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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Cair Paravel cheer squad is back on top!

The Lions cheerleaders claimed their fourth state championship in five years, returning to the top of the Class 2A podium after placing second a year ago. To do so, they had to knock off four-time defending Class 3A champ Rossville, which dropped down to 2A for the first time this year.

Cair Paravel cheer celebrates its fourth KSHSAA state cheer championship in five years Nov. 21 at the Stormont Vail Events Center. [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]

Cair Paravel cheer poses for a team picture after winning its fourth KSHSAA state cheer championship in five years Nov. 21. [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]

Cair Paravel’s elementary students took to the school’s hallways last Friday to celebrate the cheer squad who paraded through the hallways displaying their latest trophy. The school’s upper grades rallied in the gymnasium to celebrate the squad’s fourth state title – still the school’s only trophies since it earned KSHSAA membership in 2020.

Last year, the Lions placed second to Oskaloosa, snapping their string of three wins in as many attempts. At this year’s competition on Nov. 21 at Stormont Vail Events Center, the Lions got by Rossville to reclaim the title.

“When we got second place last year, I think that really sparked a fire in us,” said Cair Paravel coach Courtney Bond. “I had a meeting with Coach Edye (Sack) and our returning seniors, and we talked about what we needed to do so that doesn’t happen again. We talked about song changes, choreography changes, adding different props and those kinds of things. We watched a lot of film. And I think the girls were just hungrier this year than ever before.”

“I think we all kept a pretty good attitude about (finishing second in 2024),” said senior Logan Johnson. “We just came back wanting that win our senior year. We focused on keeping a great mindset that, win or lose, this does not define us. We added some extra practices this year and worked with our choreographer a little bit more to just have some more help.”

Taking second place after a run of championships caused the Lions to reevaluate and adjust their priorities.

“Losing last year sort of made us more easy-going this year,” senior Maddy Freund said. “I think all of us were not as stressed this year.”

“We changed our focus this year,” Bond said. “Instead of a championship being our focus, we focused on bettering our skills competing against ourselves, viewing our abilities as a gift from God and using this performance as a form of praise and thanksgiving to Him.”

Reclaiming the crown got significantly tougher when Rossville moved to 2A. The Bulldawgs were the 3A champs from 2021-2024.

“We’ve always had the utmost respect for Rossville as they are the most dominant program across all the classes in the state,” Bond said. “They were the four-time 3A champs and had literally never lost before in person (Rossville did not win the virtual competition held during the pandemic).”

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball achieved its biggest victory over a nationally-ranked team in more than 10 years on Saturday in Lee Arena, with the Ichabods taking a 67-64 MIAA thriller over No. 3 Fort Hays State, 67-64.

Washburn celebrates its 67-64 win over No. 3-ranked Fort Hays State Saturday in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Getting a combined 46 points from seniors Yibari Nwidadah and Gabi Giovannetti, the Ichabods handed the Tigers their first loss of the season while ending a 10-game Fort Hays State winning streak in the series.

"It was a big one and I think it was a real testament to the work these seniors have done because when we need them down the stretch they just seem to keep showing up and now the confidence is coming that they've earned and they've worked really hard for,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said.

"It was just a great team win and that's what we've been about this week.''  

Nwidadah notched her first double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Giovannetti scored 22 points with three assists and three 3-pointers and senior Payton Sterk contributed six points and five assists.

"Every day I'm just trying to be as dominant as I can,'' Nwidadah said. "I know that's my role on this team, so doing that I think makes our team as successful as we can be.''

It was a game of runs early on with Washburn, now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, throwing the first punch as the Ichabods led 8-1 after an inside bucket from Nwidadah.

Fort Hays State (7-1, 1-1) answered with the next 18 points in the game to lead 19-8. The Ichabods finished the opening quarter by scoring the final four points as they weathered the storm while shooting 4 of 18 from the field.  

The Tigers opened the second quarter by extending the lead back to 11 points at 28-17 with 6:28 to play, but shots started to fall for Washburn, which put together an 8-0 run that included two buckets by Britany Kogbara inside.

The game was tied in the final minute of the second quarter after a 3-pointer by Giovannetti and the Ichabods entered the locker room leading 35-32 after Nwidadah converted an and-one in the final seconds of the half.  

Fort Hays State quickly tied the game up in the third quarter, but Washburn had an answer with baskets from Nwidadah and Giovannetti.

In the final three minutes of the quarter the duo combined for eight straight points to give the Ichabods a double-digit lead for the first time at 51-40 with 1:41 to play in the third. Sterk beat the buzzer on a jumper to keep the lead at 10 (55-45) heading to the fourth.  

The first four points in the fourth came from Fort Hays State and the Tigers continued to cut away, with the lead at just two points at the 4:49 mark.

Minutes later Giovannetti got three the old fashioned way, stretching the lead to five. The basket was matched with a 5-0 run for Fort Hays State to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining.

Out of a timeout Nwidadah got a layup to fall inside and on the other end would come up with a block to help secure the second ranked victory of the season for Washburn.  

"We talked a lot about staying the course,'' Nwidadah said. "I think in any basketball game it's a game of runs, so we just had to stop their runs as much as we could and fight back as well.''

Even though Washburn is just two games into the conference season, Giovannetti said Saturday's win should give the Ichabods confidence moving forward.

"I've never beat Fort Hays the whole time I've been here, so it gives us a lot of confidence,'' Giovannetti said. "We just have a lot of confidence within our team and a lot of confidence in each other.'' 

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By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Perennial state girls power Washburn Rural will have to make do without junior star and Kansas State commit Maddie Vickery for at least the early portion of the 2025-2026 season.

Kevin Bordewick begins his 17th season as Washburn Rural's girls basketball head coach and his 33rd in the program. [File photo/TSN]

But Kevin Bordewick, who is starting his 17th season as the Junior Blues' coach in basketball, said his team has to view Vickery's absence as a chance to get other Rural players accustomed to competing at the Class 6A level.

“It’s going to give us a great opportunity to have others to step up and do other things more,'' Bordewick said. "I’m really excited about the kids we have coming back and some freshmen who are going to step up and play major minutes and we’re going to have a good mix.''

“We work a lot on ball movement and working together instead of relying on (Vickery) to score and rebound for us. I feel like we’ve been more aggressive on shooting, driving and other aspects, too,” senior Ella Hirschi said.

 

Hallie Walker, Hirschi and Josie Carlgren will be the seniors of this season's Washburn Rural group.

Bordewick said junior Brooklyn Rutherford will be a key contributor and got some big minutes last season. Kailyn Peterson is a post player Bordewick said the Junior Blues will use and he said four freshmen will get minutes.

“We’re all really hard workers,'' Carlgren said. "We want to get better every single day at practice, we all push each other to get better. If there is something that someone needs to work on, we’ll keep them on track, and that goes for everybody.''

 

Bordewick has led Washburn Rural to 10 6A state titles in volleyball and basketball and said there’s no secret ingredient to success, but said it does come down to some variables. 

“You can’t win if you don’t have good athletes,” he said. “They have to work hard, they have to believe in themselves and I think what we try to get out of them is really up to them.

 

"I told the freshmen, 'We’re going to be on you even as freshmen because if you’re on this varsity group, you’re a varsity ballplayer, you’re not a freshman so we’re going to treat you as a varsity ballplayer and we have standards that we don’t lower no matter what.''

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