After a week at home, Washburn University women's basketball now heads back on the road for two weeks beginning, with a 5:30 p.m. Thursday night MIAA clash with No. 5-ranked Fort Hays State.
Senior Payton Sterk is coming off a season-high 22-point performance in last Friday's 71-55 home win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn has reeled off four straight wins, including a 71-55 win over Missouri Western on Friday, to improve to 14-5 overall and 7-3 in the MIAA, while Fort Hays State is 18-1 and 9-1 in the conference after a 78-65 win over Central Oklahoma last time out for an 11th straight win since losing to the Ichabods 67-64 on Dec. 6.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah averages 12.8 points and 7.9 rebounds for Washburn while shooting 55.9 percent from the floor.
With 280 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah ranks third in program history and she is fifth with 765 career boards. Her career field goal percentage of .577 is the third-best in Washburn program history and she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,222 career points. Nwidadah is also 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots.
Senior Payton Sterk averages 12.2 point for the Ichabods and has drilled a team-high 33 3-pointers while Gabi Giovannetti averages 10.6 points with 29 3-pointers while leading WU with 1.8 steals per game.
Sterk's career free throw percentage of 85.8 percent is the best for any Ichabod.
Sterk scored a season-high 22 points in Friday's win over Missouri Western.
Talexa Weeter averages 27.9 points on 52.1-percent shooting overall and 42.9 percent from deep for Fort Hays State while also grabbing a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game. Weeter leads the nation in points per game, is second nationally in free throws made and is second in the conference in rebounding average.
Coming off a second straight Baldwin Invitational championship, the Hayden Wildcats welcomed the winless Shawnee Mission West Vikings to the Ken Bueltel Activity Center on Wednesday, building a big halftime advantage en route to a 75-63 non-league win.
Hayden senior Connor Hanika scored a team-high 17 points in Wednesday's 75-63 non-league win over Shawnee Mission West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats, who lost three games at the start of January, have since won five of their last six.
Hayden would get things started Wednesday with senior Makhi Kidd scoring the Wildcats' first two baskets to take a 4-3 lead.
The only lead changes of the night would come in the first quarter as the Wildcats and the Vikings would answer each other with six lead changes until Hayden senior Connor Hanika would give his team the lead and score two of his team-high 17 points as the Wildcats would go on an 8-0 run before the Vikings would get a basket with a free throw to make it 14-8.
The Vikings would keep digging and make it a two-point game at 19-17 late in the first quarter before the Wildcats would close with two 3-pointers to make it 25-19 at the end of the first.
Senior Makhi Kidd scored 16 points in Wednesday's 75-63 Hayden non-league win over Shawnee Mission West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The second quarter would get started with Hayden senior Kade Mitchell, who before the game accepted his invitation to play in the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, would find the basket followed by Kidd, who would score his eighth point of the night on the way to a 16-point night.
Hayden would outscore the Vikings 18-10 in the second quarter to go into halftime with a commanding 43-29 lead.
The Vikings would come out on fire and go on a 7-0 run to make it 43-36 before Wildcat junior Mason Becker would make his second of four 3-pointers on the night to stop the Viking run.
“The same message that we've had all season is our energy and effort have to be consistent,'' Hayden coach Dwayne Anthony said. "And that has to be something that doesn't waver and sometimes we get into the funk of letting that waver.”
After receiving a message from Anthony the Wildcats would go on a 13-0 run to blow the lead to 57-41 and Hayden would close the third out with a 61-47 lead.
Kidd would continue staying hot in the third quarter as he would score six points in the quarter.
“When I would cut, my teammates would give me the ball,'' Kidd said. "My teammates were getting tip passes. I was coming up with them, getting putbacks, doing everything I can to help the team win, really.”
“Makhi is having a good year,'' Anthony said. "And the crazy thing is, I really believe that Makhi has even more that he's going to show us before the season's over because he's just really a strong kid. He has really good skills and he's starting to learn how to play in some areas that may have been uncomfortable for him before. He's really doing a good job.”
Hayden junior Carter Compton scored 16 points Wednesday night against SM West, one of four Wildcats in double figures [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats would have four players in double figures, with juniors Carter Compton and Mason Becker scoring 16 and 14 points.
“That's the vision I have for this program,'' Anthony said. :You know, if we play basketball with a certain pace and the way that we do, it should be easy for guys to get easy buckets into being double figures a lot more than sometimes they are.”
“It's huge,'' Kidd agreed. "If you look at the games we've won, that's that's how we do it. We have multiple people in double figures and that really pushes us to be great when we're sharing the ball and getting everybody touches because everybody on the floor can score.”
Shawnee Heights' bowling team celebrated its Senior Day with a sweep of all four championships in Wednesday's five-school competition at Gage Bowl.
Senior Chevy Stallbaumer captured the boys individual title in Wednesday's five-school Shawnee Heights meet at Gage Bowl with a 688 series as the T-Birds also won the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Chevy Stallbaumer, who rolled a perfect 300 game last week, followed that up with a 688 three-game series on Wednesday to take boys individual honors by 40 pins as the T-Birds took the team title by 145 pins (2,545-2,400) over United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Emma Wederski reacts to a strike during her final-game 257 Wednesday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TopSports.news]
It was also a big day for Shawnee Heights sophomore Emma Wederski, who took top honors in the girls division with a 587 series as the T-Birds took the team championship by 113 pins (2,245-2,132) over Basehor-Linwood.
Stallbaumer's 688 series topped the 676 series he recorded in last Thursday's meet in Lawrence when he rolled his 300, with the T-Bird standout on target from the outset on Wednesday, bowling a 222 in his opening game before following that up with a 209 and finishing with his best game of the day, a 257.
"I felt great today,'' Stallbaumer said. "Everything kind of clicked. I missed a spare my first frame, but I kind of just shrugged it off my shoulder. There's nothing you can do. When you miss a spare you miss a spare and you get back up and you keep on pushing.''
Stallbaumer said his perfect game has just served as motivation for the remainder of the 2026 season.
"It definitely motivated me a lot,'' Stallbaumer said of his 300 game. "That's just going to keep me motivated throughout the whole season.''
Stallbaumer wasn't on the top six when Heights won the Class 5A state title in 2024 but played a major role last season as the T-Birds advanced to state and he feels like the team can contend to be among the state's elite again this season.
"I feel like we can definitely progress as a team and just see how this season plays out,'' he said. "I feel like we can (contend). There's no doubt in my mind we can.''
Heights' Kaden Evans finished third individually in Wednesday's meet with a 621 series (203-214-204) while Evan Jones also topped the 600 mark with a 611, including a high game of 231.
Wederski began her day with games of 168 and 162 before catching fire in the third game with eight straight strikes out of the gate on the way to a 257.
Wederski said her team and a big crowd at Gage kept her going.
"My team was hyping me up, along with the crowd and that really helped, and I was pretty proud of myself,'' Wederski said. "No one gets to see what we do in practices. We hype each other up during practices and having a crowd adds to the joy of it.
"Today was packed. I think this was the most packed we've seen it this season so far.''
And now Wederski just wants to build off Wednesday's success as the season goes along.
"This is my first season on varsity, so it's a whatever happens happens kind of thing and I'm just taking one meet, one day at a time,'' she said.
Shawnee Heights put three bowlers in the girls top five, with Addison VanMetre finishing third with a 577, just one pin out of second and 10 pins behind Wederski, while Reese Bell placed fourth with a 547.
Bell had a high game of 228 while VanMetre had three games between 184 and 204.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS INVITATIONAL
At Gage Bowl
Girls
Team scores
Shawnee Heights 2,245, Basehor-Linwood 2,132, Lawrence Free State 1,903, Leavenworth 1,752, Lawrence 1,751.
Individual results
1. Emma Wederski, Shawnee Heights, 587; 2. Elly Findley, Basehor-Linwood, 587; 3. Addison VanMetre, Shawnee Heights, 577; 4. Reese Bell, Shawnee Heights, 547; 5. Kayleigh Ussery, Basehor-Linwood, 525.
Shawnee Heights 2,545, Basehor-Linwood 2,400, Lawrence 2,386, Lawrence Free State 2,304, Leavenworth 2,196.
Individual results
1. Chevy Stallbaumer, Shawnee Heights, 688; 2. Graesyn Hoss, 648; 3. Kaden Evans, Shawnee Heights,621; 4. Liyam Southammavong, Lawrence, 617; 5. Thomas Futtrell, Lawrence Free State, 616.
Other Shawnee Heights -- Evan Jones 611, Henry Schattilly 586, Trey Donath 531, Nathan Burnett 520.
Rural girls roll to quadrangular win
Led by individual runnerup Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural's girls took the team championship in Tuesday's Rural quadrangular at West Ridge Lanes.
Glinka, a junior, led the Junior Blues with a 637 series as Rural won the team title by a 2,194-2,068 margin over Centennial League rival Emporia, while Manhattan was third at 2,046 and Junction City fourth at 1,963.
After 13 seasons under the leadership of Doug Bonura, the Cair Paravel football program will have a new head coach. Longtime junior high coach Randall Bond will take over for the 2026 season, the school recently announced.
Longtime Cair Paravel Junior High football coach Randall Bond has been promoted to be the Lions' head varsity coach for the 2026 season. [Photo by Jan Pabitzky]
The promotion of Bond to the varsity head coaching position ensures a high degree of familiarity and continuity. Bond has worked closely with Bonura over the years, installing the offensive and defensive systems run at the high school level and promoting similar character traits among the junior high players.
“I think it’s going to be a great transition, and I think he’s going to do a great job,” Bonura said of his successor. “He’s been around the game for a long time. He’s very personable. He loves the boys and really wants to help them grow and mature. The kids know him and trust him. It’s a great opportunity for him to become a head coach.”
Bond is a theatre and choir teacher at Seaman High School. He brings extensive experience to his new coaching position. Prior to joining the Cair Paravel football staff seven years ago, he coached junior high football at Holton for 14 years, where he collaborated with varsity head coach Brooks Barta, a former Kansas State star and son of Kansas coaching legend Roger Barta.
Bond said he is excited to build on the foundation laid by Bonura and to further the relationships he forged with the students as junior high head coach.
“I was lucky enough to coach up at Holton and you talk about a community that is invested in the kids,” Bond said. “It’s not the same here because we’re not a small town, but it has that feel. The parents are invested in the kids. They want what’s best for the kids, and this kind of culture is just hard to find. For me, it’s the best situation to come into. I’ve already coached most of the boys and it’s just a welcoming, supportive community.
“I’ve learned a ton from coach Bonura. He’s a phenomenal leader. He coaches and teaches the boys the right way, has super high expectations for both players and coaches.”
Bonura guided the program as it earned membership in KSHSAA and transitioned to two seasons of 11-man football. The team will return to the 8-man level for 2026. During Bonura’s tenure, the team won Kansas Christian Athletic Association championships in 2013 and 2021, the school’s last year prior to participation in the KSHSAA playoff system.
The decision to resign now was not easy for Bonura, who noted that the team returns a lot of talent for the upcoming season.
“When you have something that you’ve invested in for 13 years and you want to see it continue to grow, it was a very difficult decision for me,” Bonura said. “But I think it was the right decision at this time. And it helps for it to not become my idol. I don’t want it to become about me.”
Family was a motivator for Bonura to coach football at Cair Paravel, and it was a motivator to call it quits. His youngest son was a senior on the 2025 team.
“I have seven kids, so there is a lot of life going on outside of Cair Paravel for me. So, it was the right move for me to be able to do the things my family needs at this time,” Bonura said.
“When I started, I just wanted to have fun with my boys, giving them a chance to play football and to develop a program that honored the Lord and in which young men can learn how to grow up in a world that can be difficult. That’s what football teaches.”
Bonura recalled a situation early in his tenure that illustrated that character development. His team had its undefeated season interrupted by a 50-6 thumping at the hands of Heartland Christian School from Colby. The two teams met again in the playoffs.
“We had a real gut check,” Bonura said. “I told them, ‘You guys were scared.’ There were only 12 boys on that other team, but they were tough as nails. I challenged our guys, that ‘suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope’ from (the Biblical book of) Romans.”
In the rematch, Cair Paravel lost 62-58 in what Bonura calls one of the best games during his time at the school.
“Our boys really grew from that experience,” Bonura said. “And when I see those guys we still talk about that game. They knew that they fought back and weren’t afraid of those guys anymore.”
Bonura thanked Jeff Brown and Ron Thornburgh who coached the team prior to his assumption of head coaching duties for facilitating a smooth transition and laying a solid foundation. He also credited the assistant coaches who have been on his staff over the years.
“I’ve worked with great people along the way,” Bonura said. “Great men committed to help young men grow in their walk regardless of wins and losses. That’s hard to do, because you want to be successful in the wins column.”
Cair Paravel athletic director Gary Cleverdon said Bonura would not be easily replaced, but that the process that ultimately led to Bond’s promotion had been a positive one.
“Doug took over a program that was just getting started in the eyes of many. Football at this school was not the big item on the block,” said Cleverdon. “It was always more than just football for Doug. He put his blood, sweat and tears into it, every ounce he had. We would have loved to have him until he just couldn’t coach anymore. But he knew the time was right.
“Turning a program over to anyone else is going to be big shoes to fill. We feel like we have the right person who has been with Doug for many years. It’s been a fantastic transition so far and I think it’s going to be a really good situation.”
Late in the second period Tuesday, the Cair Paravel boys looked up at a 21-7 deficit on the scoreboard. But as a ranked team for the first time in the program’s history, the Lions believe they are capable of overcoming adversity.
Chase Hastert, Cair Paravel [Photo by Barry Benteman/Special to TSN]
Cair Paravel entered the contest with Centralia ranked seventh in Class 2A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. They didn’t play like it for the first 14 minutes Tuesday, but the Lions found their footing in the second half and turned that 14-point deficit into the team’s ninth win in a row, 50-42.
Cair Paravel outscored the visiting Panthers 18-12 in the third period, then ran away with a 19-6 advantage in the fourth period.
“First half we were selfish and soft. Second half looked night and day different,” said Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer. “(The Panthers) were hitting some tough shots, too. Not all of them were easy looks. But they got hot and then it can be tough to battle back when you’re down double digits.”
Sophomore Chase Hastert, who led the Lions with 14 points, echoed and added to his coach’s criticism of the first half.
“We were not going after loose balls, letting them go after it, not attacking the boards and playing selfish. We were taking first-side shots, not getting it inside. We had like four paint touches in the first half,” Hastert said. “In the second half, coach was like, ‘We can’t shoot any bad shots.’ We went on a run and we were just playing a lot harder, not just moping around.”
Kueffer credited his seniors for leading the turnaround.
“Our leaders do a great job,” Kueffer said. “We have three senior captains -- Drew Fay, Caleb Cleverdon and Lucas Marichal. They’re kind of our quarterbacks out on the court. Those floor generals can kind of rally each other and huddle everyone up to get it going.
“But the way (you stage a comeback) is one stop at a time. You can’t get 10 in a row. You can’t look at it that way. It’s just one good possession at a time, one good guard, one good rebound at a time. When you don’t get stops it’s hard to run in transition. Once we did get stops, we finished possessions. We were able to pitch ahead and score in transition.”
Fay scored 13 points for Cair Paravel and Marichal added 11. After going scoreless in the first half, sophomore Blaine Durbin turned in nine second-half points. The Lions outscored the visitors 13-3 over the final 4:41.
Senior Payton Sterk is coming off a season-high 22-point performance in last Friday's 71-55 home win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
