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Bachelor leads way with 19 points as Washburn men roll to 87-52 MIAA rout at Nebraska-Kearney
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 3-ranked Washburn University men opened MIAA play with a bang Thursday night, recording the largest margin of victory in the 50-game series with Nebraska-Kearney in an 87-52 road win.
The Ichabods (8-0 overall, 1-0 MIAA) trailed 3-0 after the Lopers (1-6, 0-1) hit a long jumper. Then, after a 3-pointer by WU's Jack Bachelor tied the score, the Lopers took a 5-3 lead, but the Ichabods used a 17-1 run over the next 6:07 of the contest to take a 20-6 lead as Washburn was 7 of 10 during the stretch while the Ichabod defense held the Lopers to 0-7 shooting from the field.
The Lopers used an 8-0 run to cut Washburn's lead to 28-10 with 7:17 to play in the first half before Washburn used another double-digit run, outscoring the Lopers 10-0 to go up 20 before taking a 44-26 lead into the break.
Bachelor hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to push Washburn's lead to 23.
The Lopers connected on two more jumpers before the Ichabods ripped off another big run of 17-3, going up by 33 with 8:57 left.
After the final media timeout, Bachelor connected on another 3-pointer and Jake Schadegg hit two treys of his own 28 seconds apart, giving Washburn its 11th 3-pointer on the evening as the Ichabods rolled to the 35-point win.
The 35-point win topped the previous series victory margin of 31 in an 89-58 win over the Lopers on Jan. 16, 2019 in Topeka.
Washburn snapped a three-game MIAA-opener losing streak with the win over the Lopers, recording its first win in its league lid-lifter since 2020.
Bachelor's 19 points was a game high as the Washburn Rural product finished 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Carlgren's 3-pointer caps late Washburn Rural comeback in 44-43 win over Blue Valley Northwest
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Over the last 27 minutes of Friday's season-opener against Blue Valley Northwest, Washburn Rural's girls led for 1.5 seconds.
But thanks to Junior Blue junior Josie Carlgren, that was enough for Rural to take a 44-43 come-from-behind non-league win over the Huskies at Rural.
Washburn Rural trailed by 12 points with a minute and a half left in the third quarter and was down by seven with two minutes left before mounting its late charge.
The Huskies, who were just seven of 16 at the free throw line, went in front 43-41 on a free throw by Rylie Edwards with 12.9 remaining but Washburn Rural got the ball to Carlgren in the corner and she swished the game-winning 3-pointer, her only basket of the night, as time ran down.
"Jo just felt her moment and she said, 'I just knew it was going in. The minute I shot it, I said it's in,' '' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "That's the confidence that we're kind of telling them that they need.
"And you're talking about a kid that's kind of bided her time and she stepped up in a pretty big moment right there.''
After Carlgren's clutch hoop 1.5 seconds was put back on the clock, but Rural senior Kate Hinck intercepted the Northwest inbounds pass to clinch the win.
Washburn Rural, which has been to three straight Class 6A championship games, led 7-3 early in the game but Northwest took a 17-13 lead at the end of the quarter and the Junior Blues were fighting from behind the rest of the night.
Ichabod volleyball outlasts No. 5 Lopers in five-set battle, advances to NCAA Central Region semis
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Washburn University volleyball will continue to dance in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off No. 5 nationally ranked Nebraska-Kearney in five sets on Thursday in a Central Region quarterfinal.
The Ichabods will face either Central Oklahoma or Southwest Minnesota State at 4 p.m. on Friday in the Central Region semifinals.
Thursday's win was WU's first of the season over Nebraska-Kearney after two regular-season losses to the Lopers, with the Ichabods taking a 20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 decision.
"It was fun, wasn't it,'' veteran Washburn coach Chris Herron said in the post-match press conference. "I'm sure it was fun if you were sitting in the stands, but I'm up here shaking.
"We played them that way last time, too. Last time we lost in five, 15-12, so I'm very excited for my team.''
The first set went in the 30-3 Lopers' favor, 25-20, before 21-7 Washburn flipped the score in the second to even the match.
Nebraska Kearney went back up, winning 25-21 in the third set, but the Ichabods forced a fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
After trailing 7-1 to begin the final set Washburn rallied to win 15-13 and knock off UNK.