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.
