- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior boys basketball player, Donovan scored 47 points on Friday as Rossville opened postseason with a 90-28 Class 2A sub-state home quarterfinal victory over McLouth. A returning All-Shawnee County pick, Donovan hit 17 of 28 shots on the night with nine 3-pointers while also going 4 of 4 at the free throw line and topping the 40-point mark for the second time this season.
Brecken Garrett
BRECKEN GARRETT, Washburn Rural
Garrett, a junior boys bowler, shot a 739 three-game series last Wednesday in a Class 6A regional tournament at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence to capture the individual championship and lead the Junior Blues to the team title by a 3,614-3,341 margin over Mill Valley. Garrett bowled games of 216, 258 and 265.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior 155-pound girls wrestler, Graves captured her first Class 5A individual state championship Saturday in Park City, capping a 35-2 season with a second-period pin in the title match while helping lead the T-Birds to a third-place team finish for the second straight season. Graves finished her high school career as a four-time state medalist.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden senior 190-pound wrestling star Jude Krentz capped his high school career with a runnerup Class 4A state finish Saturday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
A two-time state medalist, Hayden senior Jude Krentz posted a runnerup Class 4A state finish at 190 pounds Saturday in Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Krentz, fourth in the state tournament as a junior, advanced to his first state championship match before dropping a 9-1 major decision to Columbus junior Mason O'Banion to finish a 40-4 season. O'Banion improved to 44-2 on the year.
Hayden junior Caleb Menke posted a fourth-place Class 4A state finish at 175 pounds Saturday in Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Wildcat junior Caleb Menke also earned a state medal, finishing fourth at 175 pounds.
Menke (41-5) dropped a 6-2 decision to Labette County junior Aaron Wyrick (43-6) in the third-place match.
Krentz and Menke helped Hayden finish 13th in 4A with 40 points while Tonganoxie won the state team title with 152 points.
Rossville sophomore Nora Mitchell (left) finished second at 105 pounds in Saturday's Class 3A-1A state meet at Hays. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Rossville's Nora Mitchell second in 3A-1A
Rossville sophomore Nora Mitchell finished second in the Class 3A-1A 105-pound division Saturday at Hays, finishing off a 37-12 season.
Mitchell dropped an 8-3 decision to Wichita County senior Jentri Porter, who completed a perfect 34-0 season.
Bulldawg junior Madelyn Wonnell captured her second straight state medal, finishing third at 145 pounds.
Wonnell (38-6) pinned Osage City sophomore KayLynn Nicholson (32-7) at the 3:19 mark of the second period.
Silver Lake had four state medalists, with Eagle junior Kamiryn Clark (27-11) finishing fourth at 100 pounds, freshman Ally Burgos (29-16) fifth at 140 pounds, senior MaKayla Connor (33-8) fifth at 155 and junior Riley Mohler (27-11) sixth at 125 pounds.
Silver Lake finished fifth as a team with 67 points while Rossville placed 10th with 45.4 points.
Russell won the state team championship with 156 points.
Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett (top) finished second at 190 pounds in Saturday's Class 3A-1A state meet at Hays. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Eagles' Paxton Willett earns runnerup finish in 3A-1A
Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett advanced to the Class 3A-1A boys state championship match at 190 pounds Saturday in Hays, posting a second-place finish.
Willett, who posted a 41-11 record on the season, dropped a heartbreaking 9-8 decision to Atchison County junior Elijah Webb (40-8) in the state final.
Silver Lake had three other wrestlers earn state medals, with senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier (33-10) posting a third-place finish while junior 175-pounder Kayden Clelland (35-8) and sophomore 285-pounder Carter Spreer both placed fifth.
Silver Lake finished ninth with 73.5 points.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University softball team went 2-0 on Saturday's final day of the Midwest College Classic in Shawnee, taking a 5-1 win over Southwest Baptist and a 6-5 win over Minnesota State.
Pitcher Jenna Sprague picked up the save in both Washburn wins on Saturday as the Ichabods improved to 21-4 on the season. [File photo/TSN]
With the two wins and a 4-1 record on the weekend Washburn improved to 21-4 on the season and will return to action with four games at the Grand Slam Classic in Branson, Mo. Friday and Saturday.
The Ichabods topped former MIAA foe Southwest Baptist in their first game on Saturday, winning their eighth game in a row over the Bearcats.
Washburn struck early and never trailed, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Makenzie Sais ignited the offense with a single, stole second, and scored on Taylor Brees' run-scoring single to center. Brees later came home on Dalaney Anderson run-scoring single to left, giving the Ichabods a 2-0 advantage.
After SBU trimmed its deficit to 2-1 in the third, Washburn responded with a big fourth inning putting some distance between the two schools.
Following a leadoff error, pinch runner Ashlyn Gaughan moved into scoring position before Aspen Burgardt delivered the biggest swing of the game -- a two-run home run to left field to extend the Washburn lead to 4-1.
The Ichabods added an insurance run in the fifth when Maddie McGee singled up the middle and later scored when Sais ripped a double down the leftfield line, pushing the margin to 5-1.
Sais paced Washburn's eight-hit attack, going 2 for 3 with a double, RBI, run scored and a stolen base. Brees also collected two hits and drove in a run, while Anderson finished 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Sadie Walker earned the pitching win to improve to 10-2, tossing 6.2 innings while allowing just one run on nine hits with seven strikeouts. Jenna Sprague closed the door, striking out the only batter she faced to record her second save of the season.
Washburn jumped on Minnesota State immediately, scoring four times in the opening inning.
Sais led off with a single, stole second and third, and scored on Anderson's groundout to short.
Brees walked and later scored when Madi Moore doubled into the left-center gap.
Kierra Coos followed with a two-run homer to right center, giving the Ichabods a 4–0 advantage.
Minnesota State answered with a run in the second on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded, then added two more in the third when a single to left center brought in a pair, trimming Washburn's lead to 4-3.
In the fifth Burgardt lifted a sacrifice fly to score Brees, and in the sixth, Danielle Schlager added another sac fly, scoring Kate Ediger to make it 6–3.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Payton Sterk, playing defense, tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points as Washburn improved to 21-7 with an 83-64 Senior Day win over Missouri Southern. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]Before the game Washburn recognized seniors Gabi Giovannetti, Payton Sterk, Aniah Wayne and Yibari Nwidadah along with student assistant Karly Neufeld. The senior class has helped lead Washburn to its first 20-win season since 2019.
After a 5-0 run early in the first quarter to lead 10-5 Washburn, 14-5 in the MIAA, never trailed the rest of the way. The Ichabods shot 8-8 at the free throw line in the opening quarter to help build an 18-14 lead.
The Lions (19-9, 13-6) cut the deficit down to one point early in the second quarter but the third 3-pointer of the game by junior Madelyn Amekporfor stopped the run.
The Ichabods were able to push the lead to 10 points at 35-25 on a Giovannetti 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining in the first half. Washburn ended the half on a 5-0 run in the final 17 seconds to go into halftime leading 40-27.
A personal 5-0 run by Sterk pushed the lead to 15 points at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter.
Missouri Southern answered with six points in a row to reduce the WU lead to single digits, but Wayne hit a pair of 3-pointers inside the final minutes of the quarter as the Ichabods took a 62-50 advantage into the fourth stanza.
Sterk opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, but the Lions continued to chip away, bringing the lead back down to nine points with 5:29 remaining.
Over the next 2:13 Washburn answered with a 10-2 run, with the final six points coming at the free throw line. That pushed the lead to 17 and it was all Ichabods from there as they eased into the 19-point victory.
Washburn shot 42.9 percent from the field for the game and was an efficient 9 of 23 from deep. The Ichabods got to the line 32 times and converted 26 opportunities.
On the other end Missouri Southern was held to 33.9 percent shooting and the Lions went just 1-12 from behind the 3-point arc. Southern shot 21-31 at the charity stripe.
Five players cracked double figures for Washburn, led by Sterk with 19 ponts on 5-9 shooting.
Sterk said she tried to avoid getting too emotional for Senior Day.
"I was a little bit, but we still have a long way to go before you get emotional,'' Sterk said. "I thought (today) was good. I think we were locked in and kind of followed our game plan. It was a little messy, a lot of fouls, but I think we did a good job of sticking together and finishing the game.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Jack Bachelor led Washburn with a career-high 26 points, with nine assists and three steals, in Saturday's 84-74 win over Missouri Southern. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Brady Christiansen scored 18 points with four 3-pointers in Saturday's 84-74 win over Missouri Southern. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
