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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Senior Andrew Orr hit the 1,000-point mark for his career as the No. 3-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team improved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play with a 71-57 win at Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon.

Washburn senior Andrew Orr went over the 1,000-point mark for his career in Saturday's 71-57 win at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]

Jack Bachelor scored four of the Ichabods' first five points with a pair of layups in the first few minutes of the contest. The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, but Jacob Hanna's layup gave Washburn a 15-14 lead that it would not relinquish with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. 

Hanna's basket sparked an 11-0 run for the visitors, which included two 3-pointers by Brayden Shorter. After the Tigers (4-3 overall, 1-1 MIAA) answered with a 3-pointer of their own, Shorter knocked down his third triple of the half to put the Ichabods up 27-17 with seven and half minutes to play in the half.

A minute later, Shorter took the ball away from Fort Hays State and found Michael Keegan for a dunk to give Washburn a 31-19 lead and force a Tigers timeout. 

Sitting at 999 points for his career, Orr stepped to the free throw line with five minutes to play in the half.

Orr knocked down the first attempt to become the 28th Ichabod to join the 1,000-point club. The senior hit the second free throw to give the Ichabods a 15-point lead, its largest advantage of the day.

The Washburn offense cooled off at the end of the half, but the visitors still held a 37-29 lead entering the locker room. Shorter led all scorers with 16 points in the half. 

The Tigers opened the second half of play with a 3-pointer, cutting the Ichabod lead to five.

Washburn did not let the hosts get any closer, with Orr and Shorter each finding the basket to put the Ichabods up 41-32 a minute and a half into the half.

 After the Tigers hit two free throws to cut the lead to seven, Washburn outscored Fort Hays State 13-5 over the next few minutes to extend the lead to 15. 

Following a six-point swing in favor of the Tigers, Shorter cleaned up a missed shot with a rebound and put-back to give Washburn another double-digit lead.

After giving up a 3-pointer, the Ichabods responded with a six-point swing of their own, giving the visitors a 62-48 lead with just over six minutes to play.

The Tigers were unable to cut the Ichabod lead below 10 points for the remainder of the contest as the Ichabods closed out the 14-point victory and their ninth straight win to open the season. 

Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 26 points as No. 3-ranked Washburn improved to 9-0 with a 71-57 win at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN] 

Shorter led all scorers with 26 points to lead the Ichabods, while Orr added 10 points to conclude his milestone evening. Bachelor and Keegan each scored 11 points, while Bachelor chipped in six rebounds and six assists.  

Kyle Grill led the host Tigers with 16 points. 

Washburn shot 27 of 57 from the field for a 47 percent mark, while Fort Hays State ended the evening shooting 20 of 50 for a 40 percent clip. The Ichabods hit 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc and 11 of 14 from the free throw line. 

The Ichabods held a 34-29 advantage on the boards, while outscoring the Tigers 20-0 in fast break points. 

The Ichabods will take a short break from conference play with a trip to San Antonio, Texas, facing St. Edward's University in the River City Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

No. 7 Tigers top Washburn women, 83-53

Washburn fell behind early after a quick start from No. 7 Fort Hays State and would fall 83-53 Saturday at Hays.

The Ichabods will put conference play on hold as they travel out of the country for the Puerto Rico Clasico beginning Dec. 16 as they face University of Puerto Rico Rio-Piedras.

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By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls basketball team opened defense of its Class 5A state championship Friday night, surviving a tough test from Piper to take a 69-67 United Kansas Conference road win.

"What a great atmosphere for the first game of the season,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "Im proud of our girls. We were tough when we needed to be and we had some kids step up and be brave.''

Junior Maddie Gragg scored 21 points to lead Seaman in Friday's 69-67 UKC win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Maddie Gragg led four double-figure scorers for the Vikings with 21 points while junior Anna Becker added 20 points, senior Jadyn Stallbaumer 14 points and senior Ava Esser 13.

Senior Anna Becker moved into the all-time career assist lead for Seaman in Friday's 69-67 win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]

Esser grabbed 10 rebounds to give her a double-double while senior Kinley Wilhelm also had 10 rebounds and Becker had eight assists and moved into the top spot on the Seaman all-time list.

The game was tight throughout, with Seaman leading 23-19 at the end of the first quarter before the Pirates used a 13-6 second quarter to take a 32-29 halftime advantage.

Seaman still trailed by a point (53-52) at the start of the fourth quarter before the Vikings outscored the Pirates 17-14 over the final eight minutes to pull out the two-point victory, hitting 8 of 8 free throws late in the game.

"Before the game we talked about our journey and taking the first step and this is a good win,'' Tinsley said.

The Vikings will be at home Tuesday to face Lansing.

Piper boys take 69-51 win over Vikings

Piper, the Class 5A boys state runnerup last season, opened its 2024-2025 campaign with a 69-51 home United Kansas Conference victory over Seaman.

Piper led 14-9 after one quarter and took control with a 19-8 second quarter, taking a 33-17 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

The Pirates went on to open up a 51-30 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter before Seaman outscored Piper 21-18 the rest of the way.

Seaman got a team-high 12 points from junior KaeVon Bonner while newcomer Cameron Brian and Axton Brewer added nine points apiece.

Seaman will be at home Tuesday to host UKC rival Lansing.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: The 20 boys wrestlers to watch are primarily based on performances in the 2023-2024 season. TopSports.news is still in the process of receiving preseason information from local coaches and will update information as needed.

JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural

Baum, a sophomore, earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition at 175 pounds last season for Washburn Rural, posting a 31-20 record as a freshman. Baum is ranked No. 3 at 175 pounds in the latest of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 6A preseason rankings and is ranked 10th in the All-Class rankings. Baum was a Centennial League champion as a freshman and was selected as the league newcomer of the year.

GABE BRANNICK, Seaman

Brannick, a senior, was a Class 5A state qualifier last season, posting a 36-17 record through regionals, and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention at 157 pounds. Brannick is ranked sixth in 5A at 157 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 5A preseason state rankings. Brannick posted a third-place finish in the United Kansas Conference tournament last season.

BRODY BROWN, Shawnee Heights

Brown, a sophomore, earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition at 126 pounds as a freshman and qualified for the Class 5A state tournament with a sixth-place regional finish. Brown is expected to wrestle at 138 pounds for the T-Birds this season. He posted a 22-18 record last season and placed fourth in the United Kansas Conference tournament.

Easton Broxterman, Washburn Rural

EASTON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural

A senior, Broxterman is a two-time Class 6A state champion and has advanced to the state finals three straight seasons. Broxterman, who posted a 49-1 record en route to the 132-pound title last season, was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year last winter after helping the Junior Blues finish third as a team and is a three-time all-county selection. Broxterman is ranked No. 1 at 144 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings and is also No. 1 in the All-Class rankings.

TRISTAN BUCE, Shawnee Heights

Buce, a junior, was a Class 5A state qualifier and earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season at 106 pounds and is expected to wrestle at 120 pounds this season. Buce posted a 26-6 record last season for the T-Birds and qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish. Buce was a United Kansas Conference champion as a freshman and finished second a year ago.

Adrian Burney, Highland Park

ADRIAN BURNEY, Highland Park

Burney, a senior, was the lone Highland Park Class 5A boys state qualifier last season and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Burney posted a 17-8 record through regional competition last season, punching his ticket to state with a sixth-place finish.

Hunter Diederich, Hayden

HUNTER DIEDERICH, Hayden

Diederich, a senior, earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition at 285 pounds last season, posting a 22-9 record on the season. Diederich was a Class 4A state qualifier in 2023.

TRENT HARRIS, Silver Lake

A senior, Harris received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament with a third-place regional finish at 150 pounds, posting a 31-15 record through regional competition. Harris is ranked No. sixth in 4A at 157 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Assocation preseason rankings.

RYDER HARRISON, Washburn Rural

Harrison, a junior, was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection at 106 pounds as a sophomore, posting a 47-14 record for the Junior Blues, who finished third in Class 6A as a team. Harrison finished fourth at state last season and is ranked No. 5 at 120 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings and is listed third a 113 pounds in the All-Class rankings. Harrison was a Centennial League champ in 2024.

GAVIN HARTMAN, Shawnee Heights

A junior, Hartman received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season and is a former Class 5A state qualifier. Hartman was a United Kansas Conference champion in 2023 and finished fourth in the conference meet last season.

EVAN JOHNSON, Shawnee Heights

Johnson, a junior, was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick at 157 pounds as a sophomore and is a two-time Class 5A state qualifier for the T-Birds. Johnson posted a 29-15 record last season and qualified for state with a fourth-place regional finish. Johnson was a second-place finisher in the United Kansas Conference tournament.

BRODYE KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural

A sophomore, Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year as a freshman and was a second-team all-county selection at 144 pounds for Washburn Rural, which posted a third-place team finish in Class 6A. Munoz finished fourth in 6A last season and is ranked third at 150 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings and seventh in the All-Class rankings at 138.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural

LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural

Kocher-Munoz, a junior, posted a 36-5 record at 138 pounds last season, earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for a second straight season. Kocher-Munoz finished second in Class 6A last season after winning a state championship as a freshman. Kocher-Munoz helped the Junior Blues finish third as a team in 6A. Kocher-Munoz is ranked No. 4 at 132 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason All-Class rankings. Kocher-Munoz won a Centennial League title last season.

JUDE KRENTZ, Hayden

A junior, Krentz earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season at 165 pounds last season after earning his second straight trip to the Class 4A state tournament. Krentz qualified for the 2024 state meet with a third-place regional finish and posted a 27-3 record through regional competition.

Kristjan Marshall, Washburn Rural

KRISTJAN MARSHALL, Washburn Rural

A senior, Marshall earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season after compiling a 39-4 record and capturing the Class 6A 150-pound state championship for Washburn Rural, which finished third in the 6A team race. Marshall, who finished fourth at state as a sophomore, is ranked No. 1 in 6A at 157 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings and is No. 7 in the All-Class rankings at 150. Marshall won a Centennial League title in 2024.

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