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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Things didn't get off to a great start for Shawnee Heights' girls in Tuesday night's United Kansas Conference matchup with city rival Topeka West.
The T-Birds not only trailed 10-9 at the end of the first quarter but lost senior standout Taylor Rottinghaus to an injury midway through the opening stanza.
But things quickly improved for Heights on both fronts, with the T-Birds going on to claim a decisive 43-26 victory over the Chargers at Shawnee Heights.
About four minutes into Tuesday's contest Rottinghaus went down with an ankle injury and didn't not return for the remainder of the first half, while Heights trailed by a point at the start of the second quarter after West senior Jazmyn Ford converted a three-point play to end the first-quarter scoring.
Things turned for the T-Birds in a hurry, however, with Shawnee Heights pitching a 16-0 second-quarter shutout to take a commanding 25-10 halftime advantage and Rottinghaus coming out of the training room to start the second half.
"I had no idea that was the running total in the second half until we got into halftime,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said of the 16-0 run. "What I told them during that timeout was, 'When you get adversity, people have got to step up,' and I thought some of our kids came off the bench and really did some good things.
"Some of the guards came in and kind of lit a fire and we had some of the bigs come in and did a good job. I thought Kaydence Torrez and Rachel Swift did a good job rebounding and defending their bigs and making it tough on them.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's basketball teams will be aiming to bounce back from two straight losses when the Ichabods close out a three-game road trip with MIAA tilts at Newman on Wednesday in Wichita.
The women's game is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff, followed by the men's game at 7:30.
Washburn's women are comig off a tough 76-75 overtime loss at Northwest Missouri last Saturday while the Ichabod men dropped a 79-53 decision to the No. 4-ranked Bearcats.
The WU women, 9-12 overall, 5-10 in the MIAA, will be facing a Newman team (6-15, 3-13) that is mired in a seven-game losing streak.
Washburn has won three games in a row against Newman, including a 47-30 win in the last meeting on Jan. 26, 2022. Wednesday's game will be the only regular-season matchup between the the Ichabods and Jets this year.
The Ichabods are currently ninth in the MIAA women's standings while the Jets are 12th.
Washburn is third in the league in fewest points allowed per game, holding opponents to 57.7 points per game.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys and Seaman's girls continue to hold on to the No. 1 spot in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 5A state rankings, while the Topeka High and Silver Lake girls both made moves in the rankings.
The undefeated Scots held the top spot in the 5A boys rankings for the fifth straight week while Seaman's girls are No. 1 for the third straight week.
Topeka High's girls climbed to No. 4 in 6A while Silver Lake's girls moved up three spots to No. 3 in 3A.
Washburn Rural's girls fell to No. 6 in 6A while Hayden's girls are No. 8 in 4A .
Washburn Rural's boys returned to the 6A rankings at No. 10 while Topeka West moved up a spot to No. 8 in the 5A boys rankings.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (12-3, 9-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (11-4, 8-3)
Topeka West and Shawnee Heights have both already clinched winning seasons and are looking to strengthen their Class 5A sub-state seedings. Topeka West is coming off an 85-56 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner while Shawnee Heights rolled to a 69-32 home UKC win over Leavenworth last Friday. Sophomore Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 18 points against Leavenworth while junior Brennon Dodge added 14 points and senior Q Stovall 13. Senior Malachi Berg had 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals against Turner while Xavier Alexander led the Chargers with 24 points and three 3-pointers, while Sincere Austin and Mason Jones had 11 points apiece. Topeka West took a 64-51 home win over the T-Birds early in the season.
EMPORIA (10-5, 3-2) at HAYDEN (7-6, 2-3)
Hayden posted a 51-48 home Centennial League win over Manhattan last Friday while Emporia let a 14-point lead get away in a 50-42 league loss to Washburn Rural. Senior Joe Otting led Hayden with 14 points against Manhattan while senior Jake Muller added nine points. Emporia and Hayden will be squaring off for the third time this season, with the Spartans taking 57-53 and 59-52 wins in the first two meetings.
MANHATTAN (8-7, 2-3) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-12, 0-5)
Manhattan dropped a 51-48 Centennial League decision at Hayden last Friday while Topeka High is coming off a 52-46 loss to league co-leader Junction City. Manhattan beat Topeka High, 56-46, earlier in the season.
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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (5-10, 4-7) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (10-5, 8-3)
Both teams are coming off United Kansas League victories last Friday, with Topeka West taking a 58-28 win at Kansas City-Turner and Shawnee Heights posting a 62-43 home win over Leavenworth. Shawnee Heights, which took a 42-33 win at West earlier in the season, got 18 points from senior Emari Doby while senior Riley Showalter added 14 points with four 3-pointers. Topeka West has won two straight games and four out of its last six.
EMPORIA (12-3, 3-2) at HAYDEN (9-4, 2-3)
Hayden won its fifth straight game last Friday, taking a 57-41 Centennial League home decision over Manhattan, while Emporia is coming off a 45-39 overtime league loss at Washburn Rural. Junior Lauren Sandstrom scored 19 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures against Manhattan while Kaliya Fulton added 15 points, Brylee Meier 12 points and Norma Greco 11. Emporia will be playing Hayden for the third time this season, with the Spartans taking 52-27 and 43-34 wins in the first two games.
MANHATTAN (6-9, 2-3) at TOPEKA HIGH (12-3, 3-2)
Topeka High is coming off a 62-25 Centennial League romp past Junction City while Manhattan dropped a 57-41 league decision at Hayden last Friday. Senior Kiki Smith scored 22 points to lead Topeka High against Junction City while junior Ladaysha Baird added 14 points. Topeka High took a 75-42 decision over Manhattan earlier in the season.