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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA-- Washburn University women's basketball rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit Saturday to defeat Emporia State 64-61 inside of White Auditorium in the Ichabods' opening game of 2025.
Freshman guard Brooke Gomez (1) scored a career-high 14 points as Washburn rallied for a 64-61 MIAA road win over Emporia State Saturday. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State Athletics]
The Ichabods moved back to .500 on the season with their first MIAA win and will return to Topeka for four straight games, beginning Wednesday against Missouri Western (5:30 p.m. tipoff).
After Washburn (7-7 overall, 1-3 MIAA) scored the opening basket of the game courtesy of Gabi Giovannetti the next 10 points were all scored by the Lady Hornets (7-6, 2-2).
The Ichabods made up ground at the free throw line, connecting on five free throws in the opening quarter to get back within two points.
Late in the quarter the Ichabods briefly went in front after a triple from Giovannetti before Emporia State knotted the game at 16 to end the first.
Both sides struggled to score in the second quarter as defenses tightened up before halftime.
Even with just five combined field goals in the quarter there were five lead changes and three ties as the game went back and forth.
The final four points of the quarter went to the Lady Hornets, all at the free throw line, to lead 28-25 at the break.
Coming out of halftime Emporia State started on a 8-0 run to lead by a game-high 11 points at the 7:32 mark in the third quarter.
Inside of five minutes to play Washburn's Nia McKenzie scored an old-fashioned three-point play which began a 13-2 stretch for Washburn to end the quarter.
They went in front 41-39 after Brooke Gomez got a 3-pointer to go and would enter the fourth tied at 41.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Norma Greco
NORMA GRECO, Hayden
A 5-foot-6 senior, Greco scored a game-high 17 points as Hayden's girls basketball team made its 2025 debut Friday night with a 60-47 non-league home victory over Shawnee Heights. Greco scored 15 points in the first half with four 3-pointers, helping the Wildcats improve to 6-0 on the season.
Deacon Pomeroy
DEACON POMEROY, Shawnee Heights
Pomeroy, a 6-foot-5 senior, had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds as Shawnee Heights' boys basketball team improved to 4-1 with a 61-52 non-league road win Friday night at Hayden. Pomeroy hit three 3-pointers and went 4 of 4 at the free throw linee for the T-Birds.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton
AHSIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High
Rayton, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, scored a game-high 25 points, including 19 in the second half and the Trojans' final nine points, as Topeka High's girls basketball team improved to 3-2 with a 50-42 home non-league win over Wichita Life Prep Academy.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA – Washburn University men's basketball christened the new year in style as the No. 2-ranked Ichabods led for 39:33 of the 40-minute contest and by as many as 33 points, cruising to a 105-77 MIAA road win over Emporia State on Saturday in White Auditorium.
Sophomore Jack Bachelor led six double-figure scorers for Washburn with 19 points as the No. 2-ranked Ichabods rolled to a 105-77 road win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn improved to 13-0 overall and 4-0 in MIAA play and will return to Lee Arena for the first time since Nov. 30 next Wednesday as the Ichabods will host Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m.
Washburn jumped out to a 13-3 lead 3:49 into the game behind Jack Bachelor's 11 points, including three-straight 3-pointers.
The Hornets (4-8, 1-3) trimmed the lead back to five at 17-12, but the Ichabods used another 13 to 3 run, doubling up Emporia State with 9:13 to play in the half.
ESU cut the lead to 11 but that margin was the closest the Hornets would get the rest of the game as the Ichabods finished the frame 9 of 11 from the field over the final 7:01 of the half, taking a 56-39 lead into the break.
Washburn shot 61 percent in the opening half, paced by 17 points from Washburn Rural product Bachelor and 10 points and eight assists from Jacob Hanna as the Ichabods reached at least 50 points in a half since scoring 52 against William Jewell on Nov. 23, 2024 in Lee Arena.
A 12-1 run over a three-minute stretch followed by a 16-7 Ichabod run stretched the Ichabod lead to a game-high 33 with 9:28 to play as Washburn snapped a four-game slide to the Hornets.
Bachelor finished with a game-high 19 points and added eight assists, leading six Ichabods in double figures.
Birthday boy Andrew Orr had 16 points as did Hanna, who also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Dillon Claussen had a career-high 15 points on 7 of 7 shooting while Brayden Shorter hit three 3-pointers en route to 11 points with six boards and Brady Christiansen had 11 points as well.
Malik Edwards scored 13 points to lead the Hornets.
After shooting 61 percent in the first half, the Ichabods improved to 67 percent in the second half, hitting 20 of 30 shots overall to close the game at a season-high 63 percent on 43 of 68 shooting.
Washburn outrebounded the Hornets 34 to 25 in the game and tallied 26 assists on 43 baskets in the game. Washburn also outscored the Hornets 58 to 22 in the paint and forced 22 turnovers, leading to 27 points for the Ichabods.
The 105 points scored by the Ichabods was the second time Washburn reached the century mark in the 222 previous meetings in the series, topping the old record of 103 set against ESU on Jan. 7, 2004 in Topeka.
The Ichabods just missed setting the largest margin of victory in the series as the Hornets hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left avoiding the record mark of 31 in a 73-42 Ichabod win on Jan. 16, 2010.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Highland Park boys basketball coach Mike Williams notched his 100th career victory in an 81-42 romp at Topeka High Friday night.
Following the contest, Williams received the game ball from Trojans coach Geo Lyons and a plaque from Highland Park athletic director Boshner Whitaker to commemorate the accomplishment.
Highland Park coach Mike Williams receives a plaque commemorating his 100th win from Hi Park athletic director Boshner Whitaker after Friday's 81-42 win at Topeka High. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Highland Park coach Mike Williams celebrates his 100th career victory with his Scots after Friday's 81-42 win at Topeka High. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Williams took over the Scots program in 2018, a season in which they won just three games. His son, Mikey, a senior on the current Scots team, recalls those difficult days.
“It was hard on him,” Mikey Williams said. “He would come home and tell me, ‘I wish things were different, but I’m never going to give up.’ So, I just watched him keep working to get to this point. It’s just a testimony to who he is as a person.”
Senior MIkey Williams slams down a dunk in Friday's 81-42 Highland Park win at Topeka High. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The younger Williams threw down several impressive dunks to spark the Scots. He finished with 19 points on the special night.
“When I got into coaching, I didn’t know it would come to this point,” coach Williams said. “I got into it to coach my son. I wanted to impact him, and then some things changed. Some coaching positions came open and I was an assistant. You get into something because you love the game, you love teaching and working with young people. You want to impact the community.
“Then you look up and, through the grace of the Most High, you’re winning games and things are coming together.”
Williams said lessons learned during the losing seasons helped him harness his optimism and channel it into a coaching style.
“The crazy thing about it was, I never thought we would lose,” Williams said. “I always had belief. I’m a competitor. I’m a winner. Even in those years where we were losing, I didn’t think we were (losing).
“That’s what I want to get across to the guys. That you can manipulate situations through your focus, through your approach, through doing things right, day in and day out. Doing things together. And I think we’re finding that recipe this year, and I think we’re onto something really special.”
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka High girls survived a nine-point deficit to race past Wichita Life Prep Academy 50-42 Friday night on the Trojans’ home court.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 25 points, including her team's final nine points, in Friday's 50-42 Topeka High win over Life Prep. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half – including the Trojans’ last nine of the game – to fuel the comeback.
Topeka High fell behind 19-10 midway through the second period when it went scoreless for about eight minutes of game action. But coach Ron Slaymaker and the Trojans didn’t fold.
Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker talks to his team during Friday's 50-42 win over Wichita Life Prep Academy. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“We just tried to do what we were trying to do from the beginning -- be solid, run our fast break and play good defense,” Slaymaker said. “And that’s exactly what got us back into it.”
Despite giving up height at essentially every position on the court, Topeka High kept revving the accelerator and tormenting the Life Prep ballhandlers.
“We came out nervous, scared of their height,” Rayton said. “I had to tell the girls, 'Don’t worry about the height. Play hard and have fun. It’s just basketball.’ ”
Topeka High steadily made up ground and took the lead early in the fourth period on a jump shot by junior Keimara Marshall, who chipped in 12 points. The Trojans gave up the lead momentarily, but they outscored the Fire 13-4 over the final five minutes of the game.
“I just told (the team in the locker room) that the thing I was most pleased with was the way we made adjustments,” Slaymaker said. “I’m not sure I would have anticipated that. We just haven’t had enough practices. We made very good adjustments. That’s what got us the lead.”
“When we came in at halftime, Keimara and I told the girls that we didn’t have energy, hanging our head after mistakes,” Rayton said. “We came together as a team.”
