Highland Park, Seaman, Silver Lake advance to KSHSAA state basketball championship game
EMPORIA — The KSHSAA State Basketball Tournament rolled on with the semifinals on Friday. Five teams from Shawnee County featured in the final four.
Highland Park, Seaman and Silver Lake all advanced to Saturday's state title game. Hayden and Silver Lake boys were unable to grab a win moving them to the third-place game.
Here is everything that happened to Topeka-area teams in Friday's semifinal.
Highland Park reaches state title game for first time since 2014
If it was Mikey Williams' game on Thursday, the semifinal was all about senior JaCorey Robinson. The Austin Peay signee had an incredible performance in the Class 5A semifinal. He scored a game-high 26 points to send Highland Park to the Class 5A State Championship for the first time since 2014.
No. 1 Highland Park (24-0) defeated No. 5 Piper (20-4) 60-55 in Emporia. The Scots were able to get the monkey off their back and get to the state title game. They earned third place in the previous two seasons.
"I cried on the sidelines," Highland Park Mike Williams said with tears in his eyes. "We've been here so long and felt pain, man. I'm just happy for the kids. I'm just happy for the kids. It's unreal. We've put so much work in, but we aren't done yet. We still have more to do."
Robinson scored his 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He grabbed 8 rebounds, 5 assists and two blocks. The senior scored 17 of his points in the second half. He had three rim-rocking dunks. Two of them in transition along with another in a half-court setting where he rose above two Piper defenders and jammed over them.
"It's the best feeling ever," Robinson said. "Especially when you need it."
Piper's largest lead in the game was 1-point which came in the opening minute. Highland Park grabbed the lead and controlled momentum through the first half. They went to halftime with a 27-23 lead.
The Scots shot 73% in the third quarter as they enjoyed an 11-point lead, their largest of the game. In the fourth quarter, things started to get hairy for Highland Park. Piper chipped away at their lead. They tied the game at 55 with less than two minutes to go.
Genuine tears from Highland Park head coach Mike Williams.
— Liam (@liamkeating7) March 14, 2025
He loves this team!
Highland Park to Saturday’s Class 5A State Title game. #KSHSAApic.twitter.com/vawAYBTi71
But, the Pirates would never be able to get over the hump. Jamon Wilson and Robinson hit clutch free-throws near the end. The defense forced big turnovers in the final few minutes including a charge taken by Robinson. His defense was elite all evening.
Highland Park has never been shy about their goals. It has always been to win a state championship. They will have the opportunity on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. The last title for the Scots came in 2009.
The Scots will meet the defending Class 5A State Champions, No. 2 Kapuan Mt. Carmel (21-3). The Crusaders knocked Highland Park out of title contention last year in the semifinals.
On Saturday, Highland Park has a chance to end it with a perfect record and the nets of White Auditorium around their necks.
"It's a special group of young men," Williams said. "I've been coaching a core of this group since they were in the second grade. To see these guys get to this point and get Highland Park back to the state championship game, words cannot explain."
Seaman looking for back-to-back titles
There's a reason Seaman head coach Matt Tinsley is a championship winner. He knows how to get the best out of his team. Before Seaman's semifinal game, he spoke to Kinley Wilhelm about the game. She was ready and delivered her best performance as a Viking.
"We were sitting on the bench watching the Highland Park-Piper game," Tinsley said. "We were talking, 'are you nervous?'
'A little bit.'
'In these situations, just really be grateful for this opportunity and that you get to make the most of it.' She definitely made the most of that opportunity."
No. 2 Seaman (24-0) went wire-to-wire to defeat No. 3 Andover (22-1) 55-49 in the Class 5A State Semifinal in Emporia. Wilhelm received Tinsley's advice and was everywhere on the floor from the get-go. She scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the double-double.
"I thought I had the advantage with a small girl in the post so give me the ball, I'll score for our team," Wilhelm said. "I'll get that rebound and that's what my mentality was today."
The Vikings led by 17 points with six minutes to play in the third quarter. Everything was going their way, but the Trojans were able to get some stops and make some tough baskets. The Vikings went into the fourth quarter with a 47-35 lead.
Andover put together an 11-1 run across the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Seaman's lead was trimmed to just three points. The Vikings were able to hunker down on defense, they grabbed some big rebounds and made some tough foul shots. Jaida Stallbaumer, who had a big game in the first round, sunk two free-throws to give Seaman a two-possession advantage.
In the final minute, Wilhelm put the cherry on top of an all-time day. She stole a cross-court pass and sped into Andover's half sealing the win.
"They are 22-1 for a reason. This is the state tournament, final four, that's a good team," Tinsley said. "We knew it was going to be like that. We had just enough in the tank."
Senior Anna Becker said 12 points while Maddie Gragg added 11 points. Seaman shot 45% from the field while they scored 30 of their 55 points inside the lane.
Seaman will try to win back-to-back state titles on Saturday. The Vikings are also searching for the program's third state title with 1991 and 2024 winning it all.
Seaman will face No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (17-7) at 4 p.m.
Silver Lake girls going for second consecutive title
The Eagles are headed back to the Class 3A State Championship game. No. 4 Silver Lake (23-2) defeated No. 1 Hesston (24-1) 65-58 delivering the Swathers their first loss of the season in Hutchinson.
Silver Lake, the defending state champions, organized an incredible comeback to seal the win. The Eagles trailed by 8 points heading into the fourth quarter. Their largest deficet was also 11 points which came late in the third quarter.
The Eagles went on to outscore Hesston 25-10 behind 80% shooting from the field. They went 4-for-5 from the field while also hitting 14-for-14 free-throws. Silver Lake forced Hesston to hit just 3-for-12 in the fourth quarter.
It was another great defensive performance from Silver Lake as they forced 10 turnovers in the win. Junior guard Kailyn Hanni continues to have an incredible season. She scored a game-high 28 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line.
Silver Lake will meet No. 2 Halstead (24-1) in the title game on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Friday’s Shawnee County state semifinal basketball results
Class 5A boys
- No. 1 Highland Park 60, No. 5 Piper 55
Class 5A girls
- No. 2 Seaman 55, No. 3 Andover 49
Class 4A girls
- No. 6 Bishop Miege 59, No. 2 Hayden 42
Class 3A boys
- No. 6 Goodland 66, No. 7 Silver Lake 60
Class 3A girls
- No. 4 Silver Lake 65, No. 1 Hesston 58
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: KSHSAA state basketball 2025: Three teams from Topeka-area advance to title game
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