Welcome to Top Sports News

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

There were a lot of tense moments in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship tilt between Topeka High and Wichita Heights, with the Trojans having to fight back after letting a 17-point lead get away while the game included 10 lead changes and was a one-point contest with less than three minutes left.

Topeka High junior standout Kiki Smith said she cherished every minute of it, especially after the No. 4-ranked Trojans escaped with a 65-57 win over the Falcons at Topeka High.

"I love games like that,'' Smith said. "Games like that are so fun -- the intensity, the crowd, everything about is just so fun.''

Topeka High celebrates at the end of Saturday's 65-57 win over Wichita Heights in the championship game of the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Trojans, who improved to a perfect 12-0 on the season, looked like they might run away with the win after doubling up the 9-3 Falcons 14-7 in the first quarter and going in front 24-7 with 4:35 left in the first half.

Topeka High was still up 31-22 at the half, but the Falcons opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take a 33-31 lead midway through the third quarter/

Trojan senior standout Tae Thomas scored High's first points of the third quarter on a 3-pointer at the 3:34 mark, the first of five straight lead changes before the Trojans took a slim 40-39 advantage into the fourth quarter.

A 5-0 mini-run -- two points by Smith and three by Thomas -- gave the Trojans 45-39 advantage with 5:20 remaining and High held on the rest of the way.

"This group never quits, they never stop and they always persevere,'' Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander said. "Their team chemistry is thick and they mess up, but do something phenomenal to get it right back.

"I love their no-quit mentality and just their tougness. You can't coach that.''

Wichita Heights got within a point (51-50) with 3:29 left, but Topeka High used an 11-1 run to put the Falcons away.

"We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy,'' Smith said of Heights' second-half rally. "They were down at half and we knew exactly what they were going to do.

"We came out slow but I'm really happy with the way we responded after seeing the way they came out and how we responded to that.''

Topeka High's Kiki Smith (23) and DayShauna Wiley go to the floor to battle Wichita Heights' Zyanna Walker for a loose ball in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Topeka High senior Tae Thomas (15) battles Wichita Heights' Mya Mayberry for the ball in Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Smith led Topeka High with 20 points, including a seven of eight performance at the free throw line, while also grabbing nine rebounds and coming up with multiple steals.

Thomas was right behind with 19 points and junior Adisyn Caryl added 10 points and nine rebounds and came up big down the stretch.

Louisville signee Zyanna Walker scored a game-high 23 points to lead Wichita Heights while senior Cayanna Stanley added 12 points.

Smith and Thomas earned all-tournament honors for Topeka High while Walker and Stanley represented Wichita Heights on the all-tournament team.

SEAMAN GIRLS 61, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 32 -- Having dropped a 22-point semifinal decision to Wichita Heights Friday night, Seaman coach Matt Tinsley was eager to see how his Vikings would bounce back in Saturday's Capital City Classic third-place game against Shawnee Mission East.

Tinsley couldn't have been any happier with his team's response, with the Vikings posting a wire-to-wire 61-32 win and forcing a running clock in the fourth quarter.

"The last three minutes of last night's game, we were down 20, and I said that we needed to set the momentum for (this) game,'' Tinsley said. "Our quote before today's game was, 'You're going to get knocked down. Are you going to have the courage to get back up again?'

"I thought the girls did that today. I'm really proud of my team for stepping up to the challenge.''

Seaman, which improved to 8-4, roared out to a 19-4 first-quarter advantage and took a huge 34-11 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The Vikings continued to roll in the second half, outscoring the Lancers 23-9 in the third quarter to push their lead to 57-20 and force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer was named to the Capital City Classic all-tournament team after helping lead Seaman to a third-place finish. [File photo/TSN] 

Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Vikings with a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and also grabbed seven rebounds.

Junior Jaycee Schumann joined Stallbaumer in double figures with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while freshman Ava Esser had nine points. 

Championship

TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 65, WICHITA HEIGHTS 57

Wichita Heights        7 15  17  18 -- 57

Topeka High             14 17  9   25 -- 65

Wichita Heights (9-3) -- Stanley 4 2-4 12, Mayberry 1 0-0 3, Jackson 1 3-4 6, Bell 1 0-0 2, Zy. Walker 7 7-11 23, Za. Walker 3 2-2 9, Gilbert 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 14-21 57.

Topeka High (12-0) -- Wiley 2 0-0 4, Caryl 4 2-2 10, Thomas 6 6-12 19, Shields 1 0-0 3, Smith 6 7-8 20, Leesman 2 1-2 5, Baird 1 1-2 4, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Fulton 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 17-26 65.

3-point goals -- Wichita Heights 7 (Stanley 2, Zy Walker 2, Mayberry, Jackson, Za Walker), Topeka High 4 (Thomas, Shields, Smith, Baird). Total fouls -- Wichita Heights 23, Topeka High 19. Fouled out -- Stanley, Mayberry.

Third place

SEAMAN 61, SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 32

Seaman                     19   15  23   4 -- 61

SM East                      4     7    9  12 -- 32

Seaman (8-4) -- Schumann 4 0-0 11, T. Stallbaumer 7 0-0 18, Becker 3 0-0 6, Gormley 1 4-4 6, Mills 2 1-2 5, Anderson 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 0-0 0, Wilhelm 0 0-0 0, Esser 4 1-3 9, Stuewe 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 6-9 61.

Shawnee Mission East -- Long 4 1-2 10, Eck 1 0-0 3, Roman 2 4-4 9, Zastrow 0 0-0 0, Birch 1 0-0 2, Fox 0 0-0 0, McGuire 1 0-0 2, Winter 0 2-2 2, Hunt 1 2-2 4, Heide 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 9-10 32.

3-point goals -- Seaman 7 (Stallbaumer 4, Schumann 3), Shawnee Mission East 3 (Long, Eck, Roman). Total fouls -- Seaman 14, Shawnee Mission East 10. Fouled out -- none.