WU senior Andrew Orr & teammates celebrate their NCAA D-II Central Region championship.

[Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Seaman coach Matt Tinsley name UKC girls' basketball Coach of the Year.

[File Photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones named Centennial League Boys' Player of the Year.

[Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Rossville junior Rylee Dick named to All-Big East First Team.

[file photo/TSN]

WU Coach Brett Ballard’s jubilation as the Ichabod’s won the NCAA D-II Central Regional championship.

[Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake, named to All-Big East First Team.

[File Photo/TSN]

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Key Performers of the Week

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By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Centennial League boys basketball champion Washburn Rural, which went unbeaten in league play, dominated all-league balloting from the league coaches, sweeping all three of the individual awards.

AmareJones2025Centennial 1 Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones has been named the Centennial League boys basketball player of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

SimonRowley2025CentennialLeague 1Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley has been named the Centennial League boys newcomer of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Rural senior Amare Jones was named the Centennial League player of the year while junior Simon Rowley was selected as the newcomer of the year and Junior Blues coach Alex Hutchins was tapped as the coach of the year.

JamesKuta2025CentennialLeague 1Hayden senior James Kuta (right) has been named to the All-Centennial League boys first team. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Jones and Rowley were also named to the all-league first team, along with Hayden senior James Kuta.

Jones, Rowley and Kuta headlined a list of nine city players who received All-Centennial League recognition.

Earning second-team all-league honors were Washburn Rural senior Kaden Ballard and Topeka High junior Bryson McComas.

Hayden junior Connor Hanika and sophomore Mason Becker received all-league honorable mention along with senior King Leonard and junior John Hoytal of Washburn Rural.

ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL

First team

Jackson Austin, Junction City; Rylan Crowell, Emporia; Amare Jones, Washburn Rural; James Kuta, Hayden; Simon Rowley, Washburn Rural; Larkin Turner, Junction City. 

Second team

Lovell Autry, Junction City; Kaden Ballard, Washburn Rural; Nolan Jacob, Emporia; Bryson McComas, Topeka High; Noah McFadden, Manhattan; JaTwaan Williams, Junction City.

Honorable Mention

Hayden: Mason Becker, Connor Hanika. Manhattan: Vince Doering. Washburn Rural: John Hoytal, King Leonard.

Player of the year -- Amare Jones, Washburn Rural.

Newcomer of the year -- Simon Rowley, Washburn Rural.

Coach of the year -- Alex Hutchins, Washburn Rural.

 

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