By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Seaman rode hot shooting to runs in the second and third quarters at Topeka High en route to a 69-59 road win over the Trojans Wednesday.
Sophomore Landon Wiltz scored 19 points with five 3-pointers in Seaman's 69-59 win at Topeka High on Wednesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Leading 13-11 after the first period, Seaman started the second quarter with a 12-0 run to extend its lead to 25-11 in less than three minutes.
The Trojans’ hope for a comeback in the third period was squelched when Seaman dropped six of its first seven shots out of the break – five of those from behind the arc by senior Holden Finley and sophomore Landon Wiltz. The Vikings stretched the lead to 59-37 to close the third period.
“Something we talked about at halftime was that we had a nice lead, and your natural instinct could be to let up,” Seaman coach Craig Cox said. “Fortunately, we didn’t, and we hit some shots there. (Topeka High) had a couple of opportunities, but we were able to knock down some shots to put ourselves in a good position.”
It was the Vikings’ ability to hit shots that Cox said made the difference Wednesday.
“We’ve kind of struggled scoring since Bryer Finley’s (back) injury,” Cox said of the absent 6-foot-4 junior. “Now we’re starting to get comfortable. Having guys step up and hit shots has got to be a key for us. With the personnel that we have, if we shoot it, we feel like we can compete.”
A desperate fourth-quarter rally by Topeka High narrowed the Seaman lead and energized the crowd in The Dungeon. The Trojans outscored the visitors 22-10 to cut the final margin to 69-59.
The Trojans were led by Da’Mykel Hales with 14 and Jalen Freeman with 13.
Wiltz led the Vikings with a career-high 19 points, hitting seven of 13 shots, including five 3-pointers.
“It felt good,” Wiltz said. “You just gotta make open shots. I love how our team moved the ball tonight and looked for the open guy all around. We cut really good. When you’re cutting, driving, open 3s, that’s what happens.”
Wiltz was one of four sophomores to make a significant contribution Wednesday, making the Vikings’ rotation a young one.
“I love the sophomore class. We all work really well together,” Wiltz said. “We’re just getting used to varsity, so it will just get better from here.''
Senior Holden Finley (3) scored 18 points in Seaman's 69-59 non-league win at Topeka High Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Braden Chapman (22) came off the bench to score 10 points in Seaman's 69-59 win at Topeka High Wednesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Joining Wiltz in double-digit scoring for Seaman was Holden Finley with 18 and Braden Chapman, who contributed 10 off the Viking bench.
Seaman improved to 5-6 on the season. Wiltz said he can see the team trending in a good direction.
“We felt really good about this game tonight,” he said. “When we were out there on the floor, we just felt like things were going good. It will get better as the year goes on as some (of the guys) are still getting some jitters. But if just play our game, we’ll be fine.”
SEAMAN BOYS 69, TOPEKA HIGH 59
Seaman 13 26 20 10 -- 69
Topeka High 11 13 13 22 -- 59
Seaman (5-6) – Finley 6-11 2-2 18, Wiltz 7-13 0-0 19, Phillips 1-5 0-0 2, Bonner 2-6 0-0 4, Unruh 3-5 0-0 6, Chapman 4-7 2-3 10, Zuniga 2-3 0-0 4, McConnaughey 1-2 2-4 4, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 2-4 2, Toyne 0-1 0-2 0, Cochran 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-53, 8-15 69.
Topeka High (5-8) – Lyons 1-8 2-2 5, Freeman 6-13 0-0 13, Hales 5-11 0-1 15, Villeagas 2-5 0-0 5, Norman 1-5 1-2 3, Brown 1-3 1-2 4, Simms 2-5 2-2 6, Groves 4-5 1-2 9. Totals: 22-54 7-11 59.
3-point goals – Seaman 9 (Wiltz 5, Finley 4), Topeka High 8 (Hales 4, Lyons 1, Freeman 1, Villeagas 1, Brown 1). Total fouls – Seaman 11 Topeka High 13. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
