Cloudy weather
Month: March 2022
Scots knock Pirates out of playoffs 89-52
by Brian Turrel
The Piper Pirates were knocked out of the KSHSAA 5A playoffs Friday evening, losing 89-52 to the Highland Park Runnin’ Scots in Topeka. The game remained competitive until a disastrous fourth quarter for the Pirates, who finish the season with a 14-8 record and a Frontier League title.
Highland Park scored the first 8 points, their fast ball movement and defensive intensity throwing the Pirates off their game. Piper rallied to tie the game at 15 late in the first quarter, finding success with drives to the rim for layups.
The Pirates were down only 18-17 going into the second quarter, and Piper got a quick start, taking an early 23-20 lead. Jaron Briggs and Devin Kerr combined for 13 of the Pirates 15 points in the quarter, which closed with the Scots up 39-32.
The Pirates were within 5 midway through the third quarter, but Highland Park extended its lead to double digits by forcing turnovers and getting easy buckets at the other end, a preview of the quarter to come.
Highland Park outscored Piper 29-6 in the fourth quarter. The Scots blocked shots in the lane, and Piper’s shots from outside refused to fall, other than a lone trey from Alex Ivanuska. The home team turned rebounds into quick scores, with multiple dunks firing up the already festive crowd.
Briggs led the scoring for Piper with 16 points for the game, and Kerr posted 12. Piper’s trio of freshman guards, Mikey Burgess, P.J. Moore and Lantz Walton all saw extensive floor time and will be fun to watch in upcoming seasons.
The Highland Park Scots will become more familiar to Kansas City, Kansas, fans in the 2022-2023 school year, when they will begin competing in the Kansas City – Atchison League, which includes all five USD 500 high schools.
Storms possible this afternoon, evening
Scattered thunderstorms are possible in the region late this afternoon and into the evening, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
The greatest chances of storms are along the I-35 corridor, the weather service said.
Wyandotte County is in a marginal risk area for the storms, according to information from the weather service, with more severe storms to the east.
Damaging half-dollar size hail and damaging winds are the greatest threats with this storm, the weather service said.
Gusty south winds of up to 40 mph today could lead to elevated fire weather conditions this afternoon, according to the weather service.
Rain is expected to change into snow on Sunday night into Monday, the weather service said. Light snow accumulation is possible.
Today, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 72. It will be breezy, with a south wind of 18 to 22 mph, gusting as high as 40 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.
Tonight, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 32, with a south southwest wind of 16 to 21 mph becoming northwest 6 to 11 mph in the evening. Winds may gust up to 37 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation is in the forecast.
Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m., the weather service said. The low will be around 32, with a south southwest wind of 16 to 21 mph, becoming northwest 6 to 11 mph in the evening. Winds may gust as high as 37 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.
Sunday night, there is an 80 percent chance of rain before 3 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., then a slight chance of rain after 5 a.m., according to the weather service. A north wind of 8 to 11 mph will gust as high as 21 mph. Less than a half-inch of snow accumulation is possible.
Monday, it will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 41, the weather service said. A north northwest wind of 8 to 14 mph will gust as high as 25 mph.
Monday night, it will be clear, with a low of 24, according to the weather service.
For weather updates, visit www.weather.gov.