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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls basketball team went on the road Wednesday night and took a decisive 46-34 non-league battle over Shawnee Mission Northwest in a matchup between the two most recent Class 6A state champions.
Washburn Rural won the 2019 6A state title and Shawnee Mission Northwest won the championship last March after the 2020 state tournament was canceled after the first round due to COVID-19.
The Junior Blues, No. 7-ranked in 6A, led the sixth-ranked Cougars 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and then used a 13-5 second quarter to take a 23-12 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Rural, now 8-1, outscored Northwest by a slight 23-22 margin in the second half to close out the win.
Washburn Rural rode its balance to the victory, with five Junior Blues scoring at least six points.
Senior Emma Krueger scored a game-high 13 points in Washburn Rural's 46-34 non-league win at Shawnee Mission Northwest Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 12 points for Washburn Rural in Wednesday's 46-34 non-league win at Shawnee Mission Northwest. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Emma Krueger led Washburn Rural with a game-high 13 points while junior Brooklyn DeLeye joined Krueger in double figures with 12 points.
Junior MaRyah Lutz added seven points while senior Campbell Bagshaw and sophomore Zoe Canfield scored six apiece, with Canfield draining a pair of 3-pointers.
Shawnee Mission Northwest, which fell to 5-2, was led by senior Saige Grampsas with 11 points.
Washburn Rural will face another tough test on Friday, traveling to 7-2 Emporia for a Centennial League contest.
The Junior Blues took a 52-41 over the Spartans, No. 6-ranked in 5A, in the second game of the season.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Zander Putthoff is sick of being sick.
But fortunately for the 6-foot-4 senior, he is finally starting to turn the corner in both the way he's feeling and the way he's playing for the Topeka West basketball team, which will take a 7-1 record into Thursday's 3:15 p.m. Topeka Invitational Tournament opener against Lawrence at Highland Park.
A year ago Putthoff was named the TopSports.news Shawnee County newcomer of the year and earned third-team All-Shawnee County recognition and All-Centennial League honorable mention after playing a key role for the 21-3 Chargers, who finished second in Class 5A.
Topeka West senior Zander Putthoff (center) is coming off a 17-point performance in the Chargers' 79-67 win over previously-unbeaten Highland Park last Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Putthoff averaged 9.3 points as junior and was one of the state's top 3-point shooters, connecting on 63 treys while shooting 42 percent from outside the arc.
Coming off that success Putthoff entered his senior year with high hopes, but encountered a series of medical setbacks that slowed his progress.
"It started in the fall during workouts, I kept getting sick,'' Putthoff said. "I had tonsillitis , then I had COVID. It was mentally defeating because I was up in weight more than I've ever been and then I dropped way back down. I was starting to feel better and then I got (sick) again right before the (Shawnee) Heights game.''
Throw in the fact that Putthoff is also a diabetic and the West standout faced a severe uphill climb..
"I've been a Type 1 diabetic since I was three.'' Putthoff said. "That was a big thing. That's why I really couldn't get over it because blood sugar has a lot to do with sickness. If it's high your immune system doesn't fight off disease as well, so it was a battle.''
Putthoff wasn't the player in the early going that veteran Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist expected, but Bloomquist also knew there was a reason why.
"I've known he hasn't been feeling well,'' Bloomquist said. "You're a diabetic and then you're playing with a cold and the flu and everything else it takes you down, but we just had to be patient.''
Topeka West senior Zander Putthoff is feeling better and playing better for the Chargers have fighting through a variety of medical issues. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Over the last several games Putthoff has started to come around and turned his best game of the year in last Friday's 79-67 Centennial League win over previously-unbeaten Highland Park, scoring 17 points with three long-range 3-pointers.
"The Hayden game is probably when I felt pretty normal and then (against Highland Park) I felt pretty much like myself,'' Putthoff said. "I was in bed for weeks and when I came back my shot was not there. It was really a mental game but now that I've gotten a few weeks under me I'm starting to feel better.
"My shot slowly got there but if I was anywhere not on the (3-point) line I still felt like my legs weren't fully there. Now I'm finally starting to feel like I was in the fall. Now I'm good.''
Putthoff has been known primarily as a shooter throughout his career, but has been focused this season on trying to become a more complete player.
"I've been taking good shots but if someone else is open I'm going to try to find them,'' Putthoff said. "I feel like I'm still known as a shooter but I feel like (teams) are respecting me a little more because I've gone to the rim the past few games a little bit.
"I just want to do whatever will get us the win.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Some big-name football programs reached out to former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas after he entered the transfer portal following a breakout redshirt freshman season for Minnesota.
But the University of Kansas offered something that other programs couldn't ... a chance to come home.
"It was more about me just wanting to be closer to home,'' Thomas told TopSports.news Tuesday night. "I've got younger brothers and I haven't been able to watch them play. My sister (Tae) committed and I wasn't able to see her sign or go to her games, so I just wanted to be closer to my family.
"I'm a huge family person, so that had a huge impact on me making my decision.''
Ky Thomas
Thomas, a 6-foot, 205-pounder, made the decision to enter the transfer portal shortly after being named the offensive most valuable player in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl and said it didn't take long to realize KU was the place for him, announcing his commitment to the Jayhawks last weekend.
"I had a few schools (contact me) and some of the schools will make you turn your head just because they're the bigger schools and stuff like that, but I felt like at heart after the first few days, I knew where I was headed,'' said Thomas, who ended his high school career at Topeka High as the No. career rusher in Kansas history with 7,703 yards, including 3,009 yards as a senior.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls baketball team hadn’t played a basketball game in two weeks due to COVID-19 issues within the Centennial League, but the freshness of the Lady Vikes was on full display Tuesday night in a 55-18 home league win over Junction City.
The same two teams opened up the 2021-2022 season against each other back on Dec. 3, with Seaman would win by an eye-opening 50 points as the backcourt duo of freshman Anna Becker and sophomore Taylin Staullbaumer combined for 29 points in the 69-12 rout.
In Tuesday night’s game the unsung heroes from the bench created the most impact for the Vikings. Seaman’s bench was responsible for 51 percent of the team’s points with 28 on the night.
Leading the bench were Maegan Mills and Lindsey Smith, who both scored 10 points.
“It was their night,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "They (Seaman’s bench) stepped up for us tonight. I tell them to always have their head in the game. You never know when they will be needed. They gave us a good spark and lift.''
In the opening quarter, Seaman would get off to a bit of a slow start, holding a 3-2 lead at the 4:17 mark of the first quarter.
A time out called by Seaman created a spark the Lady Vikes needed with the bench putting up six quick points.
Becker and Stallbaumer would have seven points combined in the first quarter as Seaman found its groove, ending the quarter on a 14-2 run.
“I felt like in the first (quarter) we relied on just passing the ball once before we scored. That’s not our offense. We have to go side-top-side with the ball,” said Tinsley.
Seaman would jump out in front with a 19-point lead at halftime. Contributing to the large lead was a collective group effort as seven different Lady Vikes would score the basketball.
The third quarter would be the most eye-opening for the Lady Vikes. Seaman created the most points they had in a quarter during the game, the best defensive effort and noteworthy team chemistry.
Seaman would put up 21 points compared to Junction City’s one point.
With the running clock in the fourth quarter, Tinsley’s staff was able to rest the starting five and key role players.
Going into Friday, the coaching staff believes that they have plenty of good things to carry over as well as some things to work on.
“We need to find the open player a bit better. We need to make sure we are an inside-out team. Other than that, a lot of positives. It feels good to be back out on the court again. It feels like the season-opener,” said Tinsley.
The Lady Vikes (5-3, 5-3) will take on Centennial League rival Topeka West (1-9, 1-8) at Topeka West Friday.
SEAMAN GIRLS 55, JUNCTION CITY 18
Junction City 2 7 1 8 – 18
Seaman 14 14 21 6 – 55
Seaman (5-3, 5-3) – Mills 5 0-0 10, Smith 5 0-0 10, Gormley 3 4-7 10, Stallbaumer 2 2-2 8, Becker 3 0-0 6, Spurlock 2 0-0 4, Esser 1 1-2 3, Schumann 1 0-2 2, Wilhelm 1 0-0 2.
Junction City (2-8, 2-6) – Holloway 3 0-2 6, DeGuzman 1 1-2 3, Rexrode 1 1-2 3, Nabus 1 0-0 2, Harris 1 0-0 2, Cebula 0 2-4 2.
3-point goals – Seaman 2. Total fouls – Seaman 9, Junction City 12.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Although the two teams' seasons as a whole are much different, going into Tuesday night's contest both Topeka West and Washburn Rural’s girls basketball teams were on one game-winning streaks.
The Junior Blues kept their streak alive as they streaked to a 66-24 win over the Chargers to kick off a busy week with three games.
“We got a big one tomorrow at Shawnee Mission Northwest, who is the defending champs and then Emporia who is really, really good on Friday,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "So we are trying to keep fresh legs, it’s kind of like a state tournament atmosphere almost.''
Senior Chloe Carlgren (13) led a balanced Washburn Rural attack with 11 points in the Junior Blues' 66-24 win over Topeka West Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The 66 points were the most this season for Washburn Rural, which moved to 7-1 with the win, while Topeka West fell to 1-9 with the loss.
The first quarter was dictated by the defense of the Junior Blues forcing turnovers and the all-around play of standout junior Brooklyn DeLeye, who had seven of the team's 19 points in the period, matching the Chargers' total.
Washburn Rural played its bench for much of the second quarter and the offense did not miss a beat.
Senior Campbell Bagshaw and junior Chloe Carlgren led the charge with a combined nine points on 4-4 shooting in the frame.
“I thought they brought just as much energy (as the starters), and we don’t drop off a whole lot (going to the bench), but the kids that came in did a really nice job,” Bordewick said.
