Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In its previous two games Shawnee Heights girls basketball dug itself a first-half hole en route to United Kansas Conference losses to state-ranked Seaman and De Soto.
Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot (1) led the way with 22 points in Wednesday's 53-48 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The T-Birds flipped the script Wednesday night, dominating the opening half before holding off Basehor-Linwood for a 53-48 home UKC win.
"The biggest part of it was just finding a way to grind it out and win,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "After having this week of no practice, and then coming out and playing, you never know what you're going to get, but this is what we needed to kind of get over the hump and get through the week with this crazy weather.
"We had a tough week last week playing Seaman and De Soto, which I thought we competed well in those games, but we could never get over the hump, so this is big.''
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 12-6 overall and 9-5 in the UKC, led by as many as 18 points in the first half, but Basehor-Linwood (9-8, 8-5) scored the final eight points of the half and opened the third quarter with a 13-2 run to briefly take a one-point advantage and set the stage for a nail-biter the rest of the way.
The T-Birds led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter and built a 34-16 cushion with 2:18 left in the half on a KK Emmot hoop, but Heights was held scoreless the remainder of the half as the Bobcats cut their deficit to 34-24.
Basehor-Linwood continued to rally in the third quarter, holding the T-Birds to just two points over the first five minutes-plus en route to taking a brief 37-36 lead at the 3:10 mark on a 3-pointer from junior Alaina Schwisow.
Shawnee Heights fought right back, however, with senior Haley Bowers connecting on a 3-pointer with 2:18 left in the third to put Heights back in front before both teams were held scoreless over the remainder of the stanza.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Shawnee Heights boys basketball coach Ken Darting saw a lot to like out of his T-Birds in Wednesday's 61-54 home United Kansas Conference win over Basehor-Linwood.
Senior Jaret Sanchez scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Wednesday's 61-54 Shawnee Heights home UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy (1) scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in Wednesday's home 61-54 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the way the sixth-ranked (Class 5A) T-Birds finished the game wasn't one of those things.
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 15-3 overall and 11-3 in the UKC, trailed just once on the night (8-7 midway through the first quarter) and led by 10 points (36-26) at the half, by nine (51-42) at the end of the third quarter and by as many as 14 points (61-47) with 2:16 remaining before the Bobcats (8-9, 6-7) scored the final seven points of the game.
"We played consistent, built the lead, built the lead and led by 14 and then we're going to shoot quick and we're going to miss free throws and we miss layups and you don't finish the deal,'' Darting said. "And that's how you win states or sub-states is finishing the deal.
"I liked most of it, but we just didn't finish.''
Senior Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 19 points and also grabbed eight rebounds while senior Deacon Pomeroy added 18 points with a game-high nine boards and junior Da'Quan Lee had eight points off the bench.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jaxon Cowdin got into diving almost by accident, but the Topeka High senior will end his high school career in this week's Class 6A state meet as the most accomplished one-meter diver in school, something he's very proud of.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won his third straight Centennial League diving title last Thursday, the lone city champion. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Cowdin credits older sister Maisie for helping getting him into the sport.
"She was a lifeguard over at one of the pools and I used to go there like all day and would dive off the diving boards and swim all the time, so she was like, 'Hey, you should probably go try dive,' Cowdin said. "So I came out for it and like the first two or three weeks I ended up breaking the school record and ended qualifying for state. So I'm pretty glad I did it.''
Fast forward to four years later and Cowdin has won four straight city diving titles and won his third straight Centennial League championship last Thursday.
"I think it's a cool thing for Topeka High School history,'' Cowdin said. "I think I've done something that very people can say that they've done, so I have a lot of pride in that.''
Now Cowdin is setting his sights this weekend at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatics Center on the one thing that's eluded him -- a state medal.
Cowdin, along with senior teammates Dominic and Malachi Delgado, will compete in the preliminaries and semifinals on Thursday, with the finals on Saturday.
"Probably the ultimate goal is going and getting a medal,'' Cowdin said. "I feel like I've come pretty close in the past three years but I've always been just short.
"I think I'm definitely more focused this year than I have been in past years and I think it's been especially good with the twins kind of riding up on me recently. I think that's definitely led to better competition.''
The three-day state meet will get under way with Thursday's diving prelims and semis, with the 6A event at 9:30 a.m. and 5A-1A at 4:30 p.m.
The 6A swimming preliminaries will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, with the 5A-1A prelims following at 4 p.m.
Championship 6A finals will get under way at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by the 5A-1A finals at 4 o'clock.
Senior Luke Lemke will compete in four events for Washburn Rural in the Class 6A state swimming meet. [File photo/TSN]
City champion and Centennial League runner up will be well-represented in the 6A state meet, with senior Luke Lemke (200-yard individual medley, 100 backstroke), sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe (200 IM, 500 free) and freshman Thomas Appuhn (200 IM, 100 backstroke) all qualifying in two individual events while freshman Castle Wallace is qualified in the 100 breaststroke.
The Junior Blues are also qualified in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay.
Shawnee Heights senior Truman Brede was the lone city gold medalist in last Tuesday's UKC swimming championships. [File photo/TSN]
In 5A-1A Seaman senior Peyton Holmes (50 free, 100 free) and sophomore Kinser Barbosa (200 free, 100 butterfly) are both qualified in two individual events, as are Shawnee Heights seniors Truman Brede (200 free, 100 backstroke) and Evan Hoobler (100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke).
Hayden senior Palmer Heskett is an individual qualifier in the 200 IM while both Seaman and Hayden are qualified in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
STATE SWIMMING/DIVING SCHEDULE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Coming off a tough two-point loss at Seaman Tuesday there was no hint of a hangover for the No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights boys Friday night, with the T-Birds never trailing en route to a 79-55 United Kansas Conference home romp past De Soto.
Senior Jaret Sanchez led all scorers with 25 points in Friday's 79-55 Shawnee Heights UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 79-55 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"It's only a setback if you let it be a setback,'' Heights coach Ken Darting said of the 68-66 Seaman loss. "It's a loss and you throw it to the side. You forget it, you go on and play.
"I just want to build towards the sub-state and state.''
The T-Birds, who improved to 14-3 overall and 10-3 in the conference, opened up an 18-11 first-quarter advantage and never looked back, opening up a 39-24 halftime lead behind senior Deacon Pomeroy's 17 first-half points and a 3-pointer at the buzzer from junior Ontarius Emmot.
Heights continued to pour it on after the break, taking a 61-38 advantage into the fourth quarter after a Emmot hoop to end the third.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Octavian McFadden led Topeka High with 18 points in Tuesday's 65-60 Centennial League win at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN at TOPEKA HIGH
Topeka High, 1-15 overall, 1-5 in the Centennial League, picked up its first win of the season on Tuesday, posting a 65-60 road decision over No. 4-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden. Junior Octavian McFadden led the Trojans with a game-high 18 points while junior Elisha Guest added 15 points with three 3-pointers and junior Bryson McComas had 13 points. Manhattan (5-10, 2-3) is coming off a 74-45 loss at Washburn Rural on Tuesday. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Shawnee Heights, No. 8-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a tough 68-66 United Kansas Conference loss at No. 7 Seaman Tuesday night, with the Vikings falling to 13-3 overall and 9-3 in the conference. Senior Jaret Sanchez scored 39 points against Seaman after scoring 38 points in his previous game. Senior Deacon Pomeroy added 13 points for the T-Birds. De Soto (9-6, 6-5) is coming off a 55-46 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood Tuesday. Game time: 7:15 p.m.
EMPORIA at HAYDEN
Hayden, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a 65-60 Centennial League loss to Topeka High Tuesday night while Emporia, No. 9 in 5A, dropped a 69-66 overtime league decision to Junction City. Junior Connor Hanika led the Wildcats with 16 points against Topeka High. The Wildcats and Spartans will be playing for the third time this season, with Emporia taking 60-44 and 61-56 wins in the first two games. Game time: 7:45 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL at JUNCTION CITY
Washburn Rural is coming off a 74-45 home Centennial League romp past Manhattan on Tuesday, with the Junior Blues improving to 11-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the league. Junior John Hoytal led Washburn Rural with 18 points against Manhattan while senior Amare Jones and junior Simon Rowley added 14 points apiece. Junction City (10-5, 3-2) is coming off a 69-66 overtime league win over Emporia on Tuesday. Rural took a 59-56 home win over the Blue Jays on Jan. 30. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
IBy RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Maddie Gragg was forced to sit and watch from the sidelines when the Vikings dropped a six-point decision at Shawnee Heights last Feb. 20, which just so happened to be Seaman's most recent loss.
Junior Maddie Gragg scored 23 points with five 3-pointers in Seaman's 64-54 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Anna Becker scored 21 points with three 3-pointers in Seaman's 64-54 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
But the 5-foot-10 junior made up for lost time in a hurry in Tuesday's rematch against the T-Birds, riding a monster first half to a game-high 23 points as the defending Class 5A state champions ran their winning streak to 22 games with a 64-54 home United Kansas Conference victory.
Gragg scored 17 points in the first half with five 3-pointers and formed a dynamic one-two punch with senior Anna Becker, who had 14 first-half points with a pair of 3s on the way to a 21-point night as the Vikings took control in the opening two quarters while improving to 16-0 overall and 11-0 in the conference.
Gragg said Tuesday's win was a welcome bounce back for her and the team after last year's Heights loss.
"I had a concussion, so I didn't play that game,'' Gragg said. "I was there sitting on the bench and I remember that game. The first half was good (tonight). It was high percentage shots and we kept going for like the one more pass. It was just a good half all around. You always want to beat a rival.''
Shawnee Heights (11-5 overall, 8-4) actually outscored Seaman 30-23 in the second half, but the T-Birds were unable to overcome a dismal first half that saw the Vikings lead by as many as 20 points on the way to a 41-24 halftime bulge.
"Obviously we knew what happened last year, it was in the back of our minds,'' Becker said. "We didn't forget.''
Gragg and Becker combined for 12 of Seaman's 16 first-half field goals, including the seven treys, as the Vikings shot 53.3 percent from the field in the half.
"It felt like we were shooting the ball great,'' Becker said. "Shoot, I think Maddie went 5 for 5 (on 3s) and we were passing it around well, so you can't ask for much more than that. It was a great team win and I just love that we got to play another inter-city school. It's always a fun rivalry and a game to look forward to.''
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman boys swim team placed third in the top-heavy United Kansas Conference boys championship meet at Capitol Federal Natatorium Tuesday.
Lansing placed first in all three relays and took first in four of the nine individual events on the night to rack up 264 points. Basehor-Linwood came in second with 227. De Soto finished in fifth but took home three of the individual medals.
Shawnee Heights senior Truman Brede was the lone city gold medalist in Tuesday's UKC swimming championships. [File photo/TSN]
That left just one first-place medal in the Capital City. Shawnee Heights senior Truman Brede took home the gold in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 56.59.
"I’m a little disappointed on the time,” Brede said. “I took first in the city meet with a (55.83), so I kind of added a little bit. I knew the kid from Lansing is tough competition. He beat me in this meet last year, so I was really focused on beating him this year.”
Brede finished 10th in Class 5A state in the backstroke as a sophomore, then moved up to ninth as a junior. He said he is ranked fourth in the state currently. He said the UKC meet is good preparation for the state meet.
“It’s really about facing the teams that I know are going to be up there, Lansing being a big one. They have a lot of top swimmers coming to state,” Brede said. “The only thing we don’t get with the league meet is the Wichita schools. Wichita schools are also a lot of top placers.”
Peyton Holmes helped lead Seaman to a city-best third-place team finish in Tuesday's UKC swimming championships. [File photo/TSN]
City champ in the 50 yard freestyle, Peyton Holmes, shaved .31 seconds off his time from the city meet to finish second at the UKC meet.
“I still think I can go faster,” said Holmes. “This is a really tough meet. I’m happy with second for now.
“Getting third (in the UKC) is cool. We got third at city and there was less competition there. So third here is a lot better than what we did at city. We kind of redeemed it a little bit.”
“Lansing and Basehor-Linwood are great programs, so we feel good about taking third,” Seaman coach Bernie Tuck said. “We’ve had some challenges this season, so making it to this point is exciting. The guys can be self-reflective on their performance. That’s always good to give you an eye-opener going into the state meet.”
In a poll of league coaches, Tuck was voted UKC co-ocach of the Year.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for the work,” Tuck said. “I know I’m not the only coach that, you know, works seven days a week, so it’s good to be in a great community of the coaches who I admire and look up to.”
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SWIMMING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After falling behind by double digits in the opening quarter against No. 7-ranked De Soto, Shawnee Heights girls put together several runs against the Wildcats in Friday's United Kansas Conference matchup.
Junior Reianna Vega scored 20 points in Friday's 59-49 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore KK Emmot scored 14 points, going 8 of 10 at the free throw line, in Friday's 59-49 Shawnee Heights loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the T-Birds were unable to ever completely recover from their slow start, dropping a 59-49 decision at Heights.
"We just couldn't get over the hump and it seemed like every time that we would feel like we were grabbing some momentum we would do what we thought we needed to do on defense and the ball would get kicked around or they'd make a good pass out and hit a 3,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said.
"That kind of deflated us a little bit and it was just hard to get going. Credit to them, their girls stepped up and hit (those shots) in somebody else's gym.''
Shawnee Heights (11-6 overall, 8-5 UKC) took a 2-0 lead on a hoop by Reianna Vega, but that would be the T-Birds' only lead of the night as the Wildcats (12-4, 8-4) rode three early 3-pointers to a 19-8 first-quarter advantage and five first-half treys to a 33-22 halftime lead.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kayla Duncan
KAYLA DUNCAN, Seaman
A freshman, Duncan captured the girls individual championship in Friday's second annual Topeka City Bowling Championships, bowling a 623 three-game series to help lead the Vikings to their second straight city team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural. Duncan bowled games of 203, 235 and 185.
Logan Glinka
LOGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka, a senior bowler, won his second straight city boys title on Friday at Gage Bowl with a 734 three-game series while leading Washburn Rural to the team championship by a 3,505-3,398 margin over runnerup Shawnee Heights. A former Class 6A state medalist, Glinka rolled games of 278, 232 and 224 in the city meet.
Ja'Corey Robinson
JACOREY ROBINSON, Highland Park
A 6-foot-6 senior basketball standout, Robinson scored 68 points on the week as undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park posted three wins. Robinson had 17 points in a 54-30 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Washington, 32 points in a 67-50 win over city rival Topeka West and 19 points in an 81-14 conference win over KC-Wyandotte.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tuesday's United Kansas Conference matchup between No. 7-ranked Seaman and No. 8 Shawnee Heights included a little bit of everything -- four players fouling out, four players picking up technical fouls and a spectacular 39-point performance by T-Bird senior Jaret Sanchez.
Junior KaeVon Bonner led the way with 26 points as Seaman outlasted Shawnee Heights 68-66 Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
But in the end, homestanding Seaman came up with just enough big plays down the stretch to escape with a 68-66 win in a game that included 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
"We have tremendous respect for their team and the season that they've had and knew how tough it would be to compete with them,'' said Seaman coach Craig Cox, whose team improved to 12-4 overall and 9-3 in the UKC. "I give our guys credit for doing enough to get it done.''
Viking junior KaeVon Bonner scored 13 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to help offset Sanchez's big night for Shawnee Heights (13-3, 9-3).
"He stepped up when we really needed him to and kind of answered what Sanchez had going on for them because we couldn't stop the kid,'' Cox said.
"It was a very competitive game because we knew they're one of the top teams and getting that big one right there was really big to us,'' Bonner said.
Shawnee Heights led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter and took a 25-23 advantage to the locker room at halftime, leading by 5 late in the half before Bonner nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Heights led by 5 again early in the second half and led 40-36 late in the third period before Bonner hit a pair of free throws on a technical foul to cut Seaman's deficit to 40-39 at the start of the fourth.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team entered Saturday's United Kansas Conference Championships looking for a sixth straight UKC team title.
But even though Basehor-Linwood ended the T-Birds' bid by a 209.5-184 margin, Heights coach Chad Parks praised his team's effort and was already looking forward to upcoming regional and state competition.
"We actually wrestled lights out today,'' Parks said. "We didn't lose very many matches at all. Basehor's just tough, we're tough and it's just going to be a battle.''
Shawnee Heights senior Madison Freeland won the 140-pound United Kansas Conference title Saturday at Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 31-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound United Kansas Conference title for Shawnee Heights Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds earned four individual championships and added four runnerup finishes, a third and a fourth but Basehor-Linwood countered with five individual golds, four seconds, two thirds and a fourth.
"When you get a little bigger tournament sometimes it's a little different than a small tournament,'' Parks said. "We've won almost tournament this year and we just keep doing what we do.''
Shawnee Heights got girls individual titles from senior 125-pounder Reece Taylor, senior 130-pounder Isabel Reyes, senior 140-pounder Madison Freeland and junior 150-pounder Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100), junior Olivia Stevens (145), sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) and junior Shelby Watson (190) all posted runnerup conference finishes.
Taylor improved to 30-3 on the season, posting a 1:46 pin in the championship match, while Reyes improved to 32-1 with a 44-second pin over Seaman junior Makenna Stuke.
Freeland won the 140 title with a 1:54 pin to improve to 26-6 while Graves is now 31-2 after a pin in 2:46.
Seaman senior Taylie Heston won the 120-pound title in Saturday's UKC tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman, which was without injured standout Koti Best, finished fourth as a team with 85 points, led by senior 120-pound champion Taylie Heston, while the Vikings also got second-place finishes from senior Natalie Smith (110), freshman Avery Villines (115) and Stuke (130).
Heston (27-6) capped her title run with a 9-0 major decision.
Topeka West finished eighth in the girls standings with 11 points, led by fourth-place sophomore Monica Stewart (235).
On the boys side, Basehord-Linwood won the UKC championship by a 242-171.5 margin over Lansing while Seaman (145.5) finished third.
Seaman senior Samson Tootle won the 175-pound UKC title Saturday, helping lead the Vikings to a third-place team finish. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Senior Samson Tootle won the 175-pound championship to lead the Vikings, one of four Seaman wrestlers to reach the championship round.
Tootle improved to 28-11 on the season with a 10-1 major decision over Lansing's Xavier Harmon.
The Eagles also got runnerup finishes from sophomore Ross Shipley (144), senior Gabe Brannick (165) and senior Deyton Mentzer (215).
"The kids are figuring it out later in the season and we're starting to peak at the right time,'' Seaman coach Tony Pena said. "I'm real young. I've got a lot of first and second-year wrestlers on my varsity right now and they're learning.
"I'm seeing progress every week, which is great.''
Shawnee Heights finished seventh with 52.5 points, led by third-place sophomore Dallas Owens (132).
Topeka West finished ninth (26), getting a fourth-place showing from junior Cortez McCutcheon (285).
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE WRESTLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls and Washburn Rural's Logan Glinka earned bragging rights in Friday's Topeka Shawnee County Bowling Championships at Gage Bowl for the second straight season, with the Vikings repeating as the girls team champion and Glinka winning his second straight individual boys title.
Seaman's girls bowling team won its second straight city team title on Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural's boys bowling team won the 2025 city team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman freshman Kayla Duncan and sophomore Paige Snyder went one-two in the girls individual race and Glinka's Rural boys team rounded out the city champions.
Seaman's girls won the team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural, including the four Baker format games, as Duncan won the individual championship with a 623 series while 2024 champion Snyder was second with a 607 series.
Washburn Rural, third as a team in 2024, took the boys team title by a 3,505-3,398 margin over Shawnee Heights, including the Baker games.
Glinka led the way for the Junior Blues, riding a first-game 278 to a 734 series and the individual title by a 72-pin margin over teammate Tyler Faurot, who rolled a 662 series.
Glinka's winning total on Friday was five pins better than his winning series of 729 in the 2024 city meet, following up his 278 with 232 and 224 games.
"I had a good look all day,'' Glinka said. "The third game I struggled in the end, but I'm really happy how I bowled. Obviously I wanted to go back to back.''
Glinka was also thrilled that Rural could claim the team crown.
"I was proud of our team,'' he said. "Last year I felt like I did well, but the rest of my team struggled a little bit, but I felt like this year the whole team did great.
"We were really positive, had a lot of energy. I was extremely proud of my team.''
Snyder improved her 2024 winning score of 606 by a pin on Friday, but Duncan stole the show in her first city meet, putting together scores of 203, 235 and 185 to take individual honors and lead the Vikings to the team repeat.
"I think its going pretty well,'' Duncan said about the 2025 season. "We really are good at keeping each other's spirits up, especially if one gets down, and I just think it's just a good team overall.
"We're very happy overall.''
City girls bowling medalists, right to left: Kayla Duncan, Seaman; Paige Snyder, Seaman; Addison VanMetre, Shawnee Heights; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Ashley Lee, Hayden. Not pictured: Ashley Billups, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights' Addison VanMetre finished third individually with a 570 series, followed by Seaman's Claire LaDuke (569), Rural's Ashley Billups (562) and Hayden's Ashley Lee (554) to round out the top six girls finishers.
City boys bowling medalists, right to left: Logan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Tyler Faurot, Washburn Rural; Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights; Donovan Davis, Shawnee Heights; Jackson Keller, Washburn Rural; Dylan Hunt, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Boys runnerup Shawnee Heights got third and fourth-place finishes from Henry Schattilly (658) and Donovan Davis (657) while Washburn Rural's Jackson Keller finished fifth (650) and Seaman's Dylan Hunt finished sixth (649).
TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights sophomore girls basketball standout KK Emmot and Washburn Rural sophomore swimming standout Andres Morao-Jaspe have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Emmot and Morao-Jaspe over the past week:
Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after leading the T-Birds to the championship in the Capital City Classic. [File photo/TSN]
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a sophomore, scored a career-high 36 points last Saturday as Shawnee Heights rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to take a 59-54 win over No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural in the championship game of the Capital City Classic at Topeka West.
Emmot scored 75 points in the T-Birds' three games on the week, scoring 14 in a 54-47 OT win over Blue Valley and 25 points in a 65-32 win over Topeka West.
Washburn Rural sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after leading the Junior Blues to their sixth straight city swimming championship. [File photo/TSN]
ANDRES MORAO-JASPE, Washburn Rural
A sophomore, Morao-Jaspe won four gold medals in last Thursday's swimming/diving championhips at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as the Junior Blues won their sixth straight city team championship with a 532-418.5 victory over Topeka High.
Morao-Jaspe won the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.6) and the 500 free (5:14.46) and swam on Rural's winning 200 medley (1:48.20) and 400 free (3:39.00) relays.
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Lions boys basketball team never looked back after a 24-point first quarter on its way to a 69-50 victory over the Maranatha Christian Eagles on Tuesday night at Cair Paravel Latin School.
Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 19 points in the Lions' 69-50 win over Maranatha Academy Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The contest started as a scoring duel between Maranatha’s Daniel Dean and Cair Paravel’s Lucas Marichal, with Dean tallying the 3-11 Eagles’ first five points as the visitors took an early 5-2 lead.
Marichal answered with his first of four 3-pointers of the night, and following a free throw from Dean, the Cair Paravel junior made consecutive baskets to give the Lions (6-8) a 9-6 lead they would not relinquish.
The 3-point barrage continued for the Lions, with triples from Chase Hastert and Judah Congdon before Marichal knocked down another shot from behind the arc to give Cair Paravel a 24-17 advantage after the first quarter.
The Lions showed off their defensive prowess in the second quarter, allowing only six points off three Maranatha field goals.
Hastert and Caleb Cleverdon hit 3-pointers in the frame for Cair Paravel, while Jase Pavlik recorded his first five points of the evening in the quarter as the Lions took a 38-23 lead into halftime.
After the break Pavlik and Cleverdon found baskets in the first minute of the third quarter, extending the lead to 19 and forcing a quick timeout from the Eagles.
The Lions pushed the lead as high as 21, but a pair of baskets from Dean and a 3-pointer from Joe Allen brought the deficit back to 13 as Cair Paravel held a 46-33 lead midway through the third quarter.
Any sign of a comeback was quickly put to rest, as Marichal knocked down another 3-pointer and Blaine Durbin added a pair of baskets, with the Lions leading 55-38 after three quarters.
Cair Paravel finished the game with a balanced offensive attack, with five points from Marichal and four from Pavlik in the fourth quarter.
Senior Billy Lanich added a layup in the closing seconds to seal the 19-point victory for the Lions. Marichal led all scorers with 19 points for Cair Paravel.
Pavlik recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Hastert added 10 points off the bench.
The Lions shot just over 48 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Eagles, 34-18.
Dean led Maranatha with 18 points on 7-10 shooting while also pulling down six rebounds. Pennbrook Shaver tallied 14 points, while center Luke Shrader scored nine points with six rebounds.
Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer was impressed with all aspects of his team’s performance in the win.
“I think defense always leads to offense,'' Kueffer said. "We were really focused defensively on (Maranatha’s Owen Smail and Luke Shrader), both of those guys can get 25 a night,” Kueffer said. “We really just focused on making them uncomfortable, picking them up at halfcourt, and then offensively, you don’t have anything to think about.”
Despite a significant size disadvantage, Cair Paravel grabbed 16 more rebounds than Maranatha, and the effort did not go unnoticed by Kueffer.
“We’re giving up a lot of size, and they play their hearts out,” Kueffer said of his squad. “Everybody has to do their part to defend and rebound. If you’re on the floor, you’re rebounding. If you’re on the floor, you’re defending, no excuses. So I was glad to see that out of everybody today.”
Cair Paravel will be back in action on Thursday against Eskridge-Mission Valley. The Lions will look to avenge a 50-48 loss on Jan. 21.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a senior guard, was named the Most Valuable Player in last week's Glacier's Edge Tournament at Emporia after helping lead the undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Vikings to the tournament championship. The Drake signee scored 47 points in Seaman's three victories, including 21 points with 4 3-pointers in Saturday's 63-50 win over No. 2 ranked (6A) Derby in the title game.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior, Cowdin captured his fourth straight city one-meter diving championship last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatiorium while helping the Trojans swimming/diving team post a second place team finish. Cowdin won the the city diving title with a six-dive score of 253.15 and also finished fifth in the 50-yard free and swam on High's second-place 200-yard free relay and third-place 200 medley relay.
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a sophomore, scored a career-high 36 points on Saturday as Shawnee Heights rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to take a 59-54 win over No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural in the championship game of the Capital City Classic at Topeka West. Emmot 75 points in the T-Birds' three games on the week, scoring 14 in a 54-47 OT win over Blue Valley and 25 points in a 65-32 win over Topeka West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' hopes looked bleak late in the first half of Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game against Washburn Rural.
Shawnee Heights poses for a team picture Saturday after winning the championship in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights celebrates its 59-54 win over Washburn Rural Saturday at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The T-Birds trailed the Junior Blues by a whopping 16 points while their top three scorers were all in serious foul trouble.
But the situation wasn't anything a career performance from sophomore star KK Emmot as well as timely key plays from several other T-Birds couldn't rectify, with Shawnee Heights rallying for a 59-54 win at Topeka West.
"For our girls to have the resolve to come through adversity like they did, I'm just so proud of them,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "Because it would have been real easy, like coach (Duncan) Whitlock said, to fold like a lawnchair, but they didn't. They kept fighting and they kept staying with it and they stayed together as a group when it would have been real easy to splinter off there.''
"We just really needed to step up and just stop fouling,'' Emmot said about the Heights turnaround. "We just had to change defenses. We changed to a different defense and we just kept going to that and that helped the game.''
Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot (left), who scored 36 points, battles for a loose ball Saturday against Washburn Rural's Tenly Bunck (22) and Maddie Vickery. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emmot poured in a career-high 36 points, including 19 in the third quarter, as the 9-4 T-Birds turned the tables on the No. 5-ranked Class 6A Junior Blues.
"We just never stop competing,''Emmot said. "No matter how far down we are we just compete, compete, compete and competing wins the game.''
Shawnee Heights, which trailed 33-19 at the half, hit the Junior Blues (7-4) with a 24-11 lick in the third quarter, pulling within a point (44-43) at the start of the fourth quarter.
Rural continued to hold the lead through the bulk of the final stanza until T-Bird junior Reianna Vega scored with 45 seconds remaining to give Heights its first lead since the first quarter at 55-54.
Washburn Rural turnovers led to two Emmot free throws and two Vega charities to close out the win.
Vega backed Emmot with 12 points while senior Kaydence Torrez and Vega combined for 15 rebounds.
Washburn Rural sophomore Maddie Vickery scored 27 points in Saturday's 59-54 loss to Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 27 points while sophomore Gracie Hayes added 9 points off the bench on three 3-pointers.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 59, WASHBURN RURAL 54
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights entered Friday's Capital City Classic semifinal against Topeka West having already taken 17 and 28-point wins over the Chargers this season.
Sophomore KK Emmot scored a game-high 25 points as Shawnee Heights advanced to the Capital City Classic title game with a 65-32 semifinal win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But T-Bird coach Bob Wells wanted to make sure his team took nothing for granted against West, which was coming off a big overtime win over Highland Park in the opening round.
"That's what I told them, that this needed to be all business,'' Wells said. "There couldn't be any messing around, we had to be focused and we had to have good energy and we needed to get right after it from the beginning and do a good job of taking care of the ball, no unforced errors and things like that and just work on improving.''
Heights then went out and heeded Wells' message, rolling to Saturday's 11:30 a.m. championship game with a 65-32 win.
The 8-4 T-Birds put the 2-9 Chargers away with a 19-4 start and were in control by 20 points (37-17) at the halftime break.
Heights then hit West with a 24-7 lick in the third quarter, forcing a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.
Senior Haley Bowers scored 13 points in Shawnee Heights' 65-32 semifinal win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Kaydence Torrez (20) had 10 points and 11 rebounds in Shawnee Heights' 65-32 win over Topeka West on Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN[]
Sophomore standout KK Emmot powered the T-Birds with a game-high 25 points while senior Haley Bowers added 13 points and Kaydence Torrez and Reianna Vega 10 apiece. Torrez also grabbed 11 rebounds.
Junior Imani McGlory led Topeka West with 12 points.
With the win the T-Birds earned a shot at city rival Washburn Rural in Saturday's title game, with the Junior Blues advancing with a 75-48 semifinal win over Lawrence.
Topeka West will take on Lawrence in the 10 a.m. third-place game.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 65, TOPEKA WEST 32
Shawnee Heights 19 18 24 4 -- 65
Topeka West 4 13 7 8 -- 32
Shawnee Heights (8-4) – Emmot 7-11 8-10 25, T. Brees 0-2 0-0 0, Bowers 5-12 1-2 13, Torrez 5-7 0-1 10, Vega 4-9 1-1 10, Hanshaw 1-7 0-0 3, Akins 0-0 0-0 0, L. Brees 0-3 0-0 0, Scherer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 12-16 65.
Topeka West (2-9) – I. McGlory 4-12 2-2 12, VanDyke 2-7 0-4 4, Keeling 0-1 0-0 0, Hall 2-9 2-4 6, Gonzales 1-9 1-2 3, A. McGlory 2-6 0-0 5, Allen 0-3 0-0 0, Kutina 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 12-48 5-12 32.
3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 7 (Emmot 3, Bowers 2, Hanshaw, Vega), Topeka West 3 (I. McGlory 2, A. McGlory). Total fouls – Shawnee Heights 7, Topeka West 15. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 33 points in Washburn Rural's 75-48 semifinal win over Lawrence Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Vickery has 33-point night as Rural romps to 75-48 win
Lawrence got No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural's attention when it took a 30-27 lead with three minutes left in the first half of Friday's second Capital City Classic semifinal.
But the Junior Blues responded wih a 48-point scoring onslaught the rest of the night, rolling to a championship game berth with a 75-48 win over the Lions.
Lawrence rode a barrage of early 3-pointers to its 3-point lead, but Washburn Rural (7-3) ended the first half with a 10-0 run to open up a 37-30 advantage and never looked back.
"I thought we were a lot more focused on both ends of the floor and we were just patient and had good spacing with our offense to kind of make that little break at the break,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "And then I thought the start of the third quarter we had an intention about getting the ball inside a little bit more and then Madison Lemke stepped up and took two charges and I think it took them out of their rhythm a little bit.''
Rural tacked on six more unanswered points to take a 43-30 lead 49 seconds into the second half, took a 58-42 lead at the end of the quarter and went on to lead by as many as 29 points late in the contest.
Maddie Vickery, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, led all scorers with 33 points, going 15 of 19 at the free throw line as Rural took advantage of a decided height advantage.
"We were really trying to get paint touches,'' Vickery said. "That's one of the big things we strive for as a team because even in practice when we get a paint touch everything good happens.''
Vickery was the only player in double figures for the Junior Blues, but Rural had nine players crack the scoring column, including seven with five or more points.
Senior Brynnae Johnson led Lawrence (6-5) with 13 points.
Washburn Rural will face city rival Shawnee Heights in Saturday's 11:30 a.m. championship game.
WASHBURN RURAL 75, LAWRENCE 48
Washburn Rural 20 17 21 17 -- 75
Lawrence 18 12 12 6 -- 48
Washburn Rural (7-3) – Hinck 4-8 0-0 8, Rutherford 2-5 0-0 6, Vickery 8-19 15-19 33, Lemke 3-7 2-3 8, Bunck 2-5 1-2 5, Hirschi 0-3 0-0 0, Moore 1-1 2-2 5, Hayes 2-3 0-0 6, Walker 0-1 0-0 0, Simpson 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 1-3 0-0 2, Petersen 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 24-57 20-28 75.
Lawrence (6-5) – Glover 0-2 0-0 0, Baars 3-6 0-0 9, Barnes 2-2 0-0 5, Johnson 4-12 4-5 13, Ramos 2-3 0-0 6, Barber 4-9 0-0 9, Juelsgaard 2-9 1-3 6, Urish 0-0 0-0 0, Koehn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-43 5-8 48.
3-point goals – Washburn Rural 7 (Vickery 2, Hayes 2, Rutherford 2, Moore), Lawrence 9 (Baars 3, Ramos 2, Barnes, Johnson, Juelsgaard). Total fouls – Washburn Rural 13, Lawrence 22. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
After Shawnee Heights rolled out a 29-point victory over Topeka West in late December, few would have expected it to happen again, least of all T-Birds coach Ken Darting.
Senior Jaret Sanchez scored 26 points Friday night as Shawnee Heights rolled to a 66-48 home UKC win over Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
But after holding the Chargers to just five points in the second period, another blowout was on. The T-Birds built a 32-point lead in the third period and held on to win 66-48 Friday at Shawnee Heights.
“I told our team…that they could beat us by 29 tonight,” Darting said of the Chargers. “Not because we’re not playing good. That’s how scary they are.”
The T-Birds combined lock-down defense and better than 50 percent shooting to build the big lead. With the clock running in the fourth period, they allowed the Chargers to cut the final point spread to 18 points. The final score was misleading.
Senior Jaret Sanchez put the T-Birds on his back in the second period, scoring 12 of the team’s 16 points. Sanchez single-handedly outscored the Chargers 21-19 in the first half. He finished with 26.
“He’s a unique player, and a unique kid, period,” Darting said of the 6-foot-6 Sanchez. “When Jaret doesn’t play selfish, but lets the game come to him, he’s a top-five player in the state. What he does so well is – I call it ‘hunting.’ Every second, he’s looking for who’s not covering what area. Jaret plays to the defender and to the open spot on the floor. He can score getting grabbed in (the paint) or he can score from 25 feet.”
Sanchez credited Darting’s scouting report and strategy for the win over Topeka West, the sixth-ranked team in Class 5A according to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
“The last two days, we had lengthy practices, going through everything, scouting against them,” Sanchez said. “We knew what we needed to do, and we played beautiful rotation defense, helping each other, knowing that we’ve got somebody there going to get our back. That was the best defense we’ve played all season.”
“I don’t look at five opponents a year on film,” Darting said. “I believe that we play a certain way, and we’re going to play that, and if it ain’t good enough, we’re going to get beat. But I saw probably four games of West on TV, so we had a Plan A, B and C in place. We knew that they were coming in with a (desire) to beat us by 30. So, we truly prepared for that.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's girls basketball team has suffered its lumps while facing a United Kansas Conference schedule that includes three of Class 5A's seven top-ranked schools.
Topeka West celebrates Thursday's 52-45 overtime win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the Chargers put their lessons learned to good use Thursday night, picking up their second win of the season while handing USD 501 rival Highland Park only its second loss in a 52-45 overtime decision in the opening round of the Capital City Classic on West's home court.
"At the beginning of the season it's hard to keep those girls focused, but it's like, 'Hey, we're playing the top teams in the state,' '' West coach Angie Ketterman said. "But this helps a lot. It's good to see them happy and it was a good, hard fought win.''
West, now 2-8, and Highland Park, 7-2, locked up in a nail-biter from start to finish, with the Chargers' final margin the biggest lead by either team on the night.
With the victory Topeka West advanced to a 6:30 p.m. Friday semifinal to face Shawnee Heights, a 54-47 overtime winner over Blue Valley. Washburn Rural, a 76-25 winner over Free State, will take on Lawrence in the 8 o'clock semifinal, with the Lions advancing with a 54-36 win over Shawnee Mission West.
Topeka West junior Addaline Hall sent Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Topeka West junior Addaline Hall reacts after sending Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Topeka West forced the extra session when junior Addaline Hall came out of a scrum to convert a breakaway layup with two seconds left to tie the game at 39.
"I just saw a loose ball, hustled to get it and made the layup and that's about it,'' Hall said. "I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the clock and I was like, 'Four seconds, I've got to make this.' ''
Highland Park led for much of the overtime, including a 45-42 advantage after two Pearmella Carter free throws with 1:51 remaining, before West scored the final 8 points of the game, all by junior Imani McGlory.
McGlory went an amazing 17 of 18 from the free throw line on the way to a game-high 28 points while the Chargers also took advantage of a 10 of 32 showing at the line from Highland Park.
"We practice a lot on our free throws,'' McGlory said. "I feel like as the season goes on we get better and are more like a team together. We got our second win of the season and it feels good.
"I feel like we really stayed composed this game and really played as a team and didn't give up.''
Hall added 11 points for West.
Carter, a sophomore, paced Highland Park with 21 points while senior Tahtionna Broils added 11 points and senior De'Asia Sanders 9 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
TOPEKA WEST 52, HIGHLAND PARK 45 (OT)
Highland Park 5 12 11 11 6 -- 45
Topeka West 9 6 14 10 13 -- 52
Highland Park (7-2) – Kincade 0-5 0-0 0, Broils 4-14 4-7 12. Harts 1-8 0-6, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 7-20 8-13 22, Paredes 0-0 0-0 0, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Sanders 3-11 1-6 9. Totals 15-54 13-32 45.
Topeka West (2-8) – I. McGlory 5-19 17-18 28, VanDyke 0-2 0-0 0, Keeling 0-3 0-4 0, Gonzales 2-8 0-0 4, A. McGlory 2-5 0-0 4, Allen 1-2 2-2 5, Hall 4-11 2-4 11, Kutina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-40 21-28 52.
3-point goals – Highland Park 2 (Sanders 2), Topeka West 3 (Allen, I. McGlory, Hall). Total fouls – Highland Park 25, Topeka West 20. Fouled out – Allen, VanDyke, Gonzales, Jones. Technical fouls – none.
Junior Reianna Vega led Shawnee Heights with 19 points in Thursday's 52-45 OT win over Blue Valley. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
T-Birds advance to semis with 54-47 OT win
Shawnee Heights was forced to play the entire overtime without leading scorer KK Emmot after the sophomore standout fouled out with 6.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
But Emmot's teammates quickly picked up the slack, with the T-Birds holding a 9-2 advantage over Blue Valley in the four-minute extra session to take a 54-47 first-round win and move on to Friday's 6:30 p.m. Capital City Classic semifinals to face Topeka West.
"It was something that we've been trying to get through in practice and make sure that there's times when we get (KK) out and play for an extended period of time just in case something silly happens,'' Heights coach Bob Wells said. "And I thought the girls responded well.''
Heights senior Kaydence Torrez opened the overtime with a hoop to put the 7-4 T-Birds ahead to stay and junior Reianna Vega hit two free throws to put Heights up 49-45 with 2:28 left in the OT.
After Blue Valley (3-8) scored its only basket of the OT, the T-Birds scored the final 5 points, including the final four from senior Haley Bowers.
Vega led the T-Birds with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds while Emmot finished with 14 points and Torrez had 9 points and 14 rebounds.
"I felt very proud of us,'' Vega said. "I think on the court we show that we're a very capable team.''
Freshman Devin Splittorff tied Vega for game-high scoring honors with 19 points.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 54, BLUE VALLEY 47 (OT)
Blue Valley 11 14 7 13 2 -- 47
Shawnee Heights 13 14 8 10 9 -- 54
Blue Valley (3-8) – Goldstein 2-7 0-0 5, Forgy 0-1 0-0 0, Splittorff 6-16 4-4 19, Ashley Bergeson 1-1 0-0 3, Barnes 4-6 2-4 10, Wombolt 1-12 3-6 6, Lund 1-5 0-0 2, Suhr 1-2 0-0 2, Tenpenny 0-3 0-0 0, Faulkner 0-0 0-0 0, Avery Bergeson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 9-14 47.
Shawnee Heights (7-4) – Emmot 4-14 5-6 14, Brees 0-3 0-2 0, Euwer 1-7 0-0 2, Torrez 2-10 5-8 9, Vega 6-13 7-8 19, Hanshaw 0-1 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 3-4 3, Bowers 2-8 2-2 7. Totals 15-57 22-30 54.
3-point goals – Blue Valley 6 (Splittorff 3, Wombolt, Goldstein, Ashley Bergeson), Shawneee Heights 2 (Emmot, Bowers). Total fouls – Blue Valley 27, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out – Emmot, Ashley Bergeson, Barnes. Technical fouls – none.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 21 points in Washburn Rural's 76-25 win over Free State Thursday night in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural rolls to 51-point first-round win over Firebirds
On paper, No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural looked to be a heavy favorite over Free State in final first-round game of the Capital City Classic.
And the Junior Blues lived up to that billing and then some, rolling to a 76-25 win over the Firebirds.
