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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
- Discussion regarding Bruce Weber’s effectiveness as the Kansas State coach has droned on like a recurring topic on ‘The View.’
- Frankly, it has moved the fatigue needle to full while gutting interest in K-State hoops.
- Yet another case in point came Monday when a sparse turnout at Bramlage Coliseum rooted on a team coming off an impressive comeback win on the road.
- The Wildcats again pulled off a rousing comeback, adding to another familiar refrain that K-State is squarely on the bubble.
- So again, the K-State administration is at a crossroads deciding Weber’s future, though apathy could finally be what prompts a coaching move.
- Especially when a team that is often enjoyable to watch cannot spur excitement among a conflicted fan base torn about Weber.
- Would terminating Weber completely fix the problem?
- Depends a great deal on the success of his replacement, though not entirely.
- Prolonged apathy can establish deep roots.
- Mike Boynton commented Monday on KU’s loyal basketball following, which Jesse Newell first posted on Twitter:
- “Our (Oklahoma State) fans have been great, but (Allen Fieldhouse) is packed every night, not because of who they are playing but because they are playing.”
- Apathy at KU, of course, is a challenge assigned to Lance Leipold.
- If you’re surprised when each of KU’s starters scores in double figures and plays lengthened minutes at this point in the season, you haven’t followed along for 19 seasons.
- Bill Self whittles better than your stereotypical Ozark grandpappy when shortening KU’s rotation.
- But what happens when/if Remy Martin returns?
- Nineteen seasons for Self and still not a home defeat on Big Monday. Let that sink in.
- Consistent superiority attracts consistent sellouts.
- After much of the discussion about the Chiefs’ collapse in the AFC championship game subsided, we got bombarded by talk radio’s usual offseason staple.
- I know there must be rapt interest in cap space, salary restructuring, roster construction and draft moves.
- Speculation runs rampant and shapes hours of radio chatter.
- Yet it bores me. I can only listen to so much on how the Chiefs should reinvent their defense, or obtain one, two, even three phenomenal receivers
- Details about the MLB lockout either bore me or burn me. Weird mix.
- To me, some of this is about preserving an aged sport oozing with tradition by concentrating on the top-shelf product.
- Would it be possible for independent teams to assume a contractor’s role and fully take over minor-league development?
- That would require several more rounds of discussions. (Yawn.)
- Is it counter-productive to diminish the minor leagues?
- Tradition says keep it, but big-league franchises in other sports get by without many minor-league opportunities.
- In general, labor disputes in professional sports seem tone-deaf, given the financial amounts attributed to both sides.
- Yes, I understand supply and demand.
- I should receive another punch on my “Hopelessly Old” consumer card by admitting my favorite pie, shake or pudding is butterscotch.
- Does anybody ever redeem such a card before losing it? Do you think about the $100 you spent to finally get a complimentary burrito?
- Imagine the game-has-passed-me-by look on my face when watching numerous Super Bowl ads for cryptocurrency and electric vehicles.
- Then at halftime, my wife kept asking me if I’d heard of any of the artists or their songs.
- Yes, I told her, but these tunes are just remakes. Bing Crosby sang it better.
- Seriously, my wife enjoyed the halftime show, so … yes dear, it’s fine by me.
- Glad Snoop Dogg could use his gig at Allen Fieldhouse as a springboard.
- I didn’t need The Rock standing on the field to give a five-minute preamble before kickoff.
- I did like Tommy Lee Jones outracing the Joneses.
- I’d bowl with Peyton Manning, rent shoes from Steve Buscemi, shoot pool with Brooks Koepka and turn my head to watch Serena Williams stroll by the snack bar.
- But I won’t drink hard seltzer.
- Most of us agreed the Super Bowl resulted in a pretty good game.
- Most of us spoke in more glowing terms, however, raving about other NFL postseason games.
- Amazing that it took only one futile half for 13 phenomenal seconds in Chiefs history not to mean much anymore.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seven Shawnee County basketball teams continue to be ranked in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association state rankings released Tuesday, with Silver Lake's girls continuing to hold the No. 1 spot in Class 3A.
Topeka West, which has won 14 straight games, remained No. 2 in the 5A boys rankings while Highland Park is No. 4.
Cair Paravel is No. 8 in the 1A Division I boys rankings.
Topeka High and Washburn Rural are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the 6A girls rankings behind Olathe North.
Seaman remains No. 8 spot in the 5A girls rankings.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
GIRLS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The MIAA announced its second Baseball Athletes of the Week for the 2022 season on Monday, with Washburn University’s Parker Dunn selected as the MIAA Hitter of the Week while the MIAA Pitcher of the Week honor is shared by Washburn’s Dalton Huggins and Emporia State’s Braden Meek.
Parker Dunn
MIAA Hitter of the Week – Parker Dunn – Washburn
Dunn helped Washburn to four wins in Oklahoma over the weekend as he hit .375 (6 for 16) with a .938 slugging percentage.
Dunn hit three two-run home runs and finished the weekend with eight runs batted in and seven runs scored. The senior right fielder was also walked four times and was hit by pitch once.
In the Ichabods' 14-4 win over New Mexico Highlands, Dunn was 4 for 6 with six RBI and three runs scored and hit a two-run home run in the eighth and ninth innings. In the next game against Oklahoma Baptist (an 8-3 win), Dunn started the first inning with another two-run homer.
Dalton Huggins
Co-MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Dalton Huggins – Washburn
Huggins received the save after allowing just one hit in 3.2 innings of work in Washburn’s 7-3 win over Oklahoma Baptist.
He entered the game with one out in the sixth inning and the bases loaded. The senior left-handed pitcher recorded two outs to end the frame.
Huggins then retired the side in order the next two innings and erased a single in the ninth with a game-ending double play.
He finished his outing with six strikeouts.
Braden Meek
Co-MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Braden Meek – Emporia State
Braden Meek did not allow a run in two outings against Colorado State-Pueblo over the weekend.
The sophomore right-handed pitcher allowed just one hit in relief during the Hornets' 5-0 loss to the ThunderWolves in Game 1 of the series.
Meek was credited with the win in the 14-3 series finale. He came in with two on in the third and got a strikeout to end the threat and would give up just one hit in 1.1 innings of work.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (2-14, 2-9) at HAYDEN (9-7, 6-6)
Both teams are coming off wins, with Hayden taking a 42-27 non-league win over Tonganoxie on Monday while Topeka West rolled to a 54-22 Centennial League victory at Junction City last Friday. Sophomore Lauren Sandstrom had a career night for Hayden in its win over Tonganoxie, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Topeka High junior Kiki Smith led the Trojans with 14 points in last Friday's 46-42 Centennial League win over Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (16-0, 13-0) at SEAMAN (11-5, 9-4)
Topeka High rallied a 46-42 win over Washburn Rural in last Friday's Centennial League showdown, with the Trojans extending their lead in the league race to two games. Junior Kiki Smith led Topeka High with 14 points while senior Tae Thomas added 11 and sophomore Ladaysha Baird 10, including a huge fourth-quarter 3-pointer to give High the lead for good. Seaman took a 50-38 Centennial League win at Hayden on Friday, with freshman Anna Becker scoring 13 points, sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer 12 points and sophomore Brooklyn Gormley 11 for the Vikings.
MARANATHA ACADEMY (7-7) at CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (10-6)
Cair Paravel, led by senior Jaley Barkley, has turned its season around after starting the year 0-4, pushing its winning streak to six games with a 40-14 home win over Bishop Seabury on Friday. Maranatha Academy is coming off a 34-26 loss to Olathe Heritage Christian Academy.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (7-8, 2-4) at LEAVENWORTH (7-9, 2-4)
Shawnee Heights dropped a 68-44 United Kansas Conference decision at state-ranked Lansing on Friday while Leavenworth is coming off a 43-15 win over Turner. Shawnee Heights took a 50-38 home UKC decision over Leavenworth in the first meeting of the season between the T-Birds and Pioneers.
HIGHLAND PARK (2-14, 0-12) at MANHATTAN (6-10, 5-7)
Highland Park was off Friday after dropping a 61-38 decision to undefeated and Centennial League-leading Topeka High on Tuesday. Manhattan is coming off a 41-29 Centennial League loss to state-ranked Emporia. Freshman Amelia Ramsey scored 15 points for the Scots against the Trojans while senior Aiysa Taylor added nine points and Atiya Gonzles eight.
WABAUNSEE (6-10) at ROSSVILLE (9-8)
Rossville dropped a 68-46 decision to top-ranked (3A) Silver Lake last Friday. Sophomore Emma Mitchell scored 13 points to lead the Bulldawgs against Silver Lake. Wabaunsee is coming off a 35-25 victory over Riley County.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team had taken its lumps while playing 15 straight Class 6A and 5A opponents to open the 2021-2022 season.
But on Monday night the 4A Wildcats finally got the opportunity to play a school their own size, rolling to a 58-35 non-league win over 4A Tonganoxie at Hayden.
"That's a very good (Tonganoxie) team and we were clicking tonight,'' Hayden coach Dwayne Paul said. "It was a good measuring stick for us.''
Hayden, which improved to 4-12 on the season, is trying to nail down one of the 16 spots in the eastern half of the state for the 4A postseason playoffs and took a step in that direction with Monday's win.
"I've just told our guys, right now nothing else matters but getting in (the playoffs),'' Paul said. "We've got to be one of those 16.
"Once we're in then we'll worry about the opponent from there, but it's just about getting in.''
Senior Trent Duffey was one of three double-figure scorers for Hayden in Monday's 58-35 non-league win over Tonganoxie, scoring a game-high 19 points. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Trent Duffey led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points while junior Jake Muller turned in a big second half to finish with 16 points and junior Joe Otting added 11.
Tonganoxie (10-7), which has been in and out of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association 4A rankings, stayed with Hayden for most of the first half in a game that included seven lead changes and a pair of ties, but Peyton Bartlett and Patrick Gorman drained back-to-back 3-pointers and Duffey hit a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats up by eight points at the break, 25-17.
Tonganoxie got no closer than seven in the second half and Duffey ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer as Hayden started the fourth quarter with a 36-25 cushion.
The final eight minutes belonged to the Wildcats, who finished with a 22-10 scoring edge to turn the game into a rout.
Five Wildcats combined to connect on nine 3-pointers, with Muller and Duffey both finishing with three treys.
Senior Andrew Wilson led Tonganoxie with 13 points, the lone Chieftain in double figures.
Hayden will be back in action Tuesday night, facing No. 2-ranked Topeka West (15-1) at West. The varsity game will start at approximately 6:30 p.m.
HAYDEN BOYS 58, TONGANOXIE 35
Tonganoxie 8 9 8 10 -- 35
Hayden 12 13 11 22 -- 58
Tonganoxie (10-7) -- Kietzman 1-3 0-0 2, A. Wilson 3-12 6-7 13, Clark 1-3 1-2 3, Conroy 1-7 0-1 3, Novotney 3-4 1-1 8, Langord 1-2 1-2 3, Crowley 1-6 0-0 3, Holthaus 0-0 0-0 0, Glover 0-0 0-1 0, B. Wilson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-37 9-14 35.
Hayden (4-12) -- Bartlett 1-2 0-0 3, Muller 4-12 5-6 16, Duffey 6-15 4-6 19, Ham 0-1 0-0 0, Otting 5-8 1-3 11, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Foster 1-2 0-0 3, Alfonsi 1-2 1-2 3, Gorman 1-1 0-0 3, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Charvat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 11-17 58.
3-point goals -- Tonganoxie 4 (Wilson, Conroy, Novotney, Crowley), Hayden 9 (Muller 3, Duffey 3, Bartlett, Foster, Gorman). Total fouls -- Tonganoxie 16, Hayden 17. Fouled out – Clark, Foster
