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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After falling behind by double digits early in Sunday night's NCAA Central Regional semifinal in Lee Arena, Concordia-St. Paul made run after run at top seed Washburn University, but the Ichabods answered each and every challenge, advancing to Tuesday night's regional final with a 94-78 win over the Golden Bears.
Senior Jacob Hanna scored a team-high 24 points in Washburn's 94-78 NCAA regional win over Concordia-St. Paul Sunday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I don't know that there's a better Division II atmosphere, or really at any level, than what we just played in tonight,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "Our fans were phenomenal. They gave us a ton of energy once again, so shout out to Topeka and everybody that showed up.
"I loved that our team had to battle through some stuff and didn't flinch. The body language was great, the composure was good and every time they had a run we had an answer for it.''
The Ichabods will play for the regional championship for the first time since 2001 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, facing No. 2 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead, a 70-59 semifinal winner over No. 3 Winona State.
Washburn, now 28-3, started the game on a 17-7 run in the first 4:34 of the game while hitting 6 of 8 shots, including 2 of 3 from deep while the Bears (22-9) started the game 2 of 8 from the field.
The Ichabods went on to go up 30-16 at the 10:20 mark, but Concordia-St. Paul answered with a 17-4 run to cut the WU lead to 34-33.
Concordia-St. Paul also got within a point (36-35) with 1:44 left in the half on a bucket from Bears senior star Antwan Kimmons, but Washburn answered with a 3-pointer from sophomore Jack Bachelor and senior Jacob Hanna scored to give the Ichabods a 41-35 advantage.
After another hoop from Kimmons, who led all scorers with 25 points, Washburn ended the half with a tip-in from from freshman Dillon Claussen to take a 43-37 advantage to the locker room at the break.
"That's a great player,'' Hanna said of Kimmons, "and he might have got the best of me a couple of times, but I'm just happy we came out with the win.''
Washburn boosted its advantage back to 13 points (57-44) with 14:52 remaining on a 3-pointer from junior Brady Christiansen, but the Bears fought back to within three (65-62) with 9:53 left.
But again, Washburn had an answer, going on a 9-2 run, punctuated by a monster dunk from senior Michael Keegan, to go back in front by 10 (74-64) at the 7:53 mark.
"You saw the crowd react,'' Hanna said of Keegan's dunk. "That's the loudest in the gym I think I've ever heard after that dunk and going into the timeout that gave us a lot of energy and a big boost.''
Concordia-St. Paul got no closer than eight the rest of the way and the Ichabods opened up a commanding 94-74 lead with 53 seconds left before closing out the 16-point win.
Washburn shot a blistering 58 percent from the field in the second half while getting a double-double from Hanna with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Jack Bachelor scored 21 points with three treys and five assists in Washburn's 94-78 NCAA regional win over Concordia-St. Paul Sunday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bachelor scored 21 (3 of 3 3-pointers) with five assists and senior Andrew Orr finished with 16 points with five boards.
Claussen came off the bench to reach double figures for the second straight game, scoring 10 points with five boards and four blocks.
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By Brad Hallier
For KSHSAA Covered
HUTCHINSON -- As the Halstead girls basketball team was making a comeback Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, the Dragons weren’t jumping up and down. They weren’t hyping each other up, getting in each others’ faces or screaming in excitement.
Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni scored a game-high 19 points in Saturday's 48-45 loss to Halstead in the state final. [Photo by Andrew Carpenter/Special to KSHSAA Covered]
Halstead looked right at home for a program playing in its first state championship game.
That’s because, in some ways, the Dragons were used to this environment. During the fall, many basketball players helped Halstead win the school’s first volleyball state championship, which was also won at the Sports Arena.
Heck, even last year’s sub-state basketball tournament was closer to a state tournament with the number of great teams in it.
The lights weren’t too bright and the pressure wasn’t overwhelming for Halstead, as the Dragons came from 13 points down in the third quarter to beat reigning Class 3A champion Silver Lake, 48-45.
“We were used to all the fans and playing in this environment,” said sophomore Jordy Schroeder, who was a part of that volleyball team. “The community always shows up big time.”
The Dragons showed up when it mattered most. Although they trailed the seven-time champions for more than 23 minutes, they never looked uncomfortable.
Silver Lake led 31-23 at half, and soon led by 15 points.
Were the Dragons nervous? Worried? Not even close.
“We don’t get too worked up,” senior guard Kaci Young said. “We just had to get some stops, and I thought we did a good job defending them.”
Silver Lake would score just nine points over the final 11 minutes, 33 seconds.
“They continued to play help defense, and we had a hard time getting to the rim,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “They just played better than we did in the fourth quarter.”
Halstead closed the deficit to 39-33 after three quarters. Then the defense dominated for Halstead, as its swarming defense started to make the Eagles uncomfortable..
Addisen Wills was the catalyst of that improved Halstead defense. The junior guard caused problems for the Eagles, and she finished with five steals, including two during the fourth quarter.
With 2:05 left in the game, and Silver Lake leading 45-44, Wills' thievery at midcourt led to a transition opportunity, and Young’s layup sent the Dragon fans into a frenzy as the Dragons took the lead for good..
“We played in a lot of close games these past few years,” Halstead coach Derek Schutte said. “We’ve been on the wrong end of some of them, the losing end, but we didn’t quit.
“(Wills) is awesome. I don’t know if there’s a better defensive guard in 3A than Addie Wills.”
The Dragons needed one more defense stop at the end to ensure the title. Silver Lake executed a set that helped junior guard Kailyn Hanni have a good look at a game-tying 3-pointer in the right corner. But Hanni, who had a game-high 19 points, just missed.
Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter talks to his team during Saturday's state final. [Photo by Andrew Carpenter/Special to KSHSAA Covered]
It ended what was another strong season for Silver Lake. A year after winning a championship with arguably the best 3A girls team in history, and graduating most of the production from that squad, the Eagles still played for the state championship again.
“It hurts a lot and it should,” Porter said. “But once we give it some time, we should be really proud of what this team has accomplished.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Highland Park was within a shot here or a missed free throw there to a perfect end to a perfect season Saturday in White Auditorium.
Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson (23) scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday's 58-55 OT loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 5A state final. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But for the second straight season, Kapaun Mt. Carmel came up with just enough plays down the stretch to end the Scots' Class 5A championship hopes, with the Crusaders rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit to outlast Highland Park 58-55 in overtime to claim their second straight state title.
"We had some chances and heart was never a question for our guys,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "I think they showed that time and time again and I think they showed that again tonight. All you really ask for a chance to win that thing late and I think we had a chance at the end of regulation and had a really good chance at the end of the overtime and that's a testament to the kids.
"They fought, they scrapped. We got down eight late in the fourth and they did not give up. Obviously we would have liked that it came out a little bit differently, but I will not knock our guys' fight and how they approached the game and how they played buzzer to buzzer all night long.''
Kapaun, which finished off a 22-3 season with its 17th straight win, had topped Hi Park 67-64 in OT in a classic 2024 semifinal en route to the championship before another thriller in Saturday's title tilt.
"My teams have played Topeka Highland Park three times -- once at Wichita South and twice here -- and every game went to overtime,'' Kapaun coach Steve Eck said. "The guys don't give up. We're down by nine at halftime and they just didn't give up. We beat a really good team.
"Highland Park is really talented and if you told me we'd be down nine at halftime and come back and win it I would have thought you were crazy, but at one time (early in the season) we were 5-3.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 5-ranked Washburn University Ichabods moved into the NCAA Central Regional semifinals with an 85-57 win over Harding in Lee Arena on Saturday night.
Freshman Dillon Claussen came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points in Washburn's 85-57 NCAA regional win over Harding. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn, now 27-3, will face Concordia St. Paul at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night.
Washburn opened the game on an 11-2 run, holding Harding scoreless the first 5:08 of the game.
The Ichabods would go on to lead by as many as 18 in the first half with 5:16 left, using a 10-2 spurt to take
a 35-17 lead. Washburn went on to lead at the break, 41-25, after shooting 57 percent from the field.
As in the first half, the Ichabods jumped on the Bison (22-10) with a big run to start the frame as Washburn scored 17 of the first 21 points of the second half, building a lead of 58-30, and would go on to lead by as many as 35 at 85-50 before the Bison scored the final seven points of the game cutting the final margin to 28.
Freshmen Dillon Claussen scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the first half, hitting 6 of 7 shots from the field while adding six boards, which tied for the game-high.
Senior Jacob Hanna scored 13 points in Washburn's 85-57 NCAA regional win over Harding Saturday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Sam Ungashick scored a season-high 13 points in Saturday's 85-57 NCAA regional win over Harding. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Jacob Hanna scored 13 points and junior Sam Ungahick scored a season-high 13 off the bench.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
SALINA -- The Hayden girls rebounded from a disappointing semifinal loss to Class 4A powerhouse Bishop Miege Friday, taking out their frustration on Buhler.
Hayden poses for a team picture Saturday after finishing third in the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The Wildcats claimed the third-place trophy for the second year in a row – having done so in the 3A Classification a year ago – by defeating Buhler 57-23 at the Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina Saturday afternoon.
“The third-place game is a tough one to play in because you’re so disappointed from the night before,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said, noting the tears shed in the locker room after the loss to Miege.
“Today, in the stands, watching the game before ours, we seemed really loose. And sometimes that can go either way,” Reynoldson said. “I really felt we were going to play well, but you never know.”
Reynoldson’s fears were allayed instantly. Hayden started on 16-2 run and led 19-4 at the end of the first period.
“Millie (Ramsey) got fed a couple of times with easy buckets and she hit a three, and it caused them to call an early timeout, and it just snowballed from there,” the Hayden coach said.
The Wildcats led 30-12 at the half, playing nearly everyone on the team in the first half.
“We all agreed that we didn’t get where we wanted to, but this was still our last game, and we needed to come out and play as hard as we can,” Ramsey said. “We know what we’re capable of and we know what we can.
“It felt really great to end on a win, I’m really glad we didn’t have to end with (the loss to Miege) because that was not it.”
Ramsey led the Wildcats with 20 points and eight rebounds. Norma Greco scored 11.
