Centennial stars and storylines from sub-state round 1

<p>Centennial League teams fared very well in the first round of the sub-state playoffs, with one enormous exception.</p> <p>The enormous news of the first round was that #2 seed Washburn Rural lost it’s first round game against Wichita West. Because the lower seeded team lost, Manhattan, which beat Wichita East, will get to play at home in the second round.</p> <p>History did not repeat itself at Topeka High. Like Rural this year, Topeka High was upset at home last year as the #2 seed. This year, the Trojans took care of business beating Liberal. The Trojans will travel to Free State on Saturday.</p> <p><strong>Trevion Alexander, junior, Topeka West:</strong></p> <p>Alexander is a matchup nightmare, and he bedeviled Bonner Springs in Topeka West’s opening round 71-54 win. The 6-foot-3 point guard converted 10 of 17 attempts from the field for 25 points, and he dominated the boards with 11 rebounds. Few athletes can match Alexander’s unique skills. The Chargers face 8-13 Blue Valley Southwest, which upset Pittsburg.</p> <p><strong>CJ Powell, junior, and Juan’Tario Roberts, sophomore, Highland Park:</strong></p> <p>In a low scoring battle with Leavenworth, Powell and Roberts each tallied 15 points. Their combined output nearly matched the Pioneers’ point total of 38. The Scots will now face 9-12 Aquinas, which upset Lansing.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889466" first="Charles" last="Snyder"], junior, Emporia:</strong></p> <p>The 6-foot-4 Snyder continued to pad his resume with 27 points in a 63-55 overtime win over McPherson. Snyder’s 27 is his third-highest scoring night of the season: he had 33 and 28 in two games against Topeka High. The Spartans now must face 20-0 Andover, the #2 rated team in the 5A.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="726594" first="King" last="Sutton"], senior, Topeka High:</strong></p> <p>Fearing an upset similar to last year, coach Eric King wasn’t about to let the Trojans come out flat. He inserted the 6-foot-7 Sutton at the point of his full-court press against Liberal and kept it on the whole game. Liberal struggled to get the ball to half court, much less score. In addition to his defense, Sutton scored 8 points in the first quarter to begin the runaway. He finished with 15.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="885546" first="Raeshon" last="Riddick"], senior, and [player_tooltip player_id="885573" first="Peyton" last="Weixelman"], senior, Manhattan:</strong></p> <p>The 6-foot-3 senior Riddick shot 5-8 from the field and 5-6 from the line in the Indians’ win over Wichita East. Wiexelman, meanwhile, made 5-6 from the field, including four 3-pointers. The Indians will now host Wichita West, thanks to its upset of Manhattan.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="599759" first="Joe" last="Berry"], junior, Washburn Rural:</strong></p> <p>Berry closed out his junior year with 15 in the loss to Wichita West.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Special mention:</strong></p> <p>Although it wasn’t a playoff game, the Seaman Vikings were victorious in a final consolation game between teams not included in the playoff format. Standing out for the Vikings were:</p> <p><strong>Dagen Brewer, sophomore, Seaman:</strong></p> <p>The sharpshooter finished with 16 against KC-Sumner.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="885565" first="Drayton" last="Foster"], senior, Seaman:</strong></p> <p>In his final contest before he embarks on a college football career, the 6-foot-5 Foster tallied 13 in the 71-62 Viking win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>