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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball rallied from a 20-point deficit to get within four points in the second half Saturday against Lincoln.
But Ichabod coach Brett Ballard was in no mood to celebrate a moral victory after Washburn's 72-67 MIAA loss to the Blue Tigers Saturday at Lee Arena.
Washburn's Levi Braun celebrates after being fouled on a 3-point shot that led to a 4-point play early in the Ichabods' 72-67 loss to Lincoln Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Tyler Nelson (14) celebrates a basket during a Washburn rally in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Lincoln at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"They lose their best player and to me, that's fool's gold,'' Ballard said of the WU comeback. "We play hard when you're down 20 and that's what immature teams do, you wait that long.
"I guess some programs, coaches would be happy with that, but we just can't put ourselves in that position. It's just unbelievable. No poise, no toughess tonight and they dominated us in every way, shape and form.''
Washburn, which fell to 5-8 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA), trailed 43-29 at half after a 6-0 run by the Ichabods and WU later used a 14-2 run to cut Lincoln's lead to four (56-52) with 10"43 remaining.
The Ichabods would go scoreless over the next 5:01, however, as Lincoln (8-4, 4-4) stretched its lead back to eight at 62-54 with 4:58 remaining.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn freshmen Gabi Artis, Natalia Figueroa and Yibari Nwidadah combined 44 points as the Ichabod women led from start to finish in a 73-59 MIAA win over Lincoln on Saturday afternoon at Lee Arena.
Washburn freshman Gabi Artis had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the Ichabods' 73-59 MIAA win over Lincoln on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Artis made six of 10 shots from the field to score a career-high 16 points while adding a team-best seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Figueroa also had a career-best 16 points and made four of seven attempts from 3-point range while Nwidadah totaled a career-high 12 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes of play.
"I'm just really proud of them,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "They started well and I thought on both ends of the floor they had much better focus. We've got good players, we know we do, and when they work hard and they're focused and they have intention then we see the outcome that we did today so it was a good day for our freshmen.''
Saturday was especially sweet for Artis, who bounced back with a vengeance after going 0 of 11 from the field in Thursday's 67-53 loss to No. 7-ranked Central Missouri.
Artis, the former Bishop Miege standout, got off to a hot start against the Blue Tigers, which she said really helped her confidence.
"It was very important,'' Artis said. "I felt like I knew what was wrong so today I decided to try something new and drive in and see it go in the bucket and then try and shoot it again.
"(Coach) told me to forget about (Thursday) and we're on to the next game. We had a great practice (Friday) so I just repped it out in practice and got more shots up and tried different things.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West tightened an already tight United Kansas Conference boys basketball race on Friday night, with the Chargers rallying for a 51-50 road win at De Soto, handing the Wildcats their first league loss.
Topeka West, which improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the UKC, trailed De Soto (6-2. 4-1) 44-36 at the start of the fourth quarter but fought back for the victory, getting the game-winning free throw from senior Malachi Berg with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Topeka West senior Sincere Austin helped lead the Chargers to their sixth straight win Friday night, a 51-50 UKC decision at De Soto. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Sincere Austin led the Chargers to their sixth straight victory with 21 points.
West and De Soto were tied at 26-26 at the half.
With Friday's win Topeka West is now part of a three-way tie for the league lead in the loss column with De Soto and Piper while Shawnee Heights and Basehor-Linwood are a game back.
DE SOTO GIRLS 58, TOPEKA WEST 38 -- Topeka West, which picked up its first win of the season in its final game before the holiday break, played state-ranked De Soto tough through three quarters before the Wildcats put the game away with a 19-7 fourth quarter.
De Soto, 6-2 overall, 4-1 in the United Kansas Conference, led 13-10 at the end of the first quarter and by just two points at the half (22-20) before opening up a 39-31 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
With Friday's loss Topeka West fell to 1-6, 1-5.
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby lead the T-Birds with 15 points in Friday's UKC win at Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 49, LANSING 23 -- Shawnee Heights continued its hot streak in Friday night's United Kansas Conference road win at Lansing, with the T-Birds improving to 5-1 overall and in the UKC with their fifth straight victory.
Senior Emari Doby led the T-Birds with 15 points while senior Taylor Rottinghaus added 13 points.
Shawnee Heights has not lost since a four-point decision against De Soto in its season-opener and the T-Birds are tied for second with De Soto in the UKC race, a game behind undefeated Seaman.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Topeka High may have fallen short to Centennial League foe Emporia 69-59 on Friday night, but the Trojans showed resilience, grit and poise in challenging situations, keeping the Trojans within striking distance of a victory.
For a youthful group like Topeka High, not folding under tight-game pressure has more meaning than what's on the stat sheet.
Topeka High junior Isaiah Lyons scored 21 points with five 3-pointers in the Trojans' 69-59 Centennial Leaue loss to Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Mason Gomez scored 13 points with three 3-pointers in Topeka High's 69-59 loss to Emporia Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emporia had substantial leads throughout the game, but Topeka High kept Emporia from getting comfortable.
"We're playing hard, and I think our guys would run through a brick wall for me,'' Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. "Tonight there were times when we looked like one of the best teams out there and other times when our age showed. We have to find that balance.
"The guys are upset, and that's a good thing. They're not crying or anything, but they felt like they let one get away. We can build on that. Our JV (Junior Varsity) heads to a tournament this weekend, so the next couple practices are just varsity. It's the top 12 guys we have. We can grind it out and get prepared for another league contest."
That Centennial League contest will be against Washburn Rural (5-2, 2-0) on Tuesday at Topeka High.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Class 5A No. 3-ranked Emporia girls left the capital city with a massive 51-40 Centennial League win over 6A No. 6-ranked Topeka High on Friday night, snapping Topeka High's seven-game win streak.
Topeka High had won its previous seven meetings against Emporia, outscoring the Spartans 409-258 in the seven-game span. One of those contests was by a two-point spread back on December 14, 2021, but HIgh won the rest by large margins.
Topeka High senior Kiki Smith (23) tries to get past Emporia junior Lexsey DeWitt in Friday's 51-40 Emporia win Friday night at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Emporia junior Emeil Bennett (5), defending Topeka High's Faith Shields, scored 13 points in Friday's 51-40 Centennial League win over the Trojans. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
On Friday night, however, Emporia looked like one of the most dominant teams in the state, with the Spartans taking control offensively and shutting Topeka High down defensively.
The Lady Trojans outrebounded the Spartans and forced Emporia to turn the ball over 14 times but Emporia went eight of 14 from the 3-point line and gained 23 opportunities from the charity stripe from Lady Trojan fouls.
Besides a high rate of fouls, Topeka High saw some notable performers defensively. Star senior Kiki Smith, Ladaysha Baird, Keimara Marshall and Adisyn Caryl combined for nine steals. The defense stumbled early but picked it up throughout the game.
