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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.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Tuesday night's Washburn Rural boys basketball performance against Emporia wasn't particularly 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.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Emme Blanco

EMME BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a senior girls wrestling standout, captured the 145-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South, improving to 37-3 on the season. After receiving a first-round bye, Blanco posted 32-second, 1:13 and 5:35 wins by fall, including a third-period pin over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes in the title match. 

Jack Donovan

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior basketball standout, Donovan scored a total of 61 points in two Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs improved to 12-6 on the season. Donovan scored 21 points in Tuesday's 75-43 Big East League win over Royal Valley and then scored a career-high 40 points, with six 3-pointers and a 4 of 4 performance at the free throw line in Friday's 95-48 non-league victory over Abilene.  

Cianna Graves

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East wrestling regional at Bonner Springs as Shawnee Heights finished second as a team and qualified all 14 of its competitors for state. Now 31-2 on the season, Graves received a first-round bye and then went 3-0 with 1:35 and 1:56 pins and a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel.

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