By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After watching probably her team's most disappointing performance of the season in a 13-point loss at Washburn Rural Tuesday night, Topeka High girls basketball coach Brittney Redmond could have been forgiven for putting her Trojans through some arduous practice sessions in the wake of that setback.
Senior star Kiki Smith scored 28 points, including 14 in the first quarter, as Topeka High rolled to a 60-37 Centennial League win over Hayden Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High senior Kiki Smith (center) congratulates her teammates during Friday's 60-37 Centennial League win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Instead, Redmond went completely the other way, a tactic that paid immediate dividends for her No. 4-ranked (Class 6A) Trojans in Friday's 60-37 home Centennial League romp past No. 10 (4A) Hayden.
"We didn't practice the two days leading up to this, and I won't say I was expecting this, but this is what I had hoped for taking those two days off,'' Redmond said. "We just took days off. We needed them and we had to regroup and get our minds right.
"I know this is the type of team that we can do that and come back stronger.''
Topeka High, which improved to 14-5 overall and 5-4 in the league, never trailed against Hayden and there was just one tie at 3-3 before the Trojans took control early behind a 14-point first-quarter barrage from senior star Kiki Smith, including four 3-pointers over the first seven minutes.
The Trojans built a 21-10 lead at the end of the opening quarter and High led by as many as 20 points late in the first half before taking a commanding 37-20 lead to the locker room.
Topeka High made it a 29-point game (55-26) by the end of the third quarter and forced a running clock when sophomore Jo'Mhara Benning hit a free throw with 7:22 remaing to put the Trojans up by 30.
Smith finished with a game-high 28 points, hitting five 3-pointers and going five of five at the free throw line while also grabbing six rebounds.
Benning came off the bench to score nine points and grab eight rebounds for the Trojans while junior Ladaysha Baird added eight points off the bench.
Topeka High girls coach Brittney Redmond talks with senior Kiki Smith during Friday's 60-37 Trojan win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"It was great, I loved it,'' Redmond said of the Trojans' performance. "I think our energy and our intensity was probably the highest I've seen it all season.''
Sophomore Kaliya Fulton led Hayden (11-7, 3-6) with 10 points while sophomore Brylee Meier added eight points and sophomore Norma Greco seven.
TOPEKA HIGH 60, HAYDEN 37
Hayden 10 10 6 11 -- 37
Topeka High 21 16 18 5 -- 60
Hayden (11-7, 3-6) -- Sandstrom 3-10 0-0 6, Fulton 3-12 4-6 10, Huscher 1-2 0-0 3, Meier 3-9 1-2 8, Greco 2-5 3-6 7, Grunert 0-0 0-0 0, Lenherr 0-1 0-0 0, Reid 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 13-40 9-16 37.
Topeka High (14-5, 5-4) -- Leesman 1-4 0-0 2, Marshall 0-2 2-2 2, Caryl 1-2 2-2 4, Shields 2-5 0-0 5, Smith 9-16 5-5 28, Baird 3-6 0-0 8, Sharpe 1-1 0-0 2, Benning 3-5 3-5 9 Verser 0-0 0-0 0, Huggins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-42 12-14 60.
3-point goals -- Hayden 2 (Huscher, Meier), Topeka High 8 (Smith 5, Baird 2, Shields). Total fouls -- Hayden 14, Topeka High 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- Shields.
