The Washburn Rural Blues will head out on the road to face off against the Topeka Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Washburn Rural knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matchups -- so hopefully Topeka likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Washburn Rural got the win against Hayden by a conclusive 62-41. Given Washburn Rural's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 79th, while Hayden is ranked 216th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Washburn Rural's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Griffin Durst, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds, and John Hoytal, who scored 14 points along with two steals. Durst hasn't dropped below 15 points for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of JC Heim, who scored four points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Topeka's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their sixth straight defeat. They fell 56-47 to Emporia. Topeka has struggled against Emporia recently, as their matchup on Friday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Washburn Rural is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 8-9 record this season. As for Topeka, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Washburn Rural took their win against Topeka in their previous meeting back in January by a conclusive 89-65. The rematch might be a little tougher for Washburn Rural since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
