Piper High School – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

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.

Despite the score, the Piper cheerleaders did not lose their pep. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Highland Park junior Bo Aldridge blocked a shot from sophomore Gannon Roth. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman Lantz Walton made a layup. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Devin Kerr went for a layup, narrowly avoiding a block from Highland Park junior Trevontae Richardson. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Miguel Martin wove his way through the Scots defenders. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Devin Kerr was fouled as he took his shot. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Senior Aaron Simmons delivered a finger roll. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

The Highland Park Air Force Junior ROTC presented the colors before the game. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Substate win over Lansing starts Pirates’ playoff journey

Senior Aaron Simmons drew a crowd of Lions as he drove into the lane in Piper’s substate playoff win over Lansing. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Piper Pirates started their playoff run in fine form Tuesday evening in Piper, taking a 76-58 win from the Lansing Lions in the first round of their substate bracket.

The Pirates used quick perimeter movement and skip passes to open driving lanes that they exploited with drives and kickouts.

Piper built on its lead with each successive quarter until there was no doubt about the outcome in the final frame. To the great delight of the boisterous Pirates’ student section, head coach Steve Wallace emptied the bench in the latter half of the fourth quarter.

Four Pirates scored in double figures, led by Jaron Briggs with 18 points. Gannon Roth scored 13, including 3 three-pointers. Devin Kerr scored 11 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Mikey Burgess scored 10 points.

The Pirates move on to play Topeka’s Highland Park High School on Friday for the substate trophy and a berth in the 5A state tournament in Emporia.

In other local playoff action, Bishop Ward boys defeated Santa Fe Trail 63-51 and will face Easton-Pleasant Ridge on Thursday in Pomona in the 3A substate bracket. The Lady Cyclones were defeated 47-28 by Osage City in their first round match, and finish their season with a 9-11 record.

Bonner Springs boys lost 85-55 at St. James Academy in Lenexa. Sumner Academy boys lost 65-52 at Pittsburg. Wyandotte girls lost at Shawnee Mission West, 59-9.

Junior Miguel Martin elevated for a jump shot from the elbow. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman P.J. Moore dribbled the ball up the court. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Piper’s ball movement earned senior Gannon Roth a wide open shot from the corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

The Piper cheerleaders performed stunts during a break in the game. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Senior Jaron Briggs defended Lansing freshman Makhi Butler. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Miguel Martin went for a layup. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Junior Colin Vigil dribbled in from the corner. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman Mikey Burgess took a jump shot. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Lansing sophomore Ryan French stood in against a drive from senior Jaron Briggs but was whistled for a foul. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Freshman P.J. Moore took a mid-range jumper in the lane. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

Frontier League title in the cards for Piper

Senior Jaron Briggs made a move into the lane. Briggs led all scorers with 22 points in the Pirates’ 58-50 win over Eudora. (Photo copyright 2022 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

With the Frontier League championship on the line, and both teams holding an unblemished league record, the Piper Pirates defeated the Eudora Cardinals 58-50 at home Friday evening.

The game was tight through the first half. The Cardinals used their height to control the boards and extend offensive possessions. Senior Jaron Briggs hit 2 three-pointers during a stretch in the second quarter to open up a 7-point lead midway through, but Eudora scrambled back within a single point at the break.

The Pirates built out a more comfortable lead after the break, extending to 9 points and ending the quarter with the score 39-31. Aaron Simmons and Gannon Roth both hit shots from outside the arc in the quarter.

The Pirates won the game in the fourth quarter at the free throw line. Briggs hit eight free throw attempts and two baskets from the field to dominate the score sheet. A desperate run by the Cardinals, including 2 three-pointers from Logan Sullivan, closed the gap from 14 to 8 at the buzzer.

Briggs led the Pirates’ scoring with 22 points for the game, and Simmons scored 12. The Pirates attempted 39 free throws, and made 22.

In a ceremony before the game, Piper recognized seniors who participated in winter activities, including basketball, cheer, dance, band and power lifting. The four departing seniors from the boys’ basketball team, Briggs, Simmons, Blake Porter and Alex Ivanuska, were all in the starting lineup.

Piper finishes the regular season with a 13-7 overall record. Substate playoffs start next week, and the 10-10 Lansing Lions will travel to play at Piper in the first round. The game will take place on Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m.