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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- After splitting a pair of knockdown, dragout regular-season United Kansas Conference regular-season matchups with Piper, Topeka West basketball coach Christian Ulsaker knew that Tuesday's Class 5A quarterfinal was going to be another fierce battle.
Senior Keimani Paul scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and OTs, leading Topeka West to an 86-78 Class 5A state tournament win over Piper Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But not even Ulsaker could have predicted what transpired at White Auditorium, a double-overtime thriller that had momentum swing after momentum swing and big play after big play before No. 3 seed Topeka West took control in the second extra session to outlast No. 6 Piper, 86-78, and advance to the state semifinals.
"That's what winners do,'' Ulsaker said. "Give (Piper) coach (Steve) Wallace and DJ (Derrick Jackson) and that team all the credit. They didn't want to go home, you could tell, and we didn't want to go home, so it's fun to see two teams battle it out to get a chance at Wichita.''
Topeka West, now 23-3 on the season, advances to an 8 p.m. Thursday night semifinal matchup with No. 2 seed Bonner Springs (25-1), which topped Kansas City-Washington, 68-49.
The stage for Tuesday's Topeka West-Piper marathon was set when Topeka West jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, only to see Piper (18-8) battle back to forge ties at 10-10 and 14-14 before before the Pirates ended the opening quarter with a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 advantage.
Piper went up 21-14, its biggest lead of the night, early in the second stanza, but this time it was West that battled back, with the Chargers tying the game at 23 and eventually going in front 28-23 before the game was tied at 28 and 30.
Piper got the final bucket of the half, on a Cooper Crawford dunk, to take a 32-30 lead at the break.
The back and forth affair continued in the second half, with four lead changes in the third quarter before Piper took a 48-45 advantage into the fourth.
Topeka West almost immediately tied the game on a Malakyah Duncan 3-pointer, one of four ties in the period, including a 59-59 deadlock to force overtime.
West went up 58-56 on a Paul hoop before Jasper Phillips hit a free throw to give the Chargers a 59-56 lead with 7.5 seconds left in regulation before Piper star Jackson drained a clutch 3-pointer at the buzzer.
There were four ties and four lead changes in the first OT and West again had a late lead, at 71-69, before Jackson scored with 8.2 seconds left to send the game to a second extra four-minute period.
But this time the Chargers were able to put the Pirates away after scoring the first nine points of the second OT to open their biggest lead of the night at 80-71 with 1:11 left.
Piper battled all the way back to get within 81-78 with 26 seconds remaining before West ended the game with a 5-0 run.
Senior Malakyah Duncan scored 17 points in Topeka West's 86-78 Class 5A state tournament win over Piper Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Paul scored 28 of his game-high 30 points in the second half and overtimes while Duncan scored 17 points, Prince Lassiter 13, Jay'Veon Lassiter 11 and Gad Munganga 10 points for the Chargers.
"The first half (Paul) was pretty frustrated, 1 for 2 in the first half,'' Ulsaker said. "He was kind of like, 'Give me the ball, give me the ball,' and I just went in there (the locker room) and said, 'I gave your the ball, OK.' You wanted it, we gave it to you and that's what seniors do. They want the big moments.
"Gad had them, Lok (Duncan) had them, Kei had them. That's a team that wants to win a basketball game.''
"I was mad I wasn't getting (many) touches and they were hounding me first half, but I know that I did not want my season to end today, so I got after it,'' Paul said.
"We took control. We knew the shot that (Jackson) hit to turn it into overtime, we knew that wasn't supposed to happen, so we knew we needed to seal the game with free throws, stay poised and mature, and that's what we did.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Granted, my jury is still out on the state's new quarterfinal format, but this remains my favorite week of the high school sports season, and for what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on all 14 of this week's state basketball tournaments across the state.
If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.
If I did pick the team/teams you root for, I hope it's not a jinx.
By Saturday evening we'll know, and win or lose it promises to be a fun week.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission South (1: 24-1) vs. Mill Valley (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. The Raiders' lone loss on the season was a 69-66 decision to Mill Valley and those two teams could meet again in Saturday's championship game. I give SM South a slight edge in a rematch.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Olathe North is 21-4 and is capable of beating any team in the field.
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wichita Heights (1: 24-0) vs. Shawnee Mission South (2: 21-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. Wichita Heights has passed each and every test it has faced this season, but I give South a very narrow edge in a championship game matchup.
Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker's Topeka High girls are on a roll entering their Class 6A quarterfinal matchup with Derby. [File photo/TSN]
Other contenders -- The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Derby (22-3) and No. 7 Topeka High (17-8) could mount a title charge. No. 5 seed Olathe South (20-5) has five losses to out-of-state teams and perennial 6A contender Blue Valley North (20-5), the No. 6 seed, also has a shot at the crown.
Senior Malakyah Duncan cuts down the nets after Topeka West's win over Bishop Carroll in a Class 5A sub-state final. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1: 25-0) vs. Topeka West (3: 22-3).
Champion -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Crusaders are the two-time defending champion and the team to beat again after running off 25 straight wins this winter, but Topeka West, which lost to KMC in the quarterfinals a year ago, has the firepower to challenge for the title.
Other contenders -- The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 Seaman (21-4) could definitely make a run at the title as could perennial state contender Piper (18-7), which has split games with Topeka West this season.
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Finalists -- Andover (1: 23-1) vs. Hays (2: 23-1).
Champion -- Hays. The Indians' lone loss came against Class 3A power Silver Lake, the only blemish on a dominating season, while Andover will be looking for its first title under former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Shawnee Heights (21-4) is making its first state appearance since 2011 and has the talent to go all the way as could the winner of the quarterfinal game between No 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 St. James Academy (20-5).
CLASS 4A BOYS
Finalists -- Rock Creek (1: 25-0) vs. McPherson (7: 16-9).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have turned in a dominant season and there's no reason to believe they can't close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 2 seed Atchison is also unbeaten in 25 games on the season while No. 5 seed Andale (18-5) is a longshot contender for the crown.
Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein and the Hayden girls are the No. 4 seed for the Class 4A state tournament with a 19-6 record. [File photo/TSN]CLASS 4A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wellington (1: 22-1) vs. Rock Creek (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have put together a string of impressive victories this season, including a win over Class 3A contender Silver Lake.
Other contenders -- You can never count out perennial state champion Bishop Miege, the No. 6 seed this season at 17-8. The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Hayden (19-6) and No. 5 seed Andale (17-6) could also make a run at the championship.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Finalists -- Wichita Collegiate (1: 24-1) vs. Hesston (2: 24-2).
Champion -- Wichita Collegiate. Collegiate's lone defeat on the season came against two-time defending Class 5A state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which is a perfect 25-0 on the season.
Other contenders -- The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Holcomb (21-5) and No. 5 Silver Lake (20-6) is capable of winning the championship while No. 3 seed Pratt is an impressive 21-3.
Senior Kailyn Hanni and the Silver Lake girls enter the Class 3A state tournament with a 25-1 record after winning the state crown in 2024 and advancing to the championship game last season. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Finalists -- Halstead (1: 25-0) vs. Silver Lake (2: 25-1).
Champion -- Silver Lake. The Eagles won the championship in 2024 and were the runnerup a year ago. Halstead is a perfect 25-0 on the season, but it's hard to pick against Silver Lake.
Other contenders -- Holcomb, the No. 3 seed at 24-2, is likely to give Silver Lake a tough semifinal test if both teams get past their quarterfinal openers.
CLASS 2A BOYS
Finalists -- Sterling (1: 25-0) vs. Berean Academy (2: 22-2).
Champion -- Sterling. The Black Bears appear to be a good bet to close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 7 seed Rossville (17-7) has the talent and experience to knock off Berean in the quarterfinals and make a run at the crown. Other contenders include No. 5 seed St. Marys (19-7) and No. 6 St. Marys Colgan (18-7), a traditional state title contender.
CLASS 2A GIRLS
Finalists -- Eureka (4: 22-2) vs. Moundridge (2: 23-2).
Champion -- Moundridge. I give Moundridge a slight edge in a balanced field loaded with contenders.
Other contenders -- No. 8 seed Rossville (15-10) is capable of knocking off top seed and 25-1 Ellinwood in the quarterfinals while No. 3 seed St. Marys Colgan (23-2) and No. 6 Sacred Heart (22-4) are defintely title threats.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Ken Darting’s retirement plans are on hold, at least for a few more days.
Ken Darting, who has coached three high schools to state tournament berths, including five state champions, will close out its Hall of Fame career in this week's Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
After back-to-back trips to the Class 5A state tournament in 2024 and 2025 and the graduation of significant players, you might not have expected Darting's Shawnee Heights T-Birds to be back in the dance this year.
“I know one that wouldn’t have expected that,” Darting said with a laugh after his T-Birds defeated Leavenworth Friday in the sub-state final game. The T-Birds survived graduations, injuries, suspensions and midseason player defections to punch their ticket for another state tournament.
Going to state has become a family tradition for the Dartings. This will be the 15th tournament for a Darting-coached team, spread across stints at Silver Lake, Highland Park and Shawnee Heights. Darting’s high school resume is interrupted by a decade spent coaching at Kansas State and Allen County Community College. But still, trips to state have been an important part of their lives. The Dartings cherish the memories from nine appearances in state title games, five which ended in championships.
This year’s state tournament will hold special significance as it will be Darting’s last. The tournament has been a place for him to reconnect with friends made during his lengthy career.
“Last year at the state tournament, we had just lost, and there’s 17 coaches from all over the state that came to our locker room,” Darting recalled. “I sat there and visited for an hour with them, those 17 different guys that came to talk. And that’s fun. I look forward to getting to do that again this year. You know, usually I want to go hide, to go out that hole and sneak out. But to see those former players and old coaches is a fun deal.”
Had his current T-Birds not qualified for the tournament, Darting said the sendoff given by the Shawnee Heights community was sufficient. But another trip to state will provide a chance to celebrate his retirement with other friends.
“Already this year, I’ve got calls from all over, from coaches that I knew 30 years ago,” Darting said. “And I’m proud of how many opposing coaches have sent me notes or come to see me for my last game. That means you did something.”
Still, Darting isn’t looking at the tournament as a farewell tour, but a business trip.
“You say, ‘Oh, it’s just another game.' But things like that, when you stop and think about it, when you get to this point, you’d like to go out as good as you can go out,” Darting said. “I’m not one that is holding myself hostage to a state championship. But whatever it is that we’re good enough to do, I want to do that.”
The tournament takes on a slightly different look this year. Rather than playing the quarterfinal round at the location of the semifinal and final games, KSHSAA has grouped teams in regional locations based on proximity for the higher-seeded teams, regardless of classification.
Shawnee Heights (17-8) will face top-seeded and two-time defending Class 5A state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel at Koch Arena in Wichita at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The T-Birds face a tough task in the opening round, but Darting will remain dedicated to this year’s team until the final whistle. His feeling for this current group shows in his eyes.
“I think when they’re that age, yeah, celebrate, go on,” Darting said as he watched the current group celebrate their sub-state championship Friday. “They don’t even know it yet, but they’re gonna see in life, 10, 20 years from now, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh wow, was that fun?’ And when it’s a team that shouldn’t get it done and it gets done, that makes it even more special.”
Darting is invested not just in this current roster of T-Birds but what happens after he’s gone. He spoke passionately about freshmen Quincy Dixon, Fletcher Terrell and Sam Becker, each of whom played a significant role in reaching the tournament.
“I care so much about whoever takes over this job, because these kids deserve it,” Darting said. “There are a lot of good kids on the way up. I wanted to make sure that I left this program better for the next guy than I found it.”
TUESDAY'S OTHER STATE QUARTERFINALS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The No. 3-ranked and top-seeded Washburn Ichabods delivered a wire-to-wire rout Sunday, overwhelming Rogers State 91-59 to capture the 2026 MIAA Tournament championship at Municipal Auditorium.
MIAA Tournament MVP Jack Bachelor hoists the championship trophy after Sunday's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods never trailed, controlling all 40 minutes and improving to 31-1 on the season while securing the MIAA's automatic bid and surpassing their 30-win total in 2024-2025.
"I'm really proud of our guys,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "We came out ready to play. I thought our intensity and our focus to start that game was at a really high level. That first half was about as good as you can play basketball.
"We probably caught Rogers on a little bit of an off night. They obviously weren't on their 'A' game. I think we had a lot to do with that, but they clearly didn't play as well as they're capable and sometimes that happens.''
Washburn will host the NCAA Central Regional Tournament for the second year in a row starting Saturday in Lee Arena. WU will host Minnesota-Duluth (21-11) on Saturday, with game times to be announced as soon as available.
"I just love the way our guys have approached the daily process to this,'' Ballard said. "Our shoot-around this morning was good and every part of the process has been good and when you prepare that way it gives you a chance to play at a high level.''
Washburn senior Bryson Smith opened the game with a hoop and junior Jeremiah Jones followed with a 3-pointer, setting the tone for the day with an early 5-0 burst.
Washburn dominated the glass from the outset, piling up 15 offensive rebounds in the first half alone while holding Rogers State to zero.
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor received the MIAA Tournament MVP award Sunday after Washburn's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Jack Bachelor, who was named the tournament most valuable player, connected on multiple threes in the opening minutes and a transition trey by Smith pushed the Ichabod lead to 22-10 just before the 13-minute mark.
Washburn senior Brady Christiansen cuts down the nets after a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in Sunday's 91-59 win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Brady Christiansen was a force, collecting 12 first-half rebounds -- eight on the offensive end – and his follow shot at the 6:39 mark pushed the Washburn margin to 36-20 and the Ichabods carried a huge 49-25 margin into the halftime break.
Rogers State (21-10) never had an answer as Washburn opened the second half with a 14-1 run.
Christiansen drilled a three to make it a 54-25 game, and moments later a Jones tip-in extended the lead to 31 points.
Bachelor scored on a fastbreak layup with 8:19 remaining to give Washburn its largest lead of the afternoon at 77-38, a 39-point cushion.
Smith led the Ichabods with 21 points, knocking down two threes and adding five rebounds.
Christiansen, an all-tournament pick, registered a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds for his second double double in as many games.
"It's championship Sunday and I was going to give it my all,'' Christiansen said. "I just think from the start, that first offensive rebound that I got kind of set the tone for the game.
"We had 52 rebounds and I don't know if that's a season high but that's incredible. It wasn't just me, it was everyone and I just couldn't be more proud of the team.''
Bachelor added 14 points, with four 3-pointers, and dished out nine assists.
All-tourney pick Jones recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, and three steals while sophomore Tyson Ruud, making his second straight start in place of injured Ichabod standout Dillon Claussen, scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting.
All five Ichabod starters reached double figures.
Washburn finished with a huge 52-25 rebounding advantage and the Ichabods shot 46.5 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three, while holding Rogers State to 38.8 percent shooting overall and 33.3 percent from outside the 3-point arc.
The Ichabods won their first MIAA Tournament title since the 2021 season and the first in Kansas City since 2012.
Bachelor was named the MVP after games of 24, 27 and 14 points while also dishing out 22 assists with only two turnovers and hitting 16 3s during the three games.
"Dudes have been locked in,'' Bachelor said. "Like coach said, we were very focused this week. We got here Wednesday and that's a long trip and it could be easy to get your eyes off what the goal is, but our guys were locked in and that's what we showed tonight.
"We'll get locked back in this week and ready for that national tournament.''
Christiansen was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.3 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament while hitting 50 percent of his 3-point shots (7 of 14).
Fellow all-tourney pick Jones set an MIAA single-game tournament steals record with eight in the semis against Missouri Western.
The Ichabods recorded the largest margin of victory in an MIAA Tournament game, with the 32-point win topping the previous mark of 29 set in 2019.
Washburn's men's title followed a championship by the Ichabod women in the first game of the day, a 53-44 win over Central Missouri.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The short-handed Washburn Ichabods registered their second consecutive 30-win season with Saturday's 85-69 win over Missouri Western, advancing into the MIAA Tournament championship game in Kansas City, Mo.'s Municipal Auditorium.
Washburn improved to 30-1 despite being without injured sophomore star Dillon Claussen, who sat out the game with a leg injury.
Sophomore Tyson Ruud scored 16 points in his second career start, helping Washburn advance to the MIAA Tournament title game with an 85-69 win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"That's a good team and a really good win for us, especially when you find out the morning of the game Dillon's not going to play,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard told KTPK Radio.
"The guy's really rallied around that and rallied around him. Obviously losing that caliber of player is not easy.''
The Ichabods, now 30-1, will face Rogers State in the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday after the Hillcats' 72-70 win over Missouri Southern.
The Ichabods jumped out to a 15-6 lead, starting the game 6 of 11 from the field as junior All-MIAA guard Jack Bachleor led with eight early points.
Bachelor, the Washburn Rural product, would go on to score 18 points in the first 20 minutes as the Ichabods carried a 10-point lead at 41-31 lead into the break.
Washburn continued its steady play in the second half, matching Missouri Western basket-for-basket before gradually stretching the advantage to a game-high 22 midway through the half.
The Griffons (21-11) did trim the lead to nine with 4:17 to play, but a 3-pointer from Bachelor sparked a 14-7 advantage for the Ichabods the rest of the contest as the Ichabods won their seventh in a row over the Griffons in the 16-point win.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored a career-high 27 points with seven treys in Saturday's 85-69 Washburn win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Bachelor led the Ichabods with a career and game-high 27 points.
Bachelor connected on seven 3-pointers while also adding six assists and three boards.
"Jack Bachelor was the best player on the court again tonight,'' Ballard said. "He just loves this gym and he's really playing at a high level.''
Senior Brady Christiansen recorded the sixth double-double of his Ichabod career with 17 points and 10 rebounds, going 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from deep.
Sophomore Tyson Ruud made his second start of the season in place of Claussen and recorded 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting while adding five rebounds and a block.
"I think starting or not it's the same mentality,'' Ruud told KTPK Radio. "We're so deep. We're one of the most talented teams in the nation, so starting or not the mentality's the same.''
Junior Jeremiah Jones scored eight points, and an MIAA Tournament game record of eight steals, recording six in the first half alone.
Senior Bryson Smith added six points, four assists and two steals.
The Ichabods were efficient as a team, shooting 49 percent from the field (33 of 68) and 44 percent from 3-point range (12 of 27).
Missouri Western was paced by former Seaman star Ty Henry, who scored 15 points to pace four Griffons in double figures.
