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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jack Bachelor 

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University

A junior guard, Bachelor scored 23 points on 7 of 13 shooting with three 3-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws in an 95-63 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead and had 14 points with five assists and three 3s in an 88-57 in over Winona State as No. 2-ranked Washburn went 2-0 in the Central Regional Challenge at Pittsburg to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Mason Becker  

MASON BECKER, Hayden

Becker, a junior, scored a 71-yard touchdown on a pass reception from Connor Hanika, rushed for 78 yards on 9 carries, went 5 of 5 on extra-point attempts to improve his season PAT streak to 61 and averaged 44.5 yards on two punts as Hayden improved to 11-0 with an 43-29 home Class 3A state quarterfinal win over Jefferson West.

 Autumn Gibbs

AUTUMN GIBBS, Washburn University 

A junior volleyball player, Gibbs came up big in Friday's 3-1 home MIAA win over Central Oklahoma. After Washburn, now No. 7-ranked, dropped a 25-23 first-set decision, Gibbs jump-started her team with six straight service points, including three aces, at the end of the second set to give WU a 25-22 win before it closed out the match with 25-19 and 25-16 wins. Washburn took a 3-0 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith the following day to earn a share of the MIAA regular-season championship.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

If a stranger happened to sit down during a conversation between veteran high school coaches Kevin Bordewick and Steve Alexander, it might be difficult to immediately ascertain whether the two were even friends, let alone best buddies for nearly four decades.

Kevin Bordewick begins his 17th season as Washburn Rural's girls head coach and his 33rd in the program on Monday. [File photo/TSN]  Steve Alexander, introducing Kevin Bordewick for Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame induction in 2023, will serve as a Washburn Rural assistant coach this winter. [File photo/TSN]

But that's understandable considering the fact that the unshakable bond between the two men is based in part on making sure that the other one never thinks they've gained the upper hand in their decades long back and forth.

That fierce loyalty, almost always tinged with wit and maybe a touch of sarcasm, is likely to be evident at times this winter as Bordewick and Alexander re-visit their coaching roots while sharing the bench for the Washburn Rural girls basketball team.

And Bordewick, who began his coaching career as Alexander's assistant in boys basketball at Class 1A Blue Valley-Randolph, said he's waited a long time to get the chance to turn the tables and boss his friend around.

"Heck yeah. This is payback after 35, 40 years,'' Bordewick joked. "I've got a lot of ammo, a whole warehouse full.''

For his part, Alexander admits that some of that payback may actually be deserved.

"When Kevin was my assistant, he was coaching the JV game and I'm sitting three rows back behind the bench doing stats or something,'' Alexander recalled. "There was some call and I lost it and I throw my clipboard and it bounces down to the floor.

"I went down to the floor to get it and (Bordewick) got T'd up because I wasn't on the bench. He tells the refs, 'I don't even know that guy.' But they go, 'You do, too. We know that's the head coach.' '' 

Bordewick remembers the incident well.

"I was already voicing my displeasure with the call and then there's this clipboard that flies by me on the stairs and I get a technical,'' Bordewick said.

"Being his assistant I really re-thought maybe I should have become a computer programmer or maybe I should have gone into visual arts, maybe movie production or something. I really re-thought my career.''   

Bordewick eventually took over the girls programs for the Rams in basketball, volleyball and track but he and Alexander remained together at Blue Valley for five years before Alexander moved on to Seaman and Bordewick had a brief two-year stint as boys coach at Oskaloosa before becoming a staple in the girls volleyball and basketball programs at Washburn Rural.

Both Alexander and Bordewick credit close friend Bill Annan, now a women's assistant at Division I Oral Roberts for getting them to Topeka. Annan served as a boys assistant at Seaman before Alexander took on that role when Annan moved to Washburn Rural to guide the girls program.

Bordewick came on to board and served as Annan's assistant for 16 years, including three Class 6A state championships, before Annan moved on to college coaching and Bordewick succeeded him with the Junior Blues.  

Fast forward and Bordewick is starting his 17th year as the Junior Blues' head girls coach, with 12 Class 6A state tournament appearances, eight final fours, two state titles and two runnerup finishes, while Alexander is joining Bordewick at Rural after 24 seasons with the Seaman girls as head coach and eight years as an assistant, leading the Vikings to a 5A state title game as a head coach and on the bench for the school's state championship run in 2024.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

It's hard to think of much that Ken Darting hasn't accomplished in his Hall of Fame basketball coaching career.

He's led three different schools to state tournament appearances, won five state championships at two schools, including three straight titles at Highland Park, posted a perfect 25-0 campaign and registered 603 coaching victories.

Ken Darting, a member of multiple Halls of Fame, will close out his legendary coaching career alongside his son, Kerry, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

Now, when high school practice for the 2025-2026 season starts on Monday, Darting will add what he feels is the only missing piece when his son, Kerry, joins him on the T-Bird bench in his final season at Shawnee Heights.

The 75-year-old Darting had thought about retirement the last couple of years, but wanted to finish out with this year's senior class, which has been a part of back-to-back Class 5A state tournament appearances.

"I'm looking forward to this year as much as I have any year ever and that's pretty good when you say you lost your three leading scorers, three leading rebounders, three leading percentage shooters, leading free throw shooters, leading assist guy, and I'm looking forward to it? I've got to be drunk, dumb or something,'' Darting said. "But these senior kids do everything you ask and they want to be good, they want to have a good team. Those kids have done everything that I told them is important to get good, so we're looking forward to it.

"That's why it should be nothing but fun. When I'm saying I'm looking forward to this year and I said what I lost, I ain't stupid. I'm not looking forward to it because we're going to have five All-Americans and we're going to beat everybody 60 points. I'm looking forward to it because the kind of people that I like to work with are there.''

Kerry Darting, who operates Darting Basketball Academy, will serve as an assistant coach for his father, Ken, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

And when Kerry, a former Division I assistant and the co-founder with his dad in the highly-successful Darting Basketball Academy, committed to joining his dad on the Heights bench, one more season was a done deal for Ken.

"A biggie is Kerry coming on board,'' Ken said. "That made it a no decision.''

Coaching with his son is something that Ken has thought about for a long time, but the stars just never aligned to make that possible until now.

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