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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Monthly musings …
• Chiefs Derangement Syndrome is sure in vogue now that the playoffs have started.
• And remember, unlike another derangement syndrome often cited, media types can pander to 31 different fan bases rather than allies of one political party.
• The person they most want to discredit, of course, is the face of the league, Patrick Mahomes.
• Does Mahomes benefit from favorable calls? Perhaps. But it’s not unprecedented.
• Tom Brady did too, playing for a franchise that was caught red-handed cheating.
• The consequences for those New England teams? None really. Their championships will forever remain intact.
• Look, if you’re a Chiefs fan, enjoy it. Your team is in the heads of every opponent and opposing fan base.
• Also, Mahomes remains focused and strong-willed as he bids for a third straight Super Bowl championship.
• Realize this, too. The Houston Texans will find it hard to ever become a powerhouse.
• Not as long as they blame the refs by saying they walked into Arrowhead knowing they’d get jobbed.
• Excuses sound good to some people, especially those bashing the Chiefs.
• But excuses weaken teams. Excuses can’t cover Travis Kelce, can’t pass-block effectively and can’t execute on special teams.
• Those are the flaws that contributed to Houston’s loss; more so than any unfavorable calls.
• Not many want to acknowledge, on a national scale, that the Chiefs built their curent reign on character.
• Andy Reid is one of the best to ever do it because he leverages his curiosity.
• He gets to know his players and anyone else who works in the Chiefs operation.
• Speaking with Mahomes’ daughter outside the locker room after the Houston win was no publicity stunt.
• When you get to know your people, it promotes teamwork. Not everyone complies, but those who don’t usually get shipped elsewhere.
• One of them, Kareem Hunt, came back into the fold and will be the running back the Chiefs count on in the AFC Championship game on Sunday against the Bills.
• Kansas City needs Hunt, and whatever Isiah Pacheco can add, to keep the ball out of Josh Allen’s hands.
• For the Chiefs to win, someone unexpected will step up and either make a big play or overachieve for 60 minutes.
• Allen is a great quarterback and the Buffalo team he commands is capable of playing for a Super Bowl title.
• Mahomes, however, remains the proven leader I want in a postseason run.
• Especially when he and the Chiefs are clearly in the heads of so many haters.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
TopSports.news founder and longtime local radio broadcaster Bill Griffin passed away peacefully early Monday morning at a local hospital at the age of 69.
Bill Griffin, who passed away Monday at the age of 69, was recognized during a 2022 Washburn University football game in Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Griffin was surrounded by wife Nancy and close friends at the time of his death after a 10-month battle with esophageal cancer.
Griffin grew up in the greater Kansas City area and played baseball and football at the University of Kansas before carving out a long multi-faceted business career in Topeka, including a stint as the general manager of the Heartland Park Topeka racing facility.
It was Griffin's brainchild in 2020 to launch TopSports.news, a website dedicated to Shawnee County high school and Washburn University sports, and he was the heart and soul of the organization from its debut on Jan. 1, 2021.
“The conversation about launching this website started about a year and a half before we actually made it to the webpage,” Griffin said in a 2021 interview with TK Business Magazine. "It then accelerated when we were at a brunch in Vegas. While we were there, we said, ‘Let’s take a hard look at doing this.’
“From my side of it, it looked like there was an open opportunity in the market for someone to step in and take over coverage of high school sports.”
Griffin also put together a 30-year career broadcasting high school sports with Hall of Famer Mike Manns, with Griffin continuing to broadcast games during his cancer fight, working his final high school basketball doubleheader last Tuesday.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High will host the 64th annual Topeka Invitational Tournament Thursday through Saturday, with Highland Park, Topeka High and Topeka West's boys teams taking part in the event.
Ja'Corey Robinson and the undefeated Highland Park boys are the team to beat in this week's Topeka Invitational Tournament at Topeka High. [File photo/TSN]
Undefeated Highland Park, top-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, will open the tournament at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, with the 8-0 Scots facing Shawnee Mission North.
Lawrence and Wichita Southeast are on the same side of the bracket with Highland Park and SM North and will play a first-round game at 5 p.m.
The Hi Park-North winner will face the Lawrence-Wichita Southeast winner in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
Topeka West, 5-2 entering a regular-season game Tuesday at Basehor-Linwood, will open its tournament bid at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against its United Kansas Conference rival Lansing.
Host Topeka High (0-8) will close out the first round at 8 p.m. against Olathe East, with the High-East winner advancing to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh-place game at 10 a.m., followed by the fifth-place and third-place games and the championship contest at 2:30 p.m.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
At Topeka High
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Highland Park vs. Shawnee Mission North.
5 -- Lawrence vs. Wichita Southeast.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. Lansing.
8 -- Topeka High vs. Olathe East.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Highland Park-SM North loser vs. Lawrence-Wichita State loser.
5 -- Topeka West-Lansing loser vs. Topeka High-Olathe East loser.
6:30 -- Highland Park-SM North winner vs. Lawrence-Wichita Southeast winner.
8 -- Topeka West-Lansing winner vs. Topeka High-Olathe East winner, 8 p.m.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship.
Hayden boys set to compete at Baldwin
Hayden will compete in the six-school Baldwin Invitational this week, opening its tournament bid at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday against Wellsville.
Hayden will take a 4-4 record into the tournament after a tight 46-43 Centennial League loss to Class 6A Manhattan.
The Wildcats will play Augusta at 5:30 Friday and will wrap things up on Saturday in the place games.
The fifth-place game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the third-place game at 2:30 and the championship game at 4 o'clock.
BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. -- Wellsville vs. Augusta, 5:30 p.m.
7 -- Bishop Seabury vs. Baldwin.
Wednesday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Wellsville.
7 -- Christ Prep vs. Bishop Seabury
Friday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Augusta.
7 -- Christ Prep vs. Baldwin.
Saturday
1 p.m. -- Fifth place.
2:30 p.m. -- Third place.
4 p.m. -- Championship.
Junior Simon Rowley (facing) and Washburn Rural will compete in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg. [File photo/TSN]
Rural boys headed to Pittsburg
Washburn Rural, 6-2 on the season after a Centennial League win over Emporia, will compete this week in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg.
The Junior Blues will play an 8:30 p.m. first-round game on Thursday against Joplin, Mo.
Also on Rural's side of the tournament bracket are Webster Groves, Mo. and Branson, Mo., who will play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The Rural-Joplin winner will play the Webster Groves-Branson winner in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The place games will be played on Saturday, capped by the championship game at 2:30 p.m.
BILL HANSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
At Pittsburg
Thursday
7 p.m. -- Willard, Mo. vs. Pittsburg (main gym); Webster Groves, Mo. vs. Branson, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
8:30 -- Owasso, Okla. vs. Wichita West (main gym); Washburn Rural vs. Joplin, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
Friday
6 p.m. -- Owasso-Wichita West winner vs. Willard-Pittsburg winner (main gym); Owasso-Wichita West loser vs. Willard-Pittsburg loser (Mallatt gym).
7:30 -- Webster Groves-Branson winner vs. Washburn Rural-Joplin winner (main gym); Webster Groves-Branson loser vs. Washburn Rural-Joplin loser (Mallatt gym).
Saturday
11:30 a.m. -- Third place (main gym); seventh place (Mallatt gym).
2:30 p.m. -- Championship game (main gym); fifth-place game (Mallatt gym).
Senior Jaret Sanchez (3) leads Shawnee Heights into this week's Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic. [File photo/TSN]
T-Bird boys to compete in Viking Classic
Shawnee Heights will open competition in the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic with a 6 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against the host team.
The T-Birds, ranked No. 4 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings, are 5-2 on the season while SM West is 1-4.
The Shawnee Heights-West winner will advance to a 7:30 semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Ozark, Mo. and Louisburg.
The place games will be played on Saturday, with the title game set for 3 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball used a 30-point third quarter to overcome a halftime deficit and top Newman 77-66 on Saturday afternoon in a foul-plagued contest in Lee Arena.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah led Washburn with 22 points and 8 rebounds in the Ichabods' 77-66 MIAA win over Newman on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Gabi Giovannetti had 18 points and went 8 of 8 from the free throw line in Washburn's 77-66 win over Newman on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods and Jets combined for 50 total fouls and 63 free throws, with four players, including three for Newman, fouling out.
"Obviously, they had the intention of being physical with us and we caught that early and any time you see that early in a game you know it's going to be hard to stay on your rhythm and stay in anything comfortable,'' WU coach Lora Westling said.
"And so credit to them, they kept us from getting comfortable all night, but I think we had enough weapons and obviously a dominant inside presence (with junior Yibari Nwidadah) that kind of helped us trudge through the mud a little bit.''
WU junior standout Gabi Giovannetti said finding a way to get Saturday's win was very important for the Ichabods, who won three of four games in their just concluded homestand, with the only loss coming in overtime.
"It was very momentum-building for us to get this win and we knew that,'' Giovannetti said. "We came in kind of flat, but we really locked in after halftime and realized what we needed to do.
"We needed to give it to Yibari obviously on offense and then lock in on defense and not them shoot any more 3s and then maximize their fouls on the offense that they were giving us.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Looking for an upset over the nation's No. 1-ranked team, Newman came out aggressive in Saturday's matchup with Washburn University at Lee Arena.
Washburn senior Jacob Hanna (5) scored a game-high in Saturday's 121-73 win over Newman while reaching the 1,000 point milestone for his career. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 18 points on six 3-pointers in Saturday's 121-73 win over Newman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after taking an early lead and drawing Washburn's ire with some hard fouls, that proved to be bad news for the Jets, with the Ichabods turning in a dominant performance the rest of the way in a 121-73 win in Lee Arena.
"I think they poked the bear a little bit,'' Ichabod senior Jacob Hanna said. "They were kind of being a little chippy and getting after us, so I think we did a good job of responding and picking our guys up. We don't try to do too much of that rah rah stuff on the court. We let our play do the talking.''
Sophomore Brayden Shorter agreed.
"They were a little chippy in the beginning and I think it kind of fired us up in the right way and we kind of needed that,'' Shorter said.
"The good thing about our guys is it doesn't take much (to get them going) and I thought they handled that fine,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "And Newman, that's what you want, they came out scrappy.''
The Ichabods went on to hit the 100-point mark with 9:15 to play and led by as many as 55 points en route to improving to 17-0 overall and 8-0 in the MIAA.
Washburn led by as many as 55 points with 7:43 to play in the game and had 11 players crack the scoring column and five with double figures, led by Hanna with a game-high 26 points.
Shorter scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, followed by senior Andrew Orr with 17 points, sophomore Jack Bachelor with 13 and Dillon Claussen with 11 points.
Hanna went 9 of 11 shooting from the field, topping the 1,000-point career milestone, while Bachelor recorded his first double-double with his 13 points and 10 assists and added seven rebounds.
