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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- Washburn Rural's powerhouse girls wrestling team took a few lumps in Day 1 of the Class 6A-5A state tournament at Hartman Arena, but none like the Junior Blues dished out on Thursday.
The Junior Blues experienced some tough losses on Wednesday, particularly in the quarterfinals, and did not advance a single wrestler to the championship round.
Washburn Rural wrestling coach Damon Parker hoists senior Addi Broxterman in the air after Broxterman's pin in the third-place match clinched the Class 6A-5A state title for the Junior Blues. [Photo by Brian Turrel/Wyandotte Daily]
Washburn Rural's girls wrestling team, parents and coaches pose for a team picture after the Junior Blues won their third state title in four seasons Thursday at Hartman Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Damon Parker's team had the comfiest seats in the house for the finals, having already wrapped up its third state title in four seasons with a dominating performance while cruising through its backside matches on the way to nine state medals and a 153-141 win over runner-up Garden City.
"It's amazing that more people don't understand that you can score more points on the backside of a tournament than you can on the frontside of a tournament,'' Parker said. "We had a team meeting in the hotel last night and I told them, 'Everything that you want is on the table.' ''
As fate would have it, four-time state medalist and two-time state finalist Addi Broxterman clinched the championship for the Junior Blues after having her shot at her first individual state title ended by Great Bend junior Daizy Gomez in the quarterinals on a first-period pin (1 minute, 52 seconds).
But the Rural senior bounced back with four straight wins to post a third-place finish, ending her final state tournament by avenging her earlier loss to Gomez with a 4:24 pin.
"It was my last high school match and I knew I had to give it everything I've got,'' Broxterman said. "I knew the girl was good because that was the girl that upset me yesterday, so I had a lot of built up emotion about it. Afterwards, I'm not a crier but I was bawling my eyes out and I was giving so many hugs and I'm not a hugger either.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University men's basketball team will finish off its home slate at 7:30 p.m. Thursday as it hosts a Senior Night contest against Missouri Southern in Lee Arena.
Seniors Tyler Nelson and Connor Deffebaugh will be honored Thursday night as part of Washburn's Senior Night festivities. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athle
Seniors Tyler Nelson and Connor Deffebaugh will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
The Ichabods are 13-13 overall and 10-10 in the MIAA after a 65-53 win over Central Missouri last Saturday.
Missouri Southern (16-10, 12-8) is coming off an 84-70 loss at Fort Hays State in their home finale last Saturday.
The Lions won the first meeting of the season against the Ichabods on Jan. 12 in Joplin, taking a 70-50 win.
Sophomore Andrew Orr leads the Ichabods with a 13.7 scoring average while averaging 14.3 points in MIAA contests. He is third on the team in rebounds at 5.6 per game, is third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 60 percent and has hit double-figure scoring in nine of his last 10 games.
Nelson is averaging 11.6 points and has reached double digits in his 10 of his last 13 games, averaging 14.3 points.
Levi Braun is scoring 9.3 points per game and has hit 58 of 132 3-pointers (44 percent). Of his 78 field goals this season, 58 have been from 3-point range.
Freshman Brady Christiansen is averaging 5.4 points while adding 6.8 rebounds per game, which leads the team.
The Lions have three players averaging double figures, led by Winston Dessesow at 12 points per game. Vinson Sigmon Jr. averages 12.1 points and Avery Taggart 12.0.
Washburn will end the regular season at Emporia State on Saturday.
WU women set to host Lions
Washburn women's basketball embarks on the final week of the regular season, starting with Thursday's Senior Night contest against Missouri Southern in Lee Arena.
Washburn women's basketball will honor seniors Abby Oliver, Emma Chapman and Macy Doebele during Senior Night festivities Thursday night in Lee Arena. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics}
The Ichabods will honor seniors Emma Chapman, Macy Doebele and Abby Oliver prior to the 5:30 p.m. contest.
Washburn is 11-15 overall and 7-13 in the MIAA after a 78-54 loss at No. 12-ranked Central Missouri last Saturday.
Missouri Southern is 22-6, 14-6 MIAA after a 61-58 win at Fort Hays State.
Missouri Southern defeated Washburn in Joplin earlier this season, 61-45.
In that game, the Ichabods led for 13 minutes of the first half and went into the break with the score tied, but the Ichabod offense made just five field goals in the second half while Missouri Southern made 16 baskets en route to the win.
The Ichabods are tied for ninth in the MIAA standings and the Lions have clinched a place in the MIAA Tournament at fifth in the standings. The top 10 teams in the conference standings at the end of the week will advance to the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. March 1-5.
Junior point guard Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabods in scoring (10.5 points per game), assists (3.6), steals (1.3), and minutes played (33.9).
Dewey notched her 13th double-figure scoring game last Saturday with 10 points against the Jennies.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa did not play in either of WU's two games last week due to injury. In 24 games Figueroa has averaged 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds and has made a team-best 41 3-pointers.
Doebele averages 7.8 points to go with 4.6 erbounds per game. She leads the squad in free throws, making 82 of 104 for a 78.8 percentage.
Chapman averages 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while freshman cente Yibari Nwidadah leads the Ichabods with 5.9 rebounds and averages 6.9 points with a 54.4 field goal percentage.
Freshman Gabi Artis led Washburn in scoring in both games last week, scoring 16 at Lincoln and 14 at Central Missouri. For the season, Artis averages 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds.
Missouri Southern got back in the win column last time out after consecutive losses to Pittsburg State and then-ranked No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney.
The 2021-22 MIAA freshman and player of the year Lacy Stokes has continued to lead Missouri Southern in her second collegiate season, averaging 16.0 points with 76 steals while leading the league in assists (149).
Kryslyn Jones averages 10.4 points and leads the Southern with 48-pointers.
Washburn is set for the regular season finale at Emporia State on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville junior wrestling standout Barrett Lietz and Topeka West junior bowler Megan Wood 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 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Lietz and Wood over the past week:
Barrett Lietz
BARRETT LIETZ, Rossville
Lietz, a 215-pounder, captured a Class 3A-1A regional wrestling championship last Saturday at Sabetha.
Lietz took a 6-1 decision over Oskaloosa sophomore Colsen Perry in the title match.
Also an All-Shawnee County pick in football, Lietz will take a 32-8 record into this Friday and Saturday's 3A-1A state meet at Hays.
Megan Wood
MEGAN WOOD, Topeka West
Wood, who placed 13th in the Class 5A-1A state bowling tournament last season, who a 5A-1A regional individual championship on Tuesday at West Ridge Lanes.
Wood put together games of 210, 164 and a final-game 255 to finish with a 629 series and take indiviual honors by 27 pins over Seaman's JaeLinn Thetford.
Wood led Topeka West to a second-place team finish, with the Chargers earning a team berth for next week's state tournament in Wichita.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
ROSSVILLE –The Rossville boys basketball team closed out its 2022-2023 regular season with a 62-45 Mid-East League loss against Rock Creek Thursday, but that game doesn’t mean much to the Bulldawgs in their eye toward a promising future.
First-year Rossville boys coach Brandon McDonnell is proud of the progress the Bulldawgs have made over a 7-13 regular season. [File photo/TSN]
Although Rossville finished its regular season 7-13, the culture has changed surrounding the boys' basketball program.
In the previous three years, Rossville had won eight games. This year alone, they neared that total.
"Let's just be honest, it's a blessing," Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell said. "We got seven wins. We've gotten more wins this year than we had the past two or three years. So it's a blessing. The only way this year happened the way it did is for the boys to go out there and perform and put in the work. I can coach them up all day, but I'm not out there playing; the boys are.
"For them to go out there, exert that energy, and play hard is a blessing. That's that light at the end of the tunnel; you see it. I got most of these boys for the next two or three years, which is beautiful. We've had rocky parts this year and speed bumps, but we get over them. We get over them together. What more can I ask?"
McDonnell knew that getting buy-in from his kids wouldn't be an issue. So when the first-year coach took the job at Rossville, he had a sole mission: To put a winning product on the court and develop kids while helping them reach their fullest potential.
Seven wins might not seem like much, but it's a step in the right direction for a successful boys' basketball program at Rossville.
"I don't go home mad; I don't go home frustrated because I know the boys are working hard," McDonnell said. "They don't want to come out here and lose games. They work their tails off. You see the beauty and glimpses of what they are doing. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We are just young. Having a good offseason will be crucial, but I'm not worried about that now."
McDonnell admits that he feels empathy for his senior class that won't be able to experience the ride with this young group after this season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a disappointing 208-pin loss to De Soto in last Friday's United Kansas Conference championships at Olathe, Seaman's bowling team team didn't have much time to dwell on that defeat, with the UKC meet the first of three events for the Vikings over a span of five days.
Seaman's boys claimed a Class 5A-1A regional team title on Tuesday at West Ridge Lanes and will try to repeat as the state champion next week in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The defending Class 5A-1A state champions bounced back with a win at Emporia on Monday and then gained a measure of revenge with a 17-pin victory over De Soto in Tuesday's Class 5A-1A regional tournament at West Ridge Lanes.
Seaman coach Bob Benoit said that jumping right back into action after the UKC meet was good for his team.
"I think we needed it because the boys had had too many highs and lows this year,'' Benoit said. "And I felt like if we got them on a run and got them going and got them in that rhythm and timing that that would help propel thems here.
"We used the way we got beat at Olathe as motivation to try to beat (De Soto) here.''
All six Vikings rolled series of 613 or better in the regional meet, with senior Ethan Burns leading the way with a 703 series to finish third individually.
Riley Parkhurst finished sixth for the Vikings with a 655 series while Zander White was eighth with a 643 and Dominic Figuerora ninth with a 641.
Braxton Moore had a 625 series and Alex Presscott a 613 to round out Seaman's lineup.
Burns said that a ball change played a big role in his success on Tuesday.
"There was a ball that I picked up last week and I tried to throw it on Friday down in Olathe and I was just trying to figure it out the whole time,'' Burns said. "I went out and tried that ball again in Emporia and I didn't have to move hardly at all. It was beautiful.
"I threw it again today for about 90 percent of it and it was amazing. It felt really good.''
Topeka West finished fourth as a team, just nine pins behind Emporia for the final team berth, but West's Dason Tidwell and Alex Rutschmann earned indiviual berths for next week's state tournament.
Tidwell finished fourth individually with a 695 series while Rutschmann qualified with a 618 series.
The 5A-1A boys state tournament will be contested next Thursday, March 2, at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, with the competition getting under way at 1:40 p.m.
"I feel like we're ready,'' Burns said. "These last two meets we're on fire and I feel like if we have a good week and a half of practice, we're ready to repeat.''
CLASS 5A-1A REGIONAL BOYS BOWLING
