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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.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Rossville head football coach Derick Hammes has been named an East assistant coach for the the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played in Emporia.

Rossville football coach Derick Hammes has been selected to coach in his fourth Kansas Shrine Bowl in 2026. [File photo/TSN]

Hammes, who led Rossville to an 11-2 record and a runnerup finish in Class 1A this past season, will be coaching in his fourth Shrine Bowl, serving as the East head coach in 2017 and as an assistant in 2016 and 2022.

Hammes, who has a career coaching record of 154-85, also played in the game in 1989.

“I'm excited to get to coach the "best of the best" as I have another opportunity to be involved in the Kansas Shrine Bowl,'' Hammes said in a Shrine Bowl release. "Most importantly, I'm honored to get the chance to help the Shrine Bowl achieve its mission of helping children in need.” 

The East team will be led by Mike Berg (Wellsville), who was announced earlier this summer as the 2026 head coach.

In addition to Hammes, other East assistants include Kurt Webster (Shawnee Mission Northwest), Rod Stallbaumer (Basehor-Linwood), Bradley Argabright (Labette County), Greg Slade (Santa Fe Trail) and Andrew Gantenbein (Osage City).

The West team will be led by head coach Daniel Myears (Mulvane) and his staff will include Randall Zimmerman (Junction City), Erin Beck (Great Bend), Dawson Elliott (Augusta), Brent Hoelting (Pratt), Todd Rice (Garden Plain) and Brent Schneider (Sterling).

“We’re always grateful for the sacrifice these coaches make by taking time away from their own programs and their families to be a part of the Kansas Shrine Bowl experience,” said Brice Kesler, executive director of the Kansas Shrine Bowl. “We certainly couldn’t have the quality of football game that we get without this outstanding coaching talent, but these men also provide tremendous leadership to the players and serve as great ambassadors for the mission of the Kansas Shrine Bowl.”

The 53rd Kansas Shrine Bowl will be played at Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University at 7 p.m. on June 27.

The initial rosters for the game will be announced during the annual Kansas Shrine Bowl Player Selection Show, which is set to air at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11th, 2026.