What we learned from the first day of the KSHSAA boys, girls basketball state tournaments
Four Topeka-area teams competed in the opening round of the KSHSAA state tournament on Wednesday. Three other Shawnee County teams will play in Thursday’s opening round, too.
On Wednesday, the Highland Park boys and Washburn Rural girls came away with victories in the first round to advance to Friday’s semifinal while the Hayden and Shawnee Heights boys saw their seasons come to an end.
Here's what we learned from Day 1 of the Kansas high school basketball state tournament.
Highland Park boys exact revenge
Last year, Andover defeated Highland Park in the state semifinal. The Trojans would go on to win the state championship. The Scots got their revenge in Wednesday’s first-round game of the Class 5A Tournament as No. 2 Highland Park (23-1) never trailed on its way to a 57-32 win.
Its' offense was efficient and selfless as it shot 55.6% from the field. Ja’Corey Robinson led all scorers with 22 points on 10-for-11 shooting, including a dunk in the first quarter followed by a second-half two-handed slam in transition. Of Highland Park’s 20 made baskets, it assisted on 11 as consistent ball movement thwarted Andover all game.
Highland Park advances to Friday’s semifinal game against No. 3 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (20-3). The two teams will tip off at 2 p.m. inside Emporia’s White Auditorium.
Washburn Rural girls replicate victory
The Junior Blues came from behind to complete the 50-43 win over Wichita Heights in the first round of the Class 6A State Tournament. No. 7 Washburn Rural (16-7) defeated Wichita Heights by the exact scoreline during the semifinal game of the Capital City Classic in January.
On Wednesday, Wichita Heights opened the game with a 10-0 lead. Following a timeout, Washburn Rural started its comeback by avoiding turnovers and playing better defense. Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 24 points on 6-for-12 shooting. No other player reached double figures for the team.
Vickery also grabbed nine rebounds and had two blocked shots. When buckets were most needed, Washburn Rural shot 55.6% from the field in the fourth quarter as Wichita Heights went just 23.1%.
Washburn Rural advances to the semifinal against No. 3 Derby (20-3) at 6 p.m. Friday inside Wichita State’s Koch Arena.
KSHSAA state basketball: Scores, schedule, live updates from state tournament
Shawnee Heights boys suffer heartbreaking loss
No. 5 Shawnee Heights’ season came to a cruel end in the opening round of the Class 5A State Tournament on Wednesday despite leading by 14 points with four minutes remaining against No. 4 Piper.
A big rally from the Pirates, including a game-winning layup off a missed Piper free-throw in the final seconds, gave Piper a 72-71 victory. Shawnee Heights’ last-second heave was off the mark. The team crumbled to the floor in despair.
This was the third time these teams met after they split during the regular season. And ultimately, the three games were decided by 13 total points
Shawnee Heights led by as much as 13 points on two different occasions on Wednesday. Jaret Sanchez led the Thunderbirds with 19 points, including a clutch block in the final 45 seconds to keep the lead intact.
The downfall was the Thunderbirds' 22 turnovers. They shot 49.1% from the field, but the turnovers helped Piper go on a run in the last four minutes to secure the come-from-behind win.
Shawnee Heights’ season ends at 19-4 overall and their state tournament appearance since they hoisted the championship in 2017.
Hayden boys' Cinderella run concludes
Hayden’s magical run came to an end in the first round of the Class 3A State Tournament on Wednesday as the No. 8 Wildcats lost 56-42 to No. 1 Beloit. The loss comes on the heels of the Wildcats’ incredible sub-state title.
The Wildcats (8-16) took a brief lead Wednesday thanks to Cooper Colboch making back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter. Hayden held a 10-9 advantage, but Beloit countered with an 18-0 run to open the game up. Still, the Wildcats did not go down without a fight. They outscored Beloit 21-11 in the fourth quarter, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Colboch led lead the team in scoring with 15 points, which all came from behind the 3-point line.
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: Topeka-area teams advance to Friday's state basketball semifinals
