By Anthony Gorges
JC Post
The Junction City High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams were back in the capital city of Topeka on Tuesday night for their fifth straight road game—three of those in Topeka. Tuesday’s matchup was played at Topeka High School.
Girls Recap - Topeka High 66, Junction City 33
The girls’ game belonged to Topeka High from the start. The Lady Trojans, now winners of six straight, rolled past Junction City on Tuesday night.
Topeka led 9-4 just two minutes into the game, with all four of Junction City’s points coming from sophomore Laniyah Warmack. From there, the Trojans took control. Turning defense into offense, Topeka finished the first quarter on a 23-1 run and led 32-5 at the end of the period.
The Lady Jays played much better in the second quarter, scoring 13 points, including five straight from senior Breya Allen. Junction City trailed 56-18 at halftime.
The entire second half was played with a running clock, and Topeka High secured its sixth consecutive win by doubling up the Lady Jays, 66-33.
*Our Blu Restaurant Player of the Game was senior Breya Allen. She scored a season-high eight points and provided solid minutes in her first start of the season. For being named the Blu Restaurant Player of the Game, Breya receives a $20 coupon voucher from Blu Restaurant, located at 602 N. Washington St. in Junction City.
Boys Recap - Junction City 61, Topeka High 59
This game lived up to the excitement of the first matchup between these two teams exactly one month earlier, when Topeka won 72-69 in overtime.
Both teams entered the contest in need of a Centennial League win. The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with each team trading baskets. Topeka High led 16-15 after one.
The second quarter featured an early Trojans run. Topeka opened the period on an 11-6 run to take a 27-21 lead. The Blue Jays responded and cut the deficit to four, trailing 29-25 at halftime.
The third quarter mirrored the first, as neither team could pull away. Topeka led 46-41 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter brought plenty of drama. Junction City began the period on a 10-4 run to take a 51-50 lead. Topeka answered with a run of its own, going up 57-51 with 1:35 remaining.
Then the Blue Jays dug in defensively and found their offense. Senior Jackson Hollie made a layup and then hit a jumper from the left elbow to cut the deficit to 57-55 with under a minute to play. Junction City got another stop when junior Angel Allen dove in front of a cross-court pass, stole the ball and called a timeout.
Senior Lovell Autry tied the game at 57 with 27 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Topeka attempted to score in transition but threw the ball out of bounds. With no timeouts left, Junction City executed and took the lead. Autry drove to the basket and gave the Blue Jays a 59-57 lead with 9.5 seconds to play.
Topeka advanced the ball and called timeout with 6.7 seconds left. Senior Bryson McComas drove to the basket and missed, but goaltending was called when Autry hit the backboard while the ball was near the cylinder. The game was tied at 59 with 1.8 seconds left, and overtime seemed likely again.
However, the Blue Jays had other plans.
Junior Khaliel Walker, standing on the baseline at the opposite end of the floor, threw a one-handed, full-court pass that hit Autry in stride. Autry finished with a left-handed layup at the buzzer to give Junction City a 61-59 win.
It was a remarkable comeback, as the Blue Jays closed the game on a 10-2 run, with an outstanding final play to win the game.
With the win, Junction City improves to 10-9 on the season, while Topeka High falls to 10-10. Three Blue Jays scored in double figures: Lovell Autry led the way with 24 points, Jackson Hollie added 14, and Khaliel Walker had 11.
*Our Blu Restaurant Player of the Game was senior Lovell Autry. For being named our Blu Restaurant Player of the Game, Lovell receives a $20 coupon voucher from Blu Restaurant, located at 602 N. Washington St. in Junction City.
Both the Junction City Blue Jays and Lady Jays return to action Friday night at Manhattan High School.