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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn men’s basketball knew it had to keep winning in the MIAA tournament to have a chance at making the NCAA tournament.
The Ichabods did just that, knocking off No. 1 seed Central Oklahoma, 79-65, to advance to Sunday's 3:30 p.m. MIAA championship game against Northwest Missouri State.
Washburn senior star Tyler Geiman reacts after hitting a 3-pointer in Saturday's 79-65 MIAA semifinal win over top seed Central Oklahoma. Geiman scored 17 points and hit five 3-pointers. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
“I thought our defense was tremendous the entire game, that is a hard team to guard,” said Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. “To hold that team to 33 percent field goal shooting and out-rebound them by eight. I thought our guys did a great job locking in on the defensive end.”
“We didn’t reach that goal that we wanted to in the regular season” said senior Tyler Geiman. “We knew we had to come in here to win games and prove that we belong and that’s what we are doing and people are seeing what our team is all about.”
The Ichabods used a hot shooting night and a strong defensive effort to move on to a second straight conference championship game.
“(We) have been in the MIAA championship game four out of my first five years here,” Ballard said. “I am proud of the work they have put in and hope that we can show up tomorrow and believe in ourselves … it’s a great opportunity.”
The win moved Washburn to 21-9 overall on the season, surpassing last season’s win total.
From the start neither team could create any kind of separation from each other, with both teams playing sound defense.
Jonny Clausing scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Washburn's 79-65 win over top seed Central Oklahoma in Saturday's MIAA Tournament semifinal. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The Ichabods did have success when they got the ball inside to junior Jonny Clausing who scored the team's first four points and eight in the half.
Central Oklahoma possessed a 14-9 lead nearly nine minutes into the game on the back of junior Callen Haydon’s eight early points.
From that point Washburn went on a 5-0 run to tie, and would eventually begin to build a lead. Inside-out play built a six-point lead with under five to play in the first half.
After a slow start offensively, Geiman took over the game, knocking down four 3-pointers in the final five minutes to lead by as many as 13.
“When you see one go it definitely helps. But I thought last night I got into the paint quite a bit and probably could have made more plays off of that,” Geiman said.
The Bronchos responded by ending the half on a 9-3 run to make it 39-32 at the break.
Central Oklahoma came out of halftime and continued to score, led by Haydon who scored 10 points in the first five minutes.
Five quick points for WU sophomore Connor Deffebaugh helped to stave off the run but back-to-back baskets from Bronchos senior Isaiah Wade kept the game within six points.
Wade’s 10th point of the half with just over 11 minutes to go cut the Washburn lead to just three.
“I feel like I’m on cruise control right now, these guys are out there controlling things and taking ownership of what is going on the court,” Ballard said. “They just really don’t get rattled … they don’t flinch.”
The Ichabods got hot offensively with under 10 minutes to play, knocking down three 3-pointers in a three-minute span. Freshman Michael Keegan, Deffebaugh and Geiman provided the points to pull back ahead by 12.
“I thought we would shoot like this most of the year, we really haven’t shot how we were capable of for a good majority of the year,” Ballard said. “We outscored them in points in the paint 26 to 18 and Jonny was a big part of that … he helps us playing inside-out it opens some of those 3s up.”
Jalen Lewis continued the hot shooting by knocking down two more 3-pointers before the five-minute mark, putting Washburn up by a game-high 16.
From that point the lead would never drop below 14, with Central Oklahoma pulling its starters with just more than a minute left as the Ichabods ultimately finished with the 14-point win.
“It was a good win for us, that was a good team we just beat,” Ballard said. “I am proud of our guys for coming in here and getting a win versus a very good team,”
Clausing led Washburn with 18 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Geiman had 17 points and a game-high seven assists.
“It will be a great environment (Sunday),'' Ballard said. "I know our guys will be ready to take advantage of it and try to win back-to-back/''
WASHBURN MEN 79, CENTRAL OKLAHOMA 65
Washburn 39 40 -- 79
Central Oklahoma 32 33 -– 65
Central Oklahoma (24-6)
Wade 5-17 5-7 15, Turner 1-4 0-0 2, Haydon 7-14 4-4 22, Wells 2-7 2-2 7, Givens 1-4 4-4 7, Richardson 3-7 2-2 10, Aymond 0-3 2-4 2, Ca. Calavan 0-0 0-0 0, Co. Calavan 0-0 0-0 0, Streich 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-57 19-23 65.
Washburn (21-9)
Clausing 8-14 2-8 18, Deffebaugh 4-6 0-0 10, Geiman 5-12 2-3 17, Lewis 5-14 2-2 15, Keegan 3-7 0-0 7, Nelson 2-6 1-2 7, Ellis 0-2 0-0 0, Harrell 1-3 2-2 5, Braun 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 28-64 9-17 79.
3-point shots – Central Oklahoma: 8-28 (Wade 0-5, Turner 0-2, Haydon 4-7, Wells 1-4, Givens 1-3, Richardson 2-5, Aymond 0-2). Washburn: 14-28 (Deffebaugh 2-2, Geiman 5-8, Lewis 3-8, Keegan 1-3, Nelson 2-4, Ellis 0-2, Harrell 1-1). Rebounds – Central Oklahoma 36 (Givens 9), Washburn 46 (Keegan 15). Assists – Central Oklahoma 10 (Wade 3), Washburn 17 (Geiman 7). Turnovers – Central Oklahoma 9, Washburn 11. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – Central Oklahoma 1 (Richardson).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.newsclass
Hayden's boys basketball team continued its late-season turnaround with is biggest win of the season Saturday afternoon, with the No. 12-seeded Wildcats punching their ticket to next week's Class 4A state tournament in Salina with a 52-37 road win at No. 4 seed Wamego.in a sub-state final.
"Wamego's a very talented team,'' Hayden first-year coach Dwayne Paul said. "They shoot the ball at a high rate and it was going to be extremely important for us to guard the bounce.
"We guarded very well today and we rebounded very well and that kind of kept us in it until our offense kind of picked up towards the end of the first (half) going into the second. We kind of made a run there and did some good things.''
Hayden junior Joe Otting led the way with 18 points as the Wildcats earned a berth in the Class 4A state tournament with a 52-37 win at Wamego Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Saturday's win came on the heels of a 53-43 overtime sub-state semifinal victory at No. 5 Holton.
Hayden was 3-12 in mid-February, but has won six of its last seven games, including five straight.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
All basketball teams suffer through tough shooting nights.
Unfortunately for the Seaman girls basketball team, its shooting woes came at a most inopportune time, with a Class 5A state tournament berth on the line Saturday in a sub-state final against Andover Central at Seaman.
Seaman played solid defense, didn't commit a ton of turnovers and for the most part got good shots, but had trouble from start to finish putting the ball in the basket, shooting 21.7 percent in a 52-38 loss.
Seaman's players console each other while Andover Central celebrates at the end of the Jaguars' 52-38 Class 5A sub-state win Saturday night at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We just didn't have it tonight, but one bump in the road does not sum up our season,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "We just had a night where the ball didn't go in the hole.
"Sometimes you can lose games because of a lack of effort, that wasn't the case. You can lose games because you don't run the right alignment and assignment, that wasn't the case. We just didn't hit and you can't do anything about that. Unfortunately it was at the wrong time for us, but we got beat by a really good team of seniors.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 9-seeded Seaman boys basketball team made the long trip to Hays pay off with its biggest win of the season Friday night, with the Vikings rolling to a 61-44 victory over the Indians, the No. 1 West seed.
Seaman led 27-12 at halftime and never let Hays (20-2) closer than 14 in the second half, snapping Hays’ 18-game win streak while posting their eighth straight victory.
Senior Mateo Hyman (right) drives to the basket in Friday's 61-44 victory over No. 1 West seed Hays in a Class 5A sub-state final. [Submitted]
"Being able to hold them down to 12 points the first half was just phenomenal,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. “We knew they were going to score in the second half. It was just about keeping them at arm’s length so they didn’t get too much momentum.
“They had a couple spurts where the energy picked up and it got loud in here and you’re thinking, ‘Uh oh, this could turn in a hurry.’ It’s hard to go in halftime up 15, especially when they’ve only got 12, and maintain that. Our guys get all the credit for their defensive effort all night.”
The Vikings, who improved to 15-7, advanced to next week's Class 5A state tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium and will play a first-round game on Wednesday.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn men’s basketball and Emporia State faced off in the Turnpike Tussle for the third time this season and the second time in the last week Friday night.
This time the game would take place in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals and just like the first two games, it was the team from Topeka that came out on top, with the Ichabods winning 88-81.
“That was a heck of a college basketball game,” said Washburn coach Brett Ballard. “They are tough for us to play, especially those guards.”
“This is a big game for us for a number of reasons, one you are trying to extend your season. You are playing a rival and they are right down the road from us, so it means a lot for our players and our program and to our fans, too.”
Washburn celebrates at the end of Friday's 88-81 MIAA Tournament win over Emporia State. The Ichabods reached the 20-win mark for the second straight season. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The tournament being held in Kansas City after a year away made it more important for the players from the area.
“There’s a lot of people here, and a lot of local people that me and Lew (Jalen Lewis) have known for a while,” said senior Tyler Geiman, a Blue Valley product. “Washburn brought the crowd and the energy today so they were awesome.”
The win was Washburn’s 20th on the season as the Ichabods moved to 20-9, a second straight year the team has hit the 20-win mark.
“If you get to 20 wins in a college basketball season that is something that you should be proud of,” Ballard said. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to get here, we just kind of scratched and clawed our way back into this situation and I am really proud of our team to get 20.”
The game began with a personal 5-0 run for MIAA freshman of the year Michael Keegan to put the Ichabods in front.
The Hornets would quickly come back to tie the game at eight and take a brief lead.
Throughout the first half neither team would lead by more than five points. In the middle portion it was Geiman and Jonny Clausing who each had six points at the six-minute mark with the score tied at 23.
For Emporia State it was the usual suspects, seniors Tray Buchanan and Jumah’ri Turner, who combined for 20 first-half points.
Keegan broke loose for two transition layups in the final five minutes to give him 12 in the first half. A free throw from Clausing in the final five seconds tied the game at 35 heading into the break.
Out of halftime Buchanan heated up quickly, scoring 11 points in the first five minutes, including three 3-pointers. Washburn was able to withstand the run with 12 combined points from Geiman and sophomore Connor Deffebaugh over the same first five minutes.
“I am proud of my guys, they accepted the challenge. We didn’t flinch when they were making some tough shots, we just kept competing and kept playing,” Ballard said.
The Ichabods made it a 56-50 game just under the 14-minute mark and tied the largest lead for either side to that point. Lewis and sophomore Tyler Nelson each scored five with one 3-pointer in the stretch.
“We feel like we have different guys that can come at you in different ways, we got a lot of weapons,” Ballard said. “Hopefully one of the things that makes us hard to guard is the different guys that can step up.”
Lewis continued to score and the lead continued to grow, reaching 11 points with 7:41 left after another 3-pointer.
“TY (Geiman) found me in my spots and really got me going,” Lewis said. “Just trusting the work that I put in and shooting shots when I needed to.”
Lewis scored 20 points in the game, all coming after halftime as he follows up winning MIAA tournament MVP honors last season.
“Postseason play is always fun, this is what we work for all year, so just to be able to come out here and compete with my guys one last time. This is definitely special for me,” Lewis said.
The Hornets began to battle back, with Turner knocking down jump shots and with post players getting to the free throw line. With just over three minutes to go the lead was cut to just three.
Geiman would take over for the next two minutes, leading Washburn on an 9-4 run, scoring seven points and assisting the other two. Three of the points came on a pull-up 3-pointer with 1:30 left to take a six-point lead.
Emporia State was forced to foul and Lewis came through at the line, knocking down three of four free throws in the final seconds to secure the seven-point win.
“The game went about how I thought it would go … we knew we would have to grind it out,” Ballard said. “I just like that we didn’t flinch, kept playing and responded the right way.”
Geiman and Lewis paced the Ichabods with 20 points each, with Geiman notching seven assists. Deffebaugh scored 14 on 4-8 shooting and Keegan and Clausing scored 12 and 11 respectively as all five starters reached double figures.
Washburn will take on No. 1 Central Oklahoma in a 5 p.m. semifinal Saturday.
WASHBURN MEN 88, EMPORIA STATE 81
Emporia State 35 48 – 81
Washburn 35 53 -- 88
Emporia State (20-9)
Scoring: Van Dyke 4-6 2-4 10, Buom 0-2 0-0 0, Buchanan 6-16 5-7 22, Evans 4-10 0-0 12, Turner 7-20 6-6 23, McGuire 2-4 1-2 5, Rogers-Schmidt 0-0 5-6 5, Thiessen 1-2 0-0 2, Haddock 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, McCray 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-61 19-25 81.
Washburn (20-9)
Scoring: Clausing 3-5 5-8 11, Deffebaugh 4-8 5-5 14, Geiman 7-14 5-7 20, Lewis 7-11 3-4 20, Keegan 5-8 12, Nelson 3-4 1-2 8, Harrell 0-1 0-0 0, Ellis 0-2 0-0 0, Braun 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 30-55 19-26 88.
3-point shots – Emporia State: 12-38 (Van Dyke 0-1, Buchanan 5-14, Evans 4-10, Turner 3-11, McGuire 0-1, Thiessen 0-1). Rebounds – Emporia State 33 (Van Dyke 10), Washburn 31 (Clausing 8). Assists – Emporia State 11 (Turner 4), Washburn 12 (Geiman 12). Turnovers – Emporia State 8, Washburn 11. Fouled out – Emporia State (Evans), Washburn (Deffebaugh). Technical fouls – Emporia State 2 (Turner, McGuire), Washburn 2 (Nelson, Deffebaugh).
