By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's girls basketball team rolled to an 18-point win over Blue Valley Northwest back on Dec. 6 in the Trojans' third game of the season.
But that romp didn't help first-year Topeka High coach Brittney Redmond rest any easier heading into Wednesday's rematch against the Huskies at Topeka High.
Topeka High senior star Kiki Smith scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Trojans improved to 7-1 with a 56-36 win over Blue Valley Northwest. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High girls basketball coach Brittney Redmond talks to her Trojans during Wednesday's 56-36 win over Blue Valley Northwest. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans were up to the challenge, going wire to wire for a 56-36 non-league victory, the seventh straight for sixth-ranked (Class 6A) Topeka High, which finally played its home-opener.
"Coming into this game I told the girls that (Northwest) is probably going to be about 10 times better than when we played them last time,'' Redmond said. "I think they definitely were but we've also gotten better.
"We work hard every day and we work hard for that outcome so when we do play a team twice, that's what we get.''
As usual, senior star Kiki Smith, the reigning Shawnee County and Centennial League player of the year, was a big part of the Topeka High victory, posting a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
"Kiki's our most consistent player,'' Redmond said. "Every game we know what Kiki is going to give us. That's the one area that I don't have to worry about.
"We know Kiki's going to be Kiki. She's going to give us what we need consistently and I don't want to say we rely on Kiki but we know that her numbers, they're always going to be there.''
Smith was the lone player in double figures for the Trojans, but senior Adisyn Caryl added eight points and five rebounds and High had five players score at least five points.
Topeka High jumped out to an early 10-1 advantage on the way to a 15-10 first-quarter lead and the Trojans outscored the Huskies (2-4) by a 22-10 margin in the second quarter to take a commanding 37-20 margin into the locker room at the half.
The pace slowed in the second half but Northwest got not closer than 14 points over the final two quarters.
Lainie Douglas, a 6-foot-4 junior, paced the Huskies with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Topeka High will be back at home Friday night to face an undefeated Emporia team (7-0) that is ranked No. 3 in 5A in a 6 o'clock Centennial League test.
The Spartans opened Centennial League play on Tuesday with a 43-34 league win over Hayden.
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 56, BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST 36
BV Nothwest 10 10 5 11 -- 36
Topeka High 15 22 9 10 -- 56
Blue Valley Northwest (2-4) -- Davis 0-6 0-0 0, Smith 1-5 1-2 4, McFall 0-0 0-0 0, J. Grosdidier 3-6 0-0 6, E. Grosdidier 4-7 1-2 9, Douglas 7-15 0-0 14, Dirks 0-2 0-0 0, Burvee 1-4 0-0 3, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Darensburg 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 16-51 2-4 36.
Topeka HIgh (7-1) -- Leesman 2-5 0-1 5, Baird 2-6 0-0 6, Caryl 3-4 2-4 8, Sharpe 2-2 0-0 4, Smith 8-17 7-8 25, Shields 1-7 0-0 3, Benning 0-2 0-0 0, Marshall 1-3 3-4 5. Totals 19-46 12-17 56.
3-point goals -- Blue Valley Northwest 2 (Smith, Burvee), Topeka High 6 (Smith 2, Baird 2, Leesman, Shields). Total fouls -- Blue Valley Northwest 17, Topeka High 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
