The top-ranked Washburn Ichabods men's basketball team continued its perfect start to the 2025-2026 season Saturday in Maryville, Mo, pulling away in the second half for a 76-53 MIAA road win over Northwest Missouri State.
Senior Bryson Smith led Washburn with 16 points Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 16-0 on the season. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved to 16–0 overall and 6–0 in MIAA play, going wire-to-wire for the victory.
Washburn jumped out quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the game and holding the Bearcats without a field goal for nearly three minutes.
The Ichabods went on to build a 21-2 lead at the 12:38 mark of the opening half, but the Bearcats clawed back into the game, trimming the Ichabod advantage to two at 29-27 with 1:33 to play in the first half before the Ichabods closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 36–27 lead into break.
Washburn dominated the paint early, outscoring the Bearcats 24 to 2 while the Bearcats finished the first 20 minutes with seven 3-pointers out of their nine first-half field goals.
Washburn pushed its lead to 11 at 41-30 with 19:02 to play in the game before the Bearcats (9-8, 2-4) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Ichabod lead back to three with 16:19 to play.
After a free throw by WU senior Bryson Smith, a basket from Northwest's Jack Ratigan cut the lead down to two with 14:47 remaining.
But Washburn outscored the Bearcats 22-7 to open up a 64-47 lead with 7:41 to play.
Northwest scored the next two points of the game, and then another 9-0 spurt by Washburn stretched the lead to 73-49.
For the game, Washburn hit 30 of 59 shots from the field (50.8 percent), including a strong 26-of-39 (66.7) on two-point attempts, leading to a 50 to 14 advantage in points in the paint.
The Ichabods went 4 of 20 from 3-point range (20.0%) and 12 of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%).
For the first time since Jan. 5, 2019 Washburn University women's basketball went to double overtime on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 65-61 decision at Northwest Missouri.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 19 points in Saturday's 65-61 Washburn double-overtime loss at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
After rallying late in regulation to force overtime the Ichabods came up short in the second OT, dropping a four-point decision to the Bearcats.
In the opening minutes Washburn, 10-5 overall, 3-3 MIAA, was in control, leading 8-3 at the 5:27 mark after senior Gabi Giovannetti scored her second basket of the game.
The lead stayed at six inside the final two minutes of the quarter as the Bearcats were held to 1 of 12 shooting to begin the game. The home team finished on a 4-0 run and it was a 10-8 lead for the Ichabods after one.
Offense was hard to come by for both teams in the second quarter.
Washburn was held scoreless until a hoop by junior Britany Kogbara at the 4:34 mark. Both teams managed just one field goal as they combined for nine points in the quarter. The Ichabods went into the break still in front, leading 14-13.
With 7:50 remaining in the third quarter, Washburn junior Madelyn Amekporfor hit the first 3-pointer in the game for either team.
A pair of free throws by sophomore Brooke Gomez pushed the WU lead up to six points, but in the final minutes of the quarter Northwest Missouri flipped a three-point deficit into a five-point lead, going in front 33-28 after three.
After the opening minutes of the fourth quarter the Bearcats pushed the lead to nine points with 5:15 remaining.
Washburn answered with a 12-0 run across the next four minutes, with half of the points coming from Giovannetti.
Northwest Missouri scored four in a row to go in front by one. Giovannetti got a free throw to go in the final 10 seconds of regulation to tie the game back up and send it to overtime.
In the first extra period the Ichabods built the largest lead by either side at four points after senior Payton Sterk got a layup to go with 3:26 remaining.
The Washburn offense went cold over the last three minutes of overtime as the Bearcats scored four to tie it back up. Both sides had multiple stops inside the final minute to send the game to a second overtime tied at 53.
The lead continued to trade hands in the opening minutes of the second overtime.
Giovannetti hit a layup to put the Ichabods in front 59-58 with 1:12 remaining.
Northwest Missouri answered right back with a 3-pointer in the final minute that would put it in front for good. The home team went 4-4 at the free throw line to hold off the Ichabods.
Highland Park battled Class 4A No. 2 ranked and undefeated Atchison Friday at Hi Park in a game that had Meadowlark Conference ramifications early in the season as both of these teams are usually facing each other with the league championship on the line.
Junior JoJo Kingcannon led Highland Park with 18 points in the Scots' 57-51 loss to No. 2-ranked Atchison Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots had never lost to the Phoenix since entering the league and you didn’t need to let first-year head coach Nate Wallace know how big this game was.
And even though Atchison was able to hold off Highland Park 57-51, Wallace saw a lot of positives from his team.
Atchison would get things started with freshman Trey’von Gillum scoring the game's first five points before Scot sophomore Davion Anderson would get his squad on the board with a jumper to get the score to 5-2.
Atchison would score four more to go up 9-2 and then the Scots would go on a 11-0 run by spreading the ball around and getting everybody involved to see their first lead of the night at 13-9.
The second quarter would see three lead changes, with the Scots trailing 28-24at halftime.
“Oh, we're in great shape,'' Wallace said. "I knew that we'd eventually start making shots. We shoot a lot in practice, so I'm not really worried about shooting. I know that we're going to do that. At halftime, it was just, 'Hey, look where we're at.' That's probably the lowest score in a half we've had all season because we hung our hat on everybody rebounding. We had five guys rebounding. We were going to stay on that focus and let them know it's a game of runs they came out and punched us in the mouth, 9-0, 9-2.
"We knew that would happen. So we've just got to answer the run. So they make runs, we make runs.”
Junior G'Honi Montgomery reacts to one of his two 3-pointers in Friday's 57-51 loss to Atchison. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN].
Gillum would get things started in the third quarter with a 3 ball, Atchison would go on a 6-2 run to put the game at 34-26 before Scots junior G’Honi Montgomery would hit two huge 3-pointers in a row to get the Scots within two at 34-32 and then Anderson would hit his only 3-pointer of the night to give his team the lead at 35-34.
Each team would trade blows to escape the third quarter with Highland Park trailing the Phoenix 40-37 going into the fourth quarter.
“I'm never surprised with G’Honi,'' Montgomery said. "He is one of our most unselfish guys on the team. He's playing out of position. He really is a guard, but he is so strong. I call him little man. He's out there doing everything he can. So I give him those (3s). If he takes them, it's because he knows when to take them, he knows how to take them. He works on them.”
The fourth quarter would see the Scots' fearless leader, junior JoJo Kingcannon go on a tear as he would score 12 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
After picking up their first Meadowlark Conference victory by forfeit against Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday, Highland Park's girls were hoping to find their first in-game win since December 16th in Friday's home game against Atchison.
But the Lady Phoenix controlled things most of the way en route to a decisive 66-42 win over the Scots.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
Zayah Kincaid, Highland Park
The Highland Park-Atchison game has determined the league champion over the years since the Scots entered the Meadowlark and this one would be all Lady Phoenix as the Phoenix would get the jump and score the first 4 points before the Lady Scots would find the basket via senior Koralee Jones hitting a floater to get the Scots on the board.
Atchison senior Kaiya Downing would then find the basket to put Atchison up 6-2 and the Phoenix would never look back.
After Atchison went up 13-7 junior Zayah Kincaid would hit her first of three 3-pointers on the night to get the Scots within three at 13-10. But Atchison would go on a 7-0 run to end the first quarter and take a 20-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Scots would get within five at 22-17 and then the Phoenix would go on a 9-0 run before the Scots' Kincaid would find the basket. The Scots trailed 33-22 at halftime and the third quarter would see the Phoenix outscore the Scots 17-7 and the fourth quarter would be all Phoenix as they would finish it off with a 66-42 win.
The Lady Scots would be led in scoring by Jones and Kincaid as they both scored 14 points.
Atchison was led in scoring by sophomore Alondra Herrera, who would lead all scorers with 27 points, and Downing, who had 15 points.
The Lady Scots will play KC-Sumner and KC-Harmon xext week.
Topeka High boys basketball was unable to overcome a big third-quarter run from Manhattan Friday night, dropping a 70-63 home decision to the Indians in the Centennial League opener for both teams.
The Trojans found themselves in an early hole but managed to climb back and lead for several minutes but then strugged in the third quarter as Manhattan took control.
“I’m proud of the guys, I think we grew up a little bit today,” Topeka High coach Robbie Sanders said. “We saw how we have to compete to beat some of the best teams in the state and we didn’t quit. We made a lot of mistakes, the players did, I did as a coach. We didn’t lay down and didn’t quit.”
The Indians got off to a 7-2 lead as Will Carpenter hit a three and that lead would expand to 12-2 after Easton Duff backed his way down in the post and banked it off the window.
But Topeka High caught some momentum bringing it to 12-10 after senior Jalen Aldridge got an and-one opportunity but missed the free throw.
After Manhattan hit a three, Aldridge responded with one of his own, and the Indians led after one quarter. 18-15.
In the second quarter, Alridge kept it going, earning an and-one opportunity, falling to the baseline but missed the free throw, MHS still led by one, 18-17.
Aldridge would put the Trojans ahead for the first time since the opening minute of the first quarter with a triple and the Trojans took a four-point lead into the locker room, 34-30.
The Indians were red hot coming out of halftime, going on a 14-2 run as Tim Washington scored eight points in the quarter and Carpenter had seven himself, as part of a 24-point quarter for Manhattan.
McComas would trim the deficit to 51-44 after converting an and-one but then Carpenter pushed it back to 10 points as he too converted an and-one.
But then a scene Trojan fans didn’t want to see, Alridge went to drive to the cup from the left wing but fell awkwardly and immediately grabbed for his right knee and had to be helped off the court.
No word on his condition after the game but TopSports.news did see Alridge walking on his own gingerly without any assistance.
“I’ve been in that situation as a player here at Topeka High that sustained a major knee injury and hopefully it’s nothing serious,'' Sanders said. "I’m really worried about Jalen because he’s a great kid, he’s working hard, he's trying to do everything that I ask of him, he’s taking on extra responsibilities, he’s been coachable and he’s willing to change the narrative about himself.''
The rest of that fourth quarter, it was all MHS to a certain point, Topeka High with the help of Mar’saun Redmond, McComas and Ross, they were able to cut the deficit down to seven and then five at one point.
The Trojans did have an opportunity to bring it within two or three when it was 68-63 MHS. Redmond had a look from distance but it was blocked by Manhattan with about 10 seconds to go and Manhattan would pick up its seventh win of the season.
Redmond led Topeka High with 16 points, followed by McComas and Alridge who both had 14. Manhattan’s Sawyer Newton had a game-high 22 points.
“They’ve been through a lot. Everybody knows where this program and these guys have been. I’m very proud of the growth they’re showing and the direction that we’re headed,” Sanders said. “These kids are starting to believe, they think we’re good. I don’t know if they think they’re as good as I think we can become but I think there is a belief amongst the core group of guys and if that can trickle down to the rest of the group, I think we can be dangerous in the last stretch of the season.''
Senior Bryson Smith led Washburn with 16 points Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 16-0 on the season. [File photo/TSN]
