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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights boys had to dig deep after they let a 15-point lead slip away in their season opener Friday night. They relied upon the efforts of a freshman and knocked down clutch free throws to hold off United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood, 61-55.
JaiMarion Cook led Shawnee Heights with 14 points in Friday's 61-55 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Having graduated senior leaders from last year’s squad, the T-Birds may have a few things to learn about holding a lead. They raced to a 35-20 advantage midway through the second quarter and were still holding on 42-28 early in the third. But the Bobcats began clawing their way back into it.
With 2:49 remaining, the T-Birds’ lead was down to five, 55-50, when Bobcat Isaiah Calvert was fouled attempting a 3-pointer. He knocked down all three of his foul shots. Twenty seconds later, he went back to the line when the T-Birds were whistled for a technical foul. He drained two more free throws to knot the game at 55-55.
T-Bird coach Ken Darting felt, once the tide turned, some players attempted to do too much on their own.
“Selfishness. That’s what was going on,” Darting said. “We played hard the whole game. We played well for two-thirds of the game. But we were totally selfish at the end.”
Notably, the T-Birds were playing their first game without Jaret Sanchez and Deacon Pomeroy, a couple of graduates who hit big shots and played clutch minutes throughout their careers.
“We don’t have any of those 20-point scorers,” Darting said. “So, if we’re not near perfect defensively, rebounding and on our execution on offense, we’re not going to shoot a very high percentage. I don’t get mad when (these players) miss their shots because they’re going to miss most of the time they shoot. But if you’re taking some shot that a star can’t make, now I’m mad.
“But it’s a learning process. We’re playing an offense that’s a read-oriented offense and you’ve got to read everything to play it. So that’s going to take a while.”
Freshman Quincy Dixon (22), who had 11 points in his varsity debut for Shawnee Heights, celebrates a basket with teammate Cam Ross. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Giving the T-Birds a lift in the second half was freshman Quincy Dixon. Playing in his first varsity game, Dixon led the T-Birds with nine points in the second half, when the rest of the team was in a rut. He finished with 11.
Leading the T-Birds was JaiMarion Cook with 14. Cam Ross added 12.
“It was important to get this win,” said senior Ontarius Emmot, one of the T-Birds’ returning starters from a year ago. “(A lot of us) have been playing for eight or nine years together. So, it’s the first game back, but it’s not our first time playing with each other. Our chemistry is there.
“Down the stretch we didn’t handle the ball very well, but you know, crunch time, when it got down under a minute, I think we handled that pretty well.”
Emmot said he encouraged his teammates to feel comfortable in the moment.
“I just told the guys ‘This is nothing new from what you’ve been playing all your life,” Emmot said. “I said ‘You’ve played in close games before. Yeah, there might be a couple more people here now. But the ball is still the same. The size of the rim is still the same. There’s the same amount of players on the court.’”
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS BOYS 61, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 55
Basehor-Linwood 10 16 13 16 -- 55
Shawnee Heights 19 20 10 12 -- 61
Basehor-Linwood (0-1, 0-1) – Brown 2-11 5-6 10, Morrison 5-8 1-3 13, Hofer 0-2 0-0 0, Young 2-8 2-2 6, Calvert 5-10 8-9 19 Hutchinson 0-1 2-2 2, Elliott 2-3 0-0 5, Nixon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-43 18-22 55.
Shawnee Heights (1-0, 1-0) – Alston 1-8 1-4 4, Cook 4-12 4-4 14, Ross 4-13 4-6 12, Scott 1-4 4-4 7, Emmot 3-9 0-0 7, Doby 1-2 0-0 2, Dixon 4-6 3-3 11, Lee 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 20-57 16-21 61.
3-point goals – Basehor-Linwood 5 (Morrison 2, Brown 1, Calvert 1, Elliott 1) Shawnee Heights 5 (Cook 2, Alston 1, Scott 1, Emmot 1). Total fouls – Basehor-Linwood 18, Shawnee Heights 21. Fouled out – Ross. Technical fouls – Ross.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A collection of transfers and a freshman helped lead the Shawnee Heights girls past United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood 69-49 in the T-Birds’ home opener Friday.
Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in Friday's 69-49 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Pearmella Carter, a junior transfer from Highland Park, and Imani McGlory, a senior transfer from Topeka West, combined for 29 points in their T-Bird home debuts.
Senior Imani McGlory scored 13 points in her home debut for Shawnee Heights Friday, a 69-49 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sami Baum, a home school student, scored four points in her first home game at Shawnee Heights and freshman Bijou Schmidt came off the bench to provide 11 points.
Freshman Bijou Schmidt came off the bench to score 11 points in Shawnee Heights' 69-49 win over Basehor-Linwood Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells has worked this fall to mold the new additions into a cohesive unit. The group had its eyes opened in a first-game loss to Shawnee Mission South and they showed Friday the collaboration is coming together.
“It was hard at first, but they’re learning,” Wells said. “Any time you’re learning a new system and learning how we do things in practice, everything is completely different for them. They have had to buy into what we’re doing. So they’ve been doing great. And the girls who have been in our program have been doing great helping them with everything.”
Shawnee Heights blasted out of the gate with 24 points in the first period with 10 from Carter and seven from junior KK Emmot, who led the T-Birds with 18 points.
The game was halted at the 4:40 mark of the third period when T-Bird sophomore Lauryn Brees fell awkwardly and lay on her back when the officials stopped the action. She remained down for more than 25 minutes before she was placed on a backboard and taken from the gym by first responders. After allowing for a brief warmup period, the game resumed after nearly 35 minutes.
“I just came back to the huddle and told (the team) what I knew,” Wells said about Brees’ injury. “I said, ‘We can all say a little prayer for her, and then the best thing we can do is go and play. Just go out there and play hard for her.’ And they did. I felt like they came out really focused. I was concerned that their minds were going to be someplace else because my mind was for a long time.”
The T-Birds outscored Basehor-Linwood 16-3 the rest of the period to expand their lead to 56-31.
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By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys basketball team opened the 2025-2026 campaign at home Friday against Blue Valley Southwest with the student section decked out in their Christmas Spirit, coming out with a win, 64-45.
Senior Simon Rowley led Washburn Rural with 17 points in Friday's 64-45 win over Blue Valley Southwest. [File photo/TSN]
Both teams took a little bit to get some points on the board. The game was tied at 7-7 after the Wolves took a 10-7 lead off a triple. They would push their lead to four but Washburn Rural closed the gap to 13-12 after one quarter.
In that first quarter, Rural finished a couple of steals, but you could tell they were a little sped up at times. Something that lacked in that first half and really all game was Washburn Rural knocking down its free throws.
“I thought it looked like the first game,” Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. “Pretty sloppy at points. I thought we played with a lot of energy early. I would’ve loved to finish some plays in transition, some of the free throws, too.
"I thought we were a little frantic on defense early and then settled in as the first half went on. We’re going to have to make more shots early and I think it was good the defense was good in the second and third quarter to weather some of that.”
To open the second quarter, Brooks Ballard hit a shot from distance to make it 15-13 off an inbounds play. John Hoytal was making plays happen down low, grabbing rebounds and finishing at the rim and drawing fouls.
Rural would jump out to a 20-13 lead after Draden Chooncharoen nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner pocket and senior Simon Rowley put some distance between the teams with a couple of buckets in the winding ticks of the first half as the Junior Blues took the 27-19 lead into the break.
Washburn Rural only allowed six points in the second quarter.
The Junior Blues came out at halftime with good energy and pace and eventually pulled away from the Wolves.
Hoytal put Rural up 36-23 from distance and finished with 13 points on the night but Rowley scored seven points late in that third quarter, including banking in a three.
“Coach just says keep going, keep pounding and finding a way,” Rowley said. “I just tried to get the guys in a good positive mindset. I know I started off slow. I set the tone for the team so I had to have a better mindset when I was out there and encourage my teammates more and they all feeded off me and we were just eating.”
But after that Rural went up 19 after back-to-back buckets from Rowley, who finished with 17 points. Chooncharoen hit two more 3-pointers down the stretch to finish with nine and put the nail in the coffin.
“I thought our execution was decent, we just didn’t finish the opportunities. Hopefully that’s just the first game jitter stuff and we can shake that off. A good first night, but more to build on,” Hutchins said.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 64, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST 45
Blue Valley Southwest 13 6 10 16 -- 45
Washburn Rural 12 15 18 19 -- 64
Blue Valley Southwest (0-1) - Taylor 1-1 0-0 3, Bonczynski 1-3 1-2 4, William Abraham 1-2 0-0 2, Putzier 2-3 1-1 5, Steele 1-1 0-0 2, Geisler 1-1 0-0, 3, Ferguson 2-2 0-0 6, Wesley Abraham 4-8 3-4, 12, Carlisle 3-3 0-0 8.
Washburn Rural (1-0) -- Rowley 7-15 2-8 17, Nimz 0-2 0-2 0, Ballard 3-3 0-0 8, Wright 2-5 1-3 3, Hoytal 3-9 6-6 13, O’Conner 1-3 1-2 3, Chooncharoen 3-5 0-2 9, Bradley 2-2 0-0 4, Schmidt 2-4 1-2 5. Totals 23-48 11-25 64.
3-point field goals -- Washburn Rural 7 (Chooncharoen 3, Ballard 2, Rowley, Hoytal). BVSW 8 (Ferguson 2, Carlisle 2, Bonczynski, Taylor, Giesler, Wesley Abraham). Total fouls -- Washburn Rural 14, Blue Valley Southwest 23. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn's volleyball season came to an end Friday night with a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul in the NCAA Central Region semifinals.
The Ichabods end the season with a 27-5 record after going 13-3 in the MIAA and winning a share of the MIAA regular-season championship.
Washburn's outstanding 2025 volleyball season ended Friday with a 3-0 loss to Concordia-St. Paul in an NCAA Central Region semifinal. [File photo/TSN]
The Golden Bears (28-5), the No. 2 seed in the region, took control late in the first set and went up 1-0 in the match with a 25-21 win. Sixth-seeded Washburn (27-5) led early in the second set before falling by the same score, 25-21. The Ichabods led deep into the third set but were unable to extend the match, falling 26-24.
Early in the first set it was back-and-forth with eight ties in the first 16 points.
Concordia-St. Paul created some space with three straight points to lead 15-12.
Shortly after Keilah Rivers knocked down a kill that pulled the Ichabods within one point at 17-16. Washburn stayed within two points until the Golden Bears secured the final two points of the set to win 25-21. Both teams hit over .270 in the set to open the match.
After CSP got the first point in the second, Washburn's Brooklyn Morrisey slashed a kill that started a 6-0 run.
Washburn held the lead until the Golden Bears won five straight points to go in front by one, 13-12. The deficit grew to as many as four points but the Ichabods hung around, pulling back within two at 23-21 on a Brynne Topolski kill off an assist from Sydney Conner.
Once again the final two points went to Concordia-St. Paul to win the set.
Washburn jumped in front 7-4 in the third after Austin Broadie connected on a kill. The lead grew to seven points at 14-7 after a six-point burst that began with Morrisey taking a pass from Corinna McMullen to the floor for a kill.
The Golden Bears won six of the next eight points to pull within three at 16-13. The Ichabods recovered, going on a 6-4 run to lead 22-17 after Broadie and Bella Limback combined for a block.
CSP won four straight points, forcing two Washburn timeouts. The Ichabods still were able to reach match point at 24-23 after an attacking error, but the next three points went to the Golden Bears as they closed out the match.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University soccer team will be in St. Louis Saturday for a 1 p.m. Elite Eight matchup against Missouri-St. Louis.
Aubrey Tanksley, Washburn
"We are all looking forward to (Saturday) and another chance we get to continue to grow together as a group,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "Our ladies have been really good about leaning into our core values, and I'm expecting that to inspire another really positive performance for us.
"UMSL is well coached and a good team. (Saturday) should offer everything that an Elite 8 matchup should offer."
Washburn, 13-3-6, is coming off a 1-0 win over No. 4-seed St. Cloud State on Sunday to become Central Region champions for the second time in program history.
Washburn has 13 clean sheets this year, which is third most in program history.
Aubrey Tanksley scored the game-winning goal from a corner taken by Bricelyn Betts, which Tanksley headed home in the 75th minute.
Washburn goalkeeper Lili Everley has the second-most shutouts in a season in Washburn history, with 11.
The Tritons(15-4-2) are the No. 7 seed from the Midwest Region, beating crosstown rival and No. 4-seeded Maryville, 2-1 to advance to the Elite Eight.
UMSL leads the all-time series with Washburn, 3-1.
The two teams met earlier this season, with the Tritons taking a 3-0 decision in St. Louis.
