EMPORIA, Kan.—Topeka Seaman definitely did not look like an underdog.
The Vikings entered the Class 5A boys basketball state quarterfinals Wednesday, March 9 at White Auditorium in Emporia as the No. 8 seed going up against a one-loss No. 1 seed in Kapaun. They led wire-to-wire in a 54-43 upset. Topeka Seaman won a state tournament game for the first time since 1946, and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 1941.
Seaman maintained a double-digit margin most of the way after senior forward Ty Henry took over the first half. Henry scored 15 of his game-high 31 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 3 of 3 from 3-point range over the first two quarters. He ended 9 of 10 from the field with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks.
"Ty Henry was tremendous and really carried us to the win," Seaman head coach Craig Cox said.
The Vikings built up a 15-6 advantage after one quarter, limiting the Crusaders to just 30% shooting. Kapaun started to warm up a little in the second quarter, going on a 6-0 run shortly before halftime.
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