Ten Best: Topeka Hayden-Shawnee Heights
TOPEKA — Hayden’s Zach Harvey showed why he is the state’s No; 1 ranked played in the 2019 class on Tuesday as he nailed six 3-points and scored 20 points in the first 3:30 of game action against Shawnee Heights at Hayden High School.
Shawnee Heights battled back and made it a compelling game before Hayden pulled away for a 82-57 win.
Harvey finished with a game-high 42 points, while Heights’ Tyce Brown led the Thunderbirds with 21 points.
Here, Prep Hoops Kansas takes a look at several things that stood out in the contest.
Harvey goes off
One of the state’s premier players had it all working early on in Tuesday’s game, knocking down six 3-pointers and scoring 20 points in the opening 3:30, and scoring 26 of Hayden’s 29 first-quarter points. He finished with 42 points on 15 of 21 shooting from the field, including a 7 of 10 performance from the 3-point arc. Harvey suffered an ankle injury mid-season and was forced to miss the first match-up between the two teams, but has been on fire since returning to the court. A 6’5 wing player, Harvey is a shot creator who can handle it, get to the basket and has the ability to slither his way to the basket and make tough chances in the lane look easy. He currently holds numerous high major offers, including Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and several others.
Brown shines for Thunderbirds
Shawnee Heights’ Tyce Brown is quietly emerging as one of the Topeka area’s top rising point guards and on Tuesday, he scored 21 points in the Thunderbirds’ loss. A 6’1 2019 PG, Brown is a terrific outside shooter and has a nice floater in the lane. He knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the first half.
Butler commit big in the paint
DeShawn Hanika is headed to Butler to play football, but on Tuesday he showed he is a tough match-up in the paint as the 6’6 2018 forward went for 13 points and a game-high six rebounds. he went to work in the post for Hayden as Heights struggled to match-up with the bigger player and Hanika took advantage.
Walker-Ladish also tough in Heights’ backcourt
Shawnee Heights 5’10 2019 guard Brandon Walker-Ladish had a strong performance for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday, scoring 13 points on 6 of 11 shooting. A good ball handler, Walker-Ladish is a competitor who excels at getting to the basket and is a good finisher in traffic. He was one of several players to get a run defensively at Harvey and had some good moments competing against the talented wing.
Tetuan strong off the bench
Zach Tetuan gave Topeka Hayden some big minutes off the bench on Tuesday, knocking down a 3 and scoring 10 points. A 5’11 2018 guard, Tetuan has a smooth outside shooting stroke and is quick off the bounce and capable of getting to the basket.