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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake-Rossville rivalry is a deep one that runs through the nearby towns and Silver Lake's boys basketball team played with an extra chip on its shoulder Tuesday night.
“This rivalry is huge, as you know from football,'' Silver Lake coach Johnny Roberts said after his Eagles held on for a 48-40 home win over the Bulldawgs. "They got us in football twice, we want to get them back in basketball.''
Forty-eight points doesn't necessarily light up the scoreboard, but it got the job done for the Eagles on Tuesday, with Silver Lake improving to 3-2 on the season.
“It was a gritty win,'' Roberts said. "Tonight is exactly what we needed. Wins are wins. I was proud of our guys tonight for finding ways to execute down the stretch.''
The Silver Lake bench was the catalyst in the first quarter for the Eagles, with Brogan Renfro, Tanner Martin and Dylan VandeVelde scoring 10 of the Eagles' first 12 points.
“I have a lot of confidence in them (Silver Lake’s bench),'' Roberts said. "I have confidence in all of our guys. We played 12 guys tonight and that is a good sign of how much confidence we have in our team. We need everyone to be ready in any part of the game.''
Renfro was a spark that the Eagles relied on heavily throughout the game, finishing with a team-high 14 points. Renfro attacked the paint consistently when he got the basketball in his hands.
“Brogan (Renfro) didn’t play the first four games,'' Roberts said. "We’ve been missing him with his energy of play and effort. I told him before the game that, 'Tonight is your night. It’s your night. It’s your game to get to the rim,' and he took that opportunity and ran with it.''.
Rossville’s Kade Perine, who had 22 points on the night, kept the Dawgs close with 10 points of his own in the first half.
While Perine had success in the first half, so did the Eagles. Brody Dieter and Troy Heiman were leading the way in the second quarter with half of the team’s points.
Silver Lake would hold a close 24-17 lead over Rossville at halftime.
In the second half, Rossville would chip away at Silver Lake’s lead, little by little. Contributions from Perine, Brody Lietz and Francesco Patrizi made things very interesting for the Bulldawgs.
While Rossville never took a lead throughout the game, it was able to cut the deficit to just three points in the fourth quarter.
Clutch shots made by Kamryn Kaniper and late free throws by Heiman sealed the deal for the Eagles down the stretch.
Silver Lake was happy with Tuesday night’s performance against the Bulldawgs, but Roberts' Eagles are well aware of a tough game coming up on Friday.
“We have another tough team (Rock Creek) coming up,'' Roberts said. "Rossville is a hard-nosed and rugged team, all the credit to them. We respect them (Rossville). Rock Creek will be similar. Some people are saying Rock Creek (0-5) is down this year, but we don’t look at it that way. We don’t look at them as being down at all. They lost a lot of key players that made a run at state last year, but they will be tough. There are no off nights in this league. No off nights whatsoever. We will do the things that we do well and will look forward to Friday night,” said Roberts.
SILVER LAKE BOYS 48, ROSSVILLE 40
Rossville (1-5) 7 10 13 10 – 40
Silver Lake (3-2) 12 12 11 13 – 48
Rossville (1-4) – Perine 9 1-2 22, Garcia 2 0-0 5, Lietz 2 0-1 4, Patrizi 2 0-2 4, Badura 0 3-4 3, Bush 1 0-0 2.
Silver Lake (3-2) – Renfro 7 0-0 14, Dieter 4 2-4 10, Kaniper 3 0-0 6, Heiman 2 2-2 6, Kaff 1 0-0 3, Stithem 1 1-1 3, VandeVelde 1 0-0 2, Martin 1 0-0 2, Mountain 1 0-0 2.
3-point goals – Silver Lake 1 (Kaff), Rossville 4 (Perine 3, Garcia). Fouls – Silver Lake 13, Rossville 11.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Coming off of the winter break the Topeka West girls basketball was looking for its first win of the season after building some positive momentum the previous two games.
That momentum was halted Tuesday night as the previously-winless Junction City Blue Jays were able to come from behind in the fourth quarter to keep the Chargers without a win.
“It was frustrating because we haven’t been in the situation a lot but we've got to learn how to play with a lead, and we had the lead, we had opportunities, we just didn’t finish the game,” said Topeka West coach Jeff Skar.
The 32-30 loss moved Topeka West to 0-6 on the year. As disappointing as it was for one side, it was equally important for Junction City, which moved to 1-4 on the year and hope to build momentum.
“The girls worked extremely hard over break. We had some COVID stuff, we had some sickness and the girls that were there worked extremely hard. We learned some stuff about ourselves as a team, we’re not fantastic, but to get a win feels really good,” said Junction City coach Tim Testa.
Early on the Blue Jays struggled to hold onto the ball, turning it over on the first three possessions, but were able to pull ahead early with a 3-pointer by sophomore Amyah O’Neal.
Sophomore Rebecca Bearman (45) led Topeka West with 10 points in Tuesday's 32-30 Centennial League loss to Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Most of the Chargers' offense ran through sophomore post Rebecca Bearman, who scored three of West’s seven first-quarter points as West trailed by two.
The second quarter was highlighted by the Chargers' defense, as they held Junction City to only four points. On the other end four field goals by four players allowed them to pull ahead and take a 17-13 lead into halftime.
“Siani Sanchez, our sophomore guard, created havoc, she was active all night, created a whole bunch of turnovers with her quick hands and athletic ability. She just created a bunch of deflections and we were able to get some steals off of that,” Skar said.
Topeka West got a boost right away in the third quarter as Sanchez scored five points in the first two minutes, extending the Charger lead to nine points.
The Chargers' stout defense started to break late in the quarter as the Blue Jays scored on four straight possessions to pull within two. The stretch was capped off by sophomore Sara Rexrode, who had two baskets in the post.
Another inside basket, this time from junior Sophia Holloway, tied the game at 24 heading into the fourth.
“We are known for turnovers, I think we average 36 a game right now, which speaks to our record, but I thought the guards did a little bit better of just giving it to the bigs,” Testa said.
Topeka West got a strong start to the final frame, taking a five-point lead after a 3-pointer by sophomore Zoe Clark.
Once again Junction City’s offense came alive late, going on a 7-1 run to take the lead on another basket by Holloway with 1:33 left.
The Chargers would have opportunities late, but missed shots and turnovers spoiled the comeback as the Bluejays escaped with the victory.
Topeka West was led by Bearman, who finished with 10 points, while Sanchez added eight including two 3-pointers.
“We have had a tough time getting the whole group in practice, we were missing a couple of key players tonight … our lack of depth tonight hurt us because we wore down there at the end,” Skar said.
Rexrode paced Junction City with 12 points and Holloway and junior Ava DeGuzman each added five.
Topeka West will play again Friday, as they stay at home to take on Hayden.
JUNCTION CITY GIRLS 32,TOPEKA WEST 30
Junction City 9 4 9 8 -- 32
Topeka West 7 10 7 6 -- 30
Topeka West (0-6, 0-1) – Hopper 0-0 0-0 0, Foy 0-0 1-2 1, Sanchez 3-8 0-0 8, Foster 0-0 0-0 0, Duncan 0-3 1-2 1, Benson 1-9, 1-2 3, Clark 2-10 1-3 6, Bearman 3-11 4-8 10. Totals 9-31 7-17 30.
Junction City (1-4) – DeGuzman 2-5 1-2 5, Jeter 1-6 0-0 3, Hatcher 0-2 0-0 0, Exantus 0-0 0-0 0, Nabus 1-1 2-2 4, Harris 0-1 0-0 0, O’Neal 1-3 0-0 3, Holloway 2-3 1-2 5, Rexrode 6-12 0-3 12. Totals 13-33 9-4 32.
3-point goals – Topeka West 3 (Sanchez 2, Clark 1), Junction City 2 (Jeter 1, O’Neal 1). Total fouls – Topeka West 15, Junction City 14. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's girls basketball team went from a 12-0 lead three minutes into Tuesday night's game at Washburn Rural to staring at an eight-point halftime deficit.
But the sixth-ranked (Class 6A) Trojans used a dominating third quarter to regain the lead and held off the second-ranked Junior Blues the rest of the way for a 45-39 Centennial League victory, improving to 6-0 overall and in the league.
Senior Tae Thomas, who scored a game-high 17 points to lead Topeka High, said the Trojans maintained a positive attitude at the half despite being outscored 18-2 in the second quarter to fall into an eight-point hole..
"It was more about realizing what we could do better ourselves in that game, what we needed to fix and what we needed to adjust,'' Thomas said. "I think that really helped us out a lot going into the second half.
"The motivation was defnitely there and coming together as a team helped us out a lot.''
Topeka High junior Kiki Smith takes the ball downcourt Tuesday night against Washburn Rural. Smith scored 11 points to help the Trojans improve to 6-0 with a 45-39 win. [Submitted]
High junior Kiki Smith and Thomas opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers and then junior Faith Shields hit a 3 and converted a four-point play to put the Trojans up 10-0 just 2:50 into the contest and Thomas scored again to give High a 12-0 advantage at the 4:42 mark.
Rural pulled within 15-7 at the end of the quarter and then held the Trojans to just two points in the second quarter to open up a 25-17 halftime advantage.
The Junior Blues appeared to be in control at that point, but Topeka High ran off the first 10 points of the third quarter to take a 27-25 lead on a Smith hoop before junior Brooklyn DeLeye scored Rural's first points of the second half at the 1:43 mark to tie the game at 27-all.
Thomas canned her second 3-pointer of the night to put High in front 30-27 at the start of the fourth quarter and Washburn Rural got no closer than three the rest of the way.
Junior Adisyn Caryl, Thomas, Shields and senior DayShauna Wiley combined to hit seven three throws over the final 53.3 seconds to protect the Trojans' lead as High went 13 of 18 from the line, helping offset a 26-percent shooting night from the floor.
Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander was also extremely pleased with the Trojans' defense from start to finish.
"That's what we've kind of been saying this whole Christmas break, that we've got to tighten up our defense because we saw we were kind of letting teams score a little too much on us,'' Alexander said.
Smith joined Thomas in double figures for Topeka High with 11 points while Shields had eight points and Caryl six.
Washburn Rural shot 34.1 percent from the field and also hurt itself with a nine of 20 performance at the free throw line and 20 turnovers.
Junior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to pace Washburn Rural in Tuesday's 45-39 loss to Topeka High. [Submitted]
DeLeye led Washburn Rural with 14 points and 13 rebounds while sophomore Zoe Canfield was next in line for the Junior Blues with seven points and senior Campbell Bagshaw had six off the bench.
"I'm disappointed in how we competed,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "I can't even imagine how many turnovers we had. I can't imagine how many two-foot shots or layups we had and I just saw we were nine out of 20 from the free throw line and you're going to try and beat a team like THigh. That just won't work.''
Washburn Rural beat Topeka High to win the 2019 Class 6A state championship but with Tuesday's win the Trojans have now won the last six meetings with the Junior Blues.
"Every time we've played Rural the last few years it's been so exciting,'' Alexander said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University football star James Letcher Jr. has been named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 as a second-team selection as an all-purpose back.
Letcher, a wide receiver/all-purpose back/return specialist, has now earned four national awards for his play this past fall and five overall.
In addition to his Elite 100 selection, Letcher was a first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press, a first-team All-America pick as a kick returner by the D2CCA and a second-team All-America selection by the AFCA as a return specialist.
Letcher received honorable mention in 2019 from the Football Gazette.
Washburn star James Letcher Jr. has received another national award, his fourth following the 2021 season and the fifth of his career. [File photo/TSN]
Letcher led the 2021 team with 68 receptions for 927 yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned All-MIAA first-team honors as a wide receiver and a returner and was named the All-MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year after returning 24 kickoffs for 685 yards and two touchdowns, tying an Ichabod single season record.
Letcher also averaged 13.18 yards per punt return with 11 attempts gaining 145 yards. Letcher is second on the Ichabod career punt return chart with 1,467 yards and his 54 returns is fifth.
Letcher has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career, which sits atop the Ichabod chart and his 27.17 yards per return ranks second in school history behind Fletcher Terrell's 27.32 yards per return mark.
Letcher helped lead the Ichabods to a 9-3 record in 2021 as Washburn finished second in the MIAA final standings with their most wins since posting a 10-3 record in 2011. The Ichabods advanced to the NCAA playoffs before falling in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
Washburn was ranked No. 21 in the final D2Football.com poll and No. 25 in the final AFCA D2 Coaches Poll.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Quincey Kidd leads Washburn Rural with a 12-point scoring average and is shooting 88.9 percent from the free throw line. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Matt Flenoy is the leading scorer for Topeka High, averaging 10.8 points for the Trojans. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (1-5, 1-4) at WASHBURN RURAL (2-3, 2-3)
Both teams ended the 2021 portion of their schedule with losses, with Topeka High dropping a 62-50 decision to Highland Park and Washburn Rural falling to Seaman, 58-50. Senior Quincey Kidd leads Washburn Rural with a 12.0 scoring average while junior Jack Bachelor averages 10.8 points. Kidd leads the city with an 88.9-percent free throw percentage (24 of 27) while sophomore JC Heim averages 5.7 rebounds. Matt Flenoy leads Topeka High with a 10.8 scoring average while sophomore BJ Canady averages 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and sophomore Mister Cameron averages 4.7 assists.
Seaman senior Mateo Hyman averages 18.6 points and a city-high 5.2 assists for the Vikings. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
HAYDEN (1-3, 1-3) at SEAMAN (3-2, 3-2)
Seaman ended its pre-holiday schedule with a 58-50 win over Washburn Rural while Hayden is coming off of a 66-49 league loss to unbeaten Junction City. Senior Mateo Hyman averages a team-high 18.6 points for Seaman while senior Ty Henry averages 17 points and junior Kaeden Bonner 14.8 points. Hyman leads the city with 5.2 assists per game and leads Seaman with a 4.6 rebounding average. Senior Trent Duffey leads Hayden with a 10.2 scoring average while junior Jake Muller averages 10.1 points and junior Joe Otting 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds.
ROSSVILLE (1-4) at SILVER LAKE (2-2)
Both teams will be out to bounce back from losses that ended their pre-holiday schedules, with Rossville dropping a 49-40 decision to Atchison and Silver Lake falling to St. Marys, 62-30. Junior Kade Perine led the Bulldawgs with 12 points against Atchison while junior Francesco Patrizi and senior Brody Leitz added seven points apiece. Senior Troy Heiman averages 9.0 points to lead Silver Lake while junior Kamryn Kaniper averages 8.0 points and 8.8 rebounds.
JUNCTION CITY (5-0, ) at TOPEKA WEST (4-1, 3-1)
Tuesday's game has been postponed to Jan. 25 due to delays in the resurfacing project in Topeka West's main gym. The Chargers' first game of 2022 will now be at Hayden on Friday.
Senior Juan'Tario Roberts (23) averages a team-high 22 points for 5-0 Highland Park and has hit 12 3-pointers. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
HIGHLAND PARK (5-0) at ATCHISON (4-2)
Highland Park will be looking to continue its undefeated season when the Scots take a break from Centennial League competition to travel to Atchison. The Scots wrapped up their pre-holiday schedule with a 62-50 win over Topeka High while Atchison is coming off a 49-40 win over Rossville. Highland Park senior Juan'Tario Roberts ranks No. 3 among city scorers with a 22.0 average while junior Ketraleus Aldridge is averaging 17.6 points and leads the city in rebounding with a 10.0 average and in blocks with 2.8 per game. Aldridge leads the Scots in assists with 4.6 per game while Roberts, Jahmir Kingcannon and Aldridge have combinued for 26 3-pointers.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Brennon Dodge ranks No. 2 in the city in scoring with a 22.3 average and has connected on 16 3-pointers. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-1) at BONNER SPRINGS (3-2)
Shawnee Heights is coming off a tough 57-55 loss to Topeka West to end the 2021 portion of its schedule, while Bonner Springs dropped a 56-49 decision to De Soto in its final game before the holiday break. Shawnee Heights sophomore Brennon Dodge ranks No. 2 in the city with a 22.3 scoring average and has hit 16 3-pointers. T-Bird senior Jarin Sanders leads the city in steals with 3.0 per game while Dodge is averaging 2.5 steals. Shawnee Heights senior Carter Olson ranks No. 2 in the city in rebounding with an 8.3 average.
