These are the top Topeka-area high school basketball players from the week of Jan. 16-20
TOPEKA — Teams around the Topeka-area are competing in mid-season tournaments this week. This is a great opportunity for teams to recognize their strengths and weaknesses in preparation of postseason play.
If there is an athlete from the area who has made an impact this week, send nominees, with stats, to Liam Keating at lkeating@gannett.com or on X (Twitter), @liamkeating7
Boys
Wednesday, Jan. 17
Tayson Horak, Rossville: The junior was excellent in the Bulldogs victory over Oskaloosa. He scored a game-high 20 points with four 3-pointers.
Jack Donovan, Rossville: The sophomore continues to shoot lights out. He scored 19 points in Rossville’s 71-38 win over the Bears in the first round of the Oskaloosa Invitational.
Brennon Dodge, Shawnee Heights: The senior was dominate in the Thunderbirds win over Shawnee Mission West. He scored 24 points to help Shawnee Heights take the 85-41 victory in the first round of the Shawnee Mission West Invitational.
Thursday, Jan. 18
Jacorey Robinson, Highland Park: The junior led the Scots in scoring and had a game-high 19 points in the first round win of the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Tamir Anderson, Highland Park: The senior scored 12 points to help Highland Park defeat Lawrence 75-44. The Scots dominated Lawrence in transition and from outside to help them advance to Friday’s semifinal.
Jalen Foy, Topeka West: The junior led the Chargers in scoring in the opening round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament. He scored 15 points as Topeka West lost to Shawnee Mission North 49-47.
Dai’Quan Groves, Topeka High: The senior led the Trojans in scoring with 12 points in the opening round game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Antwan Simms, Topeka High: The junior featured in his first game as a Trojan against Wichita Northwest. The transfer provided some key minutes off of the bench as he scored five points in Topeka High’s 60-34 defeat.
Jacob Padilla, Hayden: The senior returned to the lineup following an injury early in the season. He did not miss a beat as he led the team in scoring with 15 points in the first round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament. Padilla had a great look at tying the game at the buzzer, but it did not fall as Lansing won 48-45.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman: The sophomore was the top player for the Vikings once again. He scored 16 points in the 54-45 loss to Blue Valley in the first round of the McPherson Invitational.
Jack Unruh, Seaman: The senior scored nine points and had six rebounds in the opening round defeat to Blue Valley.
Jaret Sanchez, Shawnee Heights: The senior continues his stellar run of form as he drilled 32 points in the Thunderbirds 80-51 win over Ozark (Missouri). Shawnee Heights’ win pushed it to the title game of the Shawnee West Invitational championship on Saturday.
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Friday, Jan. 19
Jalen Foy, Topeka West: The junior was the main scorer for the Chargers in their win over Lawrence. He scored a team-high 17 points as Topeka West secured its first win in the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Johnny Young, Topeka West: The senior was fantastic in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points in the game with seven coming in the final quarter. Young’s ball-handling abilities were crucial in the 54-46 victory against Lawrence.
Mikey Williams, Highland Park: The junior was the leading scorer for Highland Park in its semifinal victory over Shawnee Mission North. Williams scored a game-high 18 points to deliver a 67-52 win and send the Scots to the Topeka Invitational Tournament championship game.
Jacob Padilla, Hayden: The top player for the Wildcats delivered once again. He scored a game-high 15 points for Hayden in its 66-49 consolation semifinal defeat to Topeka High in the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Antwan Simms, Topeka High: The forward for the Trojans came off of the bench and delivered a team-high 13 point performance. His activity in the lane was crucial for Topeka High’s 66-49 win over Hayden in the consolation semifinal of the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Holden Finley, Seaman: Finley dropped 20 points on 4-for-4 3-point shooting in the Vikings consolation semifinal win over St. James Academy. The 63-60 win pushed the Vikings to Saturday’s fifth place game of the McPherson Invitational.
Kameron Badura, Rossville: The junior led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points. Badura’s production helped Rossville defeat Jefferson County North 57-38 in the semifinals of the Oskaloosa Invitational.
Highland Park: 'showed that they cared' in Topeka Invitational Tournament title game loss
Saturday, Jan. 20
Jacorey Robinson, Highland Park: The junior led the Scots in scoring with 16 points in the Topeka Invitational Tournament championship game. Robinson threw down a huge dunk in the first half, but it wasn’t enough as Wichita Northwest won 64-61.
Keimani Paul, Topeka West: The sophomore was active on the glass all game long. He finished with a game-high 21 points in Topeka West’s 55-30 win over Topeka High in the fifth place game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Da’Mykel Hales, Topeka High: The junior was the only source of offense for the Trojans. He scored a team-high 12 points in the fifth place game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament against Topeka West.
Cooper Colboch, Hayden: The senior led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points. He scored 13 first-half points as Hayden lost 87-77 to Lawrence in the seventh place game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament.
Holden Finley, Seaman: The senior led the Vikings once again as he finished with 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Seaman fell short 59-53 to Lawrence Free State in the fifth place game of the McPherson Invitational.
Jack Donovan, Rossville: The sophomore dominated the Oskaloosa Championship game. He scored a game-high 28 points with four 3-pointers. He helped Rossville take down Perry 57-37 to win the title. Donovan was also named to the all-tournament team.
Simon Everhart, Cair Paravel: The engine for the Lions kept them rolling in the McLouth Tournament. Everhart scored 15 points to lead the team while he grabbed 12 rebounds against Maranatha. Cair Paravel finished in third place after defeating Maranatha 61-43.
Athlete of the Week: Seaman's Maddie Gragg wins high school athlete of the week for Jan. 8-13
Girls
Tuesday, Jan. 16
Lauren Sandstrom, Hayden: The senior recorded a double-double in the Wildcats victory over Shawnee Heights. Sandstrom recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.
Norma Greco, Hayden: Greco finished with 14 points to balance out the Wildcats in their 55-29 win against the Thunderbirds.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights: The freshman led Shawnee Heights in scoring with 10 points in its loss to Hayden.
Wednesday, Jan. 17
Rebecca Bearman, Topeka West: The senior was a key force for the Chargers against Basehor-Linwood. She scored 13 points and hauled in 13 rebounds in Topeka West’s 58-37 defeat.
Friday, Jan. 19
Nora Burdiek, Rossville: The freshman continues her stellar first campaign with the Bulldogs. She scored a game-high 17 points with all of those points coming in the first three quarters. Burdiek’s scoring ability helped Rossville dominate St. Mary’s 72-37.
Anna Becker, Seaman: The junior led the Vikings in scoring with 20 points and she also dished out four assists in Seaman’s 64-15 win over Lansing.
Ava Esser, Seaman: Esser did it all for Seaman as she scored nine points to compliment Becker. She also grabbed eight rebounds and finished with two blocks in the win.
Imani McGlory, Topeka West: The sophomore filled the stat sheet with 29 points in the Chargers big win over Leavenworth. She hit seven 3-pointers as Topeka West won 55-36.
Saturday, Jan. 20
McKinley Kruger, Silver Lake: The spectacular senior season for Kruger rolls on as she scored 16 points to help Silver Lake defeat Ottawa 64-46 in the Burlington Invitational championship game. Kruger was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
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: These are the top Topeka-area HS basketball players of Jan. 16-20
