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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Back in Koch Arena for the first time since winning the Class 6A state championship in 2019, Washburn Rural's girls gave themselves a shot at another title with a hard-earned 44-43 semifinal win over previously-unbeaten Olathe North Friday night.
Now 22-2 on the season, Washburn Rural will play for championship at 4 p.m. Saturday against Derby, which edged Blue Valley in double overtime, 51-49.
Washburn Rural junior Brooklyn DeLeye drives to the basket in Friday's 44-43 Class 6A semifinal victory over previously-unbeaten Olathe North. [Submitted]
Washburn Rural led Olathe North 23-18 at the half, but the 23-1 Eagles stormed back to take an eight-point advantage in the third quarter.
The Junior Blues cut their deficit in half by the end of the third quarter, trailing 35-31, and the Junior Blues outscored North 13-8 over the final eight minutes to pull out the win.
"I think we knew this was a huge game and it was going to come down to our defense from the start,'' Rural senior Emma Krueger said. "It really did come down to our 'D' and we hang our hats on that.
"They're a good team and we knew they were going to go on runs and out mindset was when that happened we just have to cut that momentum and find a way to translate it into our momentum.''
Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick was proud of the way his team answered North's big third-quarter rally.
"We blew a five-point lead and they came out and just kicked us,'' Bordewick said. "What was it, a 13-0 run or something? And we could of so easily just said, 'Hey, coming close is good enough,' but it aint.
"And with this group they keep fighting and they keep battling and they never think they're out of it. Being down eight to a team like that and just the way they battled every single possession, I couldn't be more prouder of a group.''
The game was tied 41-41 before sophomore Jada Ingram hit two free throws with 2:01 remaining to put Rural ahead to stay.
Junior MaRyah Lutz canned a free throw to put Rural up 44-41 with 59 seconds left to play, but Olathe North got within a point with 18.3 seconds remaining and the Eagles got the ball back on an alternating possession with 15.5 seconds left.
Rural senior Emma Krueger came up with a couple of near steals to take time off the clock but Olathe North retained possession before missing a potential game-winning shot as time ran out.
Lutz led Rural with 10 points while senior Krueger and Ingram added nine points apiece, with Krueger going 7 of 8 at the line.
Ingram and junior Brooklyn DeLeye both grabbed eight rebounds.
Rural hasn't always been a great free throw shooting team this season, but was 15 of 22 at the line against North, including several big makes down the stretch.
"Jada Ingram's free throws, those were huge, and Emma's free throws, huge,'' Bordewick said. "That's just, to me, a mental competitive edge that those kids bring and in a clutch, big-game situation. Knocking those down were huge.''
Rural also finished with a 27-19 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 edge on offensive boards. Both Ingram and DeLeye grabbed four offensive rebounds apiece.
Washburn Rural beat Derby 54-37 in the semifinals of the Lady Firebirds Winter Classic earlier this season.
"It doesn't mean anything,'' Bordewick said. "When we did play them and beat them this year they didn't have the Brown kid (6-foot-3 junior Addyson Brown) and that's going to make a difference but I think we're really receptive of that challenge tomorrow, too.
"I think we'll be mentally and physically ready to go.''
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 44, OLATHE NORTH 43
Washburn Rural 12 11 8 13 -- 44
Olathe North 10 8 17 8 -- 43
Washburn Rural (22-2) -- Lutz 3-8 1-2 10, Krueger 1-2 7-8 9, Canfield 2-9 0-0 6, Ingram 3-5 3-6 9, DeLeye 2-9 2-4 6, Bagshaw 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 1-2 0-0 2, Brogan 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-35 15-22 44.
Olathe North (23-1) -- S. Simmons 1-6 0-0 3, Stanford 3-6 0-0 8, Copeland 4-9 1-2 10, Nwidadah 5-5 0-0 10, Alloway 3-8 2-2 9, Landry 0-2 0-0 0, Dillon 1-1 0-0 3, L. Simmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-37 3-4 43.
3-point shots -- Washburn Rural 5-18 (Lutz 3-6, Canfield 2-8, DeLeye 0-3, Krueger 0-1), Olathe North 6-14 (Sanford 2-4, S. Simmons 1-3, Copeland 1-3, Alloway 1-3, Dillon 1-1). Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 9, Olathe North 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- The beginning and end of the first half set the stage for the biggest win in Seaman's boys basketball history Friday afternoon at White Auditorium.
Seeking their first-ever berth in a boys state championship game, the Vikings put defending Class 5A champ Maize in a hole with a 12-0 start and got a huge 35-foot 3-pointer from junior Kaeden Bonner to end the half, riding that first-half momentum to a 66-54 victory over the Eagles.
"It was a great start to the game,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "Our guys were ready to go and knocked down shots, and our defense was outstanding.''
Junior Kaeden Bonner hit six 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 18 points as Seaman advanced to its first-ever boys state championship game with a 66-54 semifinal win over Maize Friday in Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 17-7 Vikings, who posted their 10th straight victory, will play for the state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the second boys semifinal between St. James Academy and De Soto.
Two days after dispatching top seed Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the first round, Seaman got off to another hot start Friday, riding two early 3-pointers from Bonner, who hit six 3s on the day, to build its lead to 12-0 at the 3:11 mark of the opening quarter.
That was the start of a wire-to-wire win for the Vikings against the 19-5 Eagles, who never got any closer than three the rest of the first half and no closer than five in the second half after Bonner's buzzer-beater to end the half put Seaman in command by a 31-18 margin.
"That was big,'' Bonner said. "I was confident because I had made some 3s before that. It was from deep but I just pulled it with confidence and it just felt good.''
Maize cut into Seaman's double-digit lead with a 19-13 third quarter, cutting its deficit to 44-37 on a hoop from Kyle Grill to end the quarter.
Maize's Jaden Gustafson opened the fourth with a basket to get the Eagles within five, but Bonner answered with a 3-pointer to help the Vikings regain the momentum.
"In the second half I knew they're well-coached and that they would make some adjustments,'' Cox said. "They got the ball in deep on us and made their run, but but we hit enough shots to keep them at arm's length and make the free throws that we needed down the stretch.
"They didn't have any fear. I saw in their eyes that they were confident and I felt like that they were going to get the job done.''
The Eagles threatened again with less than two minutes remaining, cutting Seaman's lead to 55-50 with 1:25 remaining on back-to-back 3-pointers from Grill, but Seaman put the game away with a 9-0 run.
Seven of those points came at the free throw line, including four straight from senior Ty Henry to give Seaman a 64-50 lead with 24.1 seconds left, as the Vikings canned 19 of 23 charities on the day.
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman (10), celebrating a Viking bucket Friday, scored 17 points in Seaman's 66-54 Class 5A semifinal win over Maize. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bonner, who scored all of his points on 3-pointers, led Seaman with 18 points while senior Mateo Hyman was right behind with 17 points, going 6 of 6 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.
Henry was the third Viking in double figures with 10 points while junior Aron Davis had nine points and senior Gavin Wilhelm six, with all six coming in the final 1:42.
Wilhelm also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while Bonner led the Vikings with five assists.
"We all just stepped up and did our part,'' Bonner said.
Now Seaman will try to end its historic run with a state title.
"We've got a lot of momentum right now, a lot of confidence and we're excited about tomorrow,'' Cox said.
Senior Jaden Gustafson led Maize with a game-high 21 points while Grill added 15 points and junior Avery Johnson 13 points.
SEAMAN BOYS 66, MAIZE 54
Maize 5 13 19 17 -- 54
Seaman 12 19 13 22 -- 66
Maize (19-5) -- K. Grill 5-11 3-4 15, Johnson 5-10 1-2 13, Belcher 2-7 0-0 5, Gustafson 9-16 3-6 21, Schmidt 0-1 0-0 0, A. Grill 0-0 0-0 0, Hanna 0-0 0-0 0, Booth 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Stover 0-0 0-0 0, Reyes 0-1 0-0 0, Sharp 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 7-12 54.
Seaman(17-7) -- Hyman 6-6 5-7 17, Henry 3-7 4-4 10, Bonner 6-15 0-0 18, Wilhelm 1-5 4-5 6, Davis 3-4 2-3 9, Freeman 0-0 0-0 0, Griess 1-3 2-2 4, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Barta 0-0 2-2 0. Totals 20-40 19-23 66.
3-point shots -- Maize 5-15 (K. Grill 2-6, Johnson 2-6, Belcher 1-3), Seaman 7-20 (Bonner 6-12, Davis 1-1, Wilhelm 0-4, Henry 0-2, Griess 0-1). Total fouls -- Maize 21, Seaman 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Like everybody associated with Washburn University men's basketball, Ichabod coach Brett Ballard went through some anxious hours waiting for the NCAA Tournament field to be announced Sunday night.
But now that the 21-10 Ichabods are safely in the field, Ballard is confident that his team can do some damage.
"I felt like we deserved to be in, but I'll be honest, I was really, really concerned we weren't going to get in,'' Ballard said. "I knew we just had so many good teams in our (Central) Region that it was going to be tough, but I felt like we deserved it and am obviously happy now.''
The Ichabods will face off with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (25-5) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the Sanford Pentagon.
Washburn is the No. 7 seed and coming off an 84-76 loss to Northwest Missouri in the MIAA Championship game. The Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed and fell to Minnesota State Moorhead 81-73 in the NSIC Championship game.
Tyler Geiman and the Washburn Ichabods will make their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament over the past five seasons Saturday, facing Minnesota Duluth. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 15-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in 15 previous appearances and reached the NCAA Championship game once during the 2001 season, falling to Kentucky Wesleyan, 72-63.
Minnesota Duluth is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season, while Washburn is in the tournament for the fourth time in five seasons under Ballard.
Washburn went though some tough times early in the season while playing without standouts Tyler Geiman, Jonny Clausing and Tyler Nelson, but the Ichabods caught fire after returning to full strength.
"We played the third-toughest schedule in the country, so early without our guys it was a struggle and it was frustrating, but it made us re-evaluate some things and it made us really lock in and focus on some details and we were able to get some guys some experience,'' Ballard said.
"And now that we've got all our parts, you can see what this team is capable of. We're playing well. Our region's tough, but I really like where our guys' head space is right now and feel like we can go beat anybody.''
Geiman leads the Ichabods in scoring average at 15.3 points per game, with 5.1 rebounds per game and 6.6 assists per game.
In the last 13 games he is averaging18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
Jalen Lewis is scoring 13.6 points per game while hitting 64 of 164 3-pointers while Clausing is averaging 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks since moving into Washburn's starting lineup seven games ago. For the season Clausing is averaging 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Michael Keegan, the 2021-22 MIAA freshman of the year, is averaging 9.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game.
The Bulldogs have all five starters averaging double figures, led by Drew Blair at 18.6 points per game. Austin Andrews is averaging 18.1 points with 9.5 rebounds per game. Joshua Brown is scoring 15.0 points per game, Charlie Katona 11.5 and Jack Middleton 10.4 points per game.
With a win, the Ichabods will face the winner of the Northwest Missouri-MSU Moorhead game on Sunday at 5 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 8 seed Hayden dominated the second half Thursday against No. 1 Eudora, pulling away for a 64-53 victory in a first round Class 4A state tournament game at Salina's Tony's Pizza Events Center.
Hayden, which improved to 10-13, trailed 21-13 at halftime after Eudora led by as much as 10 points, but the Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 51-32 after the break to take control.
With the victory Hayden advanced to Friday's 8 p.m. semifinal to face No. 5 Bishop Miege (16-6), the defending state champion. The Stags advanced with a 70-40 win over Abilene.
Junior Joe Otting scored a game-high 23 points as Hayden knocked off No. 1 seed Eudora Thursday in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Trent Duffey scored 16 points in Hayden's 64-53 win over top seed Eudora in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden opened the second half with five straight points from 6-foot-5 junior standout Joe Otting and took a 27-24 lead midway through the quarter after a 3-pointer from senior Trent Duffey and a traditional three-point play from junior Jake Muller.
The Wildcats started the fourth quarter with a 33-31 advantage after Muller scored to end the quarter.
Eudora, which ended its season 18-4, took a one-point advantage on a Kale Hammerschmidt 3-pointer and Hammerschmidt tied the game at 43-43 with 4:50 remaining but the Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 21-10 the rest of the way despite struggling at the free throw line, including six straight misses at one stretch.
Duffey canned two huge charities with 1:30 left to give Hayden a 56-49 lead and Otting gave the Wildcats an eight-point advantage with two free throw makes with a minute left.
Otting led Hayden with 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Duffey added 16 points and Muller nine, Dominic Ridley seven and Peyton Bartlett six.
Sophomore Logan Sullivan led Eudora with 17 points while Jaden Hamm added 12 points and Hammerschmidt 11.
Hayden became the second Topeka team to knock off a top seed, following the lead of Seaman's boys, who beat Kapaun Mt. Carmel in Class 5A on Wednesday.
Shawnee County has a total of four teams in the state semifinals, with Silver Lake's girls advancing in 3A and Washburn Rural's girls advancing in 6A.
HAYDEN BOYS 64, EUDORA 53
Hayden 6 7 20 31 -- 64
Eudora 9 12 10 22 -- 53
Hayden (10-13) -- Bartlett 2-6 0-2 6, Muller 4-9 1-5 9, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Duffey 3-9 8-10 16, Otting 7-10 6-12 23, Foster 0-1 0-0 0, Ridley 1-4 5-7 7, Ham 1-1 0-0 3, Charvat 0-0 0-0 0, Alfonsi 0-0 0-0 0, Gorman 0-0 0-0 0, Rice 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-40 20-36 64.
Eudora (18-4) -- Hamm 3-9 6-8 12, Hammerschmidt 3-5 2-2 11, Rader 3-4 0-2 7, Parker 1-4 0-0 3, Sullivan 7-21 2-3 17, Hoobler 0-0 0-0 0, Giffin 0-0 0-0 0, Arnold 0-0 0-0 0, Siemon 0-0 0-0 0, Dunback 1-2 0-0 2, Votaw 0-1 0-0 0, Barron 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 18-46 11-17 53.
3-point shots -- Hayden 8-18 (Otting 3-3, Duffey 2-5, Bartlett 2-4 Ham 1-1, Muller 0-2, Ridley 0-3), Eudora 6-16 (Hammerschmidt 3-3, Rader 1-1, Parker 1-2, Sullivan 1-9, Votaw 0-1). Total fouls -- Hayden 18, Eudora 28. Fouled out -- Hammerschmidt, Dunback. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Thursday's Class 3A girls state tournament game between Silver Lake and Cherryvale belonged to the Eagles' Makenzie McDaniel.
McDaniel, a 6-foot sophomore, registered a big double-double as the No. 1-seeded Eagles rolled to a 63-33 victory to advance to Friday's state semifinals.
McDaniel hit 16 of 21 shots from the field on the way to a 34-point outing and grabbed 16 rebounds as Silver Lake improved to 23-1.
Makenzie McDaniel
With Thursday's win Silver Lake moved on to a 4 p.m. semifinal against No. 4 seed Goodland, which took a 38-37 first-round win over Southeast-Saline.
Cherryvale, which ended its season 15-9, was within six points (15-9) at the end of the opening quarter, but Silver Lake held the Chargers to just two points in the second quarter en route to opening up a huge 31-11 halftime advantage.
The Eagles' lead grew to 49-26 at the end of the third quarter and Silver Lake continued to pull away over the final eight minutes.
Silver Lake, which does not have a senior on its roster, is in the 3A final four this season after making it to the state quarterfinals a year ago.
