KSHSAA state basketball 2025: Breaking down the Topeka-area in Thursday's action
EMPORIA — The KSHSAA State Basketball Tournament continued with the first round on Thursday. Six teams from Shawnee County took to the floor looking to advance to Friday's semifinal. Only three teams were able to advance as they continue for the ultimate prize.
Here is everything that happened to Topeka-area teams in Thursday's first round.
Mikey Williams' career day lifts Highland Park over Andover Central
To put it simply, Mikey Williams was a flamethrower in No. 1 Highland Park’s Class 5A first round game against No. 8 Andover Central (14-9).
The senior led the Scots (23-0) to a 65-56 win in Emporia. Williams scored a career-high 33 points on 12-for-14 shooting. He also went 7-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. He was unstoppable. He was flawless. He was everything the Scots needed.
“Going into the tournament, I was getting 200 makes per day. I knew my team needed me to make jump shots and step up for the team,” he said. “We came out slow and they went on a 9-0 run to start the game.”
The Jaguars weren’t afraid of the top-ranked Scots. Andover Central was the stronger team in the first half as they held a 35-33 lead into halftime. It was the first time this season that Highland Park had trailed at the half.
“We kind of stood around the corner and waited to see where their heads were at,” Highland Park head coach Mike Williams said about halftime. “Everybody was good and our older guys were leading, stepping up.”
Highland Park came out of the locker room and attacked. Their defense improved which led to a better shot selection. They shot 78% in the third quarter of play as they took a 51-46 lead into the final stanza.
The Jaguars responded cutting Highland Park’s lead to just two points with three minutes to play. But, Williams snagged a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast hitting an and-1 bucket sealing the momentum and the win.
“That’s the Mikey I know. He’s a gamer, man. When his back is against the wall and things are on the line, Mikey is going to leave it out there. I wonder where he gets that from,” the head coach and father said with a big smile.
After the game, Williams earned a massive reward. He picked up another college offer with Hutchinson Community College speaking to him directly after the game.
It wasn’t all Williams as Isaiah Kelley had an amazing game, too. He scored 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting and he grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.
The Scots advance to Friday’s semifinal where they will meet No. 5 Piper (20-3) at 4 p.m.
Dayne Johnson's free-throws earns upset win for Silver Lake
No. 7 Silver Lake (19-5) never wavered in their Class 3A first round game against No. 2 Lakin (22-1) in Hutchinson. The Eagles took down the Broncs 48-46 thanks to an outstanding performance from junior Dayne Johnson.
The game was tied at 46 with less than 15 seconds left in the game. Johnson drove to the basket and flipped up a shot at the rim. He made the basket, but a foul on the floor was called. Johnson was sent to the free-throw line where he buried both foul shots to give the Eagles the lead.
"I was just praying at least one would go in," Johnson said. "Nerves were very high, but we shoot so many free throws in practice, for a reason, and I was ready to knock them down."
On the ensuing inbounds play, Lakin threw the ball straight to Silver Lake solidifying the win for the Eagles. Johnson was outstanding as he scored a game-high 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting. He also snagged a team-high eight rebounds in the game.
It was a performance of resilience for Silver Lake. They trailed for 24 minutes in the game. They held the lead for just under two minutes of play, too. It was the team’s lack of turnovers which was big, they turned it over just six times. Lakin shot 36.8% from the field and 15.8% from behind the arc, credit Silver Lake’s defense.
"We just hung around and kept fighting even when they went on their runs," Johnson said. "We’ve been in so many close games this year and this team always rises to the occasion."
Aemon Coffman scored 10 points off the bench on 3-for-5 shooting. He was the only other Silver Lake player to reach double figures.
Silver Lake advances to Friday's Class 3A semifinal where they will take on No. 6 Goodland (21-3) at 8 p.m.
Hayden girls claim Class 4A first round win
No. 2 Hayden (21-2) pulled away from No. 7 Clay Center (17-6) gradually to earn the first round victory in Class 4A.
The Wildcats led by just two points at halftime, but their second half performance was worthy of a victory in Salina. The Tigers never led in the game as Hayden’s defense was a major factor.
Hayden shot 42% from the field, but their defense forced Clay Center to shoot 28% in the second half. Hayden forced 19 turnovers in the win, too.
It was a total team effort on the offensive end. Four players for Hayden reached double figures. Millie Ramsey tied a game-high 17 points. Hailey Schmidtlein added 16 points while Bryce Meier had 13 points. Norma Greco scored 10 points, too.
The win for Hayden pushes them to Friday’s semifinal against No. 6 Bishop Miege at 8 p.m.
Shawnee Heights, Topeka West boys fall in Class 5A
While Highland Park came away with a win, it was a tough day for the rest of the Class 5A Shawnee County teams in Emporia.
No. 4 Shawnee Heights (19-4) lost 70-52 to No. 5 Piper (20-3). It was the Thunderbirds’ third defeat to the Pirates this year.
No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (20-3) took down No. 7 Topeka West (14-9) 64-50, too.
For Shawnee Heights, they keep the game extremely close after trailing by 13 points at halftime. The Thunderbirds used a big 3-pointer from Ontarius Emmot and a Daquan Lee buzzer beater tip-in to end the third quarter.
Piper led 50-48 entering the final quarter. But, things went wrong for Shawnee Heights. They started missing shots and turnovers led to easy baskets for the Pirates. Over the next five minutes, Piper strung together a 15-0 run breaking open the game and leading them to victory.
“We just got emotionally drained and physically tired,” Shawnee Heights head coach Ken Darting said. “We used so much to make that run. You can’t spot them 13 at halftime and comeback. We almost did, but you can’t count on it.”
Topeka West struggled in the opening minutes of their first round game. The Crusaders, who are the defending state champions, led 22-5 at the end of the first quarter. The Chargers had to play catch-up for the rest of the game.
The Chargers had a big push in the second half as they cut the Crusaders lead down to seven points, but Kapaun had an answer for everything in the win.
“We came out flat and you can’t do that against a team like Kapaun,” Topeka West head coach Christian Ulsaker said. “We battled, we cut it down to seven a few times. When we were clawing back into it, they hit dagger 3’s or a layup.”
Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights in scoring with 16 points. It was the final game of the senior’s career along with Deacon Pomeroy and Drew Ledell.
“You might not have got it done, but you laid the foundation,” Darting said. “It’s going to be a lot easier for everyone after Deacon, Jaret and Drew. The next group is starting in a lot better place than when they came in as freshman.”
Topeka West also loses some key seniors in Jalen Foy, Kamoni Ford, Ja’Vian Chambers and Camron Dillahunt. Paul scored 12 points in the defeat while junior Malakyah Duncan scored a team-high 17 points. It was a strong season for first-year head coach Ulsaker and his group.
“I have a great group of kids,” Ulsaker said. “These kids are phenomenal. They are the ones that I want to be around. I can’t wait for our juniors and sophomores to get up a little higher and play some basketball.”
Washburn Rural girls season come to a close
No. 6 Washburn Rural (16-7) faced No. 3 Blue Valley North (19-4) in the opening round of the Class 6A tournament. The Mustangs put together a strong run at the end of the third quarter which helped them secure a 45-39 win.
The Junior Blues led by one point at halftime. They opened the second half on fire with a 6-0 run in the first minute. Maddie Vickery knocked down a triple, but Blue Valley North responded with a 13-0 run giving them the lead. Washburn Rural’s seven point lead was their largest of the game.
The Junior Blues went over nine minutes without scoring, but a big 3-pointer from Ella Hirschi cut the Mustangs lead to 35-32 with four minutes to play. That would be the closest that the Junior Blues would get as the Mustangs had an answer on each possession.
Vickery led the team in scoring with 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Vickery also snagged 16 rebounds for the double-double. Gracie Hayes and Hirschi went a combined 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point line.
It was a big game for Blue Valley North’s Jaliya Davis. She scored 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting as the KU signee sent her team to the semifinals. They will face No. 2 Wichita Heights (20-3) on Friday at 8 p.m.
Thursday's Shawnee County state basketball results
Class 6A girls
- No. 3 Blue Valley North 45, No. 6 Washburn Rural 39
Class 5A boys
- No. 1 Highland Park 65, No. 8 Andover Central 56
- No. 5 Piper 70, No. 4 Shawnee Heights 52
- No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel 64, No. 7 Topeka West 50
Class 4A girls
- No. 2 Hayden 56, No. 7 Clay Center Community 44
Class 3A boys
- No. 7 Silver Lake 48, No. 2 Lakin 46
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: Everything from Thursday's KSHSAA state basketball tournament action
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