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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a 5-foot-9 guard, continued her outstanding freshman season in two Seaman girls basketball wins last week. Becker scored a career-high 26 points on Tuesday in the Vikings' 49-46 Centennial League victory over Manhattan and followed that up with a 22-point effort Friday night as Seaman improved to 10-4 on the season with a 67-35 win over Highland Park. Becker went 8 of 12 from the field and 9 of 12 from the free throw line against Manhattan and went 7 of 7 from the free throw line againt Highland Park.
Hunter Bentley
HUNTER BENTLEY, Washburn University
A 5-9 senior guard, Bentley scored 24 points in Saturday's 61-50 MIAA road win at Northeastern State while becoming the Washburn women's basketball all-time leader in minutes played with 3,982. Bentley, a former Bishop Miege star, connected on 10 of 14 shots from the field against the RiverHawks and hit four 3-pointers as the Ichabods improved to 10-10 on the season overall and 8-6 in the MIAA.
Addison Broxterman
ADDISON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
Broxterman, a junior, won her second straight Centennial League girls wrestling individual championship on Saturday at Highland Park while helping lead Washburn Rural to its second straight league team title. Now 35-2 on the season, Broxterman, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A-5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, won the 120-pound title with a win by pin at the 3:10 mark of the championship match over Junction City's Charly Goodwin, helping the Junior Blues win the team crown by a 190-149 margin over Emporia.
Trent Duffey
TRENT DUFFEY, Hayden
A 6-2 senior, Duffey tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Hayden's boys basketball team broke through with a 54-42 Centennial League road victory Friday night at Washburn Rural. Duffey led the way as Hayden notched its third win of the 2021-2022 season, improving to 3-10 overall and 2-8 in the Centennial League standings.
Austin Fager
AUSTIN FAGER, Washburn Rural
A 182-pound senior, Fager earned his fourth straight Centennial League individual wrestling championship Saturday at Highland Park while helping lead Washburn Rural to its third straight league team title by a 202.5-174.5 margin over Manhattan. Top-ranked in 6A by the KWCA, Fager clinched league title No. 4 with a 46-second pin over Emporia's Davian White in the championship match. Fager was a state runner-up last season and is currently 33-2 as a senior.
Caden Walker
CADEN WALKER, Shawnee Heights
Walker, a senior, received the award as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Saturday's United Kansas Conference boys tournament at Leavenworth after winning the 160-pound individual title and leading Shawnee Heights to its fourth straight league team title by a 242-160 margin over Basehor-Linwood. Walker went 5-0 on the day with five pins, recording pins in 13, 20 and 22 seconds, 1:05 and 2:12. Ranked No. 3 in 5A by the KWCA, Walker is a two-time state medalist.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Shawnee Heights state tennis champ and Washburn University standout Chance Joost returned to where it all started Sunday, bringing his William Woods men's and women's tennis teams to Topeka to face his alma mater in a dual match at the Genesis Health Club.
William Woods is an NAIA school of about 800 students located in Fulton, Mo.and Joost is his third season as head coach of the Owls, taking both the men's and women's teams to the NAIA National Tournament last season.
William Woods tennis coach Chance Joost, a native Topekan, talks to one of his players during Sunday's dual against Washburn at the Genesis Health Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn, an NCAA Division II power, took a 7-0 win over the Williams Woods women while the Ichabods took a 5-2 win in the men's match.
But Joost said the main objective Sunday was getting his Owls some top-notch early-season competition.
The fact that he got a chance to do that in his home town was a bonus.
"I was super excited to come home and show what my program can do and show my home town what my stamp is, what my program looks like and go compete against the Ichabods,'' Joost said.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team earned its third straight United Kansas Conference team championship Saturday at Leavenworth, taking the title by a 156-63.5 margin over runner-up Leavenworth.
Seven T-Birds captured individual league titles en route to Shawnee Heights' decisive title run.
Senior Maranda Bell won the 191-pound United Kansas Conference title on Saturday, helping Shawnee Heights win their third straight league title. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights got titles from 109-pound senior Odessa Schmidt (17-8), 115-pound junior Molly Busenitz (22-1), 120-pound senior Alexandria Buce (17-8), 126-pound freshman Reece Taylor (14-11), 132-pound senior Haley Haltom (18-7), 138-pound freshman Madison Freeland (16-7) and 191-pound senior Maranda Bell (20-1).
Haltom had one of the T-Birds' most competitive routes to the title, posting pins in 1 minute, 15 seconds, 5:17 and 1:44, while Taylor recorded a pair of pins.
Bell and Busenitz are both state-ranked in Class 6A-5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, with Bell currently second-ranked at 191 pounds while Busenitz is fifth-ranked at 115.
Bell placed third in the Division I state tournament last season and posted a 31-5 record on the season while Busenitz posted a 22-8 record last season and qualified for the state meet.
Shawnee Heights will compete in a Class 6A-5A regional tournament Saturday at Seaman, vying for state tournament berths.
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS WRESTLING
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' boys wrestling team continued its stranglehold on the United Kansas Conference championship Saturday at Leavenworth, with the T-Birds rolling to their fourth straight title by a 242-160 margin over Basehor-Linwood.
Shawnee Heights, the No. 6-ranked team in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association's All-Class Rankings and No. 7 in Class 5A, had a whopping nine wrestlers earn individual championships on the way to the lopsided team win, led by by senior 160-pounder Caden Walker, who was named the UKC Outstanding Wrestler.
Shawnee Heights senior Caden Walker was named the Outstanding Wrestler in Saturday's United Kansas Conference tournament after helping lead the T-Birds to their fourth straight league team title. [Submitted]
Walker, ranked No. 3 in 5A and No. 7 in the all-class rankings, turned in a dominating performance, posting wins by pin in 13, 20 and 22 seconds, 1 minute, 5 seconds and 2:12.
Junior 195-pound champion Sean Wunder, ranked No. 5 by the KWCA, had a bye and registered four pins, in 45 and 49 seconds and 1:08 and 1:26.
The T-Birds also got individual championships from fourth-ranked 120-pound senior Brock Ferguson, 132-pound sophomore Anthony Bonebrake, 138-pound senior Ty Lewis, 145-pound senior Joey HIlton, 152-pound junior Nick Freeland, 220-pound junior Garrett Peery and 285-pound sophomore Rykan Carver.
Shawnee Heights will compete in a 5A regional tournament on Feb. 18-19 at Blue Valley Southwest, vying for berths in the state tournament.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn women's basketball team led from start to finish in a 61-50 MIAA victory at Northeastern State Saturday afternoon.
The Ichabods (10-10, 8-6 MIAA) scored six unanswered points to start the game and held a 17-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Senior standout Hunter Bentley scored 10 points in the opening frame and made all four of her shot attempts.
Senior Hunter Bentley scored 24 points and became Washburn's career leader in minutes played in Saturday's 61-50 win over Northeastern State. [File photo/TSN]
The RiverHawks (4-17, 2-13 MIAA) pulled within two points on three occasions in the second quarter, but a jumper from Bentley midway through the period sparked a 10-2 run to push Washburn's lead to double figures. Northeastern State closed out the quarter making two free throws, but still trailed the Ichabods at the break, 32-24.
Washburn led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter before Northeastern State scored the final four points to trim the deficit to 43-34 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Ichabods opened the fourth quarter on another 10-2 spurt to go up 53-36 with 6:28 left in the game and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
