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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls basketball put together a strong comeback Friday night after falling behind by 11 points in the first half.

But for the second straight game, it wasn't enough, with the Vikings dropping their second United Kansas Conference decision in three days, a 52-46 home loss to Leavenworth.

Seaman senior Maddie Gragg (32) scored 16 points in Friday's 52-46 UKC loss to Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Seaman, which lost 52-38 to De Soto on Wednesday at home, spotted the Pioneers a 27-16 halftime advantage before rallying to get as close as two points with 1:07 remaining, but the Pioneers outscored the Vikings 5-1 down the stretch to hold on for the win.

The Vikings, now 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the UKC, have dropped back-to-back games for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.

"We came out flat and all three games this week we've come out flat,'' said Seaman coach Matt Tinsley, whose Vikings opened the week with a 49-26 conference road win at Topeka West on Tuesday. "You can't dig yourself a hole and then that's just too much energy to come back.

"They'd get a rebound that we have a chance to get and they'd hit a 3 or we'd have a turnover in a critical moment. We're still learning that every possession is so important, especially in a tight game like that. We had no energy in the first half at all. We showed what we can do in the second half, but unfortunately the game is two halves.''

Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings with 16 points, 11 in the second half, while junior Cara Beaton added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After avenging its only loss of the season in an emotional five-point United Kansas Conference road win over No. 2-ranked Topeka West on Tuesday, the No. 3 Seaman boys returned to action Friday against a Leavenworth team that entered the night in the throes of a six-game losing streak.

Senior KaeVon Bonner scored 24 points as No. 3-ranked Seaman rolled to a 72-50 UKC win over Leavenworth Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

But the Vikings didn't slack off, stretching their winning streak to six games with a 72-50 home UKC romp past the Pioneers.

"It's no disrespect to Leavenworth, but all our guys see is their record and don't know anything about what they're going to bring to the table,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "So coming off of a big win, that human nature letdown is scary.

"So for us to hold it together enough to get the job done and separate ourselves in the second half was good.''

Now 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the UKC, the Vikings led 16-13 at the end of the opening quarter and 30-22 at halftime before turning the game into a rout with a 22-10 third quarter to open up a commanding 52-32 advantage and cruised the rest of the way.

Leavenworth used a box-and-one defense on Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner, but the Viking star still finished with a game-high 24 points while hitting nine of 10 shots from the floor.

"Give Leavenworth a lot of credit for their defensive game plan,'' Cox said. "They came out and showed us that box and one, which we really haven't seen much. We've done some preparation, but until you actually see somebody else do it, it's not the same.

"It gave us an opportunity to see what would work and what wouldn't and I thought we found some stuff there in the third and early fourth quarter that worked.''

Senior Landon Wiltz scored 18 points in Seaman's 72-50 UKC home win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Landon Wiltz also had a big night for the Vikings, scoring 18 points while going a perfect five of five from the free throw line.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Former Washburn Rural and Washburn University star Andrew Beckler has been named to the Ichabod golf staff as an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2026 season.

 

Andrew Beckler has been named an assistant coach for Washburn University golf for the remainder of the 2026 season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

 

"Having the opportunity to bring Andrew back and help the team this spring was a no-brainer," said Washburn director of folf Ronnie McHenry. " Anytime you have the chance for a future Hall of Famer, National Player of the Year, MIAA Player of the Year and a professional athlete who's played in a U.S. Open to teach your team, you jump at that.

 

"We are excited to get him back to Washburn and are looking forward to our players learning from him."

 

Beckler was an individual and Class 6A state team champion for Washburn Rural before playing collegiately at Kansas State and Washburn.

 

During his time for the Ichabods, Beckler was the 2020-21 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year, 2020-21 MIAA Player of the Year, 2020-21 GCAA PING First Team All-American and a two-time All-MIAA pick while winning four tournaments.

 

He also holds the lowest scoring average in Washburn men's golf history with a 72.00 average over 67 rounds. Beckler is also tied for the third lowest round in history with 64, which he did twice in the 2020-21 season.

 

Beckler qualified for the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where he shot a 71 in round 2.