our girls are doing a good job of finding them and getting them the ball.”
“I feel like warming up, it just felt good. Everything was flowing,” McGlory said.
“I think they their main goal was to keep us on one side of the floor,'' Emmot said. "And so they completely shifted to one side, and we could just kick it to the other side, and we'll just have an open three and we're all shooters.”
Heights would continue to be hot in the second quarter and take a 44-35 lead into the locker room at the halftime break.
The third quarter would see Garden City try to make a run and get back into the game as they would get KK to pick up her 4th foul and escape the third trailing Heights, 58-50.
But the fourth quarter would be all Heights as they would hit four more 3-pointers, with senior Reianna Vega hitting her third 3 of the night, and Carter scoring eight of her 15 points down the stretch to secure the win.
“She is just so tough inside, and she's a special kind of player, because we can play her in the post, or we can put her out on the perimeter, and she causes some definite matchup problems,” Wells said about Carter.
“That was important for us, especially in the end, because they kept fouling, they were kind of coming back a little bit, so I just had to stay locked in and make the free throws,” Carter said.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 80, GARDEN CITY 68
Garden City 16 19 15 18 -- 68
Shawnee Heights 28 16 15 21 -- 80
Garden City (9-7) -- Korf 6-8 2-2 17, Snodgrass 6-11 5-8 17, Hannagan 5-17 0-0 14, Powers 4-9 0-0 12, Meng 1-2 2-2 4, Doll 2-4 0-0 4, Brown 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 9-12 68.
Shawnee Heights (12-4) -- Emmot 9-17 3-5 25, McGlory 7-13 2-2 20, Carter 3-6 9-10 15, Vega 4-8 0-0 11, Baum 2-5 0-0 4, Schmidt 1-1 0-0 3, Hamilton 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-51 14-17 80.
3-point goals -- Garden City 11 (Powers 4, Hannagan 4, Korf 3), Shawnee Heights 12 (Emmot 4, McGlory 4, Vega 3, Schmidt). Total fouls -- Garden City 20, Heights 13. Fouled Out -- Garden City.
Vikings run past Trojans for 75-60 win to capture fifth place
The Vikings would lead from start to finish in Saturday's fifth-place game on the way to a 75-60 win over host Topeka High.
Seaman’s Lydia Dreher would score the first six points before Cara Beaton would hit her first of five 3- pointers to make it 9-0 Vikings.
Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton would hit a 3 to stop the run but the Vikings would not stop there as they would hit 4 3s to go up 22-11. The Trojans would answer and go on an 8-0 run to end the first quarter trailing 22-16.
But the Vikings would force the Trojans to hit a wall as they would go on an 18-9 run in the second quarter to go into halftime up 40-25.
The Trojans got 10 points from Hailey Caryl in the first half and would come out the break with Caryl getting two baskets. But the Vikings would answer and go on an 8-3 run to stretch the lead to 20 at 50-30.
Senior Maddie Gragg would score seven of her 20 points in the final minutes of the third stanza to help her team take a 59-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans just could not find the stops they needed on defense to make a late-game comeback as Gragg would continue to light it up with six more points in the fourth.
The Trojans' Keimara Marshall would get five of her 12 points in the fourth, but it just wouldn’t be enough as the Vikings would get the 15-point win.
“Before the game, we just talked about belief,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "I told the girls, 'Do the things that are hard to do and the power will come.' And I told them, 'You contribute in your way to help us be successful.' And I'm just really proud of their belief and the fight that they showed and the confidence that they played with.
"We had girls step up, they were sharing the ball. And it helps shoot the ball like we did, too. Man, we were on fire there at the start, but just going back to my message, you can do hard things, and you can do them together. And this was a great team win today. We had everybody step up.”
“We really wanted to push the pace, start off strong,'' Beaton said. "We've been struggling to start off strong in the first half, so our goal today was to start strong, push some points, push the pace. And yeah. It was really big for everyone, and I was proud of everybody.”
“I knew that we had to come out strong in the third quarter, because sometimes we struggle with that like the first quarter,'' Gragg said. "But I just knew that we had to keep putting points on the board because Topeka High wasn't going to give up.”
The Trojans would be led in scoring by Caryl, who would lead all scorers with 22.
Topeka High's Rayton was named the Capital City Classic Most Valuable Player.
SEAMAN 75, TOPEKA HIGH 60
Topeka High 16 9 14 21 -- 60
Seaman 22 18 19 16 -- 75
Topeka High (6-8) -- Caryl 6-11 9-11 22, Rayton 5-13 2-6 15, Marshall 5-12 0-0 12, Gotru 0-7 2-2 2, Short 0-0 0-0 0, Whayne 2-3 5, Brown 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 20-48 13-19 60.
Seaman (7-5) -- Beaton 6-8 4-5 21, Gragg 8-16 4-6 20, Dreher 5-8 3-3 13, Puvogel 4-5 2-6 11, Spencer 2-6 0-0 5, Ketron 1-2 0-0 3, Ayres 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 27-47 13-20 75.
3-point goals -- Topeka High 7 (Dayton 3, Marshall 2, Caryl, Whayne), Seaman 8 (Beaton 5, Ketron, Puvogel, Spencer). Total Fouls -- Topeka High 16, Seaman 14. Fouled out --Short.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys exploited a height advantage on defense and efficiency on offense to defeat the Highland Park boys 60-35 Friday at Washburn Rural.
Junior Cooper Schmidt made an impact on both ends of the floor in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural bounced back from a disappointing loss to Seaman on Tuesday to improve to 9-5. Against Highland Park they hit 26-50 shots from the field, needing just one 3-pointer to rack up 60 points. The Junior Blues jumped out to an 18-7 advantage after one quarter and stretched that lead to 36-16 by halftime before cruising to the victory.
“It was ok. I don’t know that I think we were real sharp,” Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. “We need to shoot the ball better, but I think we’re more focused on the process than the shots going in necessarily. I think we were better defending them off the dribble than we were when we played them back in December (a 57-44 win for the Junior Blues). But I still think there are some execution things that we’re going to have to clean up to compete against some of the better teams on our schedule the rest of the way.”
Junior Cooper Schmidt, Washburn Rural’s 6-foot-10 post player, scored just six points, but he dominated at both ends of the floor. He knocked away Highland Park shot attempts and cleared the boards while providing a threat in the low post on offense against the much smaller Scots. He was recognized by the team after the game for his impact.
“Coop’s a big kid. That’s a luxury that not every team has, and it’s a luxury that we haven’t had very often,” Hutchins said. “It’s a responsibility of Coop to impact the game without fouling so that he can be that interior presence. And it’s our responsibility as coaches to figure out schematically how to leverage that as best we can. It’s been a growing process for both him and us. As the year’s gone on, I think he’s continued to get better and better at becoming a force protecting the paint for us.”
“I love playing that role,” said Schmidt. “That’s how I’ve been since I was a kid. I’ve always played defense more than offense. So, I don’t mind that at all.”
Washburn Rural scored 15 points in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
ophomore Brooks Ballard scored 13 points with a 3-pointer in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Offensively, the Junior Blues saw three players crack double figures, and three others tally six points apiece. Leading the way was John Hoytal with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, Brooks Ballard with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, and Myles Bradley with 11 on 4-7 from the field.
“I think we’re definitely going up,” Schmidt said. “We had a couple of rough games a week or two ago. But I think we’re doing better.
“We need to be more disciplined. Honestly, I think it’s more of an effort thing. We have the skill. I think if we just keep working hard we’re going to be good.”
The Scots fell to 3-12 on the season. They were paced by sophomore Davion Anderson, who dropped in four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 60, HIGHLAND PARK 35
Highland Park 7 9 9 110 -- 35
Washburn Rural 18 18 13 11 -- 60
Highland Park (3-12) – Anderson 6-17 3-5 19, Montgomery 1-3 0-0 2, Drew 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Kingcannon 2-10 0-0 4, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, L. McMillon 0-1 0-0 0, Nance 0-5 0-0 0, Powell 4-6 0-0 8, Z. McMillon 0-0 2-2 2, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 5-7 35.
Washburn Rural (9-5) – Ballard 6-7 0-1 13, Jo. Hoytal 7-9 1-2 15, O’Connor 2-5 2-4 6, Chooncharoen 3-5 0-1 6, Schmidt 3-9 0-0 6, Bradley 4-7 3-4 11, Wright 0-1 0-2 0, Nimz 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Ja. Hoytal 1-2 1-2 3, Graf 0-1 0-0 0, Vogel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 7-16 60.
3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Anderson 4), Washburn Rural 1 (Ballard 1). Total fouls – Highland Park 16, Washburn Rural 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After jumping out to an early 17-4 lead in Thursday's final first-round game in the Capital City Classic, Shawnee Heights girls hit a temporary road block, with Lawrence battling all the way back to tie the game at the end of the first quarter and take a four-point lead midway through the second quarter.
Junior star KK Emmot scored 29 points with seven 3-pointers in Shawnee Heights' 74-61 Capital City Classic win over Lawrence. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But after a somewhat stern talking to from veteran T-Bird coach Bob Wells, Shawnee Heights righted its ship en route to a 74-61 victory over the Lions at Topeka High.
"They did (respond),'' Wells said. "It's kind of one of those deals where it is what it is because they're like everybody else in town, fighting the flu and fighting different kinds of stuff and we just had to battle through it.
"And you could tell that sometimes our shots were point-blank misses and I just told them to slow down and be stronger, understand where you're at right now with everything and just be strong and take it up with a little more force and finish, and thank goodness we started doing that.''
Now 11-3 with 10 straight wins, Shawnee Heights advanced to a 7:30 p.m. semifinal Friday to face Derby, a 65-57 first-round winner over tournament host Topeka High.
T-Bird junior KK Emmot had a big night, scoring a game-high 29 points with seven 3-pointers to key the Shawnee Heights victory.
"After we kind of got pretty much like punched in the mouth, as we would say, we realized we had to step it up and start hitting shots and start playing defense,'' Emmot said.
"We just had to adjust. That's the game of basketball, adjusting to it.''
Shawnee Heights rallied to take a 37-34 halftime lead and never trailed in the second half even though the 6-6 Lions got within three midway through the third quarter, with the T-Birds opening up a 15-point advantage down the stretch.
Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory scored 15 points with three 3-pointers in Thursday's 74-61 win over Lawrence. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Imani McGlory backed Emmot with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Sami Baum added 11 points and senior Reianna Vega 10.
Junior post Cami Nauholz led Lawrence with 20 points and 14 rebounds while sophomore Macyn Ramsay added 17 points with five treys and senior Jada Baars-Turner scored 13 points.
Lawrence will play a 4:30 p.m. consolation game on Friday against Topeka High, a 65-57 first-round loser to Derby.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 74, LAWRENCE 61
Lawrence 17 17 15 12 -- 61
Shawnee Heights 17 20 20 17 -- 74
Lawrence (6-6) – Juelsgaard 2-7 0-0 5, Doleman 3-8 0-0 4, Nauholz 7-16 6-6 20, Ramsay 6-8 0-0 17, Baars-Turner 5-8 1-1 13, Barber 0-2 0-0 0, Simmons 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-49 7-7 61.
Shawnee Heights (11-3) – Emmot 10-21 2-3 29, McGlory 6-14 0-0 15, Carter 2-10 2-4 7, Baum 5-11 0-0 11, Vega 4-9 1-1 10, Brees 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 0-0 0, Schmidt 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 27-65 7-9 74.
3-point goals – Lawrence 8 (Ramsay 5, Baars-Turner 2, Juelsgaard), Shawnee Heights 13 (Emmot 7, McGlory 3, Carter, Baum, Vega). Total fouls – Lawrence 11, Shawnee Heights 10. Fouled out – Juelsgaard. Technical fouls -- none.
Topeka High junior star Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 37 points and reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone in Thursday's 65-57 loss to Derby. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rayton scores 37, reaches 1,000-point milestone in Trojan loss
Thursday was a bittersweet night for Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton and the Trojans.
Rayton scored 37 points and surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone for Topeka High, but the Trojans were unable to get over the hump against No. 3-ranked (Class 6A) Derby, dropping a 65-57 first-round decision to the Panthers.
"We started off slow, but we fought,'' Rayton said. "We fought our way back in and it might have been a loss, but it was a good loss because we fought our hardest.''
"They were going on runs and we'd come right back, several times,'' Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said. "I was very proud of that because it's very easy to fold your tent and go home.''
Rayton, who scored 33 points in a Tuesday night win over Atchison, surpassed that total with Thursday's 37-point explosion, hitting four 3-pointers among her 14 field goals while hitting five of eight free throws.
Rayton said reaching 1,000 points was a goal she's had since early in her career.
"It was a goal since freshman year, to get my 1,000 points before I'm a senior and I did it my junior year,'' she said.
"She's an athlete, she's got a lot of skills and she's got a great future ahead of her,'' Slaymaker said.
Topeka High sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 13 points in Thursday's 65-57 Capital City Classic first-round loss to Derby. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Freshman Hailey Caryl added 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Topeka High, but no other Trojan had more than three points.
Derby (12-2) rode a balanced attack to Thursday's win, with junior Ahsia Fox scoring 13 points, sophomore Alex Dinsmore 11 points and senior Macayla Askew and junior Maya Harris 10 apiece.
The Panthers never trailed, with just two ties in the opening quarter, and led 18-11 at the end of the first, 29-24 and 46-40 at the start of the final stanza.
Topeka High made numerous runs at the Panthers, getting within a point in the third quarter, but the Trojans were hampered by 20 turnovers on the night.
Topeka High will play a 4:30 p.m. consolation game on Friday against Lawrence, which dropped a 74-61 first-round decision to Shawnee Heights.
The Trojans beat the Lions 65-47 on Jan. 6.
DERBY 65, TOPEKA HIGH 57
Derby 18 11 17 19 -- 65
Topeka High 11 13 16 17 -- 57
Derby (12-2) – Demel 2-5 2-2 7, Fox 6-16 1-2 13, Dinsmore 5-9 0-0 11, Graham 2-7 1-1 6, Askew 5-11 0-0 10, Watie 0-1 0-0 0, Clingan 0-2 0-0 0, Gutzmer 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 4-6 0-0 8, Harris 3-9 1-2 10. Totals 27-66 6-7 65.
Topeka High (5-7) – Short 0-1 1-2 1, Marshall 0-6 1-2 1, Rayton 14-27 5-8 37, Caryl 2-5 9-12 13, Gotru 1-2 0-0 2, Triplett 1-1 0-0 3, Whayne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-42 16-24 57.
3-point goals – Derby 11 (Harris 3, Damel, Dinsmore, Graham), Topeka High 5 (Rayton 4, Triplett). Total fouls – Derby 23, Topeka High 14. Fouled out – Short. Technical fouls -- none.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Derby bested Shawnee Heights in every way, shape and form in Friday night's Capital City Classic semifinal at Topeka High, with the Panthers ending the T-Birds' 10-game winning streak with a dominating 80-44 victory.
Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 11 points in Friday's 80-44 semifinal loss to Derby in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Now the T-Birds want to flush that disappointing performance as quickly as possible with Shawnee Heights now set to face Garden City in Saturday's 1 p.m. third-place game.
"We've got to let it go and we've got to learn from it,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "They just came out and they were more physically prepared and more mentally prepared than we were. Kudos to them. They gave it to us every which way they could and there wasn't a lot we could do about it for awhile.''
Wells said the key for the T-Birds now is to make sure they return to the form that has allowed them to post a glossy 11-4 record on the season.
"We can't turn one loss into two and tomorrow's an important game,'' Wells said. "There's a lot of big games coming towards the end of the season in this last month and it starts tomorrow.''
No. 3-ranked (Class 6A) Derby, now 13-2 on the season, ended the first quarter with a commanding 24-8 record and went to the locker room at the half with a 50-20 cushion after a 26-12 second quarter onslaught by the Panthers.
Derby led 68-36 at the end of the third quarter to force a running clock the rest of the way.
Senior Macayla Askew led Derby with a game-high 22 points while senior Karlie Demel had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and sophomore Sarai Graham also scored 11 points.
Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 11 points while junior Pearmella Carter added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Derby will face Wichita Heights, a 57-42 semifinal winner over Garden City, in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship game.
DERBY 80, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 44
Shawnee Heights 8 12 16 8 -- 44
Derby 24 26 18 12 -- 80
Shawnee Heights (11-4) – Emmot 3-11 4-5 11, McGlory 2-6 4-4 9, Carter 5-9 0-0 10, Baum 0-2 1-2 1, Vega 1-6 1-4 3, Brees 0-1 0-0 0, Aubrey Hamilton 0-0 2-2 2, Schmidt 1-2 0-2 3, Allie Hamilton 1-2 0-0 3, Karylye 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 14-41 12-21 44.
Derby (13-2) – Demel 4-6 2-2 11, Fox 3-6 2-3 8, Dinsmore 3-5 0-0 6, Graham 3-9 3-4 11, Askew 9-17 4-4 22, Watie 0-1 0-0 0, Clingan 0-2 0-0 0, Gutzmer 0-2 0-0 0, Brownlee 0-0 1-2 1, Carter 1-4 0-0 2, Harris 4-7 0-0 9, Vanmeter 3-3 0-1 8, Bohaty 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 30-62 14-19 80.
3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 4 (Emmot, McGlory, Schmidt, Allie Hamilton), Derby 6 (Graham 2, NA 2, Harris, Demel). Total fouls – Derby 22, Shawnee Heights 16. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
Trojans hold off Lions for 75-72 Capital City Classic win
Topeka High girls basketball posted an 18-point road win over Lawrence on Jan. 6, but Trojan coach Ron Slaymaker fully expected Friday's rematch with the Lions in the Capital City Classic on High's home floor to be much tougher.
And it was, with the Lions leading at some point in each of the first three quarters, but the Trojans survived the test to advance to Saturday's 11:30 a.m. fifth-place game with a 75-72 win.
"They played (Shawnee) Heights yesterday and played them well until late,'' Slaymaker said. "They got beat late and I was like, 'Gosh, those girls are better.' We knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"We tried to make it easy and then we tried to make it hard. I wasn't sure what team was out there, but we found a way.''
Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led 6-7 Topeka High with 30 points, including five 3-pointers, while senior Keimara Marshall had 17 points and senior Sasha Gotru 12 points.
Junior post player Cami Nauholz registered a double-double for 6-7 Lawrence with 29 points and 15 rebounds while freshman Marley Doleman and sophomore Macyn Ramsay both added 19 points with five 3s apiece.
Topeka High will now face city rival Seaman at 11:30 a.m. in the fifth-place game.
TOPEKA HIGH 75, LAWRENCE 72
Lawrence 20 15 21 16 -- 72
Topeka High 22 18 21 14 -- 75
Lawrence (6-7) -- Juelsgaard 0-7 0-0 0, Doleman 7-9 0-0 19, Barber 2-5 0-2 5, Nauholz 10-24 8-9 29, Ramsay 7-13 0-1 19, Simmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 8-12 72
Topeka High (6-7) – Short 2-5 1-1 5, Marshall 8-14 0-0 17, Rayton 10-21 5-6 30, Caryl 3-5 1-2 7, Gotru 4-6 4-4 12, Triplett 0-1 0-0 0, Whayne 1-2 2-4 4. Totals 28-54 13-17 75.
3-point goals – Lawrence 12 (Doleman 5, Ramsay 5, Nauholz, Barber), Topeka High 6 (Rayton 5, Marshall). Total fouls – Lawrence 14, Topeka High 13. Fouled out – Barber. Technical fouls -- none.
Seaman gets back on track with 30-point win over Scots
Seaman snapped a three-game losing streak Friday in a 62-32 Capital Classic romp past city rival Highland Park.
"It was good to smile again,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "For a number of reasons we needed to win this game. It's been a tough week for us, so it was good to see the girls out having fun and smiling.
"We've just got to stick with what we're doing. We're still growing and the girls are still learning through it. It's going to be like that through this season, but I'm proud of them for coming back today.''
Now 7-5 on the season, Seaman jumped out in from 21-6 by the end of the first quarter and then hit the Scots (4-10) with a 17-3 second quarter to take a commanding 38-9 advantage at the half.
Seaman held a 52-21 lead after three quarters to force a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Junior Brynn Spencer, who was celebrating her birthday, led Seaman with 12 points on four first-quarter 3-pointers.
Spencer was the only double-figure scorer for the Vikings, but all 11 Seaman players who saw action cracked the scoring column.
Senior Koralee Jones scored a game-high 15 points for Highland Park (4-10).
Highland Park will play Lawrence at 10 a.m. Saturday in the seventh-place game of the Capital City Classic while Seaman will play Topeka High in the fifth-place game at 11:30 a.m.
SEAMAN 62, HIGHLAND PARK 32
Highland Park 6 3 12 11 -- 32
Seaman 21 17 14 10 -- 62
Highland Park (4-10) -- Cosey 3-14 0-0 8, Kincade 2-15 0-2 6, Barnett 1-5 1-2 3, Sanders 0-0 0-0 0, Atkins 6-12 3-8 15, Cameron 0-1 0-0 0, Inyard 0-3 0-0 0, Jones 6-12 3-8 15. Totals 12-53 4-12 32.
Seaman (7-5) – Dreher 3-5 0-0 6, Spencer 4-11 0-0 12, Beaton 3-9 0-1 7, Ayres 2-3 0-0 4, Gragg 3-6 0-0 7, Frickey 2-4 1-1 6, Ketron 2-3 0-0 4, Bruns 2-4 0-0 4, Alfen 0-2 0-0 0, Puvogel 4-9 0-0 10, Zurmely 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-49 7-12 48.
3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Cosey 2, Kincade 2), Seaman 7 (Spencer 4, Gragg, Frickey, Beaton). Total fouls – Highland Park 9, Seaman 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC
Friday's scores
Seaman 62, Highland Park 32
Topeka High 75, Lawrence 72
Wichita Heights 57, Garden City 42
Derby 80, Shawnee Heights 44
Saturday's games
10 a.m. -- Highland Park vs. Lawrence (seventh place)
11:30 -- Seaman vs. Topeka High (fifth place)
1 p.m. -- Garden City vs. Shawnee Heights (third place)
2:30 -- Wichita Heights vs. Derby (championship)
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West had to deal with adversity for much of Monday night's Topeka Invitational Tournament championship game against USD 501 rival Topeka High, fighting through foul trouble and missing shots the Chargers normally make, both from the field and the free throw line.
Topeka Invitational Tournament MVP Prince Lassiter hoists the championship trophy after Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High at Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But thanks in part to some key contributions off the bench, the third-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers were able to keep their head above water through three quarters before closing with a 24-11 burst over the final eight minutes to take a 71-57 win over the Trojans before a nearly packed house at Highland Park.
"These guys have played together for three or four years, so they kind of understand that if one guy's maybe having an off night or in foul trouble they understand who needs to step up and make the big shots,'' West coach Christian Ulsaker said.
"Hats off to coach (Robbie) Sanders and Topeka High. They did play a very physical, tough game. Their guys were here ready and prepared to play against us. It's not an easy task, I'll say that. Watching our (junior varsity) guys go against our varsity, our varsity guys are pretty good and Topeka High held their own for three and a half, four quarters basically.''
Now 12-2 on the season, Topeka West had to play much of the first half without tournament Most Valuable player Prince Lassister and fellow starters Jay'Veon Traylor and Malakyah Duncan, who all got in early foul trouble.
But reserves Jasper Phillips, Corde Fox, Trey Ware and JJ Doby helped West stem the tide and help the Chargers take a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
"Our guys that might not get a ton of minutes finally got some and they proved to us that they're able to take over that if they need to,'' Ulsaker said.
Topeka High (8-6) continued to keep the heat on West throughout the third quarter, trailing by just a point at the start of the fourth stanza after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Octavian McFadden.
The Trojans were still within two points (53-51) with six minutes remaining before the Chargers outscored Topeka High 18-6 down the stretch.
The end result was West's first Topeka Invitational title since 2022 and fifth title overall.
Senior Gad Munganga led Topeka West with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, in Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"If we're winning by 30, losing by 30 or it's a tie game, we still keep the same composure,'' said Topeka West senior guard Gad Munganga, who led Topeka West with 17 points, including three 3-pointers.
Topeka West junior Prince Lassiter scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Monday's 71-57 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Lassiter, a 6-foot-6 junior, was named MVP after scoring 16 points (7 of 8 from the field) and grabbing eight rebounds.
"It's always frustrating,'' Lassister said about his first-half foul problems. "But I've just got to keep my composure and when I keep my composure I can continue to play and I don't get in foul trouble any more and I have fun with the game.''
Seniors Keimani Paul and Duncan added 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Paul and Traylor both named to the all-tournament team.
"We went in at halftime knowing that second half we had to come out and stay composed and not them get under our skin and that's what happened,'' Paul said.
Senior Jalen Aldridge led Topeka High with 17 points in Monday's 71-57 Topeka Invitational Tournament loss to Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High senior Jalen Aldridge tied Munganga for game-high scoring laurels with 17 points while senior Elisha Guest added 12 points.
Guest and Trojan senior Bryson McComas were both named to the all-tournament team along with Lansing junior Deacon Manthe, who helped lead the Lions to a third-place tournament finish.
TOPEKA WEST 71, TOPEKA HIGH 57
Topeka High 15 12 19 11 -- 57
Topeka West 15 15 17 24 -- 71
Topeka High (8-6) – Aldridge 6-12 4-7 17, Guest 3-9 3-4 12, McComas 3-10 0-0 6, McFadden 3-5 0-0 8, Redmond 1-5 3-6 5, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Villegas 0-0 0-0 0, Wilkerson 0-0 1-2 1, Luarks 0-3 0-0 0, Campbell 2-6 4-4 8. Totals 18-50 15-23 57.
Topeka West (12-2) – Munganga 5-9 4-6 17, Traylor 1-1 3-4 5, Duncan 4-10 2-7 10, Paul 3-7 4-4 12, Lassiter 7-8 2-5 16, Phillips 1-2 3-5 5, Fox 1-2 0-0 2, Ware 0-1 0-0 0, Doby 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 23-41 20-33 71.
3-point goals – Topeka High 6 (Guest 3, McFadden 2, Aldridge), Topeka West 5 (Munganga 3, Paul 2). Total fouls – Topeka High 21, Topeka West 21. Fouled out – Redmond. Technical fouls – Duncan, Guest, McComas.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High will host the 2026 Capital City Classic girls basketball tournament Thursday through Saturday, with Highland Park, Seaman and Shawnee Heights joining the Trojans in the event.
Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot returns for the T-Birds, who captured the Capital City Classic championship in 2025 at Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman (6-4 on the season) will open the tournament at 3 p.m. Thursday against Garden City (7-5).
Highland Park (4-7) and No. 2-ranked (Class 6A) Wichita Heights (12-0) are on the same side of the bracket with Seaman and Garden City and will play a first-round game at 4:30 p.m.
The Seaman-Garden City and Highland Park-Wichita Heights winners will play a 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
On the other side of the bracket, Topeka High (4-6) will take on No. 3-ranked (6A) Derby (11-2) in a 6 p.m. first-round game while No. 6 (5A) Shawnee Heights (10-3) will face Lawrence (6-5) at 7:30.
The Topeka High-Derby winner will face the Shawnee Heights-Lawrence winner in a 7:30 Friday night semifinal.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh-place game at 10 a.m., followed by the fifth-place game at 11:30, the third-place contest at 1 p.m. and the championship tilt at 2:30 p.m. in separate gyms.
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC
At Topeka High
Thursday
3 p.m. -- Seaman vs. Garden City.
4:30 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Heights.
6 -- Topeka High vs. Derby.
7:30 -- Shawnee Heights vs. Lawrence.
Friday
3 p.m. -- Seaman-Garden City loser vs. Highland Park-Wichita Heights loser.
4:30 -- Topeka High-Derby loser vs. Shawnee Heights-Lawence loser.
6 -- Seaman-Garden City winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Heights winner.
7:30 -- Topeka High-Derby winner vs. Shawnee Heights-Lawrence winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship.
Carvel Reynoldson's Hayden girls basketball team will compete in this week's Lady Cat Classic at El Dorado. [File photo/TSN}
Hayden to compete in El Dorado
Hayden, 10-3 on the season, is the No. 2 seed for the 33rd annual Lady Cat Classic in El Dorado Thursday through Saturday.
Hayden, No. 9-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, will open its tournament bid at 6 p.m. Thursday against Gardner-Edgerton (3-7).
With a win the Wildcats will advance to a 6 o'clock semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between Mill Valley (9-4) and host El Dorado (5-6).
On the other side of the bracket No. 4 (5A) Maize South (11-2) will play a first-round game against Augusta (3-9) while No. 8 (5A) Kapaun Mt. Carmel (8-4) will face Goddard (5-5). Those two winners will play a 7:45 semifinal on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West entered the 2026 Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park as the pre-tourney favorite, and over the opening two days, the Chargers have certainly lived up to that top billing.
West, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, opened its tournament bid on Thursday with a 20-point win over St. Thomas Aquinas and followed that up with an 86-64 win over Wichita Northwest on Friday afternoon, punching its ticket to a second straight Topeka Invitational championship game.
Topeka West senior Malakyah Duncan led Topeka West with a game-high 19 points in Friday's 86-64 Topeka Invitational semifinal win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We turned up the heat in the third quarter and I think really stretched the game to where it was a little bit unattainable for Northwest to get there,'' Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said.
Due to expected inclement weather over the weekend, the 11-2 Chargers, who lost to Highland Park in the 2025 championship game, will have two days off before facing off with USD 501 rival Topeka High at 7 p.m. Monday in the championship game at Highland Park. The 8-5 Trojans advanced to the title game with a 69-62 semifinal win over Lansing.
Because of the weather-related schedule changes Topeka West played its semifinal at 3:30 p.m., a time slot normally reserved for consolation games, but the Chargers trailed for less than a minute (21-20) against Wichita Northwest and outscored the Grizzlies 49-29 over the middle two quarters to turn the game into a rout.
"We started a little slow, but it was a 3:30 game with no crowd,'' Ulsaker said. "The guys did what they needed to do for the most part, high intensity. I think Northwest was trying to match what we were doing as well, but we just did it just a notch above and that's about it.''
All five Charger starters cracked double figures against 6-7 Wichita Northwest, led by senior Malakyah Duncan with 19 points.
Junior Prince Lassiter scored 18 points in Friday's 86-64 Topeka West win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Jay'Veon Traylor had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Topeka West's 86-64 win over Wichita Northwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Prince Lassiter added 18 points, senior Jay'Veon Traylor recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, senior Keimani Paul had 13 points and senior Gad Munganga 12 points on four 3-pointers.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
In a battle of former Centennial League foes, the Hayden Wildcats rolled to a 69-24 home win over Highland Park Scots Thursday night at the Bueltel Activity Center.
Hayden sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored a game-high 20 points in Thursday's 69-24 Wildcat win over city rival Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]
The Wildcats, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, would get things started with sophomore standout Hailey Schmidtlein finding the basket to score the first of her game-high 20 points.
But the lead would not last long as Highland Park’s Zayah Kincaid would hit the first of her three 3-pointers to take a 3-2 lead.
The Lady Scots would hold the lead for a few minutes before Schmidtlein would find the basket again with a 3-pointer to put Hayden up 5-3 and the Wildcats wouldn’t look back as they would go on a 13-0 run before Kincaid would find the basket again to make it 18-5.
The Wildcats would answer with a 14-0 run to make it 32-5 before the Scots' Koralee Jones would get to the free throw line. The Wildcats would take a 39-9 lead into halftime.
Hayden sophomore Blakely Walter would get her team going early in the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Kincaid would match with her own 3-ball.
Hayden junior Emberly Connell would get going in the third as she would score 7 of her 11 points in the quarter. Connell, who mainly played junior varsity last season, has seen her minutes increase this year as Wildcat coach Carvel Reynoldson is trying to replace the four seniors he graduated a year ago.
“Well, if you watch her, she's always really talking and communicating on defense and she's a really good rebounder,'' Reynoldson said. "Sometimes the ball finds people like that, the hustle players, and she shows in practice that she can put the ball in the hole. So we're really not that surprised.”
“It’s always encouraging when your teammates have faith that you’re able to put the ball in the basket. I like how they have the same faith in me that I do as them,” Connell said.
The Wildcats would end the third quarter with a 57-19 lead and force a running clock in the fourth quarter.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Due to a clock malfunction, Topeka High got a late start to Thursday's opening game in the Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park.
And the Trojans also had to endure a late finish, being forced to overtime by Shawnee Mission East before the Trojans took command in the four-minute extra session to advance to the semifinals with a 49-43 win over the Lancers.
Topeka High basketball coach Robbie Sanders talks to his Trojans during Thursday's 49-43 overtime win over Shawnee Mission East. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I feel like I keep repeating it, but these guys have been through so much,'' Topeka High coach Robbie Sanders said. "They've experienced a lot of losing and a lot of bad times and one of the things that we tend to do is when things go bad we start to pout and hang our heads and I'm just trying to speak that life into them and let them know that they are good enough to beat anybody if we show up to play.''
The Trojans, now 7-5, will take on Lansing, a 59-57 winner over Shawnee Mission North, in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinal. The tournament schedule has been revamped due to the forecast of inclement weather, with the place games scheduled for Saturday now being pushed back to Monday.
Topeka High will be joined in the semifinals by top tournament seed Topeka West, a 70-50 winner over St. Thomas Aquinas. The Chargers will play Friday's first semifinal at 3:30 p.m. against Wichita Northwest, a 62-49 first-round winner over Highland Park.
After taking a 14-11 first-quarter lead over SM East (6-6), Topeka High trailed 25-19 at the half, 30-27 at the start of the fourth quarter and 41-39 in the final minute of regulation before 5-foot-7 senior Elisha Guest tied the game with a hoop with 14 seconds remaining and the Lancers missed a late shot to send the game to OT.
Guest then nailed a 3-pointer to open the four-minute overtime period and the Trojans led the rest of the way as High outscored East 8-2 to take the six-point victory.
"Elisha, small in stature, heart of a lion,'' Sanders said. "I just love that kid and I grow more appreciation and more fondness for his game every time I see him play.''
Senior Bryson McComas, who also scored in the overtime, led Topeka High with 12 points while Guest added 11 and sophomore Mar'saun Redmond 10 for the Trojans.
Senior Stephen Hloblik scored a game-high 19 points for SM East while senior Quentin Ochs added 10.
In the semifinals Topeka High will face a Lansing team which won its third straight game to improve to 4-6 with a hard-earned 59-57 win over Shawnee Mission North (6-4).
Deacon Manthe, a 6-foot-7 junior, led Lansing with 16 points, all in the second half, while junior Mehki Stephens added 11 points.
TOPEKA HIGH 49, SM EAST 43 (OT)
SM East 11 14 5 11 2 -- 43
Topeka High 14 5 8 14 8 -- 49
SM East (6-6) – Lucas 0-4 0-0 0, P. Ochs 3-9 0-0 8, Dillon 1-7 0-0 3, Hlobik 6-9 7-8 19, Konold 1-13 0-0 3, Zubeck 0-1 0-0 0, Q. Ochs 5-7 0-0 10. Totals 16-40 7-8 43.
Topeka High (7-5) – Aldridge 1-5 1-2 3, Guest 3-10 3-4 11, McComas 6-12 0-3 12, Ross 2-4 1-2 5, McFadden 0-1 0-0 0, Redmond 4-4 0-2 10, Luarks 0-1 1-4 1, Humphrey 3-5 0-1 7. Totals 19-42 6-18 49.
3-point goals – SM East 4 (P. Ochs 2, Dillon, Konold), Topeka High 5 (Guest 2, Redmond 2, Humphrey). Total fouls – SM East 12, Topeka High 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
Junior Prince Lassiter scored 15points in Thursday's 70-50 Topeka West win over Aquinas in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Chargers pull away in second half for 20-point win
On paper, Thursday's first-round game in the Topeka Invitational between third-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West and three-win St. Thomas Aquinas looked like a mis-match.
But West coach Christian Ulsaker was well aware of Aquinas' tradition and the fact that the Saints had played one of the state's toughest schedules, and he knew the Chargers would get tested.
"We talked about it, that that record goes out the window when you play St. Thomas Aquinas,'' Ulsaker said. "They're a very well-coached team and very fundamentally sound and it was a battle for three and a half, four quarters.
"So hats off to them, making it a tough game.''
After jumping out to a 22-13 first-quarter lead, Topeka West, now 10-2, got that test in the second quarter, with Aquinas rallying to take a 35-31 advantage in the second stanza and leading 36-34 inside the final minute of the half before senior Keimani Paul hit a 3-pointer and junior Prince Lassiter converted a traditional three-point play to put the Chargers up 40-36 at the half.
Topeka West then showed its dominance after the break, outscoring the Saints 30-14, including a 17-5 advantage over the final eight minutes to pull away for the 20-point victory.
Lassiter, a 6-6 junior, led a balanced West attack with a game-high 15 points as all five Charger starters cracked double figures.
"Prince, he's a workhorse, and it's not easy to guard him for 32 minutes, I'll tell you that,'' Ulsaker said.
Jay'Veon Traylor added 14 points while Paul had 13 and Gad Munganga and Malakyah Duncan 11 apiece.
The Chargers did a lot of their damage from outside the 3-point line, hitting 10 3s on the night, while Lassiter dominated things on the inside.
Senior Nic Sabers led Aquinas with 12 points, including three treys.
West will now play a Wichita Northwest team which advanced with a 62-49 win over host Highland Park in Thursday's final first-round game.
TOPEKA WEST 70, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 50
Aquinas 13 23 9 5 -- 50
Topeka West 22 18 13 17 -- 70
Aquinas (3-9) – Renze 2-6 0-2 5, Gavin 2-5 2-3 6, Wayland 0-0 2-2 2, Browne 5-6 0-0 10, Sabers 3-7 3-4 12, Merfen 2-3 0-0 6, Bertholf 1-5 0-0 2, McCullough 2-4 1-1 5, NA 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-37 8-10 50.
Topeka West (10-2) – Munganga 3-9 2-2 11, Traylor 3-10 6-8 14, Duncan 4-9 1-2 11, Paul 5-8 0-0 13, Lassiter 7-13 1-1 15, Phillips 2-3 2-4 6, Fox 0-0 0-0 0, Ware 0-0 0-0 0, Doby 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-53 12-17 70.
3-point goals – Aquinas 6 (Sabers 3, Merfen 2, Renze), Topeka West 10 (Munganga 3, Paul 3, Traylor 2, Duncan 2). Total fouls – Aquinas 20, Topeka West 12. Fouled out – Browne. Technical fouls – none.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The Rossville girls and Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball teams got tournament week off to a rousing start with a pair of big wins on Monday.
Rossville opened its girls title bid in the Jefferson County North Invitational with a 60-22 first-round win over the tournament hosts while Cair Paravel's boys rolled to a 64-30 first-round win over West Franklin in the Flint Hills League tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points Monday against JCN to move into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's all-time scoring list. [File photo/TSN]
Lady Bulldawg senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points in Rossville's win over JCN, moving into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,281 points.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek added 23 points as the Bulldawgs advanced to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.
Cair Paravel's boys, playing West Franklin for the second straight game, took control early with a 19-7 first quarter before opening up a 39-16 halftime advantage.
Blaine Durbin led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Lucas Marichal added 14 points and Caleb Cleverson 13 with three 3-pointers.
Now 9-2 on the season, CPLS will play a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Lyndon.
Other area tournament pairings:
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
BOYS
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-4 senior, had another big week as Seaman boys basketball improved to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the United Kansas Conference with a pair of victories. Bonner scored 28 points on Tuesday as the Vikings avenged their only loss of the season in a 57-52 win at Topeka West and scored 24 points on 9 of 10 shooting in Friday's 72-50 home win over Leavenworth. Bonner is averaging 30.25 points over his past four games.
Koralee Jones
KORALEE JONES, Highland Park
Jones, a senior, recorded what Highland Park officials have been told is the first quadruple-double in Kansas girls basketball history in last Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner Academy. Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals for the Scots.
JoJo Kingcannon
JOJO KINGCANNON, Highland Park
A junior basketball standout, Kingcannon scored a total 57 points in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday, including a career-high 35 points in Friday's 80-43 home Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Harmon as he hit 14 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers. On Thursday Kingcannon scored 22 points in the Scots' 76-53 loss at city rival Shawnee Heights.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Christian Ulsaker's Topeka West Chargers are the No. 1 city seed for this week's Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]Lansing (3-6) and Shawnee Mission North (6-3) are on the same side of the bracket with Topeka High and SM North and will play a first-round game at 5 p.m.
The Topeka High- SM East winner will face the Lansing-SM North winner in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
Topeka West, 8-2 entering a Tuesday United Kansas Conference home game against Basehor-Linwood, will open its tournament bid at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against St. Thomas Aquinas (3-8).
Host Highland Park (3-7) will close out the first round at 8 p.m. Thursday against Wichita Northwest (5-6), with the Highland Park-Northwest winner advancing to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the Topeka West-Aquinas winner.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh and fifth-place games at 10 a.m. in separate gyms, followed by the third-place game at 11:30 and the championship contest at 1 p.m.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
Hayden boys to compete at Baldwin
Hayden, 4-8 on the season, will compete in the four-school Baldwin Invitational round-robin event this week, opening its tournament bid at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Wellsville (5-5).
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury (7-2) at 5:30 Friday and will wrap things up 2:30 p.m. Saturday against host Baldwin (9-2).
BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Wellsville.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Bishop Seabury.
Friday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Bishop Seabury.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Wellsville.
Saturday
1 p.m. -- Wellsville vs. Bishop Seabury.
2:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Baldwin.
Rural boys headed to Pittsburg
Washburn Rural (7-3) will compete this week in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg, opening with a 4 p.m. first-round game on Thursday against Branson, Mo. in Pittsburg's secondary gym.
Also on Rural's side of the tournament bracket are Olathe North and Willard, Mo., who will play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
On the other side of the bracket Webster Groves, Mo. will face Joplin, Mo. and host Pittsburg will take on Wichita West.
The Rural-Branson winner will play the Olathe North-Willard winner in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The place games will be played on Saturday, capped by the championship game at 2:30 p.m.
BILL HANSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
At Pittsburg
Thursday
4 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Branson, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
5:30 -- Webster Groves, Mo. vs. Joplin, Mo. (main gym).
7 -- Olathe North vs. Willard, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
8:30 -- Pittsburg. vs. Wichita West (main gym).
Friday
3 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
4:30 p.m. -- Washburn Rural-Branson winner vs. Olathe North-Willard winner (main gym);
6 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
7:30 -- Pittsburg-Wichita West winner vs. Webster Grove-Joplin winner (main gym).
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place (Mallatt gym).
11:30 -- Third place (main gym)
1 p.m. -- Fifth place (Mallatt gym).
2:30 p.m. -- Championship game (main gym).
T-Bird boys to compete in Viking Classic
Shawnee Heights, now 7-4, will open competition in the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic with a 7:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against Blue Valley North (4-4).
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 70-62 non-league road win at Gardner-Edgerton on Saturday.
The T-Birds trailed 35-33 at the half against the Trailblazers but took control with a 20-10 third quarter.
The Shawnee Heights-BV North winner will advance to a 7:30 semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Glendale, Mo. and Shawnee Mission West.
On the other side of the bracket Andover Central will play Louisburg in the first round and Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. will play Aurora, Mo.
The place games will be played on Saturday, with the title game set for 3 p.m.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST VIKING CLASSIC
Thursday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central vs. Louisburg, 3 p.m.
4:30 -- Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. vs. Aurora, Mo.
6 -- Glendale, Mo. vs. SM West.
7:30 -- Blue Valley North. vs. Shawnee Heights.
Friday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central-Louisburg loser vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. loser.
4:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West loser vs Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights loser.
6 -- Andover Central-Louisburg winner vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. winner.
7:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West winner vs. Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship game.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Led by junior individual runnerups Brodye Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural boys wrestling captured the team championship Saturday in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions by two points over the host Railers, 167.5-165.5.
Washburn Rural boys wrestling won the team championship in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions on Saturday. [Photo by Washburn Rural Athletics]
B. Kocher-Munoz, now 20-7 on the season, placed second at 150 pounds, dropping a 7-2 decision to Andale's Tristen Cox in the championship match while Baum, 18-4, finished second at 215 pounds, falling 4-0 to undefeated Cooper Reves in the final.
Rural's Josh Hogan was named the coach of the year.
Washburn Rural had six wrestlers place in the top five, with senior 138-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-6) finishing third, , senior 120-pounder Ryder Harrison (16-5) and senior Landen Kocher-Munoz (23-4) both posting fourth-place finishes and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (6-7) finishing fifth.
Seaman placed 21st as a team with 59.5 points, led by seventh-place 157-pounder Brennen Bowers and eighth-place finishers Deegan Frazier at 150 pounds and Henry Reichart at 285 pounds.
Host Trojans win Topeka Invitational championship
Topeka High won the team title in Saturday's 12-school home tournament, out-distancing Summit Christian Academy by a 171-147 margin as five Trojans earned individual titles.
High got titles from freshman 106-pounder Royal Newman (10-1), junior 113-pounder Jose Gomez (11-3), senior 120-pounder Luis Morones (12-2), senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner (14-3) and senior 165-pounder Rehabiah Williamson (16-3).
The Trojans got a second-place finish from junior 132-pounder Asher Filbeck (13-6) while senior 144-pounder Michael Weatherly and senior 150-pounder Brandon Blancas (15-4) posted third-place finishes.
Highland Park got a third-place finish from senior 132-pounder Samuel Portlock (10-3) while Topeka West got a third-place finish from senior 215-pounder Cortez McCutcheon (20-2).
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Highland Park boys basketball hosted Kansas City-Harmon in a Meadowlark Conference matchup Friday on Winter Royalty night, with the Scots snapping a three-game losing streak with an 80-43 rout over the Hawks.
Highland Park junior JoJo Kingcannon scored a career-high 35 points in Friday's 80-43 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Harmon. [File photo/TSN]
The Scots would get off to a hot start, with junior JoJo Kingcannon going on a 9-0 run to start the game and scoring 12 of the team’s first 15 point’s in the contest.
The Scots would start the game with a 20-0 run before Harmon would find the basket with a free throw to make it 20-1.
Highland Park would end the first quarter with a 23-8 lead.
“JoJo's been scoring very well for us,'' Highland Park coach Nate Wallace said. "He's close to around 20 a game, if not a little more at this point. I never worry about JoJo. JoJo's locked in, JoJo's bought in, JoJo's a leader. He's a captain and when he brings that type of energy to the game, it makes it easier for the other guys.”
“(I'm) just feeling my shot, being confident in myself,'' Kingcannon said. "Sometimes I get down on myself, but I just know I can't do it as a leader of this team. So it's just the confidence part. I've just got to keep myself motivated and once I'm motivated, I just know that would get the team motivated.”
Harmon would start the second quarter with a 3-pointer before the Scots would go on a 12-2 run to go up 35-12.
The Scots would go into halftime up 44-24, with Kingcannon having 25 points on 10-11 shooting from the field at halftime and finishing with a career-high 35 points.
The second half would be much like the first as the Scots would out-score the Hawks 28-10 in the third, forcing a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“This win was good because we did take a bad loss to Shawnee Heights (Thursday), but just to get another win and going into next week with more confidence with each other (is big). And we're just going to keep it moving.” Kingcannon said.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
A non-conference city girls basketball matchup took place on Thursday night at Shawnee Heights between the host T-Birds and the Scots of Highland Park, with Heights in control from the opening jump and winning convincingly, 64-27.
Shawnee Heights senior Reianna Vega scored 12 points in Thursday's 64-27 win over city rival Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, led by senior Reianna Vega’s seven points. Highland Park scored their only point of the first quarter on a free throw from junior Zayah Kincade with 5:29 remaining in the first stanza.
The Thunderbirds scored the final five points of the quarter to take a commanding 15-1 lead into the second quarter.
The 5-0 run that ended the first quarter was extended to 21-0 over the first seven minutes and thirty seconds of the second quarter, giving the T-Birds a 31-1 lead with thirty seconds remaining in the first half. The Scots scored 5 points in the last 25 seconds to trail 31-6 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Lady Scots warm up from the field by scoring 15 points in the quarter, led by juniors Mi’Luv Cosey and Kincade with 6 points each. But the T-Birds continued their efficient offense, scoring 21 in the quarter and led 52-21 heading to the final quarter.
With the lead at 31, the running clock was in effect for the final eight minutes. The T-Birds emptied their bench early in the quarter and went on to pick up the 37-point victory.
Senior Reianna Vega scored 12 points to lead Shawnee Heights and junior KK Emmot finished with 10 points.
The Lady Scots also had two in double figures, with Cosey leading the way with 12 points -- all on 3-pointers -- and Kincade dropping in 10 points.
Shawnee Heights moved to 8-3 on the season and will be in action next Friday (1/23) on the road at Topeka West. Highland Park fe;; to 3-6 on the season and will host Kansas City-Harmon on Friday.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 64, HIGHLAND PARK 27
Highland Park 1 5 15 6 -- 27
Shawnee Heights 15 16 21 11 -- 64
Highland Park (3-6) -- Cosey 4-11 0-0 12, Kincade 3-14 1-2 10, Jones 0-3 0-0 0, Barnett 0-1 0-0 0, Atkins 0-2 0-2 0, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0, Inyard 1-4 0-0 3, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Williams-Sanders 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 9-37 1-4 27.
Shawnee Heights (8-3) -- Emmot 3-9 2-3 10, McGlory 3-7 0-0 8, Carter 2-4 4-4 8, Baum 3-5 2-2 9, Vega 5-9 0-0 12, Brees 1-4 0-2 3, Aubrey Hamilton 3-3 0-2 6, Schmidt 0-1 0-0 0, Pierce 1-4 0-0 2, Allie Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0, Carlisle 3-5 0-2 6. Totals 24-51 8-15 64.
3-point goals -- Highland Park 8 (Cosey 4, Kincade 3, Inyard), Shawnee Heights 8 (Emmot 2, McGlory 2, Vega 2, Baum, Brees). Total Fouls -- Highland Park 17, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Two city boys basketball teams battled on Thursday night at Shawnee Heights as the host T-Birds took a 76-53 non-conference victory over Highland Park.
Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with a game-high 28 points in Thursday's 76-53 non-league win over city rival Highland Park.
The first four minutes of the game saw both teams trade buckets and Shawnee Heights led 10-8. But the T-Birds went on a 12-3 run to build a 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Junior Cam Ross scored the first basket of the second quarter and the T-Birds extended their lead to 28-11 before the Scots were able to score. The teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the quarter and Shawnee Heights took a 41-27 lead into the halftime break.
Both teams were very efficient on offense in the third quarter, with the T-Birds outscoring the Scots, 21-18.
Senior Ja’Veon Alston scored eight points for the T-Birds in the quarter while fellow senior JaiMarion Cook dropped in five. The Scots had two players score six points each in the quarter -- juniors G’honi Montgomery and JoJo Kingcannon.
Shawnee Heights led 62-45 going into the final quarter and were able to empty their bench over the final two minutes while capping the 23-point victory.
The T-Birds finished the game shooting 28 of 42 from the field for 67 percent and 60 percent from the 3-point line (9 of 15).
The T-Birds were led by three in double figures -- Ross with 28 points, Alston with 16 and Cook with 13.
The Scots had two in double figures, led by Kingcannon with 22 points while Ke’Sioun Drew dropped in 12.
Shawnee Heights improved to 6-4 on the season and will be in action on Saturday with a road game at Gardner-Edgerton. Highland Park fell to 2-7 on the season and will play at home Friday against Kansas City-Harmon.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 76, HIGHLAND PARK 53
Highland Park 11 16 18 8 -- 53
Shawnee Heights 22 19 21 14 -- 76
Highland Park (2-7) -- Anderson 1-8 0-0 2, Montgomery 0-1 3-6 3, Drew 4-13 0-0 12, Mitchell 2-4 1-2 6, Kingcannon 10-17 0-1 22, L. McMillon 0-2 0-0 0, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 1-1 1-2 4, Nance 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 20-49 5-11 53.
Shawnee Heights (6-4) -- Alston 5-9 4-6 16, Cook 5-6 0-0 13, Ross 10-16 5-6 28, Scott 3-4 2-2 9, Wallace 2-4 0-0 4, Lee 1-1 0-0 2, Halloran 1-1 0-0 2, Becker 0-0 0-0 0, Vega 0-0 0-0 0, Terrell 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-42 11-14 76.
3-point goals -- Highland Park 8 (Drew 4, Kingcannon 2, Mitchell, Smith), Shawnee Heights 9 (Cook 3, Ross 3, Alston 2, Scott). Total fouls -- Highland Park 14, Shawnee Heights 15. Fouled out -- L. McMillon. Technical fouls -- none.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior girls basketball standout Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 home Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 assists as Highland Park improved to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Highland Park officials said that they have been told that based on available records and news reports there are no verified instances of a previous Kansas high school girls player officially recording a quadruple-double although there have been several near-misses.
The Scots will be back in action Thursday, playing a non-league game at Shawnee Heights before hosting KC-Harmon on Friday in a Meadowlark Conference contest.
Hayden star junior bowler Kelton Meier opened his 2026 season on Tuesday with a 785 series, including a 300 game. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden's Meier bowls perfect 300 game
Hayden junior Kelton Meier, who helped the Wildcats win a Class 4A-1A state bowling championship to end the 2025 season, opened '26 with a spectacular performance on Tuesday in the Hayden quadrangular at Gage Bowl, rolling a 785 series, including a perfect 300 game in his final game of the day.
Meier opened his series with a 227 and rolled a 258 in the second game before achieving perfection in the third game.
Andrew Lee added a 611 series, Reece Renyer a 585, Ashton Litke a 562 and Jason Ahlstedt a 530 as Hayden claimed the team crown over Centennial League foe Manhattan.
Hayden's girls finished second to Manhattan, with Emily Peterson leading the Wildcats with a 457 series.
Manhattan's Cortlynn Millington won the girls individual title with a 720 series, including a 279 game.
Sabres top Highland Park boys
Kansas City-Sumner's boys improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the Meadowlark Conference with a 73-52 Tuesday night road win at Highland Park.
The Scots fell to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Highland Park will play a non-league game at Shawnee Heights on Thursday before hosting KC-Harmon in a Meadowlark contest on Friday.
Seaman girls fall to De Soto in UKC tilt
Coming off a 23-point United Kansas Conference win at Topeka West a night earlier, the No. 10-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman girls dropped a 52-38 home UKC decision to De Soto on Wednesday.
The Vikings trailed the Wildcats 15-7 at the end of the opening quarter and 26-17 at the half.
Seaman got back in the hunt with a 17-13 third quarter but the Wildcats closed with a 13-3 fourth stanza, pulling away at the free throw line.
Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings (6-3 overall, 6-2 UKC) with nine points while sophomore Claire Puvogel added eight points and Cara Beaton, Lydia Dreher and Brynn Spencer seven points apiece.
Maddie Leis led De Soto with 20 points.
Seaman will be back at home Friday to host UKC foe Leavenworth.
Lion boys protect Flint Hills lead with win over Osage City
Cair Paravel boys basketball improved to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Flint Hills League with a 51-40 home win over Osage City Tuesday night.
The Lions jumped out to a 13-8 first-quarter lead and led 27-15 at the half.
Osage City used an 18-7 third quarter to get within a point before the Lions closed things out with a 17-7 fourth quarter.
"Huge league win against an extremely talented and well-coached Osage City team,'' CPLS coach Chip Kueffer said in a text.
Senior Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 16 points while Chase Hastert added 13 points and Blaine Durbin 11.
The Lions will travel to West Franklin on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
TOPEKA HIGH (3-5, 0-1 Centennial) at HAYDEN (8-2, 2-0 Centennial)
Hayden is coming off a 38-35 Centennial League win at Washburn Rural last Friday while Topeka High had its three-game winning streak snapped by league foe Manhattan, 67-55. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, against Rural while senior Lauren Borjon added 8 points with a pair of 3s. Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 21 points against Manhattan while sophomore Hailey Caryl added 17 points with three 3-pointers.
SEAMAN (5-2, 5-1 Centennial) at TOPEKA WEST (1-7, 0-6 Centennial)
Seaman is coming off a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a 69-36 conference decision at Basehor-Linwood. Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 15 points against Lansing while Baylee Ayres and Lydia Dreher added 10 points. Seaman took a 45-26 win over Topeka West on Dec. 12. The Chargers will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (2-6, 2-4 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 1-2 Meadowlark)
Highland Park dropped a 66-42 Meadowlark Conference decision to Atchison last Friday while KC-Sumner is coming off a 76-7 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Koralee Jones and Zayah Kincaid paced Highland Park with 14 points apiece against Atchison, with Kincaid draining three 3-pointers.
PIPER (6-2, 5-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (6-3, 5-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights rolled to a 53-22 United Kansas Conference win over Leavenworth last Friday while league-leading Piper is coming off a 69-34 non-league loss to Blue Valley Northwest. T-Bird senior Imani McGlory scored 18 points with four 3-pointers against Leavenworth while juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Piper handed Shawnee Heights its lone UKC loss on Dec. 9, 50-45.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (4-4, 0-1) at HAYDEN (3-7, 0-2)
Both the Trojans and Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from Friday night losses, with Topeka High dropping a 70-63 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan and Hayden dropping its second straight league game, a 79-62 decision at Washburn Rural. Mar'saun Redmond led Topeka High with 16 points against Manhattan while Jalen Aldridge and Bryson McComas added 14 points apiece. Carter Compton scored 20 points for Hayden against Washburn Rural while Connor Hanika added 15 points.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
SEAMAN (6-1, 5-1) at TOPEKA WEST (7-1, 6-0)
No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West will host No. 5 Seaman in a key United Kansas Conference matchup. Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner is coming off a 42-point performance in Friday's 65-46 UKC win at Lansing while Landon Wiltz added 10 points and Griffin Zuniga 9. West is coming off a 56-45 conference win at Basehor-Linwood, with senior guard Gad Munganga pacing the Chargers with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (4-5, 2-2) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 2-1)
Highland Park played No. 2-ranked (Class 4A) Atchison tough in a 57-51 Meadowlark Conference home loss Friday night. Junior JoJo Kingcannon led the Scots with 18 points. Highland Park will be facing a KC-Sumner team that is coming off a 59-40 Meadowlark loss to KC-Wyandotte, a team Highland Park beat earlier in the season.
PIPER (5-3, 3-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4, 3-3)
Shawnee Heights jumped out to a 35-5 halftime lead on the way to a 60-24 home United Kansas Conference win last Friday while Piper is coming off a non-league loss to Lincon Prep, Mo. Freshman Quincy Dixon led the T-Birds with 19 points while junior Cam Ross added 18 points and senior Ja'Veon Alston 13.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six Shawnee County senior football standouts, who all earned spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team, have been invited to play for the East in the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played on June 27 at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.
Invited to play in the Shrine Bowl are Seaman's Cameron Brian, Washburn Rural's Brody Haas, Rossville's Andre Johnson, Silver Lake's Dayne Johnson, Hayden's Kade Mitchell and Highland Park's Tremaine Savage.
Rossville coach Derick Hammes was named earlier to serve as an assistant coach for the East.
Here's a look at the six local Shrine Bowl picks:
Cameron Brian, Seaman
CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior linebacker, Brian was one of six All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat picks and received All-United Kansas Conference first-team honors for the second straight season. Brian was in on 111 total tackles this past fall with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
BRODY HAAS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior linebacker, Haas registered 114 total tackles with 80 solo stops for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Haas recorded 14 tackles for loss with a sack and had two pass interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, while forcing two fumbles and recovering two fumbles and recording eight quarterback pressures.
Andre Johnson, Rossville
ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 this past season after being a Second 22 pick as a junior. Johnson was in on 133 tackles for the 11-Bulldawgs (74 solo), with two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Offensively, Johnson carried the ball 58 times for 365 yards. Johnson was a second-team All-Big East League pick on defense.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense this past fall.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
KADE MITCHELL, Hayden
Mitchell, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat pick this past season and was named the Shawnee County co-offensive player of the year. Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns this season for the 12-1 Wildcats while being in on 34 tackles and compiling 372 kickoff and punt return yards as Hayden advanced to its third straight Class 3A title game..
Tremaine Savage, Highland Park
TREMAINE SAVAGE, Highland Park
Savage, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was named the Meadowlark Conference co-defensive player of the year in 2025 after helping lead Highland Park to a 5-1 on-field record and a conference championship. Savage averaged 6.6 tackles per game and registered 15 pass breakups. Offensively, Savage caught six passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team all-conference honors at receiver.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
After picking up their first Meadowlark Conference victory by forfeit against Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday, Highland Park's girls were hoping to find their first in-game win since December 16th in Friday's home game against Atchison.
But the Lady Phoenix controlled things most of the way en route to a decisive 66-42 win over the Scots.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
Zayah Kincaid, Highland Park
The Highland Park-Atchison game has determined the league champion over the years since the Scots entered the Meadowlark and this one would be all Lady Phoenix as the Phoenix would get the jump and score the first 4 points before the Lady Scots would find the basket via senior Koralee Jones hitting a floater to get the Scots on the board.
Atchison senior Kaiya Downing would then find the basket to put Atchison up 6-2 and the Phoenix would never look back.
After Atchison went up 13-7 junior Zayah Kincaid would hit her first of three 3-pointers on the night to get the Scots within three at 13-10. But Atchison would go on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter and take a 20-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Scots would get within five at 22-17 and then the Phoenix would go on a 9-0 run before the Scots' Kincaid would find the basket. The Scots trailed 33-22 at halftime and the third quarter would see the Phoenix outscore the Scots 17-7 and the fourth quarter would be all Phoenix as they would finish it off with a 66-42 win.
The Lady Scots would be led in scoring by Jones and Kincaid as they both scored 14 points.
Atchison was led in scoring by sophomore Alondra Herrera, who would lead all scorers with 27 points, and Downing, who had 15 points.
The Lady Scots will play KC-Sumner and KC-Harmon xext week.
ATCHISON 66, HIGHLAND PARK 42
Atchison 20 13 17 16 -- 66
Highland Park 10 12 7 13 -- 42
Atchison (4-6 4-0) — Herrera 13-25 0-0 27, Downing 7-15 1-1 15, Clem 3-10 2-4 10, Burge 5-11 0-5 10, Tate 0-0 0-0 0, Ross 2-3 0-0 4, Sneller 0-1 0-0, Wesley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-65 3-10 66.
Highland Park (2-5 1-2) -- Kincaid 5-16 1-1 14, Jones 7-20 0-2 14, Cosey 1-9 0-2, Barnett 2-4 1-2 5, Hooper 0-4 0-0 0, Inyard 0-2 3-4 3, Cameron 0-2 0-0 0, Sanders 1-3 1-1 3, Atkins 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-62 6-12 42. 3-point goals -- Atchison 3 (Clem 2, Herrera), Highland Park 4 (Kincaid 3, Cosey). Total fouls -- Atchison 20, Scots 13. Fouled out -- none.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Highland Park battled Class 4A No. 2 ranked and undefeated Atchison Friday at Hi Park in a game that had Meadowlark Conference ramifications early in the season as both of these teams are usually facing each other with the league championship on the line.
Junior JoJo Kingcannon led Highland Park with 18 points in the Scots' 57-51 loss to No. 2-ranked Atchison Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots had never lost to the Phoenix since entering the league and you didn’t need to let first-year head coach Nate Wallace know how big this game was.
And even though Atchison was able to hold off Highland Park 57-51, Wallace saw a lot of positives from his team.
Atchison would get things started with freshman Trey’von Gillum scoring the game's first five points before Scot sophomore Davion Anderson would get his squad on the board with a jumper to get the score to 5-2.
Atchison would score four more to go up 9-2 and then the Scots would go on a 11-0 run by spreading the ball around and getting everybody involved to see their first lead of the night at 13-9.
The second quarter would see three lead changes, with the Scots trailing 28-24at halftime.
“Oh, we're in great shape,'' Wallace said. "I knew that we'd eventually start making shots. We shoot a lot in practice, so I'm not really worried about shooting. I know that we're going to do that. At halftime, it was just, 'Hey, look where we're at.' That's probably the lowest score in a half we've had all season because we hung our hat on everybody rebounding. We had five guys rebounding. We were going to stay on that focus and let them know it's a game of runs they came out and punched us in the mouth, 9-0, 9-2.
"We knew that would happen. So we've just got to answer the run. So they make runs, we make runs.”
Junior G'Honi Montgomery reacts to one of his two 3-pointers in Friday's 57-51 loss to Atchison. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN].
Gillum would get things started in the third quarter with a 3 ball, Atchison would go on a 6-2 run to put the game at 34-26 before Scots junior G’Honi Montgomery would hit two huge 3-pointers in a row to get the Scots within two at 34-32 and then Anderson would hit his only 3-pointer of the night to give his team the lead at 35-34.
Each team would trade blows to escape the third quarter with Highland Park trailing the Phoenix 40-37 going into the fourth quarter.
“I'm never surprised with G’Honi,'' Montgomery said. "He is one of our most unselfish guys on the team. He's playing out of position. He really is a guard, but he is so strong. I call him little man. He's out there doing everything he can. So I give him those (3s). If he takes them, it's because he knows when to take them, he knows how to take them. He works on them.”
The fourth quarter would see the Scots' fearless leader, junior JoJo Kingcannon go on a tear as he would score 12 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
HAYDEN (7-2, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 1-0 Centennial)
Both defending champion Hayden and perennial Class 6A contender Washburn Rural won their Centennial League openers on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 53-37 home win over Emporia as sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored 14 points and sophomore Blakely Walter 10. The Junior Blues went on the road to beat Junction City, 68-32. Hayden is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and Rural is No. 10 in 6A. Washburn Rural will be playing its third game of the week, dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North on Monday.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (5-2, 0-0 Centennial) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-4, 0-0 Centennial)
Topeka High picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, taking a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence as junior Ahysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 29 points, senior Keimara Marshall 15 and senior Trish Short 13. High sophomore Hailey Caryl contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against the Lions. Manhattan is coming off its second loss of the season, dropping a 58-45 non-league decision to Hays.
ATCHISON (3-6, 3-0 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 1-1 Meadowlark)
Highland Park picked up a Meadowlark Conference forfeit win over Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday while Atchison edged KC-Wyandotte in a conference contest, 42-41. Highland Park played Wyandotte earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs taking a 68-52 victory over the Scots.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
LEAVENWORTH (4-2, 1-2 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (5-3, 4-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to four games on Tuesday, with the T-Birds taking a 64-46 home United Kansas Conference win over De Soto. Junior Pearmella Carter led Heights with 19 points while juniors Sami Baum and Imani McGlory scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Leavenworth is coming off a 49-35 home UKC win over Topeka West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
HAYDEN (3-6, 0-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (6-2, 1-0)
Washburn Rural opened defense of its Centennial League championship Tuesday with a 50-45 road win over Junction City, imporoving to 6-2 on the season. Senior Kieffer O'Connor led the Junior Blues with 16 points while senior Simon Rowley added 11. Hayden will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 59-56 home Centennial League loss to Emporia. Senior Connor Hanika scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats while junior Carter Compton added 12 points.
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (6-1, 0-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (4-3, 0-0)
Topeka High climbed above the .500 level with a 66-65 nailbiter on the road Tuesday night at Lawrence. Friday's game will be the Centennial League opener for both Topeka High and Manhattan. The Indians are coming off a 62-59 overtime win over Hays, stretching its winning streak to six games.
ATCHISON (8-0, 3-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 2-0)
Atchison and Highland Park will square off in a game that could go a long ways to deciding the Meadowlark Conference championship. The Scots improved to 2-0 in league play with a 60-32 home win over Kansas City-Schlagle Tuesday night as junior JoJo Kingcannon scored 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Atchison is coming off an 87-32 Meadowlark win over KC-Wyandotte.
LEAVENWORTH (2-4, 1-3) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-4, 2-3)
Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a tough 51-50 United Kansas Conference home loss to De Soto Tuesday night. Junior Cam Ross led the T-Birds with 12 points. Leavenworth is coming off a 74-47 UKC home loss to Topeka West on Tuesday.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
HOLTON (1-7, 1-5) at SILVER LAKE (6-2, 4-0)
Silver Lake posted a 73-61 Big East League victory at St. Marys on Tuesday while Holton picked up its first win of the season, a 57-53 league decision over Riley County. Holton is coached by former Topeka West assistant coach Marco Hunter. Silver Lake is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Coming off a loss to city rival Topeka High four days earlier, Highland Park's boys bounced back with a big 60-32 Meadowlark Conference win over visiting Kansas City- Schlagle Tuesday night.
The Scots would get off to a hot start, with junior JoJo Kingcannon scoring the team's first 8 points to give his team an 8-4 lead early in the first quarter.
Schlagle would answer with a 6-0 run of their own before the Scots would let them know what the nickname Runnin Scots is all about as they would go on a 25-2 run and go into halftime with a commanding 35-13 lead.
“I thought we were out of position several times in the first quarter. We gave them the lead early on just because we weren’t in rotations the right way,'' Highland Park coach Nate Wallace said. "Once we tightened up, we started buying into sharing the ball, we started sharing it pretty well and pretty often, and it gave us a lot of opportunities to get good looks.”
The third quarter would see the Stallions outscore the Scots 14-9 and leave the Scots with a 44-27 lead going into the fourth.
“We didn’t want to say too much to them coaching wise in the third because we wanted them to figure it out,'' Wallace said. "There is a lot of learning lessons that have to be done, I feel like that was a good, comfortable area to let them try to figure it out and try to get recorrected by themselves, because I am a firm believer in player-led groups, and the one big thing about being a player-led group is you got to take ownership.
"So the third quarter, I sat back and wanted to see and observe a little more if they were going to communicate, if they were going to notice, if the other team was going on a run or not, were they going to slow down, just trying to help grow their basketball IQ’s. And then we talked about it at the end of the quarter, and I feel like we made a stronger force.”
The Scots would outscore the Stallions 16-5 in the fourth to beat the Stallions by 28 points.
The Scots would get huge nights from Kingcannon and sophomore Davion Anderson as Kingcannon would lead all scorers with 21 points on 8-11 shooting and three 3s.
“I put a lot on his plate, I put a lot on his shoulders, he’s been bought in since Day 1,'' Wallace said. "He would do two a days at football and then come into the gym and do basketball. He’s been on varsity for three years now with me being an assistant the last two years.
"I am a firm believer in JoJo, he was a huge part of us last year, and I always knew he can score, and he’s scoring efficiently and that’s what I look for.”
Anderson backed Kingcannon with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
“I knew from the jump when I got the job and looking at the roster, I was like he is my point guard,'' Wallace said of Anderson. "I told him, 'It is yours to lose.' He’s showing up. He’s staying confident. I tell him all the time as a sophomore, you’re going to make mistakes and I am going to live through your mistakes as a sophomore.”
The Scots have a huge league matchup on Friday as league rival and Class 4A No. 2 and 8-0 Atchison will make the hour trip south to Topeka to face the Scots in a game that has determined the League championship since the Scots entered the league.
“That’s a big breakfast is what we call it,'' Wallace said. "They've got all that you want, They've got bigs, they've got guards, they've got bigger wings and they've got shooters. We are going to stay true to our defensive principles. We are going to make it hard on them and play Runnin Scot basketball, push our way through and see what the outcome is in the fourth quarter.”
HIGHLAND PARK 60, KC-SCHLAGLE 32
KC-Schlagle 11 2 14 5 -- 32
Highland Park 16 19 9 16 -- 60
KC-Schlagle (2-5 1-1) -- Dyer 7-11 1-4 16, White 3-11 2-4 8, Howard 1-3 0-0 3, Frazier 1-1 0-0 2, Jones 0-6 0-2 0, Brown 0-2 2-2 2, Johnson 0-0 1-2 1, Evans 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-35 6-14 32.
Highland Park (2-4 2-0) -- Kingcannon 8-11 2-2 21, Anderson 6-12 0-0 15, Montgomery 3-6 0-0 7, Mitchell 3-5 0-0 7, Drew 2-4 0-0 6, Pollard 1-3 0-2 2, Smith 1-5 0-0 2, Nance 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 24-47 2-6 60. 3-point goals — Schlagle 2 (Howard, Dyer) Highland Park 10 ( Kingcannon 3, Anderson 3, Drew 2, Montgomery, Mitchell) Total Fouls -- Schlagle 12, Highland Park 13.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
EMPORIA (4-4, 0-0) at HAYDEN (6-2, 0-0)
The Spartans and Wildcats will open Centennial League play on Tuesday, with Hayden opening defense of the league title it captured last season. The Wildcats dropped a 38-36 non-league decision at Shawnee Heights last Friday, Hayden's second straight loss after six straight wins to start the season. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 16 points against the T-Birds while senior Lauren Borjon added 11 points. Emporia is coming off a 32-25 win over Circle.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 1-1) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-3, 3-1)
Shawnee Heights climbed above .500 with a 38-36 non-league win over Hayden last Friday at home. T-Bird junior KK Emmot scored 9 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining. Shawnee Heights has now won three straight games after starting the season 1-3. De Soto dropped a 45-34 United Kansas Conference decision to Seaman to close out its pre-holiday slate.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 2-1) at CAIR PARAVEL (3-3, 0-2)
Cair Paravel Latin ended its 2025 slate with a tight 40-37 Flint Hills League decision to Chase County while Wabaunsee is also coming off a loss, dropping a 68-37 league game to Osage City. London Backman leads CPLS with a 9.8 scoring average while Karsyn Hastert pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game.
Addaline Hall, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 0-4) at LEAVENWORTH (3-2, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking for its first United Kansas Conference victory Tuesday night at Leavenworth. Senior Addaline Hall leads the Chargers with a 10.8 scoring average while junior Sydney VanDyke averages 8.8 points and leads the city of Topeka in rebounding with 14.0 per game and in blocked shots with a 3.8 average.
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
WASHBURN RURAL (4-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (1-4, 0-0)
Washburn Rural will be playing its second game of 2026 in as many nights, opening Centennial League play against the Blue Jays after dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North Monday night. Junior Blue freshman Brynn Anderson scored 14 first-half points with three 3-pointers against Olathe North, but sat out the second half after an injury late in the first half. Senior Hallie Walker had 9 points and 5 rebounds for Rural.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
EMPORIA (8-0, 0-0) at HAYDEN (3-5, 0-0)
Hayden is coming off a 79-60 non-league loss at Shawnee Heights on Friday while Emporia remained undefeated with a 73-38 non-league romp past Circle. Both the Wildcats and Spartans will be opening Centennial League play Tuesday. Senior Connor Hanika led Hayden with 20 points against Shawnee Heights while junior Mason Becker added 17 points.
Cam Ross, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 0-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-3, 2-2)
Shawnee Heights evened its record at 3-3 with a 79-60 home win over Hayden last Friday while De Soto closed out 2025 with a 56-40 loss to Seaman on Dec. 19. Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 28 points and four 3-pointers against Hayden while senior Ja'Veon Alston added 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 3-0) at CAIR PARAVEL (4-2, 2-0)
Cair Paravel Latin is off to a solid start, including a 60-39 Flint Hills League win over Chase County on Dec. 19, and faces a tough test Tuesday against a Wabaunsee team that is also unbeaten in league play after a 63-56 win over Osage City to close out 2025. Sophomore Chase Hastert leads Cair Paravel with a 16.3 scoring average and also pulls down 7.5 rebounds a game.
Keimani Paul, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (5-1, 4-0) at LEAVENWORTH (2-3, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking to bounce back Tuesday after the No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers dropped a 53-49 non-league game at 6A Free State Monday night. Senior Keimani Paul led West with 19 points and four 3-pointers against the Firebirds while senior Malakyah Duncan added 12 points. Leavenworth dropped a 66-36 United Kansas Conference decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday.
WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (4-2, 0-0)
Washburn Rural stretched its winning streak to four games with a 68-53 non-league win at Olathe West on Saturday while Junction City has won three straight games after a 56-53 win over Shawnee Mission North last time out. Sophomore Brooks Ballard scored 21 points with six 3-pointers in the Junior Blues' win over Olathe West. Tuesday's game is the Centennial League opener for both Rural and Junction City.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A scheduling quirk resulted in Topeka High's girls playing two straight games against USD 501 rival Highland Park.
And after ending the 2025 portion of their schedule with a 30-point win over the Scots at Topeka High, Ron Slaymaker's Trojans were even more dominant Friday at Highland Park, rolling to an 87-31 victory to improve to 2-4 on the season.
Sophomore Hailey Caryl scored a game-high 26 points in Friday's 87-31 Topeka High win at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 21 points for Topeka High in Friday's 87-31 victory over Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Keimara Marshall scored 18 points Friday in Topeka High's 87-31 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High sophomore Hailey Caryl led all scorers with 26 points while junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton added 21 points and senior Keimara Marshall scored 18 to lead the way in the Trojan rout.
Veteran Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said Friday was important to continue to making strides after an 0-4 start while playing its first four games without Caryl.
"Highland Park's a little short-handed, but sometimes they can make you look bad,'' Slaymaker said. "I just wanted us to be solid and get our running game going, which we did.
"We got out 23-0 and 25-1 and we starterd subbing and it gets a little frantic there. But the start of the second half it was the same thing and we played really well.''
Topeka High took control in the opening eight minutes, outscoring the Scots 25-1.
High was still in front by 24 points (44-20) at the half before hitting the Scots with a 35-3 lick in the third quarter to force a running clock in the fourth quarter with a 79-23 advantage.
"Our practices have been high and low, really good, really bad,'' Slaymaker said. "So I was pleased to see them come out and play well because our schedule's pretty tough from here on out. Game, game, game, game, so there's not much time for practice and there's still a lot of things we need to clean up.''
Junior Zayah Kincaid led Highland Park with 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while senior Koralee Jones added 8 points as the Scots fell to 1-4 on the season.
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 87, HIGHLAND PARK 31
Topeka High 25 19 35 8 -- 87
Highland Park 1 19 3 8 -- 31
Topeka High (2-4) – Short 2-4 2-4 6, Marshall 8-11 2-2 18, Rayton 9-15 1-2 21, Caryl 10-16 6-7 26, Gotru 1-5 0-1 2, Triplett 1-2 0-0 2, Conley 0-0 0-0 0, Whayne 2-2 0-0 4, Mathews 0-2 0-0 0, Martin 3-7 0-0 8, Brown 0-4 0-2 0. Totals 36-68 11-18 81.
Highland Park (1-4) – Cosey 2-7 0-0 6, Kincaid 3-9 3-4 11, Jones 4-10 0-0 8, Williams Sanders 0-0 0-0 0, Barnett 0-1 0-0 0, Grace 0-4 0-0 0, Atkins 0-1 0-0 0, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0, Hooper 2-6 0-0 6, Inyard 0-2 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals 11-40 3-4 31.
3-point goals – Topeka High 4 (Rayton 2, Martin 2), Highland Park 6 (Cosey 2, Kincaid 2, Hooper 2). Total fouls – Topeka High 13, Highland Park 15. Fouled out – none.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the eight Topeka high schools now spread out over four different leagues, traditional city rivals don't get as many opportunities to play each other.
Robbie Sanders' Topeka High team got that chance Friday night at Highland Park and the Trojans took full advantage, riding a hot start to a 74-55 non-league win over the Scots.
Topeka High senior Bryson McComas had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Trojans' 74-55 win at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High senior Elisha Guest scored 15 points with three 3-pointers in Friday's 74-55 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm proud of these guys,'' said Sanders, a former Topeka High star. "This game means a lot to them and it means a lot to the community and it means a lot to the alumni of both schools and it means a lot to me and it means a lot to Nate (Wallace, Highland Park coach).
"I'm just really, really happy to get a win.''
Topeka High, now 3-3 on the season, blasted out of the gate for a 23-10 first-quarter advantage and never looked back.
The Trojans built a 42-23 halftime advantate and led 64-35 after three quarters before Highland Park (1-4) cut into its deficit with a 20-10 fourth quarter.
Senior Bryson McComas registered a double-double for the Trojans with 22 points and 10 rebounds while senior Elisha Guest added 15 points with three 3-pointers and freshman Jaxon Luarks chipped in with 10 points.
"I think we're making progress every day,'' Sanders said. "As long as we just keep chopping wood and we keep believing in each other and trusting each other, the sky's the limit for this team.
"We've got some talent, we've got some hungry guys and we're shooting the ball a lot better than I thought we would at this point. People had their eyes on this game and they wanted to see what we could do and they wanted to see what Highland Park could do. I'm just glad we played well.''
Junior JoJo Kingcannon paced Highland Park with 17 points while sophomore Davion Anderson added 10 points with three 3-pointers.
TOPEKA HIGH BOYS 74, HIGHLAND PARK 55
Topeka High 23 19 22 10 -- 74
Highland Park 10 13 12 20 -- 55
Topeka High (3-3) – Aldridge 3-11 0-1 8, Guest 4-8 4-4 15, McComas 9-14 4-4 22, McFadden 3 0-1 7, Ross 1-4 0-0 2, Arnold 0-1 0-0 0, Luarks 4-6 1-1 10, Villegas 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 4-6 0-0 8, Redmond 0-3 2-2 2, Ramirez 0-1 0-0 0, Humphrey 0-1 0-0 0, Harris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-64 11-13 74.
Highland Park (1-4) – Montgomery 1-6 0-0 3, Drew 3-8 1-2 8, Kingcannon 6-8 5-9 17, Anderson 3-12 1-4 10, Mitchell 1-3 0-0 2, L. McMillon 1-4 0-0 2, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Z. McMillon 6-6 1-2 13. Totals 21-47 8-17 55.
3-point goals – Topeka High 7 (Guest 3, Aldridge 2, McFadden, Luarks), Highland Park 5 (Anderson 3, Montgomery, Drew). Total fouls – Topeka High 18, Highland Park 16. Fouled out – Villegas.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GIRLS GAMES
Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton leads the city in scoring with a 22-point average [File photo/TSN]
Senior Koralee Jones averages team-highs of 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (1-4) at HIGHLAND PARK (1-3)
Topeka High closed out its 2025 schedule with a 65-35 home win over Highland Park and will play its second straight game against the Scots to open 2026. Junior Sasha Gotru scored a game-high 22 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field in the Trojans' earlier win over the Scots while recording a double-double with 12 rebounds. Senior Keimara Marshall added 19 points, including a 5 of 5 performance at the free throw line, while sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 13 points against the Scots. Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, who did not play in the Trojans' first game against the Scots, leads the city with a 22-point average. Highland Park ended its pre-holiday slate with a 68-52 Meadowlark Conference against Kansas City-Wyandotte. Senior Koralee Jones leads Highland Park with a 10.8 scoring average and 7.5 rebounds per game. Game time: 5:30 p.m.
Junior KK Emmot leads Shawnee Heights, 3-3 on the season, with an 18-point scoring average. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein averages 18.6 points. 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 2.6 assists for the 6-1 Wildcats. [File photo/TSN]
HAYDEN (6-1) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-3)
Hayden suffered its first loss of the season in its final game before the holiday break, with Hesston taking a 55-47 decision over the Wildcats, while Shawnee Heights closed out 2025 with a 67-30 United Kansas Conference romp past Topeka West. Junior KK Emmot scored a game-high 17 points for Shawnee Heights against West, while juniors Sami Baum and Pearmella Carter added 11 points apiece and seniors Reianna Vega and Imani McGlory scored nine and eight points, respectively. Emmot ranks third in the city with an 18-point scoring average. Hayden sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein is No. 2 in the city with an 18.6 scoring average and also leads the city with 4.6 steals per game while also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game. Game time: 5 p.m.
FRIDAY'S BOYS GAMES
Senior Bryson McComas leads Topeka High with averages of 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. [File photo/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (2-3) at HIGHLAND PARK (1-3)
Highland Park gave Nate Wallace his first victory as a head coach in the Scots' final game of 2025, a 78-35 Meadowlark Conference romp past Kansas City-Wyandotte, while Topeka High ended '25 with a 63-50 loss to Olathe East. Junior JoJo Kingcannon leads Highland Park with a 19-point average, ranking third in the city in scoring, while Kingcannon and junior G'Honi Montgomery grab 5.0 rebounds a game and are averaging .3.7 and 3.0 steals. Senior Bryson McComas leads Topeka High with a 13.2 scoring average with 7.6 rebounds a game. Senior Jalen Aldridge averages 13 points for the Trojans. Both Topeka High first-year coach Robbie Sanders and Wallace are Topeka High graduates. Game time: 7 p.m.
Junior Carter Compton (12) averages a team-high 17.3 points for Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Cam Ross leads Shawnee Heights with a 16-point scoring average. [File photo/TSN]
HAYDEN (3-4) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (2-3)
Hayden snapped a three-game losing streak with a 64-57 win over Silver Lake in its final game of 2025 while Shawnee Heights ended its pre-holiday slate with a 63-58 United Kansas Conference loss to Topeka West. Junior Carter Compton leads Hayden with a 17.3 scoring average while senior Connor Hanika averages 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds. Junior Cam Ross leads Shawnee Heights with a 16-point scoring average while freshman Quincy Dixon averages 12.2 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds. Game time: 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY'S BOYS GAME
Senior Simon Rowley is averaging a team-high 16.2 points for 4-2 Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL (4-2) at OLATHE WEST (3-3)
Washburn Rural ended its pre-Christmas slate with its third straight victory, a 60-25 road romp over Kansas City-Barstow, Mo., while Olathe West is coming off a 65-43 loss to Mill Valley. Senior Simon Rowley leads Washburn Rural with a 16.2 scoring average while senior John Hoytal averages 9.5 points and sophomore Brooks Ballard 9.2 points. Game time: 1 p.m.
NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Rayton, Topeka High 4 88 22.0
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 130 18.6
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 6 108 18.0
Caryl, Topeka High 1 15 15.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 68 13.6
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 68 13.6
Marshall, Topeka High 5 63 12.6
McGlory, Shawnee Heights 6 70 11.7
Carter, Shawnee Heights 6 65 10.8
Hall, Topeka West 6 65 10.8
Jones, Highland Park 4 43 10.8
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 59 9.8
Hirschi, Washburn Rural 5 48 9.6
Beaton, Seaman 5 47 9.4
Carlgren, Washburn Rural 5 47 9.4
Sydney Van Dyke, Topeka West
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
VanDyke, Topeka West 6 84 14.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 47 9.4
Walker, Washburn Rural 5 45 9.0
Caryl, Topeka High 1 8 8.0
Jones, Highland Park 4 30 7.5
Gotru, Topeka High 5 36 7.2
Carter, Shawnee Heights 6 43 7.2
Hall, Topeka West 6 41 6.8
Dreher, Seaman 5 31 6.2
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 31 6.2
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 42 6.0
Vega, Shawnee Heights 6 35 5.8
Marshall, Topeka High 5 29 5.8
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 34 5.7
Ayres, Seaman 5 25 5.0
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Caryl, Topeka High 1 8 8.0
Marshall, Topeka High 5 18 3.6
Beaton, Seaman 5 17 3.4
Gragg, Seaman 5 15 3.0
Rutherford, Washburn Rural 4 12 3.0
Baum, Shawnee Heights 6 16 2.7
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 18 2.6
Puvogel, Seaman 5 12 2.4
Walker, Washburn Rural 5 12 2.4
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 6 14 2.3
Vega, Shawnee Heights 6 14 2.3
Foster, Hayden 7 14 2.0
Gonzales, Topeka West 5 9 1.8
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 10 1.7
McGlory, Shawnee Heights 6 10 1.7
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
STEALS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 32 4.6
Gragg, Seaman 5 19 3.8
Marshall, Topeka High 5 17 3.4
Donaldson, Cair Paravel 6 20 3.3
Gonzales, Topeka West 5 16 3.2
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 19 3.2
Caryl, Topeka High 1 3 3.0
Jones, Highland Park 4 12 3.0
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 17 2.8
Beaton, Seaman 5 14 2.8
Rayton, Topeka High 4 11 2.8
Allen, Topeka West 6 17 2.7
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 13 2.6
Walter, Hayden 7 18 2.6
VanDyke, Topeka West 6 14 2.3
NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Bonner, Seaman 5 130 26.0
Duncan, Topeka West 5 98 19.6
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 57 19.0
Compton, Hayden 7 121 17.3
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 98 16.3
Rowley, Washburn Rural 6 97 16.2
Ross, Shawnee Heights 5 80 16.0
Hanika, Hayden 7 104 14.9
Paul, Topeka West 5 74 14.8
MCComas, Topeka High 5 66 13.2
Lassiter, Topeka West 5 65 13.0
Aldridge, Topeka High 5 65 13.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 62 12.4
Dixon, Shawnee Heights 5 61 12.2
Durbin, Cair Paravel 6 73 12.2
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 46 7.7
McComas, Topeka High 5 38 7.6
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 45 7.5
Schmidt, Washburn Rural 6 36 6.0
Durbin, Cair Paravel 6 33 5.5
Lassiter, Topeka West 4 22 5.5
Paul, Topeka West 4 22 5.5
Tourtillott, Hayden 7 35 5.0
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 15 5.0
Montgomery, Highland Park 3 15 5.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 25 5.0
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 6 30 5.0
Cleverdon, Cair Paravel 6 29 4.8
Dixon, Shawnee Heights 5 24 4.8
Anderson, Highland Park 3 14 4.7
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Anderson, Highland Park 3 19 6.3
Bonner, Seaman 5 31 6.2
Paul, Topeka West 4 20 5.0
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 28 4.7
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 23 3.8
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 11 3.7
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 6 20 3.3
Scott, Shawnee Heights 5 16 3.2
Duncan, Topeka West 4 12 3.0
Guest, Topeka High 5 14 2.8
Becker, Hayden 7 18 2.6
Marichal, Cair Paravel 6 15 2.5
McComas, Topeka High 5 12 2.4
Alston, Shawnee Heights 5 12 2.4
Nimz, Washburn Rural 6 14 2.3
STEALS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 11 3.7
Montgomery, Highland Park 3 9 3.0
Bonner, Seaman 5 15 3.0
Wiltz, Seaman 5 14 2.8
McComas, Topeka High 5 14 2.8
Alston, Shawnee Heights 5 14 2.8
Hanika, Hayden 7 17 2.4
Anderson, Highland Park 3 7 2.3
Duncan, Topeka West 4 9 2.3
Munganga, Topeka West 4 9 2.3
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 12 2.0
Drew, Highland Park 3 6 2.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 10 2.0
Mitchell, Hayden 7 13 1.9
Becker, Hayden 7 13 1.9
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls high school sports teams may likely remember 2025 as the year of near-misses, with seven county teams finishing second in five different sports while eight individuals/relays posted runnerup finishes.
But the county still had notable accomplishments to celebrate, with local schools capturing a pair of state team championships while local athletes captured four individual state titles.
Class 6A soccer champion Washburn Rural and 3A volleyball champ Silver Lake share the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Top 10 list for 2025 while Seaman track star Ryin Miller, who dominated the 5A state track meet with three wins and Highland Park wrestler Makayla Cadet, who captured her school's first girls state crown, hold down the next two spots.
Seaman posted runnerup team finishes in basketball and tennis while Silver Lake finished second in basketball and softball, Hayden was second in soccer and volleyball and Washburn Rural posted a runnerup finish in softball.
Individually, Washburn Rural's Molly Spader, Seaman's Koti Best and Taylie Heston and Shawnee Heights' Isabel Reyes all recorded second-place finishes in state wrestling while Rural's Morgan Ray and Topeka High's Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton were individual runnerups in state track, Seaman's Emma Sweeney was a singles runnerup in state tennis and Washburn Washburn Rural's 4x800-meter relay team also posted a second-place state finish in track.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County girls prep stories of 2025:
Washburn Rural girls soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship after its 1-0 win over Mill Valley in PKs. [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]
1. TITLE BREAKTHROUGH -- Washburn Rural added the only missing piece from its impressive soccer resume with its first Class 6A state championship. Making their 11th straight Final Four appearance, including four runnerup state finishes, the 19-2-0 Junior Blues broke through with a 1-0 win over Mill Valley, taking the win with a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks. Rural was represented on the All-City first team by 2025 grads Destiny Higgs, Kate Hinck, Addyson Kaberline, Zahra Friess and Madison Lemke and then-junior Dayne Shriver while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year.
Silver Lake volleyball capped a 46-1 season with the 2025 Class 3A state championship. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
1. EAGLES FLY TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP -- Silver Lake, which went 46-1 and ended its season on a 37-match winning streak, finished off its championship run with a 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton. The Eagles were represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior Jaiden Wise, juniors Kylie Hanni and Jaylie Whitehead and sophomore Karys Deiter, with Hanni named the county player of the year and Eagles coach Sarah Johnson tapped as the coach of the year.
Seaman's Ryan Miller capped her junior track season with a sweep of the Class 5A 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
3. MILLER SHINES -- Seaman superstar runner Ryin Miller capped off her junior track and field season in the 2025 strate track and field championships by sweeping Class 5A state titles in all three of her individual events, taking wins in the 3,200 (10:19.53), 1,600 (4:57.33) and 800-meter (2:11.14) runs at Wichita State. Miller's three wins in 2025 gave her five career titles and came on the heels of a banner 2024 cross country season, which included the fastest five-kilometer run in Kansas history (16:32.62) and a runnerup finish in the 5A state meet (17:26.36).
Highland Park then-junior Makayla Cadet became her school's first girls state wrestling champion in 2025. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
4. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY -- Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet celebrated her 17th birthday in one of the best ways you could imagine, with a 2025 Class 5A state wrestling championship. Cadet, who went 23-4 on the season, became the first girls wrestler in Highland Park history to win a state championship when she pinned Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro at the 1:36 mark of the first period in Park City. Cadet's win over Renfro avenged a regional loss to the Bobcat standout.
5. OH SO CLOSE -- After winning state titles a year earlier, Seaman in Class 5A and Silver Lake in 3A both posted runnerup finishes in 2025 in girls basketball. The Vikings ran off 24 straight wins in the 2024-2025 campaign before dropping a 68-61 decision to perennial state champ St. Thomas Aquinas in the title game while Silver Lake, which had to reload after graduating a talented senior class from its 26-0 championship team in 2024, posted a 23-3 record last season, dropping a tight 48-45 decision to Halstead in the 3A final.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County high schools captured three boys state team titles in 2025 while county athletes combined to earn six individual/relay championships.
Washburn Rural soccer is No. 1 on TopSports.news' list of the Top 10 boys high school sports stories of 2025 after winning its fourth Class 6A state title and first since 2012 while Rural cross country and Hayden bowling also won team championships.
Individually, Washburn Rural's Easton Broxterman is No. 2 on the Top 10 after capping his outstanding high school wrestling career with his third straight Class 6A state championship in 2025 in his fourth straight trip to the state finals.
Other highlights included current Junior Blue seniors Draden Chooncharoen and Liam Morrison celebrating state titles in soccer and track while Broxterman's Junior Blue wrestling teammates, current senior Landen Kocher-Munoz and 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall, both claimed their second individual state titles.
Rural 2025 grad Isaiah Terry and Morrison both captured 6A individual titles and teamed with Chooncharoen and '25 grad Matthew Houser to set a state meet record in the 4x400-meter relay, Rural's second straight state crown in that event.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County boys prep stories of 2025:
Washburn Rural soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship since 2012 after its 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East in PKs. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
1. RURAL RULES -- Led by an outstanding senior class, perennial state soccer power Washburn Rural capped a 19-1-1 2025 season with its first Class 6A state championship since 2012, taking a 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East with a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks. Senior Dylan Willingham ended his high school career with Washburn Rural's single-season and career scoring records.
Washburn Rural wrestling star Easton Broxterman capped his high school career in 2025 with his third straight Class 6A state title and fourth trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]
2. MAT MASTER -- Washburn Rural superstar wrestler Easton Broxterman put the capper on one of the top high school careers in Shawnee County history with his third straight Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in the 6A state tournament in Overland Park. Broxterman, who is wrestling collegiately at Army, finished off a 41-2 senior season with the 145-pound state title.
Washburn Rural cross country celebrates its 2025 Class 6A state championship after winning by a single point over Blue Valley. [Photo courtesy of Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]
3. STRENGTH IN THE PACK -- Washburn Rural cross country didn't have an individual medalist (top 20) in the 2025 Class 6A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, but the Junior Blues put four runners in the top 28 places to lead the way as Rural captured the team championship by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley. Rural got a team-high 22nd-place finish from sophomore Henry Laubach while senior Brooks Kehoe was 25th, sophomore Clayton Fink 26th, sophomore Duke Graf 28th, sophomore Jaxson Adams 42nd, senior Wyatt Shorb 52nd and sophomore Brady Meek 84th.
Hayden won its first ever state bowling championship in the 2025 season, winning the Class 4A-1A state crown by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane. [File photo/TSN]
4. STRIKING GOLD -- Hayden garnered the first state bowling championship in school history, winning the Class 4A-1A state event by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane as four Wildcats earned individual state medals. Trevor Christy rolled a 698 series to finish third individually while John Strickland finished fifth with a 685, Chase Blaser was seventh with a 676 and Reese Renyer placed 16th with a 636.
Washburn Rural 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall won back-to-back Class 6A state wrestling titles in '24 and '25.'[File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second career Class 6A state wrestling title in '25 with his third trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]
5. REPEAT FEAT -- Washburn Rural wrestling stars Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz captured the second Class 6A state titles of their careers in the 2025 state tournament as the Junior Blues finished third as a team. Marshall, a 2025 graduate, won his second straight championship, winning the 157-pound crown to finish off a 37-5 season while then-junior Kocher-Munoz won his second career championship in his third straight state final, winning at 138 pounds to finish 34-3 on the season.
Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
6. REPEAT FEAT PART II -- Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in the 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season in the final event of the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium as 2025 grads Matthew Houser and Isaiah Terry and then-juniors Liam Morrison and Draden Chooncharoen set a 6A state meet record in a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 seconds. Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry ran on Rural's state-champion relay in both '24 and '25 while Houser won his first state title.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The names are probably well known to anyone who has followed local sports over the past several years, but a long and growing list of athletes who starred at Shawnee County high schools made a big impact at the college and/or professional level in 2025.
Here's a look at just some of the stars who continued to make their fans proud over the past year:
Junior Jack Bachelor has helped lead Washburn to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking this season. [File photo/TSN]
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A year after helping lead 30-4 Washburn to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning All-MIAA first-team honors, the 6-foot-2 junior guard has played a major role as the Ichabods are off to a 13-0 start this season while achieving the No. 1 national ranking in D-II. Bachelor, named the MIAA Player of the Week last week, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers while hitting 34 of 38 free throws (89.5 percent). Bachelor has a team-high 64 assists with 24 steals.
COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Dallas Cowboys -- A 6-foot, 191-pound defensive back, Ballentine is in his seventh season in the NFL and currently on the active roster for the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine previously played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Ballentine has played in 71 games with 11 starts, registering 102 tackles with one interception.
ANNA BECKER, Seaman/Drake -- Becker, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, has started all 11 games for Division I Drake after helping lead Seaman to a Class 5A state championship as a junior and a runnerup state finish as a senior. Becker is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Becker was a four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection, a two-time county player of the year and a three-time United Kansas Conference player of the year.
Former Topeka West star Elijah Brooks leads Houston Christian with a 12.3 scoring average. [Houston Christian Athletics]
ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/Houston Christian -- A 6-foot-3 senior guard, the former Mr. Kansas Basketball for Topeka West has started all eight games he's appeared in for the 5-7 Huskies, averaging a team-high12.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 25 assists. Brooks, who began his college career at North Dakota, averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds last season for Houston Christian with a career-high 29-point game.
NIJAREE CANADY, Topeka High/Texas Tech
A senior pitcher/first baseman, the former Topeka High two-time Class 6A state champion was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year as a junior in her first season at Texas Tech while also earning first-team All-American honors. Canady, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished her season with a 34-7 pitching record, a 1.11 earned run average and 319 strikeouts while also leading Tech with 11 home runs and slugging .639. Canady was the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the Trojans.
BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural/Kentucky -- The former three-sport Washburn Rural star, DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, was named a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selection for the second straight season. DeLeye helped lead the 30-3 Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Tournament, starting all 33 matches with 545 kills while also compiling 279 digs and 42 blocks.
Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles this fall, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]
JC HEIM, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A sophomore linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-MIAA recognition after leading the Ichabods and the MIAA and ranking second in the nation with 142 total tackles, splitting 71 solo and 71 assisted tackles. Heim added seven tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was also third in solo tackles in the national rankings.
TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Cleveland Browns -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. After playing four seasons with the Bears, Jenkins is in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. An offensive guard, Jenkins has played in 15 games with three starts this season and has played in 60 games in his career with 41 starts.
Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
BELLE KENNEDY, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A 5-foot-3 senior midfielder, the former Washburn Rural star was named a first-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping lead Washburn University soccer to its second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. A three-time All-MIAA first-team pick, Kennedy was named the conference defensive player of the year this fall. Kennedy scored 12 goals and had four assists in her career for the Ichabods.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Highland Park girls basketball coach Rob Brown hopes his team uses the holiday break to regroup after three tough games in a four-day stretch sent them into the holiday with a 1-3 record.
Junior Zayah Kincaid led Highland Park with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in the Scots' 68-52 loss to Wyandotte Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
The Scots lost a home 68-52 home Meadowlark Conference contest versus Wyandotte Friday that saw the Scots commit 28 fouls and send the Bulldogs to the foul stripe 48 times. Wyandotte sped the game up with a fullcourt press and attacked the basket with abandon on the offensive end.
Highland Park was in the fight after one period, trailing just 20-17. Senior sharpshooter Zayah Kincaid connected on threet 3-pointers in the period to keep the Scots close. But Wyandotte nudged the margin to nine points at halftime, then outscored the Scots 20-10 in the third period to open up the lead to 56-37.
The Scots went 12 days without playing a game, then found themselves in a tough stretch right before the break. They got their first win in a hard-fought 42-40 victory over Shawnee Mission West on Tuesday. But they fell to Topeka High on Thursday before hosting Wyandotte Friday.
“It’s been a long week,” Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. “So hopefully they can go into our break, clear their heads, get in the gym on their own, and hopefully find some heart and try to get back to it.”
The Scots showed some firepower Friday in Kincaid, who hit five from behind the arc to finish with 17 points, and sophomore Kaia Hooper, who added three 3-pointers and tallied 11 total points. Senior Koralee Jones had nine points, and Miluv Cosey added seven.
“This is a new group, so we’re trying to figure each other out, trying to figure their new roles out,” Brown said. “It’s still early so hopefully we can get things figured out.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Off to a rough start with four straight losses to open the 2025-2026 season, Topeka High girls basketball ended its pre-holiday slate with its first victory of the season Thursday night, rolling to a 65-35 home non-league decision over USD 501 rival Highland Park.
Sophomore Hailey Caryl, battling for a loose ball, scored 13 points Thursday in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We were 0-4 and I would not have predicted the 0-4, but we did play four decent teams,'' Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said. "I thought we could have, should have, would have won two of them, but we didn't play well.
"We had too many outside distractions and we just didn't have a good three weeks of preseason practices, but the last three or four have been very good. They brought it to the gym and that's what it's supposed to be. I was more than happy with the effort tonight. Our passing was better and our defense got us a lot of baskets.''
The Trojans, who played without junior standout Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, took control early, scoring the first seven points of the game and building 15-2 and 19-4 leads before taking a 21-6 advantage into the second quarter.
Highland Park, coming off a 42-40 win over Shawnee Mission West Tuesday night, came to life with 12 points in the second stanza but Topeka High still led by 18 points at the break, doubling up the Scots 36-18.
Senior Keimara Marshall scored 19 points in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High boosted its lead to 53-25 with a 17-7 third quarter and the Trojans forced a running clock with 5:08 remaining after a hoop from senior Keimara Marshall.
Junior Sasha Gotru scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Topeka High's 65-35 win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sasha Gotru, a 5-foot-11 junior, had a career night for the Trojans, scoring a game-high 22 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field while recording a double-double with 12 rebounds.
Marshall added 19 points, including a 5 of 5 performance at the free throw line, while sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 13 points with High's only 3-pointer in her first game of the season after missing the Trojans' first four games of the year with an injury.
Senior Koralee Jones (13) scored a team-high 15 points in Thursday's 65-35 loss to Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Koralee Jones led Highland Park (1-2) with 15 points while junior Zayah Kincaid added eight, including a pair of 3-pointers.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
It had been 12 days in between Games 1 and 2 for the Highland Park Lady Scots, who lost their season-opener to Topeka West.
Rob Brown's Highland Park girls picked up their first win of the season Tuesday night at home, rallying for a 42-40 non-league win over Shawnee Mission West. [File photo/TSN]
But the Scots made the long layoff pay off with a 42-40 home non-league victory over Class 6A school Shawnee Mission West.
The game would be a tale of two halves for the Scots, who saw themselves trailing the Vikings 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and 22-12 at halftime.
But defense wins games and defense it was as the Lady Scots would come out hot and hold the Vikings to 18 total points after halftime while scoring 30 points themselves.
“At halftime, I stressed that it is going to be our defense,'' Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. "We had to make some adjustments. I stressed to them tonight that this game was going to be the first to 40 wins and I was right.
"I keep telling the girls that our defense is going to be key for us. Offense is going to take care of itself, but we have to play defense without fouling.”
The Scots got huge shots when it mattered out of senior Koralee Jones who was cold for the night and had missed her last eight shots before hitting the biggest shots of the night.
With under two minutes to go in the game Jones would hit the net to tie the game at 38 and then with a minute to go in the game Jones would come up big again for her team as she would find the basket again this time to put her team up 40-38.
“It just says a lot about her confidence that it is growing, people don’t know, this is her third year playing basketball,'' Brown said. "So her confidence has grown with every practice and every game. The girls trust her and she trusts her teammates.”
“Just reflecting off the team’s energy, we played aggressive defense and kept grinding on offense, we didn’t let ourselves get flustered and kept attacking, and my shot finally fell when it mattered,” Jones said.
Shawnee Mission West would take a timeout with 18 seconds left and hit a shot to tie the game at 40.
But the Scots would get the ball down the court and it would find it’s way into the hands of sophomore Tavvi Williams-Sanders, who scored the game-winning basket.
“She is always in the right spot and she has that little soft touch to go back up with it,” Brown said.
“It means a lot to me because I wasn’t doing so good, and at the beginning of the game I got mad, but my teammates kept motivating me and I was at the right place at the right time to hit the shot,” Williams-Sanders said.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden, which advanced to the Class 3A state championship game for the third straight season, and 1A finalist Rossville combined for nine of Top 22 spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team while the Wildcats and Bulldawgs swept offensive and defensive player of the year honors.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Jude Krentz, Hayden
Hayden senior all-purpose standout Kade Mitchell and Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell were named the co-offensive players of the year for 2025 while Hayden senior Jude Krentz was named the defensive player of the year.
Kade Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns while Canann Mitchell rushed for 1,162 yards and 21 touchdowns on 167 carries and completed 123 of 184 passes for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Krentz led the Hayden defense with 120 tackles (61 solo) while recording six tackles for loss and picking off two passes.
Hayden's Bill Arnold and Rossville's Derick Hammes were named the co-coaches of the year while Rossville junior lineman Charlie Chance was tapped as the defensive newcomer of the year and Silver Lake freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger was named the offensive newcomer of the year.
Chance was in on 54 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and three sacks while Kruger completed 178 of 252 passes for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kade Mitchell and Krentz are Top 22 repeat selections, along with Seaman senior Cameron Brian, Rossville senior Conner Bush, Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson and Shawnee Heights senior Aiden Scott.
Hayden, which posted a 12-1 record this fall, is also represented on the Top 22 by seniors Xander Blasing, Connor Hanika and Julian McGivern and junior Mason Becker while Rossville senior Andre Johnson joins Bush and Canann Mitchell on the Top 22 after the Bulldawgs posted an 11-2 record, with both losses coming against state champions.
Washburn Rural, which posted a 6-4 record, is represented on the Top 22 by seniors Jayden Cooper, Brody Haas and John Hoytal and junior Jadyn Baum.
Senior Noah Kobuszewski joins Brian on the first team for Seaman while senior Jayden Waterer joins Dayne Johnson on the Top 22 for Silver Lake and senior AJ Gallegos joins Scott on the first team for Shawnee Heights.
Meadowlark Conference champion Highland Park put senior Tremaine Savage and junior G'Honi Montgomery on the Top 22 while Topeka High is represented by multi-time All-Centennial League selection Malachi Murph
All 10 Shawnee County high schools have representatives on either the Top 22, Second 22 or honorable mention list. Five county teams posted six or more wins this fall and four teams posted at least one win in the playoffs.
TopSports.news selected the 2025 All-Shawnee County team after receiving input from county head coaches.
All-Shawnee County Top 22 capsules:
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
It was the first game of the season for both teams Wednesday night as the Highland Park Lady Scots would host the Topeka West Lady Chargers in a city rivalry.
Senior Addaline Hall scored 22 points with four 3-pointers in Wednesday's 68-45 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Last season the Chargers and Scott each beat each other once.
But this year there are changes with both teams as the leading scorers for both the Chargers and Scot transferred to Shawnee Heights, leaving both teams looking for new faces to lead them this season.
Wednesday's game would get under way with it needing two jump balls as both teams where full of excitement to get underway.
The Chargers would get the first basket of the season and take an early 4-0 lead but the Scots would bounce back and hit a layup and then a 3-pointer and take a 5-4 lead before West answered with a 7-0 run to go up 11-5 to end the first quarter with a 11-8 lead.
The Scots would answer the call to start the second quarter and go up 12-11, but that would be all it wrote for the Lady Scots as they would go cold and be held scoreless for the final 2 minutes before halftime as the Chargers would take 30-24 halftime lead.
The Chargers would come out of the locker room at halftime with urgency as they would play defense and force the Lady Scots to commit turnovers and take bad shots.
West would hold the Lady Scots scoreless until the 3-minute mark in the third, outscoring them 18-5 in the third quarter to take a 48-29 lead into the fourth.
“We talked about it at halftime, turning the defensive pressure back up, and the girls came out ready,'' West coach Angie Ketterman said. "They all stuck together as a team. They didn’t care when we were subbing in and out. It was a family team atmosphere and it looked good.”
The Lady Scots would try to chase the Chargers down in the fourth but could never get close as the Chargers would get the win, 68-45.
“They all came together as a team,'' Ketterman said. "We had freshman playing, we had sophomores, juniors and seniors all playing. And they all contributed to everything we did tonight. That’s what was so good about tonight.”
The Chargers got a huge night from 5-foot-10 senior Addaline Hall as she would lead all scorers on the night with 22 points with four 3-pointers.
“She’s tough, she’s not tall but she is tough, she can hang with the big girls on the inside.” Ketterman said.
“The adrenaline was really going for our first game, so every possession after we got going was helpful,'' Hall said. "The freshmen really came in and helped a lot as well.”
“It was the Chipotle before the game.”
The Chargers returned three seniors with plenty of varsity experience in Hall, Teairra Gonzalez and Breonnah Keeling. Keeling was already scheduled for surgery on her left knee and would fall hard on her right knee and would come out of the game and is most likely done for the season.
Teairra Gonzales scored 10 points in Wednesday's 68-45 Topeka West win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Teairra Gonzalez would put 10 points on the board for the Chargers.
