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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (7-7, 2-4) at WASHBURN RURAL (12-4, 5-1)
Sophomore Kaden Ballard (left) scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer in Tuesday night's 46-44 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden is coming off a heartbreaking 39-38 home Centennial League loss to Emporia on Tuesday while No. 10-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural took over sole possession of the Centennial League lead with a 46-44 thriller at Junction City. Hayden was whistled for a foul at the .3 mark of the fourth quarter against Emporia and the Spartans hit a free throw for the game-winning point. Washburn Rural's game at Junction City also went down to the wire, with Junior Blue sophomore Kaden Ballard scoring at the buzzer to give Rural the win. Senior Joe Otting scored 12 points and freshman Ayden McGibboney 11 for Hayden against Emporia while seniors Wyatt Conklin and Jack Bachelor scored 11 and nine points, respectively, for the Junior Blues against Junction City. Rural took a 46-36 win over Hayden in an earlier game.
Senior Aron Davis scored 26 points in Seaman's 67-46 United Kansas Conference victory over KC-Turner on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
SEAMAN (8-7, 5-6) at TOPEKA WEST (12-4, 9-3)
Seaman moved back above .500 with a 67-46 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner on Tuesday while No. 8-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West is coming off a 67-48 league loss at Shawnee Heights. Senior Aron Davis scored 26 points for the Seaman in the Vikings' win over Turner while senior Malachi Berg scored 14 points and senior Sincere Austin 11 for Topeka West against Shawnee Heights. Topeka West took a 74-62 UKC win at Seaman in the first game between the Chargers and the Vikings this season.
ROSSVILLE (6-10, 2-4) at SILVER LAKE (4-12, 3-4)
Rossville and Silver Lake will both be looking to get back on track in Friday's Mid-East League rematch. Silver Lake was off Tuesday night after a 74-67 league loss to St. Mary's last Friday while Rossville is coming off a 64-45 non-league loss to Osage City. Freshman Jack Donovan scored 14 points with four 3-pointers for the Bulldawgs in the loss to Osage City. Rossville took a 50-43 Mid-East League win over the Eagles earlier this season.
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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (9-5, 2-4) at WASHBURN RURAL (11-4, 6-0)
Senior Chloe Carlgren and Centennial League-leading Washburn Rural will host Hayden on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A, maintained its two-game lead in the Centennial League race with a 46-28 league win at Junction City on Tuesday while No. 8-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden is coming off a 44-32 Centennial League loss to Emporia. Hayden got 22 points from junior Lauren Sandstrom against Emporia. Washburn Rural was on top by just a point at halftime (23-22) in Tuesday's game at Junction City but the Junior Blues outscored the Blue Jays 23-6 in the second half. Washburn Rural took a 56-32 win over Hayden earlier this season.
Freshman Maddie Gragg (left) is in the midst of an outstanding freshman season for 14-1 Seaman, which will play at Topeka West on Friday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
SEAMAN (14-1, 10-1) at TOPEKA WEST (5-11, 4-8)
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman is coming off a 70-8 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner on Tuesday while Topeka West dropped a 43-26 UKC decision at Shawnee Heights. Sophomore Kinley Wilhelm and freshman Maggie Gragg scored 12 points apiece for Seaman against Turner while sophomore Maggie Moulden had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Azayah Duncan scored 10 points for Topeka West against Shawnee Heights with three 3-pointers. Seaman beat Topeka West 60-26 earlier in the year.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys swimming team had its three-year Centennial League winning streak snapped by Manhattan Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, with the Indians winning their first league team title since 2009 by a 431-375 margin over the Junior Blues.
![Washburn Rural standout Brogan Meier looks up at the scoreboard after winning the Centennial League title in the 100-yard backstroke. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]](/images/aa-images/Brogan_Meier_100_yd_BS2804.jpg)
Washburn Rural standout Brogan Meier looks up at the scoreboard after winning the Centennial League title in the 100-yard backstroke. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Jack Miranda swims to a Centennial League title in the 500 freestyle Thursday, one of his three gold medals on the day. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But even in defeat, Rural standout Brogan Meier feels like the Junior Blues still have plenty of confidence going into next week's Class 6A state championships and beyond.
"Last year we barely overtook Seaman and this year without Seaman (now in the United Kansas Conference) we knew it was basically going to be us and Manhattan and we were going to fight for every point, every first, every second place,'' Meier said. "Even before the meet started we were all talking to each other that every point counts.
"We still have plenty of confidence going into next week. In fact, I'll say we'll have plenty of confidence going into next year. We're all going to come back stronger, we're going to get our team better and we're going to take that trophy back.''
Both Meier and Jack Miranda captured three gold medals -- two individual wins and a relay victory -- in the league meet as both Rural and Manhattan won five events apiece.
Meier won the 100-yard freestyle (48.79 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (55.76) while Miranda won the 200 freestyle (1:46.47) and the 500 free (4:53.69). Meier and Miranda also swam on Rural's winning 400 free relay (3:26.57).
Miranda's times this season have established him as a state title contender and he said he used the league meet to tune up for the state meet.
"I've been working as hard as I can in practice,'' Miranda said. "I think today was just myself getting prepared for next week. I had a good 200 free. My 500 free wasn't the best 500 I've had but it was right there next to my best time and I think that's just because I've been training as hard as I can every single day so my body's not rested enough. But this next week that's all I'm going to be doing, resting up and getting ready to try to take that No. 1 spot.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park junior basketball guard Tamir Anderson and Topeka High junior girls basketball standout Ladaysha Baird 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 Anderson and Baird over the past week:
Highland Park junior Tamir Anderson, a key reserve for the undefeated and top-ranked Scots, has been named the boys Rising Star of the Week. [File photo/TSN]
TAMIR ANDERSON, Highland Park
A 6-foot-2 junior, Anderson has established himself as one of Shawnee County' premier 3-point shooters while coming off the bench for the undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park boys basketball team.
Anderson had 16 points with four 3-pointers in a 76-43 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Washington last Tuesday and added a pair of 3-pointers in the Scots' 79-48 league win over KC-Schlagle last Thursday.
Anderson has been on a hot streak of late, including 20 points and six 3-pointers in a 76-45 win over Eudora and a 12-point, four 3-pointer effort in a Topeka Invitational Tournament win over Wichita Southeast.
Topeka High junior Ladaysha Baird has been named the girls Rising Star of the Week. [File photo/TSN]
LADAYSHA BAIRD, Topeka High
Baird, a 5-foot-4 junior, has put together a string of double-figure performances together for the No. 3-ranked (Class 6A) Topeka High girls, who are 13-3 on the season.
Baird scored 14 points last Friday in a 62-25 Centennial League win over Junction City and followed that up with 11 points and a pair of 3-pointers in Tuesday's 62-45 league win over Manhattan.
Baird came up huge in the recent Firebird Classic at Free State, including a career-high 23 points and six 3-pointers in the Trojans' 56-51 championship-game victory over Blue Valley. Through 14 games Baird was shooting 62 percent from 3-point range.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods used a 25-0 run over a six-minute stretch to roll to a 95-61 MIAA road win over Newman on Wednesday night.
After the Jets took a 6-4 lead with 18:01 to go in the first half, the Ichabods (11-11 overall, 8-8 MIAA) ripped off a big-time run going 10 of 14 from the field during the stretch including four of six sshots from deep while the Jets were at the other end of the spectrum, going zero of 10 from the field and zero of five from 3-point range.
Sophomore Michael Keegan tied for game-high honors with 21 points in Washburn's 95-61 MIAA road win at Newman Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn would lead by as many as 33 points in the opening half and took a 49-30 lead into the break.
To start the second half, the Ichabods kept the pedal down, outscoring the Jets (7-16, 3-14 MIAA) 12-2 to start the half and never looked back, leading by as many as 38 in the second half.
Michael Keegan and Tyler Nelson led the Ichabods with 21 points each. It was a career-high in points for Keegan and Andrew Orr finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and adding 10 rebounds and five assists. Also in double figures were Jarmell Johnson with 16 points and Jaden Monday with 11.
Latik Murphy had 17 to lead the Jets.
Washburn held the Jets to 18 of 60 shooting for a 30 percent clip while the Ichabods finished 36 of 62 (58 percent), hitting 10 of 26 3-pointers in the game (39 percent). Washburn also outrebounded the Jets 43 to 28 and had 20 assists on 36 buckets.
Washburn outscored the Jets 48 to 16 in the paint and 21 to 8 in fastbreak points.
The Ichabods will be back in action at home Saturday for the first time in two weeks hosting Central Oklahoma at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena.
WU women drop 74-62 road decision to Jets
The Washburn women's basketball team chipped away at a 12-point deficit to get within three late in the third quarter, but could get no closer as Newman pulled away and defeated the Ichabods, 74-62, on Wednesday evening.
The Ichabods (9-13 overall, 5-11 MIAA) scored the first basket of the game on a layup by Emma Chapman, but that was their only lead of the quarter as the Jets (7-15, 4-13) scored eight of the next 11 points to go up 8-5 midway through the quarter.
Washburn fought back with a 6-2 run to level the score at 13 with just over a minute left in the period, but the Ichabods committed a shooting foul just before time expired and the Jets hit both free throws to take a 15-13 advantage into the second.
