By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park boys basketball is very proud of its Runnin' Scots nickname.
But it was the Scots' work on the other end of the court that propelled them back to the Class 5A state tournament with a 53-35 win over Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Highland Park.
Senior Mikey Williams, who scored a game-high 18 points, cuts down the nets after Highland Park's 53-35 sub-state win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson is congratulated by the Scots' coaches as he leaves the floor late in Saturday's 53-35 sub-state win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park, which improved to a perfect 22-0 on the season, allowed no more than nine points over any of the first three quarters against the United Kansas Conference-member Bobcats to build an insurmountable 23-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter before cruising the rest of the way.
"Coming into the game I kind of heard all the, 'Aw, you guys got them and they're hot and there this,' and they were,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "They were playing well to end the year, but I believed in the guys and I believed in the game plan and the prep.
"We spent a lot of time and watching them and seeing their offense and I thought our guys did an amazing job -- 9 points in the first quarter, 4 in the second and then another single-digit quarter (in the third) -- and that was our game goal, we wanted to hold them to single-digit quarters and try to keep the score in the 40s for them and our guys answered the call from a defensive standpoint.''
Scot senior star Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.
"We made sure we had to get the stops first and turn the defense into offense,'' Robinson said. "We just came at them hard and didn't let off of them.''
The Scots, who have finished third in 5A the past two seasons after a first-round loss in 2022, will open their state bid as the top seed at 2 p.m. Thursday against No. 8 Andover Central (14-8).
"I feel real confident,'' Robinson said. "Almost every state game we've played we've always been up like 10 points or more. We've just got to keep pushing and can't let up and can't stall out the time. We've got to keep pushing and go all out.''
Highland Park took control early against the No. 8-seeded Bobcats (12-10) en route to a 14-9 first-quarter advantage and never looked back.
The Scots used a big second quarter to open up a 17-point lead late in the first half before Basehor-Linwood hit three free throws at the end of the half to cut its deficit to 27-13 at the break.
Highland Park continued to stifle the Bobcats on the defensive end in the third quarter, holding a 15-6 advantage while opening up a 42-19 cushion.
Mikey Williams led all scorers with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, while Robinson added 15 points and also dominated the backboards.
Senior Breckin McBride led Basehor-Linwood with 11 points and three 3s while senior Peyton Brown added 10 points before fouling out late in the contest.
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 53, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 35
Basehor-Linwood 9 4 6 16 -- 35
Highland Park 14 13 15 11 -- 53
Basehor-Linwood (12-10) -- Gibbs 1 1-2 3, Hofer 1 3-3 5, McBride 4 0-0 11, Morrison 0 0-0 0, P. Brown 4 1-1 10, E. Brown 1 0-0 3, Orton 0 0-0 0, Young 0 0-0 0, Calvert 1 0-0 3. Totals 12 5-6 35.
Highland Park (22-0) -- Wilson 3 0-1 6, Hales 0 2-2 2, Kelley 3 0-0 6, Williams 7 1-4 18, Robinson 5 4-5 15, Brown 0 0-0 0, Jones 2 0-1 4, Kingcannon 0 2-2 2, Howell 0 0-0 0, Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 9-15 53.
3-point goals – Basehor-Linwood 3 (McBride 3, P. Brown, E. Brown, Calvert), Highland Park 4 (Williams 3, Robinson). Total fouls -- Basehor-Linwood 16, Highland Park 11. Fouled out – P. Brown. Technical fouls – none.
