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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball won its second game in a row and finished out its home schedule with a 84-64 Senior Night win over Missouri Southern Thursday night in Lee Arena.
Sophomore Jaden Monday scored a career-high 23 points Thursday night as Washburn rolled past Missouri Southern, 84-64. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Andrew Orr (left) scored 16 points and Tyler Nelson 12 in Thursday night's 84-64 Washburn win over Missouri Southern. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods finish the 2022-23 season with a 10-3 record inside of Lee Arena and were led in the finale by sophomore Jaden Monday, who poured in a career-high 23 points.
Seniors Tyler Nelson and Connor Deffebaugh were recognized before the game for their contributions to the program in their four-year careers.
Missouri Southern (16-11 overall, 12-9 MIAA) led for the first three minutes of action but after a layup from WU sophomore Andrew Orr with 16:52 left in the first half, Washburn (14-13, 11-10) took a 7-5 lead and never trailed again.
After both teams were tied at 10, Washburn went on a 10-0 run to create a double-digit lead that was capped off by a fast break dunk by Michael Keegan.
The 10-0 run was part of a larger 31-6 burst for the Ichabods that spanned from the 13:47 mark to the 5:08 point in the first half.
In that time Washburn knocked down seven 3-pointers including four on consecutive possessions -- three from Hayden product Levi Braun and one from Jarmell Johnson.
The lead ballooned up to 25 points at the five-minute mark but was bumped under 20 by halftime with Washburn in front, 46-27.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It will obviously be hard for Rossville star girls wrestler Kendra Hurla to top the emotions she felt after winning her first state championship as a freshman in 2021.
But if Thursday didn't move to No. 1 on Hurla's list, it was darn close.
Junior star Kendra Hurla points to the Rossville crowd after winning her third state championship Thursday in Salina. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Rossville junior Keera Lacock finished second in Class 4A-1A at 115 pounds, helping the Bulldawgs post a second-place team finish. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hurla won her third straight Class 4A-1A title with a 9-5 decision over Columbus senior Addison Saporito in Thursday's 120-pound state final at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina while helping Rossville's four-girl team finish second in the team standings.
Rossville also got a runner-up finish from junior 115-pounder Keera Lacock and a third-place finish from 155-pound junior Hailey Horton while senior 145-pounder Reagan Wonnell also contributed to the Bulldawgs' strong team finish with a victory.
It was certainly a day to remember for Hurla and her teammates.
"I don't think anything can beat the freshman year, the first one I got,'' Hurla said. "But I have to say this one is great because we have the runner-up state trophy with just four girls and my practice partner, best friend (Lacock) with me in the finals.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
With the madness of March looming, it was only appropriate that No. 10-ranked (Class4A) Hayden and No. 3 (4A) Eudora got to square off in a state-tournament rematch to end the 2022-2023 regular season on Thursday night.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Eudora avenged its state-tournament loss from last year with a 54-50 over Hayden on the Wildcats' Senior Night.
Hayden coach Dwayne Paul and his Wildcats will be looking for another strong stretch run to make it back to the Class 4A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
While Eudora held a lead from the early part of the first quarter, Hayden cut the Cardinals' lead to a point on a few different occasions but couldn’t get over that hump, especially in the fourth quarter.
On paper, last year’s state tournament matchup, where bottom seed Hayden overpowered No. 1 seed Eudora, might have looked like an upset, but not many teams in 4A faced the type of competition the Wildcats faced last season and this year.
Thursday’s matchup felt more dramatic down the stretch than last year’s state tournament contest, as the Wildcats wanted to win the contest more due to seeding and getting above the .500 line.
It was a playoff-type atmosphere at Hayden High School, and the loss stung the Wildcats more than a typical regular-season loss.
“I thought we battled, but this is playoff basketball,” Hayden coach Dwayne Paul said. “Everyone is good. There are no more scrub teams; there are no more gimmees. Every possession matters. When you go away from possessions with bad shot selection, guys aren’t playing to their strengths, guys are not playing on both ends of the floor… you can’t get those back. So when guys say, ‘My bad, coach, I’ll get them back,’ it is impossible. You can’t get it back; you can’t.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman boys basketball coach Craig Cox recorded his 300th career victory Thursday night as the Vikings rolled to a 72-55 United Kansas Conference victory at Turner to complete a 13-7 regular season.
Seaman boys basketball coach Craig Cox notched career victory No. 300 Thursday night in the Vikings' 72-55 UKC romp at Turner. [File photo/TSN]
Cox has coached five state championship teams in two sports, including leading Seaman to the first boys state basketball championship in school history last season.
Cox has led Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural and Seaman to state tournament berths, with the T-Birds winning 5A titles in 2000 and 2002. Cox also coached Heights to two state baseball titles.
Cox said that reaching win No. 300 was a satisfying accomplishment.
"There's legendary coaches like coach (Ken) Darting and coach (Rick) Bloomquist that have a lot more wins, but when I look at the three programs I took over and the position they were in at the time, we had to build from the bottom up all three times, so that causes you to have some losing seasons along the way and it's hard to build numbers,'' Cox said. "But I'm real proud of what we've done here and I'm excited.''
Seaman, which has won six straight games, trailed Turner 15-12 at the end of the opening quarter but took control with a 24-6 second quarter, opening up a 36-21 halftime advantage.
Seaman, which used 11 players in the game, outscored the Bears 36-34 in the second half en route to the 17-point win.
Seniors Kaeden Bonner and Aron Davis tied for game-high scoring honors with 20 points apiece.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- As a freshman, Seaman sophomore Koti Best made a splash with a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A-5A state tournament.
On Thursday Best took the next step in her progression, reaching the 130-pound final and posting a runnner-up finish at Hartman Arena.
Seaman sophomore 130-pounder Koti Best (right) exchanges a hug with Olathe South junior Nicole Redmond after Best dropped a 4-0 decision in the Class 6A-5A state championship match Thursday at Hartman Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights sophomore Madison Freeland finished second in the Class 6A-5A state tournament at 135 pounds Thursday at Hartman Arena. [File photo/TSN]
Like Best, Shawnee Heights sophomore Madison Freeland advanced to the state tournament as a freshman in 2022, but Freeland made an early exit, going 0-2 in her two state matches.
Freeland stuck around until the end, reaching the 135-pound championship match and earning her first state medal with her second-place finish while leading Shawnee Heights to a fourth-place team finish, the top finish by a 5A school.
Best dropped a 4-0 decision in the final to Olathe South junior star Nicole Redmond, but that was also a step in the right direction.
"I'm happy with how I performed,'' Best said. "I didn't get pinned this time. All the other times I've wrestled her I got pinned, so I think it's a little bit of growth.''
And before she even walked out of the arena, Best was already looking forward to next season.
"I'm excited for my junior year because I feel like that's the year you get to showcase because everybody's looking at you and watching you,'' said Best, who finished her season 35-6 record. "I'm really excited.''
