'Survive and advance': How half-court offense will help Highland Park girls basketball
TOPEKA — The season finale for Highland Park girls basketball team featured a rather easy win over Washington on Friday. The Scots secured the 63-42 victory over the Wildcats. But, head coach Rob Brown was looking for more from his team as he described the win as a “B grade.”
The postseason begins for the Scots on Wednesday. They are ranked as the No. 3 seed in the Class 5A West bracket. Highland Park will play No. 14 Pittsburgh (5-15) to start their playoff journey. The Scots emphasized their half court offense against Washington in preparation for sub-state. Ball movement has been a key to notching wins according to Brown.
“We wanted to come into the game and work on some things and slow it down. We needed to work on some things for sub-state,” Brown said following the win against Washington. “Getting the ball side-to-side, getting multiple passes, working on the passing game, not the dribble game.”
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Due to Highland Park’s flooded court, the Scots have played home games at Topeka West or Topeka High during the second semester of action. It has been a barrier that the girls team have learned to overcome as they have done so gracefully.
“We talk about it a lot. They have been doing a good job and I think that we have grown a lot,” Brown shared. “The adversity has been crazy, but they have weathered the storm. The girls are stepping up and finding new roles and accepting new roles. I think they have done well at that.”
The tenacity of Highland Park’s roster has come down to years of trust. Brown and his senior point guard Angelique Gowan-Britt have known each other since she was in fifth grade. Successful high school basketball teams usually feature a head coach and a point guard in sync. The point guard acts almost as a second coach on the floor.
In this case, Gowan-Britt is exactly that way. Against Washington, she was influential in pushing the pace in transition. That is one of the Scots greatest attributes is their knowledge when to move it in the fast-break or settle for a half-court set.
In the second half, a long pass down the floor was intended for Gowan-Britt. The ball bounced over her and looked destined to be out of bounds. She launched her body across the line and flung a no-look pass saving the ball underneath the Washington basket.
Waiting for the perfect pass was freshman Pearmella Carter, who scored the easy lay-up. The gym erupted in applause as fans rose to their feet to appreciate Gowan-Britt’s hustle and tenacity. She is an X-factor to Highland Park’s team.
“We’re going to miss Angelique a lot, I think that’s going to be for everybody,” the head coach said. “I know a lot of these girls since they were young, it is always emotional seeing them graduate.”
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Last season, the Scots qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2012. They were eliminated by St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals. They are hoping to go further this season. The journey starts all over once again on Wednesday against Pittsburgh. The game will be played at Topeka West.
“This time of year, you have to beat the best to get to where you want to get to,” Brown said. “It is survive and advance, win-or-go home.”
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: What Highland Park girls basketball worked on to prepare for playoffs
