- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural girls earned their shot at a second straight Class 6A state championship by outlasting Blue Valley 51-39 at Wichita State's Koch Arena Friday afternoon.
Washburn Rural celebrates after Friday's 51-39 Class 6A semifinal win over Blue Valley. [Twitter/Washburn Rural Athletics]
In doing so, the Junior Blues avenged a 41-31 loss to Blue Valley in their final game of the regular season.
“I don’t know that we really competed the first time we played them,” Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. “We had 21 or 22 turnovers the first time we played them (as opposed to just 10 on Friday). This time we just decided that we refused to lose. The heart and tenacity that this group showed today…it’s pretty amazing.”
The victory set up a return performance in the state final at 6:15 p.m. Saturday to face Blue Valley North, a 50-42 winner over Derby in Friday's second semifinal.
Senior point guard MaRyah Lutz sparked the Junior Blues in the second quarter with three 3-point baskets – the only points Washburn Rural would score in the period.
It was enough to outpace the Tigers 9-7 and stretched Washburn Rural’s lead to 19-14 at halftime.
Lutz finished with 14 points Friday on the heels of her 19-point effort against Lawrence in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
“I think my confidence level was up,” Lutz said. “As soon as I hit that first shot I felt like, ‘I got it.’ ”
- Details
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Andover led for only 43 seconds of Friday's Class 5A boys semifinal and only .5 of a second after the early stages of the first quarter.
But that .5 of a second was enough to put Andover in Saturday's championship game while ending Highland Park's bid for a perfect season, with the Trojans ending the game with a 7-0 run to pull out a 55-54 win at White Auditorium.
Highland Park senior point guard Quentin Adams reacts at the end of Friday's 55-54 heartbreaking state semifinal loss to Andover. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park's Mikey Williams (left) and Tre Richardson look up at the scoreboard at the end of Friday's 55-54 semifinal loss to Andover. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park, which will play for third place at 2 p.m. Saturday, led by six points (54-48) with less than two and a half minutes remaining, but the Scots left the door open with some missed free throws and a couple of costly turnovers and the Trojans stormed right through.
"We've been kind of harping on those things all year long, just the little things, and then the details,'' HIghland Park coach Mike Williams said. "Games are won, especially at this time of year, in the details of the game.
"Some of those situations kind of got us, but take nothing away from our guys. They competed, they stuck in there and that was a crazy big moment and they gave themselves opportunities to put a team away and move on, but we just came up a little bit short.''
- Details
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
United Kansas Conference champion Seaman dominates the 2022-2023 All-UKC girls basketball team, led by sophomore player of the year Anna Becker.
Seaman sophomore Anna Becker has been named the United Kansas Conference player of the year by league coaches after helping lead the Vikings to a 21-2 record. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman's Maddie Gragg was the lone freshman to earn All-United Kansas Conference recognition after heling the Vikings win the league title and post a 21-2 record. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Taylin Stallbaumer earned a first-team spot on the All-United Kansas girls basketball team. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection by UKC coaches. [File photo/TSN]
Becker was one of three Vikings to earn first-team honors, along with freshman Maddie Gragg and junior Taylin Stallbaumer, while Seaman coach Matt Tinsley was named the UKC coach of the year.
Seaman coach Matt Tinsley has been named the United Kansas Conference coach of the year after leading the Vikings to a 21-2 record and the UKC title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Also earning first-team recognition was Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby, giving the city four of seven first-team spots.
Earning second-team berths were Shawnee Heights senior Taylor Rottinghaus and Topeka West junior Zoe Clark.
Seaman sophomore Jaida Stallbaumer received honorable mention along with Shawnee Heights junior Breezy Canady and Topeka West seniors Azaryah Duncan and Jazmyn Ford.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL
- Details
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Nine city players have earned All-United Kansas Conference boys basketball recognition, including first-team picks Aron Davis of Seaman, Brennon Dodge of Shawnee Heights and Xavier Alexander of Topeka West.
Seaman senior Aron Davis has been named to the All-UKC first team after helping lead the Vikings to a 13-8 record. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Xavier Alexander earned All-UKC first-team honors after helping the Chargers go 14-8 on the 2022-2023 season. [File photo/TSN]
Brennon Dodge, a Shawnee Heights junior, has been named to the All-UKC first team by conference coaches after helping the T-Birds go 15-7 on the season.[File photo/TSN]
Davis and Alexander are both seniors and Dodge a junior.
Seaman senior Kaeden Bonner, Topeka West senior Malachi Berg and Shawnee Heights sophomore Jaret Sanchez all earned second-team All-UKC honors while Shawnee Heights seniors Jeremyah Kendrick and Q Stovall and Seaman freshman KaeVon Bonner received honorable mention.
De Soto junior David Cobin was voted the UKC player of the year by league coaches while Wildcat coach Matt Rice was named the coach of the year.
Washburn signee Tyson Ruud of Basehor-Linwood was named to the All-UKC first team.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural sophomore bowler Logan Glinka and Seaman junior bowler JaeLinn Thetford have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Glinka and Thetford over the past week:
Sophomore Logan Glinka finished seventh individually in last week's Class 6A state bowling tournament, helping Washburn Rural win the state team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
LOGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka placed seventh individually in his first Class 6A state bowling tournament last Friday at Wichita's Northrock Lanes with a 696 series while helping Washburn Rural capture the state team title by a 135-pin margin over Olathe Northwest
Glinka bowled games of 205, 254 and 237 as the Junior Blues built a precarious 11-pin advantage through the three American Ten-Pin games and then buried the field in the four Baker format games.
Rural's winning 3,711 pin total was the most ever scored by a 6A team in the state tournament.
Seaman junior JaeLinn Thetford finished third individually in last week's Class 5A-1A state bowling tournament, helping lead the Vikings to a third-place team finish. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
JAELINN THETFORD, Seaman
After narrowly missing a state medal as a sophomore, Thetford bowled a 624 series to finish third individually last Thursday in the Class 5A-1A state tournament at Northrock Lanes in Wichita to help Seaman earn the third-place team trophy.
Great Bend claimed the team title by a 3,161-3,078 margin over Salina South, with Seaman third at 3,007, 109 pins in front of fourth-place Buhler for the final team trophy.
Thetford's performance in this year's state tournament came after she finished 22nd in the 2022 state meet for the state-champion Vikings.
