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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys entered Friday night's Class 5A sub-state final against Bonner Springs as a heavy favorite.
Highland Park juniors Ja'Corey Robinson (right) and Mikey Williams hoist the sub-state championship trophy after Friday night's 80-48 win over Bonner Springs. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Highland Park celebrates Friday's 80-48 Class 5A sub-state win over Bonner Springs, qualifying for state for the third straight season. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
And the Scots played that role to the hilt, rolling to their third straight state tournament berth with an 80-48 win over the Braves at Topeka West as junior Ja'Corey Robinson led the way with a monster 35-point, 12-rebound performance.
"We've been really preaching that we want to play the way we want to play in state before we get there,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "We want to come out and we want to exert our will and there's things that we want to take away from (opponents).
"We did a really, really good job on prep and scout and it helps when our guys hit shots and believe and they play together.''
With Friday's rout 21-1 Highland Park is set to make the familiar trek to Emporia's White Auditorium, where the Scots will open their state bid with a first-round game on Wednesday.
Bonner Springs (13-9), which had dropped a 90-33 decision to Hi Park in the Scots' season-opener, hit some 3-pointers early to lead 5-4, 7-6 and 10-9 but Highland Park ended the first quarter with a 12-0 run to take a 21-10 lead and was off to the races.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
With Friday's sub-state final tied at 62 apiece and the clock ticking down in overtime, Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge drove from the right wing, hoping to find space for a jump shot. But as the defense converged on him, teammate Deacon Pomeroy was left alone on the right block.
Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge (11) and junior Deacon Pomeroy (1) lead the T-Birds' celebration after Friday's 64-62 OT sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights celebrates with Heights students after Friday's 64-62 OT sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Dodge jumped in the air to deliver a pass to Pomeroy, which the junior banked off the glass with 1.8 seconds remaining.
With that bucket, the T-Birds defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 64-62 and earned their first spot in the Class 5A state tournament since they won it all in 2017.
Coach Ken Darting, who has led Silver Lake and Highland Park to five state titles, was emotional about getting the T-Birds a trip to next week's tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
“It’s always emotional. It’s never better than any other year because it’s always a new group of kids,” Darting said within the throng of family and friends that flooded the court. “But this, I told them this is something, no matter what you do in sports, you ain’t never forgetting this. That’s where my emotion is at. It’s just wonderful to see when kids get what every kid wants, but very few get.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MIAA Tournament bound Washburn women's basketball will wrap up its regular season Saturday on Senior Day against Emporia State at 1 p.m. in Lee Arena.
Washburn women's basketball will honor seniors Aubree Dewey (3), Lakyn Schieferecke (14) and Mackenzie Gamble (1) Saturday on Senior Day in Lee Arena. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn is now 12-15 overall and 7-14 in the MIAA, while Emporia State is 13-14 overall and 10-11 in the conference.
The Ichabods are coming off a 66-51 loss to Missouri Southern while Emporia State is coming off a 72-56 loss at Pittsburg State.
Washburn will take on Nebraska-Kearney in the first round of the MIAA Tournament at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Before Saturday's game Washburn will recognize its three seniors -- Aubree Dewey, Mackenzie Gamble and Lakyn Schieferecke.
The senior trio has combined to play 258 total games and start in 170 of them across 12 combined years with Washburn.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Shawnee Heights' boys bowling team had been knocking at the door all season, posting top-three team finishes in city, league and regional competition.
Shawnee Heights junior Donovan Davis exchanges a high five with T-Bird coach Scott Mercer as Heghts celebrates its Class 5A team championship Friday in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights' boys bowling team poses for a picture after winning its first-ever Class 5A state team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
The T-Birds knocked that door down in Friday's Class 5A state tournament at Bowlero-Northrock, capturing the school's first boys state bowling team title by a 3,547-3,519 margin over Kansas City-Turner while Seaman finished third at 3,353 as United Kansas Conference team swept the top three places.
"They turned it up a notch today, that's all I can tell you,'' Shawnee Heights coach Scott Mercer said of his team. "They turned it up a notch, and then some.''
Shawnee Heights won the championship after not having a state qualifier in the 2023 state meet and despite not having a senior on the state team (two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors) as the T-Birds put four bowlers in the top 20.
Junior Caden Cochrane led Shawnee Heights with a third-place individual finish Thursday, leading the T-Birds to the Class 5A team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Junior Caden Cochrane finished third individually with a 685 series while freshman Trey Donath was eighth (667), freshman Evan Jones ninth (665) and sophomore Henry Schattilly 18th (637).
"We just had to stay focused and just concentrate on what we were doing and got the job done,'' Cochrane said. "We were making good shots and picking up our spares.''
Rounding out the T-Bird lineup were junior Donovan Davis with a 591 series and sophomore Kaden Evans with a 510.
Shawnee Heights led at the start of the Baker games and fell behind Turner before coming on strong to close out the title.
Mercer said that despite their youth the T-Birds did a great job of keeping their composure on Friday.
"Last year they kind of clammed up a little bit at regionals,'' said Mercer, who claimed his first state title as a coach. "I prepped them this year, I said, 'It's just another day, just another event.' Then we got to state and I'm like, 'Oh boy, what's going to happen?'
"We had long talks last night and a couple days before and basically said, 'It's just another day and we've got some business that we've got to finish and let's go get it.' ''
Shawnee Heights had finished second to Seaman in the city championships and third in the UKC meet behind Seaman and Piper, but Friday was the T-Birds' day.
"I'm not going to lie, we've always said that, 'When's our day coming? And it's here today,'' Mercer said.
"It's an amazing day,'' Donath said. "We worked as a team and we did all the team things we could do together, we communicated together and we just got a win for today.''
Senior Riley Parkhurst finished 11th individually in Class 5A, leading Seaman to a third-place team trophy. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman finished third as a team in the Class 5A state bowling tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman senior Riley Parkhurst paced the Vikings with an 11th-place individual finish (662) while the Vikings also got a 597 series from junior Alexander Prescott, a 587 from junior Dominic Figueroa, a 573 from sophomod Carsen Wood 573, a 560 from freshman Dylan Hunt and a 471 from freshman Landon Huxman.
Topeka West senior Dason Tidwell, competing as an individual, finished 20th with a 633 to earn a state medal while Highland Park sophomore Cristian Reyes rolled a 569 series.
Viking girls third in 5A, city bowlers earn four state medals
Seaman's rallied to finish third as a team in Friday's Class 5A girls state meet while the Vikings and Topeka West combined for four individual state medals.
Seaman's girls bowling team poses for a picture with its Class 5A third-place team trophy Friday in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Seaman finished with a team score of 2,864 to finish third behind Great Bend (2,996) and Eisenhower (2,881), led by state medalists Kayla Mize and Paige Snyder.
Mize, a senior, finished 14th with a three-game series of 563 while Snyder, a freshman, placed 19th with a 542 series.
Topeka West senior Megan Wood placed sixth in Class 5A in Friday's state tournament at Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Topeka West senior Brenna Rutschmann finished seventh in Class 5A girls bowling Friday at Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Topeka West seniors Megan Wood and Brenna Rutschmann, who both qualified for state as individuals, were the highest finishing city bowlers in 5A, with Wood bowling a 584 series to finish sixth and Rutschmann bowling a 580 series to finish seventh.
In addition to Mize and and Snyder, Seaman got a 533 series from senior Cheyenne Turkin, a 484 from sophomore Claire LaDuke, a 483 from senior JaeLinn Thetford and a 452 from freshman Ava Carlson.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Reese Bell, who also qualified as an individual, bowled a 476 series.
CLASS 5A STATE BOWLING TOURNAMENT
At Bowlero-Northrock
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn men's basketball will wrap up the regular season on Saturday in Lee Arena, hosting rival Emporia State at 3 p.m.
Junior Andrew Orr averages a team-best 13.6 points for 18-9 Washburn basketball. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn (18-9 overall, 14-7 MIAA) won its final regular season road game of the year on Wednesday, taking a 77-72 win at Missouri Southern. The Hornets (18-11, 11-10) fell 79-76 at Pittsburg State, snapping their four-game winning streak.
The Ichabods, who have already clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., are in a tie for third in the MIAA standings with Pittsburg State (15-7). Northwest Missouri (19-2) and Fort Hays State (16-5) lead the league standings with one game to play. Rogers State is alone in fifth at 13-8. Missouri Southern is 11-10 tied with Central Oklahoma and Emporia State.
If the Ichabods and Gorillas remain tied for third, the Ichabods would have the tiebreaker by virtue of a head-to-head win on Jan. 20 in Lee Arena.
The MIAA Championship Tournament will be held next week in historic Municipal Auditorium.
Junior Andrew Orr leads the team in scoring with a 13.6 average. Orr is shooting 54 percent from the field, hitting 148 of 273 attempts. Orr also moved into 47th on Washburn's all-time scoring chart with 854 career points.
