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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's boys basketball team got off to a slower start than Charger coach Rick Bloomquist would have liked Friday night, with West trailing Shawnee Heights for most of the opening quarter.
But Charger 6-foot-3 senior Malachi Berg made sure the slow start didn't last, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as Topeka West improved to 2-1 on the season with a 64-51 United Kansas Conference win over the T-Birds before a nearly packed house at West.
Topeka West senior Malachi Berg, driving to the basket against Shawnee Heights, had 18 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 64-51 home UKC win over the T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We didn't get off to a good start and Malachi did what he's supposed to do,'' Bloomquist said. "He's an athlete. He's just a pure-blooded athlete. I've said all along, he's a football player and a good football player that loves to play basketball.
"He played with a lot of passion tonight and he was all over the place but he had to because I'm telling you, that Shawnee Heights team rebounded as hard tonight as I've seen a team rebound in my career as far as gang rebounding. They were absolutely crazy on the boards and that's what made this game interesting, the way they played.''
Berg scored West's last four points of the first quarter and scored 10 points in the second quarter as the Chargers opened up a 35-24 halftime advantage on the way to the double-digit victory.
"Playing a city team, that as a senior you're excited for,'' Berg said. "And the atmosphere is something that we don't play for the atmosphere, we play as a team, but this is special, especially when it's at Topeka West.
"Just being out there with people you know, it's even more competitive than with another team you don't know. You're just going after each other the whole game, so it was pretty fun.''
Senior Xavier Alexander tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points as Topeka West improved to 2-1 with a 64-51 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West, ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, also got 18 points and three 3-pointers from senior Xavier Alexander and 14 points from senior Sincere Austin.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights senior Taylor Rottinghaus is one of the state's top sprinters, notching a pair of runner-up finishes in last spring's Class 5A state track meet.
The T-Bird three-sport standout flashed that speed on the basketball court Friday night at Topeka West, jumping the passing lanes for steals time and time again and out-racing the Chargers to the other end for easy layups on the way to a game-high 17 points in the T-Birds' 42-33 United Kansas Conference win.
Shawnee Heights senior Taylor Rottinghaus (1) comes up with a steal in Friday's 42-33 UKC win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Taylor Rottinghaus, who had a game-high 17 points, drives in for a layup as Topeka West senior Azaryah Duncan gives chase in the T-Birds' 42-33 win. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rottinghaus, a 5-foot-7 guard, said she has learned to put her speed and quickness to good use in basketball.
"One hundred percent,'' said Rottinghaus, who has signed a volleyball letter of intent with Washburn University. "I definitely think with all my track workouts I get in shape and stay in shape for awhile, and then just being a three-sport athlete, I'm constantly pushing myself and working hard and I feel that really helps me move across the court more swiftly.''
Rottinghaus said the biggest lesson she's had to learn is when to go for steals and win to hold back.
"I had a few talks with my coaches this last week and they kept talking about how my role has changed on the court and I feel like as I'm growing up I need to know my limits on the court and know I can't get every single ball,'' she said. "I definitely have been working on that in practice which has been paying off in the games.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball will be looking for its first MIAA win of the season when the Ichabods face off with Rogers State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Claremore, Okla.
The Ichabods are 3-5 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA after falling to then-No. 23-ranked Emporia State, 74-63, last Saturday.
Sophomore Andrew Orr is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game for Washburn, which plays at Rogers State Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
The Hillcats are 6-3 (2-1 MIAA) after beating Emporia State 75-68 on Thursday night, handing the Hornets their first loss of the season.
Andrew Orr, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, leads Washburn with a 14.1 scoring average, reaching double figures in seven of eight games and he is averaging 21 points in his last two contests with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Orr is second on the team in rebounds with 6.6 per game and recorded his first Washburn double-double against Emporia State with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 12.3 points and a team-high 3.6 assists per game while sophomore Michael Keegan is scoring 7.6 points with 6.4 rebounds per game to go with 12 total steals and 10 blocks.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn women's basketball team will be aiming to get back in the win column in Saturday's 1:30 p.m. MIAA game at Rogers State.
The Ichabods, 3-4 overall, 0-2 in the MIAA, are coming off a 60-53 home loss to Emporia State last Saturday and will be facing a HIllcat team (2-7, 0-3) that is coming off an 85-79 loss to ESU on Thursday night.
Junior point guard Aubree Dewey leads Washburn with 10.6 points and 3.3 assists per game entering Saturday's 1:30 p.m. MIAA game at Rogers State. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is averaging 54.7 points per game and ranks fourth in the league in fewest points allowed per game at 54.6 as the WU defense has not allowed more than 64 points in any game this season.
Junior Aubree Dewey has started all seven games and is the only Ichabod averaging double figures at 10.6 points per game while also handing out 3.3 assists per game.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa has scored nine or more points in each of Washburn's last five games and averages 9.0 points. Figueroa led Washburn with 10 points against Emporia State, scoring all 10 of her points in the second half. Figueroa also averages 3.7 rebounds.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Emma Chapman enjoyed her time at Kansas State, but made the decision to transfer to Washburn University prior to last season, a move the 6-foot-3 senior forward said she continues to feel better and better about both on and off the basketball court.
Former Kansas State player Emma Chapman has made a smooth transition to Washburn, averaging 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Ichabods. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I think I just needed a change of pace,'' Chapman said. "I needed a different environment and just a better fit for me. And then academically I needed a smaller classroom, more personal professors.''
The move to Topeka also got Chapman an hour closer to her home in Columbia, Mo., which she said is a big bonus.
"That's amazing,'' she said. "That hour makes a huge difference when you're driving like three hours compared to four, and my dad and mom really love it, too, because they can make it to almost every game.''
The move has also paid off from a basketball standpoint, with Chapman seeing more action than she has since starring at Highman High from 2015-2019.
Chapman averaged 5.7 minutes a game in 22 appearances at Kansas State in the 2019-2020 season before opting out of the '20-'21 campaign.
After taking that full season off, Chapman eased back into the game last season at WU, playing an average of 6.8 minutes in 22 games and scoring a season-high five points against Fort Hays State.
Chapman has moved into a sigificant role for Lora Westling's 3-4 Ichabods this season, playing 19.6 minutes a game with three starts while averaging 7.0 points (fourth on the team) and 5.3 rebounds (second on the team).
