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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: @TopSports.news plans to run high school basketball roundups throughout the 2023-2024 season for the 10 Shawnee County high schools. Coaches are encouraged to submit game reports to
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Rossville's girls basketball team, ranked No. 7 in Class 3A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association preseason rankings, opened the 2023-2024 season with a 71-20 non-league home romp past Atchison on Friday.
Rossville standout Emma MItchell (4) opened her senior season with a 24-point performance in the Bulldawgs' 71-20 win over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
The Bulldawgs jumped out to a 20-4 first-quarter advantage and used a 28-1 second quarter to go to the locker room with a 48-5 cushion.
Rossville boosted its advantage to 62-17 at the end of the third quarter and outscored Atchison 9-3 over the final eight minutes.
Senior Emma Mitchell scored a game-high 24 points for Rossville while Rylee Dick added 16 points and Nora Burdiek 11.
Rossville will host Kansas City-Ward on Tuesday in the opening round of the Irish Classic. The Bulldawgs will play tournament games Friday and Saturday at Chapman.
Washburn Rural's girls basketball team poses for a picture Saturday after finishing third in the Hays tournament. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Rural Athletics]
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 53, MILLWOOD 47
Washburn Rural finished third in the Hays Shootout on Saturday, taking a 50-47 win over Millwood, Okla.
With the win the Junior Blues posted a 2-1 record in the season-opening tournament.
The Junior Blues, who played the entire tournament without Kansas signee Zoe Canfield, will be off until Dec. 12 when they will travel to Shawnee Mission Northwest.
SILVER LAKE GIRLS 68, JEFFERSON WEST 22 -- Silver Lake, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coches Association, opened its season with a 68-22 road rout over Jefferson West.
The Eagles will travel to Council Grove on Tuesday.
SILVER LAKE BOYS JEFFERSON WEST 22 -- Silver Lake opened its 2023-2024 season with a 68-57 road win over Jefferson West.
The Eagles will travel to Council Grove on Tuesday.
NE KANSAS HOMESCHOOL BOYS 66, CAIR PARAVEL LATIN 50
Cair Paravel Latin finished the Waverly tournament with a 2-1 record, dropping a 66-50 decision to Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Saturday.
The Lions will host Centralia on Tuesday.
NE KANSAS HOMESCHOOL GIRLS 47, CAIR PARAVEL LATIN 13
Cair Paravel Latin is still looking for its first win of the young season after the Lion girls went 0-3 in the Waverly tournament.
CPLS dropped a 47-13 decision to Northeast Kansas Homeschool on Saturday.
The Lions will host Centralia on Tuesday.
ATCHISON BOYS 73, ROSSVILLE 53
Rossville dropped a 73-53 home decision to Atchison on Friday in the Bulldawgs' season-opener.
Rossville will host Kansas City-Ward on Tuesday in the opening round of the Irish Classic. The Bulldawgs will play tournament games Friday and Saturday at Chapman.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday was a night of celebration as Hayden Catholic High School welcomed its six newest members into the school's Hall of Fame.
And 2023 inductee Tom Stringer had even more to celebrate than being recognized for one of the most successful football coaching careers in Topeka history.
Hayden coaching Legend Tom Stringer chats with friends during Saturday's Hayden Hall of Fame induction ceremony. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The last eight months Stringer has faced a fight tougher than any football game he ever played in or coached after being diagnosed with blood cancer on Easter weekend, but the Hayden legend was happy to report that he has finally turned the corner in that battle and was all smiles Saturday as he shared the night with many of his closest friends and family members.
"I'm in remission,'' Stringer said. "The first two months about killed me, but it's been good now. I feel normal again, and it definitely changes your outlook on life.
"Every day's a gift. You get up every day and thank God every day for another day.''
Hayden 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Tom Stringer (left) shares a laugh with his former star quarterback, John Tetuan, Saturday night at Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Stringer, a former All-American lineman, is also a member of Pittsburg State's Hall of Fame, but said that being back at the school that has meant so much to him throughout his life was extra sweet.
"It's really special because you get to re-live one of the best parts of your life,'' said Stringer, a 1979 Hayden grad who went to coach the Wildcats' football team during for 15 seasons. "You don't know how bad you liked something until you get away from it, so this is good. I'm very proud and very grateful that I got selected to do this.
"It's been 17 years since I've been here and every day I think about this place. Every day.''
Stringer was inducted Saturday for alumni achievent, along with the late Kevin Sloan, a former state track and field champion and state record-holder in the long jump.
Hayden basketball legend Tom Meier was inducted for student athletic/activity achievement while Mary Beth McCarthy and the late George Silovsky were inducted for staff achievement and the late Judy (McGivern) Row was inducted for contributor achievement.
Hall of Fame capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer is Elite Eight bound after a 2-1 win over Emporia State in Friday's Central Region championship to give the Ichabods their first-ever regional title.
Washburn's Khloe Schuckman scored both goals in the Ichabods' 2-1 win over Emporia State Friday in the Central Regional final. [Photo courtesy of Washbutn Athletics]
The Ichabods will take on Grand Valley State at 2 p.m. (Topeka time) on Sunday in the national quarterfinals in Ashland, Ohio.
For a second straight game WU junior Khloe Schuckman scored multiple goals and this time her two goals were all that were required for Washburn (19-3-1) to win in regulation for the first time in the NCAA Tournament.
The first goal of the contest came in the 37th minute, with Schuckman taking the ball from the middle of the field and sending it off her left foot into the back left corner of the net to take a 1-0 advantage that would hold through the first half.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights boys took United Kansas Conference foe De Soto to the wire, losing 56-46 in what was a one-possession game with less than 40 seconds to play.
The lead switched hands throughout the contest, and the score was tied at 44-44 with 2:30 remaining. The T-Birds failed to hit a field goal attempt the rest of the way, however, while the visiting Wildcats hit big shots and knocked down free throws to finish off the win.
Despite a tough shooting night Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge (11) led the T-Birds with 16 points in Friday's 56-46 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jaret Sanchez scored 11 points in the T-Birds' season-opening 56-46 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Playing three sophomores and a freshman much of the game, T-Bird coach Ken Darting was undaunted by the outcome.
“I loved it,” Darting said. “These young kids are just awesome. They work hard every day. They are going to be really good. (The De Soto) coach said, ‘I hope we don’t get in the same sub-state with you.’
“Our older kids are helping these young kids along. We’ve got some young kids who are shell-shocked right now. But I love them. My opinion of them didn’t change.”
The T-Birds' primary scoring threats – senior Brennon Dodge and junior Jaret Sanchez – ran hot and cold. The two combined to hit 10 of 32 attempts. Dodge led the T-Birds with 16 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Sanchez, who also scored just three points in the second half, finished with 11.
Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting was pleased with the T-Birds' effort in Friday's 56-46 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Darting didn’t place the blame on those two, however.
“I thought we had some people, what I call our ‘secondary contributors,’ who didn’t contribute,” Darting said. “And I say every day ‘Jaret and (Brennon) have got to have good games every day, no matter whether they’re getting double-teamed or whatever. They’ve got to get it done. When those guys who are good shooters have an open shot, they’ve got to make them.”
A bright spot for the T-Birds was the fourth-quarter effort of Da’Quan Lee. Scoreless through three periods, the 6-foot-2 sophomore sparked the T-Birds with seven straight points, including the bucket to tie the game at 44-44.
Lee finished with seven points for the T-Birds, while Deacon Pomeroy contributed eight.
De Soto was paced by senior point guard David Cobin, who tallied 20 points despite attempting just nine shots from the field.
“They’ve got something special in David Cobin. He just takes the game and controls it,” Darting said. “But I’m satisfied with the first game. We’re playing probably the third or fourth best team in the state and we’re even with two and a half minutes left. “We had a chance to beat a very good team. We just didn’t get it done.”
DE SOTO BOYS 56, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 46
De Soto 13 14 9 20 -- 56
Shawnee Heights 12 13 10 11 -- 46
De Soto (1-0) – Lang 4-11 3-4 11, Cobin 5-9 7-12 20, Bell 3-5 2-4 11, Miller 1-5 2-2 4, Johnson 3-7 0-0 7, Ogden 1-5 0-0 3, Sheppard 0-2 0-0 0, Parks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-44 14-24 56.
Shawnee Heights (0-1) – Pomeroy 3-8 2-4 8, Dodge 6-18 2-2 16, Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Emmot 1-4 0-0 2, J. Sanchez 4-14 1-2 11, D. Sanchez 0-5 0-0 0, Moore 0-3 0-0 0, Cook 0-0 2-2 2, Lee 3-4 0-1 7. Totals: 17-56 7-11 46.
3-point goals – De Soto 8 (Cobin 3, Bell 3, Johnson 1, Ogden 1), Shawnee Heights 5 (Dodge 2, J. Sanchez 2, Lee 1). Total fouls – De Soto 14, Shawnee Heights 19. Fouled out – Pomeroy, Lee, Johnson. Technical fouls – None.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights girls broke in an inexperienced basketball team Friday night and battled visiting De Soto to the end, falling 60-52.
The T-Birds stalled midway through the second period and fell behind by as much as 20 in the third quarter before rallying down the stretch.
Sophomore Reianna Vega led Shawnee Heights with 12 points in Friday's 60-52 UKC loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells was not surprised by the slow start.
“A lot of it was the girls learning to play together at the varsity level,” Well said. “And having to do it against De Soto, which is a heck of a team. They’re well coached. They have got a lot of experience. I think that showed early on.
“But then our girls started having some success. We started feeling a little better about ourselves, and the basket got a little bit bigger.”
Shawnee Heights got up off the mat to put together a 16-3 run. With 3:42 left in the game, the T-Birds clawed back to within four points, 53-49.
The Wildcats regrouped to hold off the late rally, but the home team left with plenty to feel good about.
“Some of it was just believing in themselves. And without a doubt, during timeouts we were like, ‘We’re not looking at the scoreboard. I could care less what the point totals are. Let’s just compete every possession, period. If you’re in the game, go compete that possession. If we can get a score, stop, score, we can work our way back into this.’ And we got back into it that way.”
The T-Birds’ trio in the paint of Reianna Vega, Rachel Swift and Kaydence Torrez led the turnaround. Those three combined for 21 points in the second half, crashing the boards, hitting tough shots and drawing fouls on the Wildcats.
