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Hayden extends win streak to three games with 68-53 decision over Manhattan
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team extended its winning streak to three games Tuesday night at the Bueltel Activity Center, taking a 68-53 Centennial League decision over Manhattan.
Connor Hanika led all scorers with 22 points in Hayden's 68-53 Centennial League win over Manhattan Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Manhattan came out strong, scoring the first seven points of the game, before Hayden junior Mason Becker finally got the Wildcats on the board with a jumper.
But the Indians answered with an and-one finish to take a 10-4 lead. That’s when Hayden found its rhythm.
Senior Connor Hanika poured in eight straight points to tie the game, and the teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the first quarter as Manhattan held a narrow 18-17 advantage at the end of one.
Hayden fed Hanika early in the second quarter and he scored the opening basket to give the Wildcats the lead in a period that featured seven lead changes.
After Manhattan briefly regained the edge, Hanika attacked the rim, drew a foul, and knocked down both free throws to make it 21-20 Wildcats.
The Indians answered again, but junior Carter Compton connected on one of his three 3-pointers on the night to give Hayden a 24-22 lead.
With the game tied 24-24, the gym fell silent as Hanika drove to the basket and was fouled hard, suffering a cut above his eye that forced him out of the game.
Kade Mitchell hit the ensuing free throw and Hayden needed others to step up. They did just that.
Jace Wolff scored five straight points to give the Wildcats a 30-26 advantage. Everett Tourtillott followed with seven consecutive points of his own, helping Hayden surge to a 39-29 halftime lead after outscoring Manhattan 22-11 in the second quarter.
Hayden coach Dwayne Anthony praised his team’s response without its leading scorer on the floor.
“Very big, very big,'' Anthony said. "We have a next-man-up mentality, you know? And I'm just glad they answered that call. As much as we need and appreciate Connor, there's going to be some times where he has to be not in the game for whatever reasons.
"We don't expect any slippage. We expect our guys to come up and do what they did tonight. Proud of them.”
Anthony also highlighted Wolff and Tourtillott’s contributions.
“If you've been watching them, they've been showing that's what they do -- that they're ready to provide real good minutes -- and they did,'' Anthony said. "They've been playing solid and listening. I'm very proud of them.
"Very big, not only for them, but for the program.”
Hanika returned in the third quarter with a bandage above his eye, and Hayden wasted no time extending the lead. Compton drilled a 3-pointer, Hanika attacked the rim, and the Wildcats began to pull away.
Compton added another basket, followed by another from Hanika to make it 46-34.
Becker and Compton then hit back-to-back 3-pointers as Hayden stretched the lead to 54-36.
The Wildcats carried a 54-40 advantage into the fourth quarter while Manhattan struggled to find offense.
The Indians attempted to rally in the final period, but each basket was answered by Hayden as the Wildcats secured the 15-point victory.
Hanika led all scorers with 22 points.
“The guys are getting comfortable and trusting the plans and the things that we draw up,” Anthony said. “They're getting comfortable, relaxing, starting to realize their potential, and starting to believe that they can compete and do some things.
"That's why I believe you're seeing a change in some of the outcomes of these games.”
Rural girls clinch 33rd straight winning season with 50-26 win over Emporia
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural girls basketball overcame a slow start with a 19-0 second quarter Tuesday night, going on to complete a three-game season sweep over Emporia with a 50-26 home Centennial League victory.
Freshman Brynn Anderson scored a game-high 19 points in Washburn Rural's 50-26 win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Now 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the league, Washburn Rural clinched its 33rd straight winning season.
The Junior Blues committed seven turnovers in the opening seven minutes on the way to an 8-8 deadlock with the Spartans (7-13, 1-6) at the end of the first quarter, but Washburn Rural took control with its second-quarter shutout, opening up a commanding 27-8 advantage at the half.
Rural went on build a 40-16 lead by the end of the third stanza before forcing a running clock midway through the fourth.
"We were really not happy with the way we started because I didn't think we were focused in our talk before the game,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "I thought we were too loosey-goosey and we just weren't zeroed in and I think it showed once that game started.
"We were just tossing that ball away, and you can't do that. Emporia is a good enough team that they'll make you pay for it and they did in the first quarter. But then we started getting a little bit more zeroed in on defense. I really thought our defense picked up and I thought we were kind of forcing them into some shots that they were a little iffy about shooting.''
Washburn Rural senior Hallie Walker had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 50-26 Centennial League win over emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Freshman Kamryn Smith scored 10 points with three treys in Tuesday's 50-26 Washburn Rural win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 7's
Freshman Brynn Anderson led Washburn Rural with a game-high 19 points while senior Hallie Walker had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Kamryn Smith came off the bench to score 10 points, with three 3-pointers.
Wright scores game-winning hoop in Junior Blues' 46-44 OT win over Spartans
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tuesday night's Washburn Rural boys basketball performance against Emporia wasn't real pretty. In fact, things got downright ugly at times, particularly in a scoreless fourth quarter.
Washburn Rural's bench celebrates Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday night at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But all that mattered to Rural coach Alex Hutchins was that his Junior Blues somehow found a way to escape with a 46-44 overtime home Centennial League decision over the Spartans.
"Find a way to win,'' Hutchins said. "We've been talking about it, even before the last couple of games, about how we've got to be gritty and we've got to find ways even when it's not pretty to get it done.
"Friday against Junction we had three points at the end of the first quarter and tonight we don't score in the fourth quarter but find a way to win both. Yeah, would I prefer it look a little different? Sure, but I'd rather it be that way than a pretty loss.''
Washburn Rural, now 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the Centennial League, looked to be on cruise control after taking a 39-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
But Emporia (15-5, 4-3) pitched a 13-0 shutout over the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 39.
Junior Zach Wright scored the game-winning basket for his only points of the game in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues trailed 42-41 in the four-minute extra session and there were ties at 42 and 44 before junior Zach Wright emerged as the hero, scoring his only basket of the game on a driving layup with 19 seconds remaining for what proved to be the game-winner.
"I saw a guy help and I was like, 'I'm just going to take it, I want to win the game,' '' Wright said. "I saw a little opening, I Euroed into the guy and made the layup.
"Coach always talks about finding a way no matter how it is, and that's what we did.''
Emporia called a timeout with 11.6 seconds left to set up a final play, but junior Harrison Trelc, who had burned Rural for a game-high 19 points, missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key as time ran out.
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior John Hoytal added eight points and eight rebounds and junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds as Rural avenged an earlier 52-46 loss to the Spartans in Emporia.
