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EMPORIA — The KSHSAA State Basketball Tournament came to a close marking the end to winter sports on Saturday. It was not the finish many Shawnee County fans wanted in the state championship.
Here's everything that happened in Saturday's state championship games.
The best state championship game in the state was held in Emporia. No. 1 Highland Park (24-1) and No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (22-3) needed overtime to settle the Class 5A crown. The Crusaders edged the Scots 58-55 helping them win back-to-back state titles.
The pain was evident following the final horn for the Scots.
"I appreciate every and anybody that took the time out to see our kids, support us this weekend," Highland Park head coach Mike Williams said. "We couldn't have done it without the support of Topeka."
Highland Park put together an impressive first half. They led 27-18 at the break. There were some big shots made from Mikey Williams and Da'Mykel Hales. Williams nailed a banked 3-point buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter. Hales knocked down some key triples, too.
But, the Crusaders came out of the locker room on fire. They shot 73% from the field in the third quarter. Kapaun closed the third quarter on a 12-2 run to give them a 38-35 lead.
Kapaun strung together a 9-1 run to begin the fourth quarter. The Scots had their backs up against the wall until senior JaCorey Robinson took control of the game.
Robinson drove into the lane with less than a minute to play. He muscled his way to the rim and flipped a shot towards the backboard. The shot dropped for the basket and the foul. He was unable to hit the free-throw, but he still tied the game at 48.
With three seconds to play in the game, Kapaun had a baseline out of bounds play ready. Corbin Johnson jabbed stepped to the corner and cut back to the basket. A perfect pass floated to the rim where Johnson caught and shot the ball only to miss as the buzzer sounded forcing the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Kapaun controlled the flow of momentum. Highland Park trailed by six points with 26 seconds left, Robinson pulled up and nailed a 3-pointer. The Crusaders hit a free-throw on the ensuing possession to give them a 56-52 lead.
Robinson grabbed an offensive rebound and sprinted towards the left wing on the next possession. He hoisted a shot and drained the 3-pointer only to be hit in the head for the basket and the foul. Robinson needed the free-throw to fall to tie the game, but it wouldn't drop.
Robinson would have another chance to tie the game in the final seconds. His 3-point heave didn't fall as the Crusaders rushed the court winning the state championship.
Robinson, who is signed to play Division I basketball at Austin Peay, was excellent. He scored a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double.
The Scots walked off White Auditorium's floor in tears. They were holding each other looking for comfort in an uncomfortable situation.
The Scots leaned on each other in this tough circumstance. Throughout the year, they have preached brotherhood. It was tested after the heartbreaking loss, but the team's bond never broke.
They showed the true testament of a winning program, love for one another.
"You've got crying eyes looking and sad faces looking in front of you. It's a lot of disappointment," Williams said. "We just remind our guys and try to tell them about the good that they have done throughout the course of the year."
No. 2 Seaman (24-1) was unable to defend as Class 5A State Champions in Emporia. The Vikings came close, but No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (18-7) made too many plays in the end winning 68-61.
"I am just so proud of our girls. We may not have won this game, but they are champions in my book," Seaman head coach Matt Tinsley said. "That's sports for you. What we accomplished was amazing. I can't say enough about the character of those kids in the locker room. This hurts."
It was nothing short of a fantastic battle between two of the premier programs in the state. Seaman and St. Thomas Aquinas went back-and-forth in the first half. The largest lead for either team in the opening two quarter was 4 points. Seaman and St. Thomas Aquinas were deadlocked at the break with 26 points each.
The difference in the game came in the first few minutes of the second half. The Saints went on a 9-2 run in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. Seaman fought back to get within a possession, but a strong end to the third quarter gave the Saints a 44-38 lead.
The Saints held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter. They scored 15 points off of 12 Seaman turnovers in the game. They were also getting production at the free-throw line shooting 26-for-36 at the stripe. These key areas helped St. Thomas Aquinas win their eighth state title in the past nine years.
Seaman's Anna Becker put together a strong performance in the defeat. She feasted in the mid-range scoring 28 points on 11-for-20 shooting. Maddie Gragg added 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting, too.
Becker will go down in history as the school's best basketball player. She holds the school career record in points, assists and steals. The senior will be playing college basketball at Drake University next year. She's never been about the individual accolades. She's always been about the team.
"Obviously, I am super sad, but I love these girls," Becker said. "We had a great season and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Four of Seaman's starters are seniors. Along with Becker, Jaida Stallbaumer, Kinley Wilhelm and Ava Esser all impressed throughout the season and the state tournament. They were all necessary in reaching the final game of the year. The four of them helped Seaman combine for a 47-3 record in the final two years.
As the team left the court for the final time, Seaman's players were together. Throughout the season, they never wavered away from one another. They truly played as a team all the way to the finish line.
"We told them, we loved them," Tinsley said with tears falling down his face.
No. 4 Silver Lake (23-3) tried their hardest to win back-to-back Class 3A state titles. But, No. 3 Halstead (25-1) put together a strong run to end the game giving them the victory. The Dragons were able to down the Eagles 48-45 to earn the win.
Halstead trailed by 13 points halfway through the third quarter. Silver Lake tried to hang on as they led 39-33 at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles turned the ball over a few too many times allowing Halstead to get out in transition and score some easy baskets.
The Dragons' Kaci Young scored a transition layup to give them a 46-45 lead with two minutes to play. Silver Lake couldn't retake the lead as Halstead was victorious.
Silver Lake's Kailyn Hanni, a junior, led the team in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting. She also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Hanni led the Class 3A State Tournament in scoring with 71 total points across three games. She was the only player to average over 20 points.
Class 5A boys
Class 5A girls
Class 3A girls
Class 4A girls third place
Class 3A boys third place
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: Inside Saturday's state championship heartbreak for the Topeka-area
Continue reading...
Here's everything that happened in Saturday's state championship games.
Highland Park's hearts break in OT
The best state championship game in the state was held in Emporia. No. 1 Highland Park (24-1) and No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (22-3) needed overtime to settle the Class 5A crown. The Crusaders edged the Scots 58-55 helping them win back-to-back state titles.
The pain was evident following the final horn for the Scots.
"I appreciate every and anybody that took the time out to see our kids, support us this weekend," Highland Park head coach Mike Williams said. "We couldn't have done it without the support of Topeka."
Highland Park put together an impressive first half. They led 27-18 at the break. There were some big shots made from Mikey Williams and Da'Mykel Hales. Williams nailed a banked 3-point buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter. Hales knocked down some key triples, too.
But, the Crusaders came out of the locker room on fire. They shot 73% from the field in the third quarter. Kapaun closed the third quarter on a 12-2 run to give them a 38-35 lead.
Kapaun strung together a 9-1 run to begin the fourth quarter. The Scots had their backs up against the wall until senior JaCorey Robinson took control of the game.
Robinson drove into the lane with less than a minute to play. He muscled his way to the rim and flipped a shot towards the backboard. The shot dropped for the basket and the foul. He was unable to hit the free-throw, but he still tied the game at 48.
With three seconds to play in the game, Kapaun had a baseline out of bounds play ready. Corbin Johnson jabbed stepped to the corner and cut back to the basket. A perfect pass floated to the rim where Johnson caught and shot the ball only to miss as the buzzer sounded forcing the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Kapaun controlled the flow of momentum. Highland Park trailed by six points with 26 seconds left, Robinson pulled up and nailed a 3-pointer. The Crusaders hit a free-throw on the ensuing possession to give them a 56-52 lead.
Robinson grabbed an offensive rebound and sprinted towards the left wing on the next possession. He hoisted a shot and drained the 3-pointer only to be hit in the head for the basket and the foul. Robinson needed the free-throw to fall to tie the game, but it wouldn't drop.
Robinson would have another chance to tie the game in the final seconds. His 3-point heave didn't fall as the Crusaders rushed the court winning the state championship.
Robinson, who is signed to play Division I basketball at Austin Peay, was excellent. He scored a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double.
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The Scots walked off White Auditorium's floor in tears. They were holding each other looking for comfort in an uncomfortable situation.
The Scots leaned on each other in this tough circumstance. Throughout the year, they have preached brotherhood. It was tested after the heartbreaking loss, but the team's bond never broke.
They showed the true testament of a winning program, love for one another.
"You've got crying eyes looking and sad faces looking in front of you. It's a lot of disappointment," Williams said. "We just remind our guys and try to tell them about the good that they have done throughout the course of the year."
Seaman's back-to-back title bid falls short
No. 2 Seaman (24-1) was unable to defend as Class 5A State Champions in Emporia. The Vikings came close, but No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (18-7) made too many plays in the end winning 68-61.
"I am just so proud of our girls. We may not have won this game, but they are champions in my book," Seaman head coach Matt Tinsley said. "That's sports for you. What we accomplished was amazing. I can't say enough about the character of those kids in the locker room. This hurts."
It was nothing short of a fantastic battle between two of the premier programs in the state. Seaman and St. Thomas Aquinas went back-and-forth in the first half. The largest lead for either team in the opening two quarter was 4 points. Seaman and St. Thomas Aquinas were deadlocked at the break with 26 points each.
The difference in the game came in the first few minutes of the second half. The Saints went on a 9-2 run in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. Seaman fought back to get within a possession, but a strong end to the third quarter gave the Saints a 44-38 lead.
The Saints held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter. They scored 15 points off of 12 Seaman turnovers in the game. They were also getting production at the free-throw line shooting 26-for-36 at the stripe. These key areas helped St. Thomas Aquinas win their eighth state title in the past nine years.
Seaman's Anna Becker put together a strong performance in the defeat. She feasted in the mid-range scoring 28 points on 11-for-20 shooting. Maddie Gragg added 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting, too.
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Becker will go down in history as the school's best basketball player. She holds the school career record in points, assists and steals. The senior will be playing college basketball at Drake University next year. She's never been about the individual accolades. She's always been about the team.
"Obviously, I am super sad, but I love these girls," Becker said. "We had a great season and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Four of Seaman's starters are seniors. Along with Becker, Jaida Stallbaumer, Kinley Wilhelm and Ava Esser all impressed throughout the season and the state tournament. They were all necessary in reaching the final game of the year. The four of them helped Seaman combine for a 47-3 record in the final two years.
As the team left the court for the final time, Seaman's players were together. Throughout the season, they never wavered away from one another. They truly played as a team all the way to the finish line.
"We told them, we loved them," Tinsley said with tears falling down his face.
Silver Lake comes close to winning title
No. 4 Silver Lake (23-3) tried their hardest to win back-to-back Class 3A state titles. But, No. 3 Halstead (25-1) put together a strong run to end the game giving them the victory. The Dragons were able to down the Eagles 48-45 to earn the win.
Halstead trailed by 13 points halfway through the third quarter. Silver Lake tried to hang on as they led 39-33 at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles turned the ball over a few too many times allowing Halstead to get out in transition and score some easy baskets.
The Dragons' Kaci Young scored a transition layup to give them a 46-45 lead with two minutes to play. Silver Lake couldn't retake the lead as Halstead was victorious.
Silver Lake's Kailyn Hanni, a junior, led the team in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting. She also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Hanni led the Class 3A State Tournament in scoring with 71 total points across three games. She was the only player to average over 20 points.
Friday’s Shawnee County state championship basketball results
Class 5A boys
- No. 2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel 58, No. 1 Highland Park 55 (OT)
Class 5A girls
- No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas 68, No. 2 Seaman 61
Class 3A girls
- No. 2 Halstead 48, No. 4 Silver Lake 45
Class 4A girls third place
- No. 2 Hayden 57, No. 5 Buhler 23
Class 3A boys third place
- No. 7 Silver Lake 63, No. 1 Galena 50
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: Inside Saturday's state championship heartbreak for the Topeka-area
Continue reading...
