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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka West girls defeated Piper 62-50 on Senior Night Tuesday, ending a three-game losing skid and perhaps gaining some momentum with just one game remaining before sub-state.
Topeka West senior Zoe Clark scored a game-high 17 points in Tuesday's home 62-50 UKC win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Rebecca Bearman scored 14 points in the Chargers' UKC win over Piper Tuesday night. [File poto/TSN]
The Chargers had three players score in double figures while their defense frustrated Piper into 19 of 63 shooting from the field.
“They finally put four quarters together,” said Topeka West coach Angie Ketterman. “Our defense was amazing. We were getting points from everybody on the floor whereas before we were just getting it from a few kids. But the big thing tonight was our defense. Our defense has improved so much this season.”
Seniors Zoe Clark and Rebecca Bearman led the way for the Chargers.
Clark led all scorers with 17 points while Bearman dominated on the glass and added 14 points.
“We’ve been trying all year to get Rebecca to believe in herself around that basket and use that backboard. And tonight, she was doing that,” Ketterman said. “To get her scoring around the basket is huge for us.”
“It was big getting this win. Piper is a good team,” Bearman said. “We didn’t beat them the last time, so it felt great to get away with the win this time. We worked really hard for it so we’re excited.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls basketball team suffered a 30-point United Kansas Conference loss at Seaman back on Jan. 12, one of the T-Birds' toughest nights of the season.
Shawnee Heights senior Breezy Canady (24), freshman KK Emmot (1) and their T-Bird teammates celebrate Tuesday's 57-51 UKC win over No. 2-ranked Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the No. 7-ranked (Class 5A) T-Birds avenged that loss with their biggest win of the 2023-2024 campaign Tuesday night on their home floor, knocking off the No. 2-ranked (5A) Vikings, 57-51, to stretch their winning streak to nine straight games while handing Seaman its first UKC defeat.
"The mindset was really we had nothing to lose,'' Shawnee Heights senior point guard Breezy Canady said. "We were going in thinking they had it all to lose because they're at the top of the state (rankings) and we're not so we just wanted to play our hardest and not think about it.''
Seaman, 17-2 overall, 14-1 in the conference, led by a slight margin for the bulk of the first half, including a 17-13 first-quarter advantage and a 30-28 lead at the half, but Shawnee Heights (14-5, 12-3) opened the second half with a traditional three-point play and a 3-point hoop from freshman KK Emmot to take the lead and led 39-35 at the start of the final stanza after a 3-pointer from junior Taylor Brees.
"I think us having that flow and confidence the whole game, even though it went up and down we kept our energy and that's really what got through the whole game,'' Canady said.
Seaman scored four straight points to tie the game at 39 with 6:58 remaining but Emmot canned another 3-pointer and Canady scored off a steal to put Heights ahead to stay at 44-39.
"They're learning and they're growing and they're learning to believe in their teammates and in themselves some of the time,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "That's what I'm most proud of them is just sticking together and staying with it because it got tough there at the end and we knew it was going to get tough.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Tuesday wasn't one of Shawnee Heights' best offensive performances, but it was plenty good enough for the No. 6-ranked (Class 5A) T-Birds to post their 16th win in their last 17 games and ninth straight in a 69-55 home United Kansas Conference win over Seaman.
Junior Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in Tuesday's 69-55 home UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Brennon Dodge (11) scored 17 points in Tuesday's 69-55 Shawnee Heights UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We're kind of fun to watch when it's our best, but we still scored 69 points and missed how many layups?'' Heights coach Ken Darting said. "We were in the 80s if we just made layups and I don't think anybody shot it great.
"But that's been us all year, we've won in all ways. We've won in the 40s and 50s and we've won 90-30.''
Seaman, which played Heights within three points in the first meeting of the season between the two city rivals, gave the T-Birds another battle Tuesday despite being short-handed, with the Vikings within five points early in the fourth quarter before Heights pulled away late.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Set to open MIAA play on Friday, Washburn University baseball combined strong pitching and timely hitting to rally for a 4-3 non-conference win over Truman State Monday at Falley Field.
Jett Buck (16), who had three hits in Washburn's 4-3 non-conference win over Truman State Monday, is congratulated by his teammates after hitting his first home run as an Ichabod. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn, which improved to 4-6, posted its second straight win over the Bulldogs to take the series 2-1 and Ichabod coach Harley Douglas is hopeful the back-to-back victories will give WU momentum heading into a three-game conference-opening series against Pittsburg State Friday through Sunday.
"I think it will,'' Douglas said. "Last week we didn't play great baseball at all and the first game we come out here and didn't play great baseball. But yesterday we kind of got going and today's game was a good dogfight. We made some mistakes but got around it and I thought overall it's a good step in the right direction to get things rolling where we need to.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior Class 6A state champions Brogan Meier and Jack Miranda headline the 2024 All-City boys swimming and diving team.
The 2024 All-City boys swimming and diving first team -- Front, from left: Evan Hoobler, Shawnee Heights; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural; Alex Lanterman, Washburn Rural; Jack Miranda, Washburn Rural; Jack Pekarek, Seaman; Jaxon Cowdin, Topeka High. Back, from left: Truman Brede, Shawnee Heights; Luke Lemke, Washburn Rural; Elijah Leenerts, Washburn Rural; Will Powell, Washburn Rural; Brogan Meier, Washburn Rural; Daniel Allen, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 2024 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front, from left: Robert Haag, Topeka West; Palmer Heskett, Hayden; Will Stewart, Topeka High; Dawson Blankenship, Topeka High; Kinser Barbosa, Seaman; Ryan Carson, Hayden. Back, from left: Sourish Sinha, Washburn Rural; Jeremiah Moylan, Seaman; Isaac Hochard, Seaman; Lincoln Carter, Topeka High; Maximo Cuevas, Seaman; Pablo Domenech. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Meier won the state title in the 50-yard freestyle and Miranda was the state champion in the 500 free while both stars, first-team All-State picks, also posted runnerup individual finishes and swam on the Junior Blues' second-place 400 free relay as Washburn Rural shared the third-place 6A team trophy with Manhattan.
The All-City team, which is based on performances in the city meet, includes eight members of the Rural team that won its fifth straight city championship and also claimed the Centennial League title.
Also earning first-team All-City honors for the Junior Blues are Daniel Allen, Alex Lanterman, Elijah Leenerts, Luke Lemke, Andrew Morao-Jaspe and Will Powell.
Powell, a second-team All-State pick, was a triple 6A state medalist while Allen was also a multiple event medalist.
Topeka High junior Jaxon Cowdin earned his third straight city one-meter diving title and his second straight Centennial League championship before finishing 12th in 6A.
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City team by Truman Brede and Evan Hoobler while senior Jack Pekarek earned a first-team berth for Seaman.
All-City capsules:
