- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Seaman's bowling team set the bar extremely high with its team championship in the early session of Friday's Class 5A-1A state tournament at Northrock Lanes.
But the Viking girls were definitely up to the challenge, giving Seaman a sweep of the state titles with a 3,173-3,144 win over Bishop Carroll.
Seaman Makenzie Millard reacts to a strike during Friday's Class 5A-1A state bowling tournament. Millard finished second individually as the Vikings won the team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman sophomore Cheyenne Turkin beams after receiving her 14th-place medal in Friday's Class 5A-1A state bowling tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Cheyenne Turkin said that watching the boys claim the title inspired the girls team to follow suit.
"It's such a good day and just knowing the boys are bringing home first, too, it's so exciting,'' Turkin said. "After the boys won all of us girls were kind of just talking and we were like, 'OK, we have to go out there and bring this home. We can't let them beat us.' ''
Viking senior Makenzie Millard agreed.
"It fired us up a lot,'' Millard said of the boys title. "Seeing them win, it was great. That was a push of extra motivation for us.''
Seaman coach Bob Benoit said the boys and girls have a friendly rivalry between the two teams.
"They compete against each other all year long,'' Benoit said. "It's been that kind of atmosphere all year so when (the boys) won that's the first thing (the girls) thought, 'Now we've got to go do the same thing the boys did or we'll never hear the end of it.'
"I'm just super, super proud of all of them.''
Seaman went into the 2021 state meet undefeated before finishing fourth and Millard said Friday's title was a great bounce back.
"It really is redemption,'' Millard said. "We work very hard at practice, we have been working hard all season, this just pays off. It just shows.
"I'm just very happy with what we did. I'm excited to go home with a trophy.''
Seaman ended the three American Tenpin games with a slim nine-pin lead over Salina South in a crowded team battle and briefly fell behind after the first of four Baker format games before using a pair of 200 games (202 and 211) to take control.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Seaman bowling coach Bob Benoit has said all season that if his team is just within 100 pins entering the four Baker format games it has a chance.
The Vikings proved that in Friday's biggest meet of the season, rallying from a 98-pin deficit at the start of Baker to claim the Class 5A-1A state championship by a 3,483-3,472 margin over Goddard Eisenhower. Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which was in command after the three American Tenpin games, slipped to third with a 3,462 total.
"When it came to Baker, 'Oh my gosh,' '' Benoit said. "They're just so good at Baker. All I ask of them is, 'Give me two shots each, just give me two great shots in a game. That's all I want from you.' And that's how they approached it.''
"I don't know how to really react,'' Seaman senior Jack Easum said. "We didn't think it was going to happen, but once we heard the names, we're still kind of on cloud nine.
"As a team it was so fun just to see everyone smiling knowing it will probably be one of our top-five memories forever as a team. We'll all bowl league together and we'll remember this.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Washburn Rural's girls bowling team fell a big short of its ultimate goal of winning a Class 6A state championship Thursday at Northrock Lanes.
But the Junior Blues took home some nice consolation prizes that a lot of bowlers and teams would have loved to have.
After building a 112-pin lead through the first two games of the day Washburn Rural slipped in the final game of American TenPin and the four Baker Format games, but the Junior Blues still captured the third-place state trophy with a score of 2,925, finishing behind Centennial League rival Junction City (3,014) and Campus (2,965).
Washburn Rural's girls bowling team poses with its third-place Class 6A state bowling trophy Thursday at Northrock Lanes in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
After finishing third to earn the final team berth out of the Washburn Rural regional, Junior Blues coach Jo Ricard was happy overall with Rural's state showing.
"We kind of said, not to the girls but Steve (Peoples, assistant coach) just talking between the two of us that we were really coming in kind of in an eighth-place position based on how we came out of regionals and the score we had in regionals,'' Rural coach Jo Ricard said. "But we also knew that we had a ton of potential and we do have that between our girls to do some diffferent things that we didn't do last week at our regional.''
Adding to Washburn Rural's state haul were top-six finishes by senior Kaitlyn Doyal and sophomore Gabriella Martinez.
Doyal posted a fourth-place finish with a three-game series of 616 while Martinez finished sixth with a 583 series.
Washburn Rural got its day off to a fast start with a 848 four-person score as Doyal rolled a 235 game, Amaya Buchanan a 215 and Martinez and Taylin Sakers adding 199s.
The Junior Blues added to its lead 753 series behind 205s from Doyal and Martinez, but Rural fell to a 661 in Game 3 as Junction City bowled an 804 third game to take the team lead by 31 pins (2,293-2,262) heading into Baker play.
"Struggling in that third one, that's always kind of a scary piece struggling in that third one going into Baker because you want to build that momentum going into Baker,'' Ricard said.
Campus and Junction City continued to bowl well in Baker, riding a 217 game to a 727 total to move past Washburn Rural into second while Junction City finished Baker with a 219 to finished Baker with a 721 series to clinch its victory.
Washburn finished Baker with a 663 total, with a high game of 173.
Buchanan added a 524 series (21st individually) while Claire Ireland had a 473 series to round out Rural's top four.
Doyal's opening 235 and second-game 205 put Doyal in a position to challenge for the individual title, but Madison Walker of Campus took top honors wiht a 653 series.
"After my first game I knew I was aiming for higher than what it was,'' said Doyal, who posted a second straight top-10 state finish. "But even though I didn't finish as well as I wanted to, I still tried to move off of shots, switch a ball if I had to and try to make the adjustments as much as I could.''
Martinez, who was making her first state appearance, turned in one of her top finishes of the year.
"I was really just trying to come and do what I could for the team and not even thinking about individual,'' said Martinez, a state alternate for Rural last season. "And then I just really had some of my best games ever.
"It all just came together and I'm really happy with it. It's pretty awesome.''
Junction City placed three bowlers in the top 20, led by third-place Olivia Oliver (625).
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING
GIRLS
Team scores
Junction City 3,014, Campus 2,965, Washburn Rural 2,925, Garden City 2,837, Olathe East 2,796, Wichita Northwest 2,783, Olathe Northwest 2,636, Olathe North 2,563, Olathe South 2,508.
Individual results
1. Madison Walker, Campus, 653; 2. Audrey Valdez, Olathe North, 637; 3. Olivia Oliver, Junction City, 625; 4. Kaitlyn Doyal, Washburn Rural, 616; 5. Camryn Lenz, Dodge City, 602; 6. Gabriella Martinez, Washburn Rural, 583; 7. Avery Schippers, Wichita Northwest, 577; 8. Yumi Yoshikai, Wichita Northwest, 571; 9. Lily-Ann Leeper, Garden City, 567; 10. Jordan Hunt, Junction City, 562; 11. Kellie Kritzler, Olathe East, 561; 12. Holly Bridges, Garden City, 561; 13. Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton, 554; 14. Dylan Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 554; 15. Nicki Culp, Wichita South, 548; 16. Breanna Warren, Campus, 545; 17. Skyler Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 544; 18. Josephine Richards, Olathe East, 542; 19. Cassidy Eschlimann, Junction City, 536; 20. Savannah Hsu, Campus, 533.
Other Washburn Rural -- Amaya Buchanan 524, Claire Ireland 473, Callie Hart 458, Taylin Sakers 419.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn women’s basketball season came to an end Thursday afternoon with a 62-54 second-round loss to top-seeded Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
The Ichabods had claimed a first-round victory over Pittsburg State, but an 18-2 third-quarter run for the Lions would be too much for Washburn to overcome.
“It was kind of a microcosm (of our season), we just battled, we got down and I have a group that just refuses to shut down, that’s what I really respect about this group, there has been some tough times and they have really dug in and played,” said Washburn coach Ron McHenry.
Washburn senior Hunter Bentley finisher her college career with an 18-point performance in Thursday's loss to Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
After trailing by as many as 15 late in the third, the Ichabods had a chance to tie the game in its closing minutes, which McHenry credited to the team's toughness that it had displayed all season.
“They are fighters, and I use that word in the nicest way,” McHenry said. “It was easy to shut it down there in the third, fourth quarter when we were struggling but we never did … there was chances to shut down out there, but this team’s never done that.”
The loss ends the season and careers for Washburn’s senior class of six.
“Led by a lot of these kids next to me, this senior class kind of kept us going,” McHenry said.
“It’s everything (to play here) I was lucky, nobody gets to be able to actually play for five years so that was just really cool for me. This is the best team that I have played on, the most fun we have had,” said senior Hunter Bentley, the programs all-time leader in games played.
Washburn will close its season with a record of 14-16, losing in the second round of the MIAA tournament for a second straight season.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Like everybody in the field, Washburn Rural junior Josh Hammons was shooting for a state championship in Thursday's Class 6A state bowling tournament at Northrock Lanes.
But Hammons couldn't complain much after earning the first state medal of his high school career, finishing 10th with a 638 three-game series.
Washburn Rural junior Josh Hammons, reacting to a strike, placed 10th in the Class 6A state bowling tournament Thursday, with a high game of 268, at Wichita's Northrock Lanes. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Hammons' highlight of the day was a second-game 268, in between 187 and 183 games.
"I'm pretty happy with my performance today,'' said Hammons, who was an individual state qualifier. "The middle game was really what got me up there.
"Of course I would have liked to shoot better, but since I'm a junior there's always next year and I want to go out there and do what I can.''
Hammons had also bowled at state as a sophomore on the Junior Blues' fourth-place team, but showed nearly a 150-pin improvement on Thursday.
"I bowled like a 490 last year so I think that since I have improved so much over last year I wonder what I can do next year,'' Hammons said. "I'm just going to put in the work and try to get there.''
Shawnee Mission East won the team championship by a 3,363-3,256 margin over Derby, with individual champion Walter Workman leading the Lancers.
Centennial League member Junction City earned the third-place team trophy with a 3,175 team score, with three Blue Jays cracking the top 20 individually.
Logan Lindsley finished 14th with 618 series while Torrey Lindsay was 16th (608) and Cael Smith 17th (604).
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING
BOYS
Team scores
Shawnee Mission East 3,363, Derby 3,256, Junction City 3,175, Garden City 3,152, Olathe Northwest 3,110, Lawrence 3,110, Olathe South 2,904, Olathe East 2,887, Campus 2,864.
Individual results
1. Walter Workman, Shawnee Mission East, 699; 2. Kane Burns, Garden City, 696; 3. V-Thoon Thanasouk, Campus, 689; 4. Colby Hedden, Derby, 686; 5. Emilio Deloera, Wichita Northwest, 682; 6. Brady Aebersold, Shawnee Mission East, 653; 7. Maison Albarado, Lawrence, 652; 8. Jason Miller, Derby, 639; 9. John Shelton, Shawnee Mission East, 639; 10. Josh Hammons, Washburn Rural, 638; 11. Michael Anderson, Olathe West, 638; 12. Sebastian Daniel, Lawrence, 623; 13. Tyler Newell, Wichita South, 621; 14. Logan Lindsley, Junction City, 618; 15. Kaden Whitehurst, Garden City, 616; 16. Torrey Lindsay, Junction City, 608; 17. Cael Smith, Junction City, 604; 18. Chaz Smith, Wichita South, 604; 19. Thomas Mitchell, Olathe Northwest, 602; 20. Oscar Rubio, Liberal, 597.
