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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Silver Lake girls looked so good in the first half, the fact Rossville made the second half tense is a credit to both teams. Silver Lake ultimately won 69-53, but the War on 24 revealed the talent on both sides of the rivalry.

Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter (23) puts up a shot over Rossville's Nora Burdiek (22) and Shailee Hubbell (21) in Tuesday's 69-53 Silver Lake win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Eagles dominated the second period, reeling off 18 straight points before Rossville finally scored with 2:06 before halftime. Prior to the drought-ending basket, Silver Lake led 33-9 and appeared headed for a blowout win. Seven Eagles got in the scoring column in the first half, which the home team led 41-15.

But it was Rossville’s turn after halftime to light up the scoreboard. Behind eight third-quarter points from Rylee Dick and Nora Burdiek, the Bulldawgs outscored the Eagles 20-9 to get back into the game.

“We came out pretty slow and they came out good, and it was hard for us to wake back up and find our groove again,” said Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni. “But props to Rylee and Nora. They played really well that second half.”

Rossville pulled to within 10 points with 4:40 remaining in the game but could draw no closer. Burdiek and Dick finished with 23 and 20 points, respectively, but they couldn’t match the balanced scoring of Silver Lake.

Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni scored 12 points in Tuesday's Silver Lake 69-53 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Silver Lake sharpshooters Karys Dieter and Savanah Wende dropped in 18 and 17 points, respectively, with Hanni adding 12.

“Rossville is a team that we knew we were going to get their best shot,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “We talked at halftime that it’s a 0-0 ballgame in the third quarter, and (Rossville) played with a lot of confidence and punched us in the mouth that third quarter.

“Now, with that said, I am proud of how we responded. Fortunately, we made a lot of shots that second half that helped us extend the lead. But they forced us to get better that second half.”

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A barnburner befitting the War on 24 went the way of host Silver Lake Tuesday 71-68, with Dayne Johnson – a fixture in the rivalry – bouncing back from a miserable first half to lead all scorers with 21 points.

Senior Dayne Johnson (2) led Silver Lake with 21 points in Tuesday's 71-68 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Johnson hit just one of seven attempts in the first half and was visibly frustrated by his inability to get untracked. His teammates picked up the slack, giving the Eagles a 19-12 lead after one period.

Junior Camden Kruger (0) gave Silver Lake scored 18 points in Tuesday's 71-68 War on 25 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

“Dayne’s a great player, but I feel like we have so many players who can make plays, many players who can do the right play at the right time,” said junior Camden Kruger, who chipped in 10 points in the first half to lead Silver Lake. “I think that a big thing that we focus on in our program is adversity. We had to know that we were going to respond as a team and how we’re going to do it together.”

With Johnson struggling, Rossville roared back to close the half trailing just 33-31. Seniors Cameron Miller and Jack Donovan tossed in 11 points apiece in the first half.

Silver Lake came out on fire after the half with Johnson leading the way. The senior attacked the rim onnearly every possession, and scored 12 of the Eagles’ 24 points to build a 57-50 lead.

But Rossville just wouldn’t back down. With their backs to the wall, Rossville hit three three-pointers in the final couple of minutes of the game to cut the lead to 71-68 before time ran out.

“No surprise,” Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger said of Rossville. “They’re really good. They’ve got really good players, they’re well coached and they’ve got the combination of skill with just super competitive.”

The Eagles got 21 points – 18 in the second half – from Johnson and 18 from Camden Kruger. Hunter Rooks and Joel Miller added 10 apiece. Silver Lake hit an efficient 24-45 from the field and 15-21 from the line.

“I thought a lot of guys played well,” Shannon Kruger said. “A lot of these guys contributed last year with, you know, a couple of minutes here or there. We have to have these guys who were JV guys last year, quote-unquote, step up. And man, a lot of them did tonight.”

“I’ll be honest, it was probably the worst half of my life,” Johnson said. “I was a little down on myself, but my teammates made plays, kept us in it, and then second half I got back in my rhythm and made some plays.

“This rivalry, I think it’s the best in Kansas. Both communities show out every game. The stands were packed, the fans were loud, and it was just a great game.”

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University men's basketball continued its perfect start to the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday in San Antonio, taking a 78-66 win over then-No. 4 Lubbock Christian in the Ichabods' first of two games in the River City Classic.

Senior Brady Christiansen scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday as Washburn rolled to a 78-66 win over Lubbock Christian. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Moments after Tuesday's win over the Chapparals, 12-0 Washburn jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 in the national rankings. The Ichabods had been ranked No. 2 in every poll this season, but moved up to the top spot after Nova Southeastern fell to Palm Beach Atlantic last time out.

The Ichabods have been ranked in the top 10 in the last 19 polls dating back to last year and in the top five in the last 17 consecutive polls.

Washburn seized control early against Lubbock Christian behind hot perimeter shooting and strong work on the glass, shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from 3-point range in the opening half.

A pair of late 3-pointers helped Washburn turn a tight contest into a 43-34 halftime lead.

Washburn pushed the advantage to as many as 15 points early in the second half, using a 9-0 run capped by a fast-break finish and a second-chance three to take firm control at 53-38 with 15:43 remaining.

Lubbock Christian (9-2) trimmed the margin to four midway through the half, but the Ichabods responded by closing out the game on a 19-11 spurt, jump-started by a 3-pointer from Marcus Glock with 6:33 to play.

For the game, Washburn shot 46.6 percent from the field and an efficient 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 3-pointers.

The Ichabods also capitalized at the foul line, hitting 12 of 16 free throws, while also earning an advantage in fastbreak points (16–5) and second-chance points (11–0).

Washburn finished with 32 rebounds and forced 14 turnovers, converting those miscues into 14 points.

Senior Brady Christiansen led the way for Washburn with a career-high 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including three triples, while going a perfect 6 for 6 at the free throw line and adding five rebounds.

Junior Jack Bachelor is now two points away from 1,000 career points after scoring 20 in Tuesday's 78-66 Washburn win over Lubbock Christian. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]  

Junior Jack Bachelor added 20 points and drilled 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point range while also contributing four assists and three steals. Bachelor moved within two points of becoming the 28th member of the Washburn 1,000 point, lifting his career total to 998 points in 76 career games.

Sophomore Dillon Claussen posted 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting while adding six rebounds and three assists.

Junior Jeremiah Jones had eight points, a career-high nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Lubbock Christian was led by Antonio Pusateri with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Amondo Miller Jr. added 16 points and nine boards.

On Wednesday, the Ichabods will face No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M at 1 p.m. in their second game in the River City Classic.