Breaking down Shawnee County high school basketball's first round sub-state action
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TOPEKA — The opening day of playoff high school basketball has concluded on Tuesday, March 3. Eight teams from Shawnee County were able to dispatch their first-round opponents and advance to the sub-state championship game.
Here’s everything that happened in Tuesday’s first round action.
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Topeka High girls defense shines against Maize
No. 6 Topeka High (15-8) girls were able to overcome a slow start and dominate No. 11 Maize (10-14) 69-45.
The Trojans trailed 16-9 at the end of the first quarter. Maize was able to nail 3-pointers and tough shots inside the lane. Topeka High’s jump shots couldn’t fall as the team fell out of rhythm.
“It’s why basketball is such a great game,” Topeka High head coach Ron Slaymaker said. “It just fluctuates. Your mentality is fragile and this is a pretty tough group. We played pretty well in two, three and four (periods).”
Topeka High didn’t panic entering the second quarter. The team’s full-court press worked to perfection. They forced turnover after turnover spearheaded by guard Keimara Marshall. The Trojans went on an 11-0 run to start the quarter, which gave them the lead for the rest of the game.
“If nothing’s going to fall, the least I can do is hustle,” Marshall said. “After the first buzzer hit, I had to pick it up somehow. When we press, we are pressing for everybody. We’ve learned when it’s best to trap and that’s from our chemistry from the past month.”
Topeka High outscored the Eagles 41-24 in the second half. The ball movement was fantastic and interior offense from Sasha Gotru and Hailey Caryl were difference makers. Caryl ended the game with 19 points and 19 rebounds for the double-double.
“The positive thing is that she is so steady,” Slaymaker said. “She gets it done. She’s not flashy, she just does the job.”
The win over Maize helped Topeka High notch its 10th straight victory dating back to Feb. 3.
The Trojans will go on the road and face No. 3 Liberal (18-3) in the sub-state championship game on Friday, March 6.
Liberal has won 12 of its last 13 games. They defeated Wichita North 59-23 in their first round sub-state game, too.
Shawnee Heights boys topple UKC rival
No. 3 Shawnee Heights (16-8) needed a second-half comeback to defeat United Kansas Conference rival No. 13 De Soto (7-15) in the opening round. The Thunderbirds secured the 49-37 victory on their home court.
Shawnee Heights trailed 25-21 at halftime. The team’s defensive pressure made the difference. The Thunderbirds allowed just six points each in the final two quarters of play. Shawnee Heights closed the game on a 13-4 run in the final seven minutes of action.
It was a breakout outing for freshman Quincy Dixon. He scored a game-high 19 points with 15 of his points coming in the second half.
The Thunderbirds will host the Class 5A sub-state championship game on Friday, March 6. Shawnee Heights will take on another UKC opponent in No. 12 Leavenworth (9-15).
The Pioneers earned an epic comeback victory over No. 5 St. James Academy (13-11) in the first round. Leavenworth went on a 12-0 run in the final 2:20 to defeat the host school 61-60.
Shawnee Heights defeated Leavenworth 60-25 on Jan. 9. The Thunderbirds swept the regular season series 64-47 away from home on Jan. 27.
Seaman boys get revenge over Valley Center
Last year, Seaman lost this very exact game to Valley Center. This year, they did not want to replicate losing in an upset. The Hornets challenged the Vikings, especially in the first half. But, No. 4 Seaman (20-4) was able to end the game strong taking down No. 13 Valley Center (10-14) 73-51.
Seaman jumped out to a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Hornets opened the second quarter on a 9-4 run to cut Seaman’s lead to just 1-point. But, the Vikings never broke. They responded with basket after basket as they held on to a 35-33 halftime lead.
In the second half, Seaman dominated with an 11-0 run out of halftime. The Vikings never trailed in the game, even though Valley Center put up a valiant performance.
It was a big night for Griffin Zuniga, who tied for a team-high 19 points. Seaman’s star guard KaeVon Bonner also finished with 19 points.
Seaman will host the Class 5A sub-state championship game on Friday, March 6. The Vikings will take on No. 5 Hays (19-4). The Indians took down Eisenhower 66-51 in the opening round. Hays is riding a five-game win streak. They have also won 13 of their last 14 games.
Rossville girls upset No. 1 seed in Class 2A
Rossville girls kept their season alive by going on the road and knocking off the No. 1 seed in its sub-state bracket.
No. 9 Rossville (13-10) defeated No. 1 Kansas City Christian (19-6) 71-49. The Bulldawgs are playing their best basketball of the season right now. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games.
Against KCC, the Bulldawgs shot the lights out according to head coach Derek Dick. He told the Capital-Journal it was one of his team’s best performances of the season.
Rossville led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. It opened the second period on an 11-2 run, which gave it all of the momentum needed to secure the win.
“In the second and third quarter, I think we may have played our best ball of the year,” Dick said. “I haven’t seen the stats yet, but I bet we shot 75% in those quarters. We moved the ball well and played inside-out and got stops on defense.”
Rylee Dick, a senior, led the team with 23 points. Nora Burdiek added 22 points, while freshman Bristol Miller added 16-points.
Derek Dick said that the emergence of Miller has been key during this winning run. The Bulldawgs needed another scoring option after Burdiek and his daughter, Miller has delivered.
In the win, Rylee Dick went over 1,500 points in her career. She is the second-highest scorer in program history.
Rossville will be playing its sub-state championship game at Mission Valley on Friday, Feb. 6. The Bulldawgs will take on No. 4 Maur Hill-Mount Academy (18-7). The Ravens defeated Horton 43-42.
Shawnee County sub-state basketball first round results
Boys
- Topeka West 55, Pittsburg 32
- Seaman 73, Valley Center 51
- Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37
- Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39
- Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Girls
- Topeka High 69, Maize 45
- Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32
- Hayden 1, Atchison 0 (forfeit)
- Rossville 71, Kansas City Christian 49
Shawnee County sub-state championship schedule
Friday, March 6
Boys
- No. 12 Leavenworth (9-15) at No. 4 Shawnee Heights (16-8), 6 p.m.
- No. 7 Bishop Carroll (16-7) at No. 2 Topeka West (21-3), 6 p.m.
- No. 5 Hays (19-4) at No. 4 Seaman (20-4), 6 p.m.
- No. 3 Perry Lecompton (18-7) vs No. 2 Silver Lake (18-6), 7:30 p.m. at Sabetha
Girls
- No. 6 Topeka High (16-8) at No. 3 Liberal (18-3), 6 p.m.
- No. 7 Washburn Rural (16-8) at No. 2 Derby (21-3), 6 p.m.
- No. 13 Baldwin (11-13) at No. 5 Hayden (18-6), 6 p.m.
- No. 9 Rossville (13-10) at No. 4 Maur Hill-Mount Academy (18-7), 6 p.m. at Mission Valley
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Eight Shawnee County high school basketball teams advance to sub-state championship