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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Washburn Rural watched a big first-half lead slowly evaporate, finally losing it in the final seconds, as the Junior Blues came just one point short of repeating as Class 6A champs, falling to Blue Valley North 35-34 Saturday night at Koch Arena.
A disappointed Washburn Rural team leaves the floor Saturday night at Koch Arena while Blue Valley North celebrates its Class 6A title after a 35-34 win. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Brooklyn DeLeye ended her high school basketball career with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Washburn Rural's 35-34 loss to Blue Valley North in the 6A state final. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's bench celebrates a Junior Blue 3-pointer during Saturday's 35-34 loss to Blue Valley North in the Class 6A championship game. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Chloe Carlgren goes up for a shot in Saturday's 35-34 loss to Blue Valley North in the Class 6A state championship game. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Blue Valley North claimed its fourth state championship by dropping two free throws with 17 seconds left, which gave the Mustangs their first lead since midway through the first period.
Blue Valley North then raced to the other end to thwart a last-ditch charge to the basket by Washburn Rural’s Chloe Carlgren.
With just a few ticks left on the clock, Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick opted not to take a time out, instead letting his team try to make a play. Carlgren drove the baseline and put up a jumper in a crowd that fell just short.
“My mindset was that usually you can get a good look, and I thought we had a decent look,” Bordewick said of the final play. “I would like to have seen if we could go to the free throw line in that case, because I really felt like there was some contact there. But they didn’t call it and we have to live with that.
"I think that a lot of times we’ve been successful just going and creating something. I thought Chloe had a good run at it.”
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON – Silver Lake’s outstanding 2023 campaign ended on Saturday morning when the Eagles dropped the Class 3A third-place game to Phillipsburg in a 58-45 loss at the Hutchison Sports Arena.
Silver Lake's girls finished fourth in Saturday's Class 3A state tournament, finishing the season with a 23-3 record. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
With the loss to Phillipsburg (24-1), the Eagles finished their season with a 23-3 record. Their three losses were all to teams (Riley County, Goodland and Phillipsburg) that were in the 3A state tournament.
In Silver Lake’s 23 wins, 21 contests were won by double-digits. In the last three years Silver Lake made the 3A state tournament, the Eagles have had a combined record of 47-5.
Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter’s teams have created a powerhouse and are knocking on the doorstep of making history.
Porter is well-aware his team will have a great chance of being back in the mix of things next year.
The Eagles return several contributors, including three starters who have had their hand in the success. Juniors Makenzie McDaniel, McKinley Kruger and Kaibryn Kruger will return in the starting five next year.
The trio had a great all-around tournament. M. Kruger had a 20-point night in the opening round win against Santa Fe Trail, K. Kruger made a series of clutch shots in the postseason that elevated the Eagles to a higher level and McDaniel walked away from the Phillipsburg game with a 22-point, 14 rebound double-double.
Seniors Mariah Farmer, Taylor Ross and Juliya Seele played their final game for the Eagles on Saturday.
“With our players, anything less than a state championship seems like a disappointment,” Porter said. “But it hasn’t, and it has been a very rewarding season. The growth that each player has made throughout the year, the way they play together, and the way they care about each other is something special.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Highland Park's one-point, last-second loss in Friday's Class 5A semifinal game will probably always hurt.
But the Scots handled that heartbreak in the best way possible, taking out their frustration on Hutchinson in a 79-46 rout in Saturday's third-place game at White Auditorium.
Highland Park poses with its Class 5A third-place trophy after completing a 24-1 season with a 79-46 romp past Hutchinson. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park seniors Bo Aldridge (1) and Jahmir Kingcannon (2), who combined for 38 points, leave the court after Saturday's 79-46 win over Hutchinson. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park seniors Tre Richardson and Quentin Adams celebrate at the end of the Scots' 79-46 win over Hutchinson in the Class 5A third-place game. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park coach Mike Williams said he was extremely proud of how his team answered the bell less than 24 hours after the 55-54 loss to Andover.
"You never know because we hadn't had to come back from it this year, so it was definitely new ground,'' Williams said. "But we've got guys in our locker room, players and coaches that have played this game dang near our whole life and you win some and you lose some so we have been in this boat before. Maybe not at this magnitude, but its about picking yourself back up.
"Losses feel heavy and hard at the moment and that is one we're going to carry for awhile for sure, but I do think that we gained a great experience and we did some amazing things this year and I watched a group of boys become men.''
Highland Park trailed just once in the game, at 2-0, and steadily pulled away as the game wore on, finishing its season at 24-1 as seniors Jahmir Kingcannon, Bo Aldridge and Tre Richardson combined for 52 points while outscoring Hutchinson (22-3) by themselves.
The Scots built a 15-10 lead by the end of the opening quarter and went up by double-digits (22-12) at the 6:10 mark of the second quarter on a tip-in from Aldridge.
Senior A'Ydren Drew-Gregory made it a commanding 35-22 lead at the half and the Scots opened the second half with an 8-2 run to take an insurmountable 43-24 advantage.
Highland Park led 52-34 at the start of the fourth quarter and it was showtime the rest of the way, with the Scots outscoring the Salthawks 27-12 over the final eight minutes.
Kingcannon finished with a game-high 22 points while hitting five of six 3-point attempts and eight of 10 shots overall.
"We lost a tough one yesterday so we had to come back and fight,'' Kingcannon said. "We had to have character and end the season on a 'W.' ''
Kingcannon agreed that Saturday might have been one of the best games of his career and said he had an inkling in the Scots' shoot-around that he was ready to go.
"It was definitely one of my best games,'' Kingcannon said. "I take my pregame shoot-around very seriously and that's what led to me having a great game.''
Aldridge added 16 points while Richardson had 14 points while going seven of eight from the field.
Sophomore Jacorey Robinson finished with six points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Scots while junior Tamir Anderson had six points on two 3-pointers.
"The reality of it is that two teams in every classification end every year with a win -- your champion and your third-place game,'' Williams said. "This is the first time that we've been able to have a win in the very last game of the year. It makes it a little bit bittersweet but at least it's little bit of sweetness in there.''
Highland Park shot 56.6 percent from the field, including 70.8 percent in the second half, while limiting Hutchinson to a 31.7-percent shooting night.
The Scots were nine of 19 from 3-point range while Hutch was just two of 26 from outside the arc.
Terrell King led Hutchinson with 17 points, the lone Salthawk in double figures.
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 79, HUTCHINSON 46
Hutchinson 10 12 12 12 -- 46
Highland Park 15 20 17 27 -- 79
Hutchinson (22-3) -- King 7-14 3-5 17, Robertson 0-12 0-1 0, Meyer 3-8 1-1 9, King 4-7 1-2 9, Lange 3-7 0-0 6, Lewis 0-1 1-2 1, Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Spiller 0-0 0-0 0, Heneha 0-1 0-0 0, Rodriguez 0-2 0-0 0, Smith 1-6 0-0 2, Van Syckle 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-60 6-11 46.
Highland Park (23-1) -- Richardson 7-8 0-0 14, Aldridge 5-9 5-6 16, Kingcannon 8-10 1-2 22, Adams 1-2 2-2 4, Robinson 3-6 0-0 6, Drew-Gregory 1-2 0-0 2, Williams 1-4 0-0 2, Taylor 1-2 0-0 3, Wilson 0-2 2-2 2, McMillion 1-2 0-1 2, Anderson 2-6 0-0 6, Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-60 6-11 46.
3-point shots -- Hutchinson 2-26 (Meyer 2-7, Robertson 0-8, King 0-3, Smith 0-3, King 0-2, Lang 0-1, Heneha 0-1, Rodriguez 0-1), Highland Park 9-19 (Kingcannon 5-6, Anderson 2-6, Aldridge 1-3, Taylor 1-2, Williams 0-2). Total fouls -- Hutchinson 12, Highland Park 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- Meyer 2, Adams.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
League champion Highland Park dominates the 2023 All-Meadowlark Conference girls basketball team, with four Scots receiving all-conference recognition and Hi Park earning three of four individual honors.
Highland Park's Amelia Ramsey, a 6-foot sophomore, has been named the Meadowlark Conference girls player of the year for the 2022-2023 season. [File photo/TSN]
Second-year Highland Park coach Rob Brown has been named the Meadowlark Conference coach of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park junior Angelique Gowan-Britt has been named the Meadowlark Conference defensive player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Scot sophomore Amelia Ramsey was named the Meadowlark player of the year while junior Angelique Gowan-Britt was named the defensive player of the year and second-year Highland Park coach Rob Brown was voted coach of the year.
Highland Park went undefeated in the league and 19-4 overall on the season, qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament for the first time in 11 seasons.
Ramsey was the lone Scot named to the first team while A. Gowan-Britt and sophomore DeAsia Sanders both were second-team honors and junior Se'Ona Gowan-Britt received honorable mention.
ALL-MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON – Three-seeded Silver Lake’s hopes of bringing home its first state title since 2016 were denied by second-seeded Goodland for the second straight year in a 54-51 3A state semifinal loss Friday night.
Silver Lake senior Taylor Ross, shooting a free throw, led the Eagles with 15 points in Friday's 54-51 semifinal loss to Goodland. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
There wasn’t a runaway favorite for the duration of the game.
Several lead changes, adversity with foul trouble and shortened runs for both squads made it difficult to see who would come out on top.
Although losing to the defending state champions in the 3A state semifinal may seem identical to last year, it was far from it. This tournament felt different for Silver Lake (23-2).
Last year’s youthful starting five brought a battle-tested veteran-led group to this tournament run.
The moment wasn’t too big, and the lights weren’t too bright for a Silver Lake team that has been to the 3A state tournament three years in a row. Participating in the tournament is an annual tradition for the sophomores and juniors.
Three Eagle players were able to hit double-digit scoring in the loss. Senior Taylor Ross had a game-high 15 points, junior Kaibryn Kruger had 13 points, and Makenzie McDaniel finished the night with 10 points despite only playing 19 minutes.
Goodland (25-0) made the free throws with minimal time remaining and kept Silver Lake from hitting a 3-point buzzer-beater which would have sent the game into overtime. However, the Eagles were an eyelash away from another chance to dethrone the defending 3A state champions.
“Goodland is a really good team, and you have to play your best to beat them,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “Both teams were in foul trouble in the first half, and I felt like we played well through it. It’s a challenging loss. I hurt for our seniors, and they played their hearts out. Goodland was the better team tonight.
“In games like this, sometimes the shots fall, and sometimes they don’t. But I never once questioned this team’s effort and attitude throughout the entire year. I’m proud of how they competed for Silver Lake.”
