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 1). 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.
