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Top-ranked Washburn men improve to 22-0 with 89-67 MIAA road romp past Lopers
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top-ranked Washburn University men's basketball pushed its unbeaten streak to 22 games Saturday afternoon, taking an 89-67 road win at Nebraska-Kearney.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored a career-high 27 points in Washburn's 89-67 MIAA road win at Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Now 22-0 overall and 12-0 in the MIAA, the Ichabods had to navigate a competitive opening stretch that featured six lead changes and four ties in the first 10 minutes.
UNK grabbed an early 6-3 edge, but Washburn answered with a transition-heavy surge keyed by sophomore Dillon Claussen and Jack Bachelor to regain control.
A 9-0 Washburn run late in the first half created separation, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Claussen and senior Brady Christiansen that pushed the margin to double digits.
Washburn closed the half on a 17-5 run overall and carried a 44-29 lead into the break after shooting 44 percent from the floor and forcing 10 Loper turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Claussen opened with the second half with a three and senior Bryson Smith followed with a layup to ignite another push that ballooned the WU lead to 20 at 53-33 with 15:34 left.
Nebraska-Kearney countered with its best stretch of the afternoon, trimming the deficit to eight behind Ja'Bryant Hill and Clayton Moore during a 9-0 Loper run midway through the half.
But each time UNK threatened, Washburn responded.
Smith attacked the rim for consecutive scores, Bachelor knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Claussen controlled the paint to steady the lead.
The Ichabods eventually built their largest cushion at 22 points with 2:46 remaining and closed out the win from the free throw line.
Claussen led four Ichabods in double figures with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two assists.
Smith finished with 19 points, 18 in the second half, while Bachelor added 17 points and six boards, and Christiansen chipped in six points and four rebounds.
Durbin, Rayton the Dan Key Farmers Agency Rising Stars of the Week
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore boys basketball standout Blaine Durbin and Topeka High junior girls basketball standout Ahsieyrhuajh have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Durbin and Rayton.
Blaine Durbin, Cair Paravel Latin [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]
BLAINE DURBIN, Cair Paravel Latin
Durbin scored a total of 60 points in three wins last week week as No. 7-ranked (Class 2A) Cair Paravel won the championship in the Flint Hills League Tournament at Emporia. Durbin scored 17 points in a 64-30 win over West Franklin, had 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 60-45 win over Lyndon and scored 13 points in the Lions' 64-47 win over Osage City.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High [File photo/TSN]
ASHIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High
Rayton scored 33 points in Tuesday's 71-33 non-league win over Atchison and followed that up with a 37-point performance in Thursday's 65-57 loss to state-ranked Derby in the opening round of the Capital City Classic, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone for her career. Rayton connected on three 3-pointers against Atchison and four against Derby.
Washburn Rural boys take 60-35 win over city rival Highland Park
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys exploited a height advantage on defense and efficiency on offense to defeat the Highland Park boys 60-35 Friday at Washburn Rural.
Junior Cooper Schmidt made an impact on both ends of the floor in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural bounced back from a disappointing loss to Seaman on Tuesday to improve to 9-5. Against Highland Park they hit 26-50 shots from the field, needing just one 3-pointer to rack up 60 points. The Junior Blues jumped out to an 18-7 advantage after one quarter and stretched that lead to 36-16 by halftime before cruising to the victory.
“It was ok. I don’t know that I think we were real sharp,” Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. “We need to shoot the ball better, but I think we’re more focused on the process than the shots going in necessarily. I think we were better defending them off the dribble than we were when we played them back in December (a 57-44 win for the Junior Blues). But I still think there are some execution things that we’re going to have to clean up to compete against some of the better teams on our schedule the rest of the way.”
Junior Cooper Schmidt, Washburn Rural’s 6-foot-10 post player, scored just six points, but he dominated at both ends of the floor. He knocked away Highland Park shot attempts and cleared the boards while providing a threat in the low post on offense against the much smaller Scots. He was recognized by the team after the game for his impact.
“Coop’s a big kid. That’s a luxury that not every team has, and it’s a luxury that we haven’t had very often,” Hutchins said. “It’s a responsibility of Coop to impact the game without fouling so that he can be that interior presence. And it’s our responsibility as coaches to figure out schematically how to leverage that as best we can. It’s been a growing process for both him and us. As the year’s gone on, I think he’s continued to get better and better at becoming a force protecting the paint for us.”
“I love playing that role,” said Schmidt. “That’s how I’ve been since I was a kid. I’ve always played defense more than offense. So, I don’t mind that at all.”
Washburn Rural scored 15 points in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
ophomore Brooks Ballard scored 13 points with a 3-pointer in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Offensively, the Junior Blues saw three players crack double figures, and three others tally six points apiece. Leading the way was John Hoytal with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, Brooks Ballard with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, and Myles Bradley with 11 on 4-7 from the field.
“I think we’re definitely going up,” Schmidt said. “We had a couple of rough games a week or two ago. But I think we’re doing better.
“We need to be more disciplined. Honestly, I think it’s more of an effort thing. We have the skill. I think if we just keep working hard we’re going to be good.”
The Scots fell to 3-12 on the season. They were paced by sophomore Davion Anderson, who dropped in four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 60, HIGHLAND PARK 35
Highland Park 7 9 9 110 -- 35
Washburn Rural 18 18 13 11 -- 60
Highland Park (3-12) – Anderson 6-17 3-5 19, Montgomery 1-3 0-0 2, Drew 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Kingcannon 2-10 0-0 4, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, L. McMillon 0-1 0-0 0, Nance 0-5 0-0 0, Powell 4-6 0-0 8, Z. McMillon 0-0 2-2 2, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 5-7 35.
Washburn Rural (9-5) – Ballard 6-7 0-1 13, Jo. Hoytal 7-9 1-2 15, O’Connor 2-5 2-4 6, Chooncharoen 3-5 0-1 6, Schmidt 3-9 0-0 6, Bradley 4-7 3-4 11, Wright 0-1 0-2 0, Nimz 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Ja. Hoytal 1-2 1-2 3, Graf 0-1 0-0 0, Vogel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 7-16 60.
3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Anderson 4), Washburn Rural 1 (Ballard 1). Total fouls – Highland Park 16, Washburn Rural 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
