Silver Lake Eagles
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville junior Rylee Dick and Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni have been named to the All-Big East girls basketball first team.
Rossville junior Rylee Dick has been named to the All-Big East girls basketball first team. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni has been named the All-Big East first team after leading the Eagles to a second-place state finish. [File photo/TSN]
Dick led to a Class 2A sub-state final while Hanni led Silver Lake to a runnerup state finish in 3A after helping the Eagles win the state title as a sophomore.
Silver Lake freshman Karys Deiter has been named to the All-Big East second team while sophomore Nora Burdiek, who missed considerable time with an injury, was a third-team pick.
Silver Lake senior Ella Bolan received honorable mention.
ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Rossville junior Jack Donovan and Silver Lake junior Dayne Johnson, who helped lead their teams to state tournament berths, have been named to the All-Big East League boys basketball first team.
Rossville junior Jack Donovan has been named to the All-Big East League first team after helping lead the Bulldawgs to a Class 2A state berth. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Dayne Johnson (2) earned a spot on the All-Big East first team. [File photo/TSN]
Donovan helped Rossville post a 16-8 record this winter, with the Bulldawgs dropping an 82-78 first-round Class 2A state decision to Ell-Saline, while Johnson helped lead Silver Lake to a 20-6 campaign and a third-place finish in 3A.
Silver Lake senior Jared Johnson and Rossville junior Cameron Miller earned spots on the all-league second team while Silver Lake senior Brody Deiter was a third-team pick.
Rossville senior Kameron Badura and junior Jakoby McDonnell received honorable mention.
ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL
By Brad Hallier
For KSHSAA Covered
HUTCHINSON -- Silver Lake's girls trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter of Friday's Class 3A semifinal against Hesston and the Eagles also had to take junior point guard Kailyn Hanni off the floor for a few minutes due to injury.
Silver Lake's girls celebrate Friday's 65-58 state semifinal victory over Hesston in Hutchinson. [Photo by Andrew Carpenter/Special to KSHSAA Covered]
When Hanni came back, she was instrumental in helping the Eagles dominate the fourth quarter, as they outscored the previously-undefeated Swathers 25-10 over the final eight minutes to pull out a 65-58 win.
Hanni, who drew 14 fouls, finished with a game-high 28 points to go with six assists and four rebounds. Her 15 made free throws were one off the 3A single-game record at a state tournament, set in 1995 by Rossville’s Jennifer Perine.
Silver Lake was 4 of 5 from the field in the fourth quarter, sank all three of its 3-pointers and made all 14 free throw attempts.
Hesston raced to its 11-point lead thanks to a strong performance from senior guard Kendal Brueggen, who finished with 27 points and five rebounds. But after shooting at least 50% in each of the first three quarters, the Swathers cooled off in the fourth quarter, making just 3 of 12 shots.
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.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been an outstanding 2024-2025 high school basketball season for Shawnee County teams, with 10 of 20 making it to state tournaments in five different classifications.
Now we wait to see how many of those teams can achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship on Saturday.
For what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on what we could see in all 14 of this week's state tournaments across the state.
If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.
If I did pick the team/teams you root for, good luck.
By Saturday night we'll know, and win or lose, it promises to be a fun week. Enjoy!
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission Northwest (4: 19-3) vs. Wichita Heights (3: 20-2).
Champion -- Wichita Heights. I give Heights, the 6A runnerup the past two seasons, a very slight edge in what could be a repeat of the 2024 title game, won by Northwest to cap a 25-0 season.
Other contenders -- Shawnee Mission South is the top seed at 21-1, with its lone loss coming against SM Northwest, while Derby is also 21-1 and the No. 2 seed. Washburn Rural (6: 18-4) is certainly capable of knocking off Wichita Heights while Derby could get a big test from No. 7 Olathe North (16-6).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Blue Valley North (3: 18-4) vs. Olathe South (4: 18-4).
Champion -- Blue Valley North. It's worth noting that although North has lost four times, but none of those four losses came against Kansas teams. The Mustangs finished third last season after winning the championship in 2023.
Other contenders -- It's been an up and down season for Washburn Rural (6: 16-6) but never count out a Kevin Bordewick team in postseason. The Hall of Fame coach has led Washburn Rural to three straight 6A championship games (title in 2022, runnerup in 2023 and 2024) and the Junior Blues have won a pair of championships since 2019. Derby is the top seed at 19-3 and the pre-tournament team to beat.
Highland Park standout Ja'Corey Robinson and the 22-0 Scots will be looking for a Class 5A state title this week after back-to-back third-place finishes. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Highland Park (1: 22-0) vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2: 19-3).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team has put together an amazing run of success over the past three seasons, advancing to the Class 5A state tournament all three years while posting a 65-8 overall record, including a 47-3 mark over the past two campaigns.
Highland Park boys basketball celebrates its Class 5A sub-state championship after Saturday's 53-35 win over Bashor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's a feeling of emptiness that remains for those closest to the Scot program after back-to-back heartbreaking semifinal losses to the eventual state champions the past two years.
Two years ago Highland Park led virtually the entire game against Andover before the Trojans pulled out a 55-54 win with a late 7-0 run. The drama continued last season when Kapaun Mt. Carmel outlasted the Scots in overtime, 67-64.
Highland Park bounced back both seasons for dominating wins in the third-place game, but that provided little consolation to the Scots.
And now the Scots' main focus -- really their only focus -- is on doing everything they can to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths with a state title run this week in Emporia's White Auditorium.
"I feel like the last three or so years we get down there and I'm not saying we were playing bad but I feel like we could have played a little better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "So we are really, really focused on wanting to get to state and kind of show a little bit of the essence that we saw tonight.
"I like our prep, I like what we're doing going into it and we're looking forward to next week.''
Scot senior standout Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.
"We've got some fire under us,'' Robinson said. "We're trying to go out with a win. We're tired of getting third place. We're trying to finish it all out and win a state championship.''
Highland Park, which has had only three single-digit games all season, enters this year's state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 22-0 record and will face off with No. 8 Andover Central (14-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 5A boys event.
Highland Park made it back to the state tournament with a 53-35 romp past Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Hi Park.
Senior Mikey Williams led the Scots with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against the Bobcats, while Robinson added 15 points.
The Highland Park-Andover Central winner will advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 4 seed Shawnee Heights (19-3) and No. 5 Piper (19-3).
"We're just making it a point to come out every day in the state tournament with the same fire and the same juice and the same fire that we've had throughout this whole season so we can end up hoisting the state championship trophy,'' Mikey Williams said. "
The Shawnee Heights-Piper first-round contest at 4 p.m. Thursday is a rematch of last year's first-round game that saw Piper close with a 14-1 run to pull out a 72-71 win on the way to a runnerup state finish.
Heights and Piper will be playing for the third time this season, with the Pirates winning the first two games.
Shawnee Heights earned its second straight state berth under Ken Darting with a 49-42 sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed and defending champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel (19-3) will play a 6 p.m. first-round game against No. 7 Topeka West (14-8) and No. 3 Andover (19-3) will face No. 6 Bonner Springs (18-4) at 8 o'clock, with the winners playing an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal.
Topeka West is making its first state tournament appearance under coach Christian Ulsaker after making it to state with an 81-54 home win over Valley Center in Saturday's sub-state final.
Here's a team-by-team glance at the other first-round games involving Shawnee County teams:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls, who have advanced to the Class 6A championship game three straight seasons, put themselves in position to earn another trip to state with a 72-26 semifinal victory over Lawrence Free State Wednesday night at Rural.
Washburn Rural sophomore Gracie Hayes scored 18 points on six 3-pointers in Wednesday's 72-26 Class 6A sub-state semifinal win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues, now 15-6, took control with a 20-5 first quarter and opened up a 45-12 advantage over the Firebirds (3-18). Rural led 63-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, forcing a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Sophomore Gracie Hayes had a big night for Rural, hitting six 3-pointers to lead the Junior Blues with 18 points.
Senior Kate Hinck scored 10 points in Wednesday's 72-26 Washburn Rural sub-state semifinal win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Maddie Vickery scored 10 points in Wednesday's 72-26 sub-state win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Kate Hinck and sophomores Brooklyn Rutherford and Maddie Vickery added 10 points apiece while junior Ella Hirschi added nine points.
With Wednesday's win the Junior Blues advanced to Saturday's 3:30 p.m. sub-state championship game to host Centennial League rival Manhattan, a 51-27 winner over Maize.
The Junior Blues and Indians will be playing for the third time this season, with Rural winning the first two meetings.
Undefeated Hi Park boys take 72-51 win over Bears
Highland Park, the top Class 5A East boys seed, improved to 21-0 on the season with a 72-51 home semifinal win over No. 16 Kansas City-Turner Wednesday night.
The Scots, third in 5A the past two seasons, will host Basehor-Linwood on Saturday in a 5 p.m. sub-state final at Highland Park.
The Bobcats advanced to the championship game with a 44-37 win over Spring Hill.
Silver Lake boys survive Osage City rally, 64-62
Silver Lake's boys built a double-digit advantage over Osage City Wednesday night and needed every bit of it, holding on for a 64-62 home sub-state semifinal decision over the Indians.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Just a year ago the Wildcats were in Class 3A and entered the postseason 5-13.
What a difference a year makes and the Wildcats, led by first-year coach Dwayne Anthony entered the postseason in Class 4A with a 13-8 record and ranked No. 7 in the last Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll.
Senior Jacob Deister (4) led Hayden with 15 points in Tuesday's 93-59 Class 4A sub-state win over Independence. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden would end up drawing the Bulldogs of Independence, who would enter the game with a 9-11 record and led by 5-foot-10 sophomore Javen Colbert. Javen's mom is from Topeka so he was able to play in front of a lot of friends and family and would score 14 points on the night.
"It was very special to be able to play in Topeka tonight because all my family is from here, and I am glad I was able to represent for them just wish the game would of gone a different way,'' Colbert said.
The Wildcats would get off to a 6-0 run to start the game and take off from there as they would stretch that into a 22-10 lead midway thru the first quarter and take a commanding 32-19 lead to end the first quarter.
The Wildcats would start the second quarter with a 12-0 run that would put them up 47-19 as the Wildcats would use their length and speed to go into halftime up 54-29.
The Wildcats would be led by senior Jacob Deister, who would have 13 of his game-high 15 points at halftime.
The Wildcats would roll from there and out-score the Dawgs 39-29 the rest of the game to take a 93-59 semifinal win.
Hayden would get double-digit nights from four athletes as Deister would lead the way with 15 points, followed by Mason Becker’s 14, Connor Hanika’s 13 and Cooper Zweisler with 11 points.
The Wildcats were hot from 3-point range all night as they would shoot 9-17 from outside the arc.
"We came out really hot and our press really got the momentum going for us,'' Hanika said. "We still have a few adjustments to make to get ready for Rock Creek, including watching lots of film before Friday.”
"I really applaud the boys' passion and attention to detail and our energy and effort,'' Anthony said. "We are really, really a strong team when they bring those things. Now we just need to get back to it and watch film on Rock Creek and get ready for Friday.
"I am blessed, I have a team full of leaders, not just Mason, Connor and Jacob, but the senior class alone, each and every one of them is solid individuals and it is the reason that these guys have experienced success so far.''
The Wildcats now turn their attention to the No. 2 team on the East side of sub-state in Rock Creek, which advanced with a 59-39 win over Tonganoxie.
The game will be Friday night at Rock Creek with a game time of 7p.m. The winner will punch their ticket to the Class 4A state tournament next week in Salina.
HAYDEN BOYS 93, INDEPENDENCE 59
Independence 19 10 7 23 — 59
Hayden 32 22 22 17 — 93
Independence (9-12) — Smith 5-12 2-4 15, Colbert 4-11 4-6 14, Lanning 2-7 2-2 7, Veile 1-2 3-6 5, Bunyard 2-3 0-0 4, Sprague 3-3 1-2 7, Small 2-2 0-0 6, Sanders 0-0 1-1 1. Totals 19-40 13-21 59.
Hayden (13-8) — Deister 7-12 0-0 15, Becker 5-8 1-2 14, Hanika 6-9 1-2 13, Mitchell 2-4 0-0 4, Kuta 2-3 0-2 4, Zweisler 4-7 1-1 11, Compton 3-6 2-2 10, Tourtillot 4-6 0-2 9, Banks 3-5 0-0 6, Heinen 2-4 1-1 5, Wolff 1-2 0-0 2, Power 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 39-67 6-12 93.
3-point goals — Indy 8 (Smith 3, Colbert 2, Small 2, Lanning) Hayden 9 (Becker 3, Zweisler 2, Compton 2, Tourtillot, Deister). Total Fouls — Indy 10, Hayden 18.
Highland Park girls roll to 59-11 5A sub-state win
No. 3 Class 5A East girls seed Highland Park opened its sub-state bid with a 59-11 home semifinal win over Meadowlark Conference rival Kansas City-Washington Tuesday night.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.
Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.
Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.
Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).
Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 2 --Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.
The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.
The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).
Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
West sub-state No. 2 --Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).
CLASS 5A BOYS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, coming off a third-place team finish in last year's Class 6A state tournament, placed third Saturday in the Garden City 6A West regional, with the Junior Blues qualifying 10 wrestlers for Friday and Saturday's state meet at Overland Park.
Washburn Rural senior Easton Broxterman (top) will be aiming for his third straight Class 6A state wrestling championship this weekend in Overland Park. [File photo/TSN]
Rural, which scored 218.5 points to finish behind Manhattan and Garden City, was led by individual champions Landen Kocher-Munoz, Easton Broxterman and Kristan Marshall.
Washburn Rural senior Kristjan Marshall (top) enters this weekend's Class 6A state wrestling tournament as a defending state champion. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Landen Kocher-Munoz is a two-time state finalist and a former Class 6A state champ. [File photo/TSN]
Broxterman, a 144-pound senior, will be shooting for his third straight 6A state title this weekend while Marshall, a 157-pound senior and 138-pound junior L. Kocher-Munoz will be looking for their second state championships.
Broxterman will take a 37-2 record into the state tournament while Marshall is currently 33-5 and L. Kocher-Munoz 30-3.
Rural sophomore 190-pounder Jadyn Baum, 31-7 on the season, also advanced to the regional championship match, finishing second.
The Junior Blues also got third-place finishes from junior Cooper Stivers (132) and sophomore Brodye Kocher-Munoz (150), fourth-place finishes from junior Ryder Harrison (120) and senior Walker Doyal (126), a fifth from freshman Kaiden Marshall (215) and a sixth from sophomore Gavin Homeyer (175).
Topeka High qualified four wrestlers for state, led by senior 165-pounder Nick Davis (38-5), who posted a fourth-place regional finish.
The Trojans got a fifth-place finish from sophomore Landon Snyder (175), a sixth from senior Cooper Martin (190) and an eighth-place finish from sophomore Jose Gomez (106).
Friday and Saturday's state meet will get under way at 9 a.m. at the AdventHealth Sports Park.
Hayden junior Jude Krentz won the 175-pound title in Saturday's Class 4A regional at Tonganoxie. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's Krentz, Silver Lake's Clelland win 4A regional titles
Silver Lake sophomore Kayden Clelland and Hayden junior Jude Krentz won regional championships in Saturday's 4A tournament at Tonganoxie as Silver Lake posted a third-place team finish and Hayden finished sixth.
Krentz won the 175-pound championship while improving to 38-0 on the season while Clelland won the 165-pound title, improving to 32-11.
Silver Lake got runnerup finishes from junior Jayden Waterer (144) and senior Trent Rollenhagen (175), thirds from freshman Carter Spreer (215) and senior Trent Harris (157) and fourths from junior Garrett Holmes (132) and freshman Kendrick Vande Velde (285).
In addition to Krentz, Hayden got second-place finishes from sophomore Caleb Menke (157) senior Broderick Desch (190) and a third from senior Hunter Diederich (285).
The 4A state tournament will be held Friday and Saturday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina (9 a.m. starts both days).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Koti Best
KOTI BEST, Seaman
A senior wrestler, Best returned from an injury to claim the 125-pound championship and reach the 100-win milestone for her career in Saturday's Class 5A West regional at Seaman. Now 17-2 on the season, Best went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting longer than 1 minute, 25 seconds, including pins in 25 seconds, 30 seconds and 1:02.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 26 points last Tuesday as No. 7-ranked Seaman took a 68-66 home United Kansas Conference win over No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights. Bonner scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and went 12 of 15 at the free throw line as Seaman improved to 12-4 on the season.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior swimmer/diver, Cowdin captured his third straight Centennial League championship in one-meter diving last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Cowdin dominated the competition en route to a winning 11-dive score of 428.75. Cowdin's third league title came on the heels of his fourth straight city title.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's boys outlasted Rossville Monday night for a 66-63 Big East League win on the Eagles' home floor, avenging an earlier loss to the rival Bulldawgs.
Junior Dayne Johnson led Silver Lake with 31 points in Monday's 66-63 win over Rossville. [File photo/TSN]
The game was tight throughout, with Rossville leading 15-13 at the end of the first quarter before Silver Lake used a 19-12 second quarter to go up 32-27 at the half.
It was still a five-point game at the start of the fourth quarter (47-42) before the Eagles held off the Bulldawgs down the stretch.
Junior Dayne Johnson led the 14-4 Eagles to their fourth straight win with a game-high 31 points while Jared Johnson and Brody Deiter added 11 points each, with J. Johnson hitting three 3-pointers.
Junior Jack Donovan led 12-6 Rossville with 20 points (three 3-pointers) while Cameron Miller added 18 points with three 3s and Kameron Badura had 12 points.
Eagle girls roll to 38-point victory over rivals
Silver Lake's girls dominated the first half Monday night on the way to a 58-20 Big East League win over rival Rossville at Silver Lake.
The 16-2 Eagles outscored the 8-10 Bulldawgs 17-4 in the first quarter and then used a 20-2 second quarter to take a huge 37-6 cushion to the locker room at the half.
Silver Lake increased its advantage to 56-16 at the end of the third quarter, forcing a running clock the rest of the way.
Freshman Karys Deiter led the Eagles with a game-high 19 points while Taylor Zordel added 13 points and Ella Bolan 12.
Junior Rylee Dick led Rossville with 13 points.
Junior Simon Rowley scored a game-high 18 points Monday night as Washburn Rural posted a 65-39 road win over Emporia. [File photo/TSN]
Rural boys clinch share of Centennial crown with 65-39 romp
Washburn Rural's boys rode a monster first half to a 65-39 Centennial League road win at Emporia Monday night, with the clinching at least a share of the league championship with three games remaining.
The Junior Blues put the game away by halftime, hitting 11 3-pointers en route to opening up a commanding 41-18 lead at the break after leading by as many as 29 points.
Rural cooled off a little in the second half but still connected on 13 of 28 3s on the night.
Junior Simon Rowley scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half, going 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
Senior Kaden Ballard hit three 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 12-point night while freshman Brooks Ballard canned a pair of first-half treys.
With Monday's win the Junior Blues improved to 13-4 overall and 7-0 in the league, holding a full three-game lead over Junction City in the league race.
Washburn Rural will be at home Friday to host Hayden in a Centennial League tilt.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's girls avenged an earlier six-point loss to Manhattan with a 64-52 home Centennial League win over the Indians Friday night.
Freshman Hailey Caryl led Topeka High with 22 points in Friday's 64-52 Centennial League win over Manhattan Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Freshman Hailey Caryl led the Trojans with 22 points, going 7 of 7 from the field, and also contributed 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton added 18 points, with a pair of 3pointers, while junior Keimara Marshall had 12 points with 8 rebounds and senior Jo'Mhara Benning had 5 points and 13 rebounds.
Topeka High, which dropped a 60-54 decision to the Indians on Feb. 5, improved to 10-7 overall and 3-4 in the Centennial League while Manhattan fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Indians trip Trojan boys in OT
Looking for its second straight win, Topeka High's boys took Manhattan to overtime Friday night at High before dropping a 73-66 decision to the Indians.
Manhattan improved to 6-10 while Topeka High fell to 1-16.
Junior Simon Rowley led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Friday's 64-58 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Blues protect Centennial lead with 64-58 win at Junction City
Washburn Rural's boys strengthened their hold on the Centennial League lead with a 64-58 win at Junction City Friday night.
Junior Simon Rowley led the Junior Blues with 18 points while Amare Jones had 14 points, senior Kaden Ballard 12 points and junior John Hoytal nine.
Rural, which won its third straight game, improved to 12-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the league while the Blue Jays fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Senior Kate Hinck led Washburn Rural with 17 points in Friday's 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Rural girls take 71-13 Centennial road win over Blue Jays
Ten Washburn Rural players cracked the scoring column, including three double-figure scorers, as the Junior Blues rolled to a 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City.
Senior Kate Hinck led the Junior Blues with 17 points, followed by Maddie Vickery with 16 points and Gracie Hayes with 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Rural built a 45-8 halftime lead and a running clock was used throughout the second half.
Senior Kamoni Ford led Topeka West with 13 points in Friday's 69-46 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
West boys roll to 69-46 UKC road win over Leavenworth
Four Topeka West players cracked double figures Friday night as the Chargers improved to 10-6 on the season with a 69-46 United Kansas Conference road victory at Leavenworth.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Dayne Johnson scored 35 points Thursday night as Silver Lake's boys improved to 12-4 with a hard-earned 64-60 home Big East League win over St. Marys.
Junior Dayne Johnson (2) scored 35 points Thursday as Silver Lake rallied for a 64-60 win over St. Marys. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake trailed 53-47 at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Bears 17-7 over the final eight minutes to pull out the victory.
Johnson canned 13 field goals and went 9 of 10 at the free throw line on the night to lead the Eagles.
Silver Lake led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bears cut their deficit to 30-29 at halftime before outscoring the Eagles 24-17 in the third quarter.
Silver Lake will take aim on its third win of the week on Friday when the Eagles travel to Royal Valley.
Silver Lake girls improve to 14-2
Defending Class 3A champion Silver Lake, currently ranked No. 6 by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, improved to 14-2 Thursday night with a 67-54 home Big East win over St. Marys.
The Eagles led by just a 44-41 margin at the end of the third quarter before taking control with a 23-13 fourth quarter.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Octavian McFadden led Topeka High with 18 points in Tuesday's 65-60 Centennial League win at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN at TOPEKA HIGH
Topeka High, 1-15 overall, 1-5 in the Centennial League, picked up its first win of the season on Tuesday, posting a 65-60 road decision over No. 4-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden. Junior Octavian McFadden led the Trojans with a game-high 18 points while junior Elisha Guest added 15 points with three 3-pointers and junior Bryson McComas had 13 points. Manhattan (5-10, 2-3) is coming off a 74-45 loss at Washburn Rural on Tuesday. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Shawnee Heights, No. 8-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a tough 68-66 United Kansas Conference loss at No. 7 Seaman Tuesday night, with the Vikings falling to 13-3 overall and 9-3 in the conference. Senior Jaret Sanchez scored 39 points against Seaman after scoring 38 points in his previous game. Senior Deacon Pomeroy added 13 points for the T-Birds. De Soto (9-6, 6-5) is coming off a 55-46 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood Tuesday. Game time: 7:15 p.m.
EMPORIA at HAYDEN
Hayden, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a 65-60 Centennial League loss to Topeka High Tuesday night while Emporia, No. 9 in 5A, dropped a 69-66 overtime league decision to Junction City. Junior Connor Hanika led the Wildcats with 16 points against Topeka High. The Wildcats and Spartans will be playing for the third time this season, with Emporia taking 60-44 and 61-56 wins in the first two games. Game time: 7:45 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL at JUNCTION CITY
Washburn Rural is coming off a 74-45 home Centennial League romp past Manhattan on Tuesday, with the Junior Blues improving to 11-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the league. Junior John Hoytal led Washburn Rural with 18 points against Manhattan while senior Amare Jones and junior Simon Rowley added 14 points apiece. Junction City (10-5, 3-2) is coming off a 69-66 overtime league win over Emporia on Tuesday. Rural took a 59-56 home win over the Blue Jays on Jan. 30. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's boys got back on the winning track Tuesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak against state-ranked teams with a 77-57 United Kansas Conference road romp past Lansing.
Senior Kamoni Ford was one of five double-figure scorers for Topeka West in Tuesday's 77-57 win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
The Chargers, who improved to 9-6 overall and 8-4 in the UKC, had five players crack double figures and seven players score at least seven points.
Seniors Kamoni Ford and Jalen Foy and junior Keimani Paul led the Chargers with 12 points apiece while junior Malakyah Duncan added 11 points and senior Javian Chambers 10.
Topeka West trailed 19-17 at the end of the opening quarter and led by just a 34-31 advantage at the half before breaking open the game with a 28-16 third quarter.
The Chargers then outscored the Lions 15-10 over the final eight minutes to finish off the 20-point win.
Topeka West will travel to Leavenworth on Friday for a UKC contest.
West girls pick up fourth win
Topeka West notched its fourth win overall and second United Kansas Conference victory Tuesday night, posting a 56-40 conference win at Lansing.
With the win the Chargers improved to 4-11 and 2-9 in the UKC.
West will travel to Leavenworth on Friday.
Silver Lake girls improve to 13-2
Defending Class 3A champion Silver Lake, currently ranked No. 6 by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Assocation, improved to 13-2 Tuesday night with a 61-36 home romp past Marysville.
The Eagles took control with a 22-13 opening quarter and put the game out of reach with a 19-4 second quarter, opening up a huge 41-17 halftime advantage and cruising the rest of the way.
Six Silver Lake players scored eight or more points, led by Karys Deiter with 13 points and Kailyn Hanni with 12 points.
Jaylie Whitehead and Taylor Zordel scored nine points apiece and Ella Bolan and Savannah Wende had eight each.
The Eagles will host St. Marys on Thursday.
Junior Dayne Johnson led Silver Lake with 16 points in Tuesday's 54-50 win over Marysville. [File photo/TSN]
Eagle boys top Bulldogs, 64-50
Four Silver Lake players cracked double figures Tuesday night as the Eagles posted a 64-50 home win over Marysville.
Junior Dayne Johnson led the Eagles with 16 points, followed by Brody Deiter with 15 points, Jared Johnson with 11 points and Aemon Coffman with 10.
Silver Lake, now 11-4, led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter and took control with a 21-6 second quarter.
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Lions boys basketball team never looked back after a 24-point first quarter on its way to a 69-50 victory over the Maranatha Christian Eagles on Tuesday night at Cair Paravel Latin School.
Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 19 points in the Lions' 69-50 win over Maranatha Academy Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The contest started as a scoring duel between Maranatha’s Daniel Dean and Cair Paravel’s Lucas Marichal, with Dean tallying the 3-11 Eagles’ first five points as the visitors took an early 5-2 lead.
Marichal answered with his first of four 3-pointers of the night, and following a free throw from Dean, the Cair Paravel junior made consecutive baskets to give the Lions (6-8) a 9-6 lead they would not relinquish.
The 3-point barrage continued for the Lions, with triples from Chase Hastert and Judah Congdon before Marichal knocked down another shot from behind the arc to give Cair Paravel a 24-17 advantage after the first quarter.
The Lions showed off their defensive prowess in the second quarter, allowing only six points off three Maranatha field goals.
Hastert and Caleb Cleverdon hit 3-pointers in the frame for Cair Paravel, while Jase Pavlik recorded his first five points of the evening in the quarter as the Lions took a 38-23 lead into halftime.
After the break Pavlik and Cleverdon found baskets in the first minute of the third quarter, extending the lead to 19 and forcing a quick timeout from the Eagles.
The Lions pushed the lead as high as 21, but a pair of baskets from Dean and a 3-pointer from Joe Allen brought the deficit back to 13 as Cair Paravel held a 46-33 lead midway through the third quarter.
Any sign of a comeback was quickly put to rest, as Marichal knocked down another 3-pointer and Blaine Durbin added a pair of baskets, with the Lions leading 55-38 after three quarters.
Cair Paravel finished the game with a balanced offensive attack, with five points from Marichal and four from Pavlik in the fourth quarter.
Senior Billy Lanich added a layup in the closing seconds to seal the 19-point victory for the Lions. Marichal led all scorers with 19 points for Cair Paravel.
Pavlik recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Hastert added 10 points off the bench.
The Lions shot just over 48 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Eagles, 34-18.
Dean led Maranatha with 18 points on 7-10 shooting while also pulling down six rebounds. Pennbrook Shaver tallied 14 points, while center Luke Shrader scored nine points with six rebounds.
Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer was impressed with all aspects of his team’s performance in the win.
“I think defense always leads to offense,'' Kueffer said. "We were really focused defensively on (Maranatha’s Owen Smail and Luke Shrader), both of those guys can get 25 a night,” Kueffer said. “We really just focused on making them uncomfortable, picking them up at halfcourt, and then offensively, you don’t have anything to think about.”
Despite a significant size disadvantage, Cair Paravel grabbed 16 more rebounds than Maranatha, and the effort did not go unnoticed by Kueffer.
“We’re giving up a lot of size, and they play their hearts out,” Kueffer said of his squad. “Everybody has to do their part to defend and rebound. If you’re on the floor, you’re rebounding. If you’re on the floor, you’re defending, no excuses. So I was glad to see that out of everybody today.”
Cair Paravel will be back in action on Thursday against Eskridge-Mission Valley. The Lions will look to avenge a 50-48 loss on Jan. 21.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden sophomore boys basketball standout Mason Becker and Silver Lake junior girls basketball standout Kailyn Hanni have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Becker and Hanni over the past week:
Hayden sophomore Mason Becker has been named as the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after helping lead the Wildcats to the Baldwin Invitational championship. [File photo/TSN]
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker scored 20 points with five 3-pointers last Saturday as the Wildcats won the tournament championship in the Baldwin Invitational with a 63-49 win over the host Bulldogs. Becker helped Hayden cap a 3-0 run in the tournament, also scoring 16 points in a 63-50 win over defending Class 3A state champion Wellsville.
Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after leading the Eagles to the Burlington Invitational title. [File photo/TSN]
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
A junior guard, was named the Most Outstanding Player in last week's Burlington Invitational after helping lead Silver Lake to the tournament championship. Hanni scored 22 points in the Eagles' 70-60 win over Labette County in the championship game and scored 64 points in the tournament for the Eagles. Hanni followed that up with 16 points in the Eagles' 50-49 win over Rock Creek on Tuesday.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park took command of the Meadowlark Conference boys basketball race Tuesday night with a hard-earned 51-48 road win at Atchison.
Senior Mikey Williams led Highland Park with 17 points in Tuesday's 51-48 Meadowlark Conference victory over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park, which improved to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference, led 14-12 at the end of the opening quarter and 23-18 at halftime before Atchison (7-4, 3-2) cut its deficit to 39-38 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Scots held a 12-10 advantage over the final eight minutes to hold on for the win.
Highland Park senior Mikey Williams scored 8 of the Scots' 12 fourth-quarter points and went 4 of 4 at the free throw line en route to finishing with 17 points.
Senior Ja'Corey Robinson added 14 points for the Scots.
Junior Kailyn Hanni (4) scored 16 points in Silver Lake's 50-49 win over Rock Creek Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake girls edge Rock Creek, 50-49
Junior Kailyn Hanni led the way with 16 points as Silver Lake improved to 9-1 with a 50-49 non-league win at Rock Creek Tuesday night.
The Eagles trailed 15-14 after one quarter, 26-24 at the half and 42-39 at the start of the fourth quarter before Silver Lake closed with an 11-7 edge over the final eight minutes to pull out the win.
Taylor Zordel and Ella Bolan added 12 points apiece for the Eagles.
Lucy Martinie led Rock Creek with 13 points and Kylee Frazee added 10.
