Topeka West wins 61st Topeka Invitational Tournament for the first since 2004

The 61st Topeka Invitational Tournament wrapped up Saturday after three days of solid high school basketball.

In the first match of the day, Hayden squeaked past Topeka High (43-41) followed by Lawrence beating Shawnee Mission North (63-46) for fifth place.

In the third-place game, Highland Park beat St. Marys (77-50) to medal before the Topeka West won in the title game over Wichita Northwest, 64-56.

Topeka West 64, Wichita Northwest 56

In a battle of two teams with state title aspirations, the Topeka West Chargers claimed the 61st Topeka Invitational Tournament championship over Wichita Northwest.

The Chargers, ranked fourth in 5A, grinded through three battles at Highland Park to capture the title. After squeezing by Lawrence on Thursday and putting down St. Marys on Friday, the Chargers took the best shot from the eighth-ranked team in 6A and rode 30 points by Elijah Brooks to the tournament title.

An annual participant in the tournament, the Chargers last won the title in 2004, an accomplishment coach Rick Bloomquist noted was bigger than the current team.

“It’s good for the community of Topeka West,” Bloomquist said. “It’s good for the program. It’s good for the alumni and the kids who played here in the past, who came close to winning it but couldn’t win it. We finally jumped the hurdle and got it done.

“These kids take a lot of pride in where they’re from. They know that they’re representing not only themselves, but they are representing Topeka West High School.”

The Chargers bolted to a 7-0 advantage and led 20-14 at the end of the first quarter. But Wichita Northwest, propelled by point guard Geremiah Moore’s four first-half 3-pointers, clawed back to a 37-37 tie at the half.

Topeka West put together a workmanlike third period to regain a 50-45 lead, and held on despite frantic pressure from the Grizzlies.

“We knew it was going to be a (grind-it-out) type of game, because Northwest is very well coached,” Bloomquist said. They play very disciplined defense. They’re going to take care of the basketball. They have a great point guard. They’ve got a warrior inside. They’ve got wing people who are slashers. I watched them for two days. They are very deserving of their state ranking.”

The Grizzlies were hampered by fouls to star forward Kee’on Hutton, who played less than half the game and scored just six points. Moore tallied 17, while TaSean Williams added 13.

For the Chargers, Brooks’ 30 was backed by 13 from Xavier Alexander. Malachi Berg fought through foul trouble to record 9, and Sincere Austin added 7.

Bloomquist reflected on the style of each game the Chargers played over the three days.

“We needed a game like this today,” Bloomquist said. “It was a completely opposite game from what we played last night. Which was a complete opposite game from the first night. We adjusted each night. That’s a big credit to my kids. We adjusted to the type of game we had to play to win. That’s a good sign.”

Highland Park 77, St. Marys 50

Highland Park bounced back from a disappointing 66-60 loss to Wichita Northwest on Friday by holding down the upset-minded St. Marys Bears in the third-place game on Saturday.

The 2A Bears rose up to knock off 6A Topeka High on Thursday. But the Bears couldn’t recreate the magic against 5A powers Topeka West and Highland Park on Friday and Saturday.

Highland Park coach Mike Williams was pleased with the way his team finished the tournament.

“I’m glad our guys responded well, especially against a team like St. Marys,” Williams said. “That group is going to compete well. I think we did the same thing.

“We’re figuring out things about ourselves. It’s showing us things that, if we don’t clean up in the long run, there will come a day when you lose and there won’t be a tomorrow.”

Defensive pressure by the Scots overwhelmed St. Marys late in the second quarter, turning a close game into a runaway. A three-pointer by Keller Hurla had pulled the Bears to a 31-24 deficit with 1:40 left in the second quarter. But several turnovers led to a six-point run by Highland Park that stretched the halftime lead to 37-26.

The Scots defense took it to another level after halftime. An 8-0 run to start the half was sparked by intense pressure in the Bears backcourt. Turnovers led to numerous run outs, highlighted by several dunks by Highland Park’s Ketraleus Aldridge. The junior raced to 10 points in the third quarter.

Jamir Kingcannon led the Highland Park attack in the first half with 14 points before intermission. He finished with 16. Aldridge added 15, 12 coming in the second half. Tre Richardson provided 14 in the game.

The Scots, who entered the tournament as the second-ranked team in 5A, improved to 10-2. Williams lamented not finding a way to beat Wichita Northwest on Friday. But he was pleased with the way his team bounced back.

“At the end of the night, in tournament play, if you come out 2-1, that's a plus,” Williams said. “Obviously, we wanted to be playing (in the finals), but it feels a lot better right now than being 1-2. Even as ugly as we might have played the last couple of days, at least we’re 2-1 on the way out.

“Playing three games in three days kind of mirrors state tournament play. That’s the biggest thing. Just learning those lessons, figuring it out over the course of the year, and bouncing back when things don’t go our way.”

Lawrence 63, Shawnee Mission North 46

In the game for fifth place, the Lawrence Lions improved to 8-2 by cruising past the Shawnee Mission North Bison.

Zaxton King’s 20 points guided the Lions to their second win in the tournament. Their lone loss in Topeka was a two-point heartbreaker in the opening game against Topeka West.

Avion Nelson and Pearse Long each added 12 for the Lions.

The Bison, who are coached by former Topeka High coach Pat Denney, were led by 15 from Vincent Rolls. The Bison’s lone win in the tournament came against Hayden on Friday.

Hayden 43, Topeka High 41

The Hayden Wildcats overcame foul trouble and made stops down the stretch for a come-from-behind win over Topeka High in the game for seventh place.

The Wildcats won for the second time on the season. Coach Dwayne Paul said getting a win in the tournament is another step in building the Hayden program.

“Everyone talks about the culture. Culture takes time,” Paul said. “It was good to come out with a win for these guys to feel some success. They deserve that success. We play so hard, and we guard so well. I never question our guys' character or their toughness.”

Jacob Padilla scored eight points in the second half and spearheaded a tenacious defense that denied the Trojans a shot to tie the game in the final seconds.

Trent Duffey led the Wildcats with 13 points, but fouled out with 6:38 remaining. Paul scrambled to cover the loss of his senior leader, using Padilla and his bench to smother the Trojan guards.

The Wildcats overcame a seven-point first-half deficit by holding Topeka High to just 18 second-half points.

“We’ve been putting ourselves in some positions, getting down early,” Paul said. “Then we have to exert so much energy coming back. Today we had some foul trouble early. I was proud of our guys for the way they stayed the course. We chipped away at the lead once we got our bearings. Some guys hit some big shots and did some good things.

Joe Otting scored 12 for Hayden in a battle in the paint with Topeka High’s BJ Canady. Canady scored 13, which was matched by the Trojans’ Germaine Mays.

Paul pointed to Hayden’s tough schedule and said his team is growing through the challenges.

“Of the 10 games we’ve played, six or seven of those teams have been ranked in the top 10 in their respective classes, either 5 or 6A. We haven’t played a 4A team yet,” Paul said. “So to be the smallest school in arguably the best league in the state, top to bottom, it’s something we have to get through and battle some adversity. I’m proud of the way the guys have battled.”

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka West wins Topeka Invitational Tournament