Topeka Invitational: Stars Shine in Round One

<p>The gathering for the 61^st annual Topeka Invitational Tournament brought together some of the top teams and individuals from across the state. It’s tough to put together a short list of the players who stood out on day one. But here’s a collection of some of the top names and how they fared Thursday:</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076260" first="Elijah" last="Brooks"], 6-foot-4 guard, 2022, Topeka West:</p> <p>An old hand at the tournament, Brooks played in the event for his fourth time. He was up to the occasion on Thursday. Lawrence had no clue how to keep Brooks from getting shots in the lane. Brooks showed off an array of turnaround jumpers, pull-up jumpers and fadeaways. Though his shots have a high degree of difficulty, the senior has delicate touch on the ball in close. He racked up 22 points by halftime. He slowed somewhat in the second half, but finished with 34, including the game winning free throws with 3.5 seconds left.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1146270" first="Keller" last="Hurla"], 6-foot guard, 2023, St. Marys:</p> <p>The other player to pull off late game heroics Thursday, Hurla drew a foul on a backdoor play with 4 seconds left, and like Brooks, he calmly drilled two free throws to beat Topeka High. That’s a 2A club knocking off a 6A perennial power. The Trojans face-guarded Hurla all night because they knew he could beat them from the perimeter. Hurla managed 14 despite the attention, and showed high IQ by setting up the game-winning backdoor play.</p> <p><strong>Zaxton King</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Lawrence:</p> <p>King was cold in the first half, which helped Topeka West build a big lead. But when the Lions came roaring back, it was King dropping 11 points in the second half, including several 3-pointers from long range. King showed his smooth agility around the perimeter and his ability to hit from anywhere on the court. He also was active on defense and his length is disruptive to opposing guards. King finished with 17 in the loss.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1270302" first="BJ" last="Canady"], 6-foot-6 forward, 2024, Topeka High:</p> <p>Canady demonstrated just how far his game has come since his freshman season, when he got by on his size and tremendous athleticism. Thursday he hit several midrange jumpers, as well as showing nice touch around the hoop to go with his power. Canady really challenged St. Marys big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076411" first="Fred" last="Criqui"], who isn’t used to seeing the size/athleticism he faced in Canady.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891921" first="Geremiah" last="Moore"], 5-foot-10 guard, 2022, Wichita Northwest (pictured):</p> <p>The 8^th ranked team in 6A is guided by the consummate point guard in Moore. He sees the floor brilliantly and is always in control. There’s no question who is leading the attack for the Grizzlies, who get up and down the floor and get shots close to the basket. Moore can create his own shots, but he’s almost always involving his teammates. Moore scored 12 Thursday against Hayden.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1300865" first="Ketraleus" last="Aldridge"], 6-foot-4 forward, 2023, Highland Park:</p> <p>The high-octane Scots got through a tough challenge from Shawnee Mission North. Aldridge turned in some highlight reel plays and high speed dunks en route to 15 points in the first round. Aldridge has the type of power and athleticism on the perimeter that is similar to Brooks.</p>