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  • Regional girls wrestling: T-Birds win three individual titles, earn runnerup team finish

    Rick Peterson

    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.

    CiannaGravesUKC 1Junior 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]

    MadisonFreeland 7Senior 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.

  • Friday prep BB roundup: Topeka High girls top Manhattan, 64-52

    Rick Peterson

    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.

    HaileyCaryl2025HP 1Freshman 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.

    SimonRowley2025Hay 4Junior 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.

    KateHinck2025Emp 1Senior 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.

    KamoniFord2025OE 1Senior 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.

  • Friday prep BB roundup: Topeka High girls top Manhattan, 64-52 (2)

    Rick Peterson

    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.

    HaileyCaryl2025HP 1Freshman 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.

    SimonRowley2025Hay 4Junior 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.

    KateHinck2025Emp 1Senior 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.

    KamoniFord2025OE 1Senior 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.

  • A game-by-game look at Friday's Shawnee County boys HS basketball games

    Rick Peterson, Top Sports News Writer

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    OctavianMcFadden2025OlatheEast 1Junior 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.

    JaretSanchez2025Seaman 2Shawnee 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.

    JohnHoytal2025Manhattan 2Shawnee 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.

  • A game-by-game look at Friday's Shawnee County girls HS basketball games

    Rick Peterson, Top Sports News Writer

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    MaddieVickeryMan 4Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 27 points in Washburn Rural's 58-28 win over Manhattan Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    WASHBURN RURAL at JUNCTION CITY

    Washburn Rural, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the Centennial League after a 58-28 home league win over Manhattan on Tuesday. Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 27 points, going 9 of 10 at the free throw line, while senior Kate Hinck had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junction City dropped a 61-14 decision to league-leading Hayden last Friday. Game time: 6 p.m.

    AhsieyrhuajhRayton2025HP 2Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 19 points in Topeka High's 55-49 loss at Hayden Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]

    MANHATTAN at TOPEKA HIGH

    Topeka High, 9-7 overall, 2-4 in the Centennial League, is coming off a 55-49 league loss at top-ranked (Class 4A) and league-leading Hayden on Tuesday, the Trojans' third straight loss, while Manhattan (10-5, 3-2) dropped a 58-28 league game at Washburn Rural. Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 19 points while freshman Hailey Caryl added 10 points against Hayden. Game time: 6 p.m.

    KKEmmot2025Seaman 1Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot (1) scored 18 points in Tuesday's 64-54 loss to unbeaten Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS

    Shawnee Heights is 11-5 overall and 8-4 in the United Kansas Conference after a 64-54 UKC road loss to undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman on Tuesday. Sophomore KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points against Seaman while senior Kaydence Torrez added 13 points and junior Reianna Vega 12. De Soto is 11-4 overall and 7-4 after a 46-43 loss to Basehor-Linwood. Game time: 5:45 p.m.

    HaileySchmidtlein2025SH 1Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein (2) scored 19 points in Hayden's 55-49 Centennial League win over Topeka High Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]

    EMPORIA at HAYDEN

    Hayden, top-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, improved to 14-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the Centennial League on Tuesday with a 55-49 league win over Topeka High. Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein led the Wildcats with 19 points against the Trojans while senior Millie Ramsey added 17 points and senior Brylee Meier 10. Emporia dropped a 62-29 league decision to Manhattan last Friday. Game time: 6:15 p.m.

  • Three-time diving champ Cowdin paces city contingent in Centennial League meet

    Todd Fertig

    By Todd Fertig

    TopSports.news

    The rebuilding of the Washburn Rural boys swim team took another step Thursday as it placed second in the Centennial League Championship at Capitol Federal Natatorium.

    A loaded Manhattan team ran away with all three relays and eight of nine individual events to rack up 500 points. Washburn Rural finished second with 425.

    JaxonCowdin2025 1Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won his third straight Centennial League diving title Thursday, the lone city champion. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

    The lone gold medal claimed by anyone not from Manhattan came in the one-meter diving competition, won by Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin.

    Cowdin dominated Thursday's competition en route to a 428.75-299.50 victory over teammate Roland Weaver, with the Topeka High standout adding a third straight Centennial League title to his four city championships.

    "I think it's a cool thing for Topeka High School history,'' Cowdin said of Thursday's accomplishment. "I think I've done something that very few people can say they've done, so I have a lot of pride in that.''

    Last year’s Washburn Rural team, which placed third in in Class 6A, was dominated by seniors. The team is rebuilding this season, with a number of freshmen and sophomores swimming in key positions.

    “We put people into events they’d never been in before, hoping to find some slots where we could beat (Manhattan),” Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said. “But they had a really good night tonight, and (Manhattan coach Alex Brown) had some time drops that even he didn’t expect. So, they took away some of those points. They ended up beating us by 75, which is sort of like a touchdown and a field goal.

    “But I’m OK with this, second place this year. It was good experience, and we had an opportunity to build for next year.”

    LukeLemke2025Centennial 1Washburn Rural senior Luke Lemke finished second in four events in Thursday's Centennial League swimming meet, helping Rural post a runnerup team finish. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    AndresMorao JaspeCentennial 1Sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe helped lead Washburn Rural to a runnerup team finish in the Centennial League meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    CastleWallace2025Centennial 1Castle Wallace finished second in the 100 breaststroke for Centennial League runnerup Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    While no Washburn Rural swimmers took home gold medals, they claimed several silvers. Luke Lemke led the Junior Blues by taking second in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard backstroke. He also anchored two Washburn Rural relay teams that took second. Andres Morao-Jaspe took second in the 500 yard freestyle. Castle Wallace placed second in the 100 yard breaststroke.

    DawsonBlankenship2025Centennial 1Topeka High's Dawson Blankenship posted a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in Thursday's Centennial League meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    Topeka High’s Dawson Blankenship took second in the 100 yard butterfly.

    Washburn Rural has qualified just one senior – Lemke – for individual events at the state meet. It has also qualified sophomore Morao-Jaspe and freshmen Wallace and Thomas Appuhn. Additionally, several seniors will swim on the relay teams that Washburn Rural sends to state.

    “This was really powerful that we’ve come so far as a team,” Lemke said. “I was quite scared going into this year because we lost all of our heavy hitters. We pulled through and I’m extremely proud of all my men.”

    CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SWIMMING/DIVING

  • Vickery’s 27-point night leads Washburn Rural girls to 58-28 Centennial win over Manhattan

    By NICHOLAS GAINEY

    Special to TopSports.news

    Maddie Vickery may have two full seasons of high school basketball left, but Manhattan residents got an early glimpse of the Kansas State commit as the Washburn Rural girls knocked off the Manhattan Indians 58-28 on Tuesday night at Washburn Rural.

    MaddieVickery2025Manhattan 3Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 27 points in Washburn Rural's 58-28 win over Manhattan Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    Both offenses were slow to develop, with the Indians (10-5 overall, 3-2 Cetennial League) grabbing the first lead with a pair of free throws from Bailey Busch.

    After the teams traded layups at each end, Ella Hirschi knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Junior Blues (11-4, 4-1) a 5-4 lead.

    KateHinck2025Manhattan 2Senior Kate Hinck had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 58-28 win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    Despite the initial slow start, the Washburn Rural offense took off in the later stages of the first quarter, with a pair of layups from senior guard Kate Hinck giving the Junior Blues a 11-6 advantage. Hirschi added a pair of 3-pointers to grab a quick nine points off the bench, with the hosts leading 19-10 after eight minutes of play.

    While Hirschi led the dance in the first quarter, the second quarter belonged to Vickery. The sophomore tallied 16 of her 20 first-half points in the frame, knocking down four 3-pointers and going a perfect 4-4 from the line.

    The Junior Blue defense held the Indians to nine points in the period, taking a 40-19 lead into the locker room.

    Manhattan came out of the gate quickly, grabbing the first four points of the second half with layups from Kat Ball and Delaney Larson, cutting the Washburn Rural lead to 40-23. The Junior Blues answered with a 12-2 run, featuring a pair of layups from Hinck and six points from Vickery.

    With the contest in hand for Washburn Rural, the fourth quarter was played with a running clock, with the hosts securing the 58-28 victory.

    Vickery led the Junior Blues with 27 points on 7-17 shooting, going 9-10 from the charity stripe. Hinck added 12 points on 5-10 shooting while pulling down 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

    Washburn Rural out-rebounded Manhattan by a 30-19 margin.

    Busch led the Indians with 8 points, with Ball chipping in 7 points. Jelena Depusoir led Manhattan with six rebounds.

    Even though the hosts endured an early dry spell, Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick was pleased to see his team taking advantage of the defense and getting high-quality shots from behind the arc.

    “I thought we recognized (Manhattan was) backing off,” Bordewick said. “I just thought we were taking what the defense was giving us and doing a good job of finishing plays.”

  • Rural boys roll to 74-45 Centennial League win over Manhattan

    By NICHOLAS GAINEY

    Special to TopSports.news

    A strong showing on the defensive end led to offensive opportunities as the Washburn Rural boys picked up a 74-45 win over Centennial League rival Manhattan on Tuesday night at Rural.

    JohnHoytal2025Manhattan 2Junior John Hoytal led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Tuesday's 74-45 Centennial League win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    The Junior Blues set the tone early, starting the game with an 8-0 run. Junior Simon Rowley earned the first points of the evening, snagging his first of a team-high seven rebounds and finishing with a putback layup. The run also saw a layup from junior John Hoytal before senior Kaden Ballard knocked down a mid-range jumper to give the hosts the 8-0 lead.

    After a pair of free throws by the Indians, Washburn Rural answered with layups from Rowley and senior Amare Jones to stretch the lead to 12-2.

    Sam Spiegel gave Manhattan its first field goal of the evening, but a floater from Hoytal forced an Indian timeout with 2:03 to play in the first quarter. The Junior Blues forced eight turnovers by Manhattan in the first period on their way to an 18-6 lead, with Hoytal scoring seven points in the opening frame.

    The Indians found the first points of the second quarter with a layup from Vince Doering, but Hoytal answered with a 3-pointer.

    While the Manhattan offense took better care of the ball in the second period, Washburn Rural kept its foot on the gas, jumping out to a 36-17 halftime lead.

    Jones helped the hosts’ effort with six consecutive points late in the half.

    After allowing an 8-0 run to start the game, Manhattan found an 8-0 run of its own to open the second half, cutting the Junior Blue lead to 36-25.

    The hosts answered with a 3-pointer from junior Draden Chooncharoen and a layup from Ballard, but a jumper from Landon Knopp and a layup from Doering kept the Indians within striking distance.

    Midway through the third quarter, a pair of big plays shifted the momentum in favor of the Junior Blues.

    Ballard finished a difficult layup along with a foul, hitting the free throw to complete the 3-point play. Jones then knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing to extend the lead to 47-31.

    The visitors continued to battle into the fourth quarter, with Noah McFadden completing a 3-point play to start the period.

    Hoytal answered with a 3-point play of his own, before the Indians found two consecutive baskets to cut the lead to 14.

    Washburn Rural closed the game with an 18-3 run to secure the win, with much of the scoring coming off the bench.

    Freshman Brooks Ballard hit a pair of 3-pointers, with the first coming off an assist from older brother Kaden with 3:49 to play in the contest.

    SimonRowley2025Manhattan 1Junior Simon Rowley scored 14 points Tuesday as Washburn Rural improved to 11-4 with a 74-45 win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    AmareJones2025Manhattan 1Senior Amare Jones scored 14 points in Washburn Rural's 74-45 Centennial League win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    Hoytal led the Junior Blues with 18 points on 6-8 shooting while adding five rebounds. Rowley and Jones added 14 points each.

  • A1 Lock & Key Performers Feb. 10, 2025

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    KaylaDuncan2025bowlingmug 5Kayla Duncan

    KAYLA DUNCAN, Seaman

    A freshman, Duncan captured the girls individual championship in Friday's second annual Topeka City Bowling Championships, bowling a 623 three-game series to help lead the Vikings to their second straight city team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural. Duncan bowled games of 203, 235 and 185.

    LoganGlinkamug2024 1Logan Glinka

    LOGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural

    Glinka, a senior bowler, won his second straight city boys title on Friday at Gage Bowl with a 734 three-game series while leading Washburn Rural to the team championship by a 3,505-3,398 margin over runnerup Shawnee Heights. A former Class 6A state medalist, Glinka rolled games of 278, 232 and 224 in the city meet.

    JaCoreyRobinsonHP2024mug 2Ja'Corey Robinson 

    JACOREY ROBINSON, Highland Park

    A 6-foot-6 senior basketball standout, Robinson scored 68 points on the week as undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park posted three wins. Robinson had 17 points in a 54-30 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Washington, 32 points in a 67-50 win over city rival Topeka West and 19 points in an 81-14 conference win over KC-Wyandotte.

          

  • Seaman girls, Rural boys take team titles in second annual city bowling championships

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Seaman's girls and Washburn Rural's Logan Glinka earned bragging rights in Friday's Topeka Shawnee County Bowling Championships at Gage Bowl for the second straight season, with the Vikings repeating as the girls team champion and Glinka winning his second straight individual boys title.

    Seamangirlsbowling2025 1Seaman's girls bowling team won its second straight city team title on Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    WRuralboysbowlng2025 1Washburn Rural's boys bowling team won the 2025 city team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    Seaman freshman Kayla Duncan and sophomore Paige Snyder went one-two in the girls individual race and Glinka's Rural boys team rounded out the city champions.

    Seaman's girls won the team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural, including the four Baker format games, as Duncan won the individual championship with a 623 series while 2024 champion Snyder was second with a 607 series.

    Washburn Rural, third as a team in 2024, took the boys team title by a 3,505-3,398 margin over Shawnee Heights, including the Baker games.

    Glinka led the way for the Junior Blues, riding a first-game 278 to a 734 series and the individual title by a 72-pin margin over teammate Tyler Faurot, who rolled a 662 series.

    Glinka's winning total on Friday was five pins better than his winning series of 729 in the 2024 city meet, following up his 278 with 232 and 224 games.

    "I had a good look all day,'' Glinka said. "The third game I struggled in the end, but I'm really happy how I bowled. Obviously I wanted to go back to back.''

    Glinka was also thrilled that Rural could claim the team crown.

    "I was proud of our team,'' he said. "Last year I felt like I did well, but the rest of my team struggled a little bit, but I felt like this year the whole team did great.

    "We were really positive, had a lot of energy. I was extremely proud of my team.''

    Snyder improved her 2024 winning score of 606 by a pin on Friday, but Duncan stole the show in her first city meet, putting together scores of 203, 235 and 185 to take individual honors and lead the Vikings to the team repeat.

    "I think its going pretty well,'' Duncan said about the 2025 season. "We really are good at keeping each other's spirits up, especially if one gets down, and I just think it's just a good team overall.

    "We're very happy overall.''

    Citygirlsbowlingmedalists2025 1City girls bowling medalists, right to left: Kayla Duncan, Seaman; Paige Snyder, Seaman; Addison VanMetre, Shawnee Heights; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Ashley Lee, Hayden. Not pictured: Ashley Billups, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    Shawnee Heights' Addison VanMetre finished third individually with a 570 series, followed by Seaman's Claire LaDuke (569), Rural's Ashley Billups (562) and Hayden's Ashley Lee (554) to round out the top six girls finishers.

    Cityboysbowlingmedalists2025 1City boys bowling medalists, right to left: Logan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Tyler Faurot, Washburn Rural; Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights; Donovan Davis, Shawnee Heights; Jackson Keller, Washburn Rural; Dylan Hunt, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    Boys runnerup Shawnee Heights got third and fourth-place finishes from Henry Schattilly (658) and Donovan Davis (657) while Washburn Rural's Jackson Keller finished fifth (650) and Seaman's Dylan Hunt finished sixth (649).

    TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

  • Rural wrestling teams post runnerup finishes in Centennial League meet

    BY ISAAC DEER

    TopSports.news

    Washburn Rural's boys and girls wrestling teams took runnerup finishes at the Centennial League Championships Saturday at Topeka High.

    The Manhattan girls defeated Washburn Rural 42-38 in the opening dual round. Manhattan and Washburn Rural won the rest of their respective duals, which helped the Tribe secure its first Centennial League championship in girls history.

    EmmersonBlanco2025Centennial 3Washburn Rural's Emmerson Blanco won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    AshleySchwarz2025Centennial 2Washburn Rural's Ashley Schwarz won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    “We knew it was going to be tough coming in,” Washburn Rural girls head coach Damon Parker said. “Coach (Shawn) Bammes and that crew over in Manhattan have done a fantastic job with their girls. Looking at it on paper, we knew it was going to be a real tough matchup for us … We knew we were going to have our hands full and we were going to have to be at our absolute best and we weren’t in that first dual today. We wrestle that dual 100 times, we win 50 and they win 50.

    "It was a lot of fun. We are absolutely not letting the fact that they finished four points above us in that one dual cloud how well our kids wrestled today.”

    Washburn Rural’s girls had won four straight Centennial League titles (2020-2024) coming into Saturday. While not taking home the league championship stings for the Washburn Rural group, the optimism is high for its program for the remainder of the season.

    “It’s been such a blast,” Parker said. “I’m sure I say something like this every year, but I don’t remember having this much fun coaching. I’m not sure this team is equipped to win a state championship this year, but I also remember saying the same thing last year. It’s all about who shows up when it matters. There’s no team that’s more dangerous than the team that doesn’t care whether they win or lose. We do not place any kind of value on them as human beings on how they do out there on the match. And I think that bleeds over to the way they wrestle.”

  • KK Emmot, Andres Morao-Jaspe the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week

    Rick Peterson, Top Sports News Writer

    By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                           

    TopSports.news

    Shawnee Heights sophomore girls basketball standout KK Emmot and Washburn Rural sophomore swimming standout Andres Morao-Jaspe 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 Emmot and Morao-Jaspe over the past week: 

    KKEmmot2024BB 1Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after leading the T-Birds to the championship in the Capital City Classic. [File photo/TSN]

    KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights

    Emmot, a sophomore, scored a career-high 36 points last Saturday as Shawnee Heights rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to take a 59-54 win over No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural in the championship game of the Capital City Classic at Topeka West.

    Emmot scored 75 points in the T-Birds' three games on the week, scoring 14 in a 54-47 OT win over Blue Valley and 25 points in a 65-32 win over Topeka West. 

    AndresMorao JaspeCity2025 3 Washburn Rural sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after leading the Junior Blues to their sixth straight city swimming championship. [File photo/TSN]

    ANDRES MORAO-JASPE, Washburn Rural

    A sophomore, Morao-Jaspe won four gold medals in last Thursday's swimming/diving championhips at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as the Junior Blues won their sixth straight city team championship with a 532-418.5 victory over Topeka High.

    Morao-Jaspe won the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.6) and the 500 free (5:14.46) and swam on Rural's winning 200 medley (1:48.20) and 400 free (3:39.00) relays.

     

  • No. 7-ranked Rural girls cap 3-0 week with 65-44 Centennial League romp past No. 10 Trojans

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Washburn Rural's girls basketball ended last week with a disappointing loss to Shawnee Heights in the championship game of the Capital City Classic, with the Junior Blues letting a 16-point lead get away.

    MaddieVickery2025TH 3Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 22 points in Friday's 65-44 Centennial League win over Topeka High. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    But, fortunately for the seventh-ranked (Class 6A) Junior Blues, they had three opportunities this week to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths and took full advantage, posting three double-digit wins, capped by a 65-44 Centennial League romp past No. 10-ranked Topeka High Friday at Rural.

    "I thought it was (good) for us,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said of the busy week, "because I thought every game we saw a little bit of improvement, culminating in tonight because T-High's really good.

    "I thought defensively we were more locked in on what we should do, especially in the first half, and offensively I know everything looks better when you're hitting shots, but we were moving, we were more in a rhythm and even when we were shooting from outside it was comfortable, we weren't forcing anything. Everything was just a little more fluid.''

    Washburn Rural, now 10-4 overall and 3-1 in the league, was never seriously threatened after scoring the first 16 points of the night and leading 23-2 before ending the first quarter with a 23-6 advantage.

    The Junior Blues continued to pour it on the Trojans in the second quarter, using a 26-15 scoring edge to take a commanding 49-21 advantage to the locker room at the half.

    Rural increased its lead to as many as 35 in the third stanza and finished the quarter with a 63-32 lead to force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.

  • Rural boys stay unbeaten in Centennial League with 79-41 win over Topeka High

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Even though Washburn Rural's boys entered Friday's home game as the Centennial League leader against a Topeka High team that was still looking for its first win, Junior Blues coach Alex Hutchins, whose team was coming off a 22-point non-league loss, had concerns.

    SimonRowley2025TH 1Junior Simon Rowley scored a game-high 21 points Friday night as Washburn Rural improved to 10-4 with a 79-41 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    But the Junior Blues quickly put their coach's worries at ease, scoring the first seven points of the night and building a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter on the way to a 79-41 rout over the Trojans.

    "We had the winter crowning ceremony and the pep rally and kind of a spirit week and you kind of combine that with the taste that we had in our mouths Tuesday (after a 70-48 loss to Blue Valley), there was some concern coming in, but we really just thought it was going to come down to defense and guarding,'' Hutchins said.

    "We felt like if we let them be comfortable offensively and just traded baskets all night that's when they could get pretty dangerous, so I thought our guys did a pretty good job on the defensive end of kind of holding them down and taking control.''

    Rural, now 10-4 overall and 4-0 in the league, opened up a 21-10 first-quarter advantage after leading by as many as 13 points and never looked back.

  • Tuesday/Wednesday prep BB roundup: CPLS boys ride hot start past Maranatha Academy

    Rick Peterson

    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.

    LucasMarichal2025WF 2Lucas 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.

  • Brenda Holaday on cusp of Washburn University softball career win mark

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    When Brenda Holaday accepted the job as Washburn University's softball coach in the summer of 2016 after a Hall of Fame career at Washburn Rural, she had a list of things she wanted to accomplish with the Ichabods, but Holaday had nary a thing on that list about any personal achievements.

     BrendaHoladayBrenda Holaday is two wins away from becoming Washburn University softball's all-time career wins leader. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    But along with team success comes individual milestones, and the veteran coach is on a verge of a biggie this weekend.

    Holaday is 255-151 after opening her ninth season as the Ichabod head coach with a 3-2 mark last weekend in Youngsville, La. and needs just one win in this weekend's five games in Bentonville, Ark. to pull even with her former Rural star, Lisa Carey, as the all-time WU wins leader at 256 and can take ove the No. 1 spot outright with two wins.

    "What I wanted when I came here was to make Washburn a winner and I felt that there was opportunity there, just being close enough to see it from a distance,'' Holaday said. "I felt like there would have to be a lot work done on facilities and a lot of work done on recruiting and building the program and that's been my goal from Day 1.''

    After Washburn went 25-30 in Holaday's Ichabods have posted eight straight winning seasons, with four seasons of at least 37 victories and a career-best 45-15 season in 2022.

    "It hasn't happened just because of me,'' Holaday said. "I mean there's so many people who have contributed to that success, but in terms of any kind of a legacy or how long I want to coach and how many wins I need to get, it just doesn't cross my mind.''

    "I think when you're in a head coaching position there's a thousand other things that you have to take care of before that and I think that's all just a result of surrounding yourself with the right people and having some good things happen. I was fortunate for that to happen out at Washburn Rural after several years, but it didn't start that way, and I didn't do things by myself out there either.''

    As is the case in most any profession, Holaday said a major priority for her is to continue to enjoy what she's doing.

    "I love it,'' Holaday said. "And to be honest with you I have such a good staff right now that I'm probably enjoying it more than I ever have because I'm able to hand some things off to some other people so that my life is a little more manageable.

    "I think I'm enjoying it more now because a lot of things have been put in place with a lot of hard work from a lot of people. I also have a staff and a group of players who buy in to what we're doing, who want to take on more, who want to learn, who want to be great and, man, if you can't enjoy that why are you in this business?''

  • A1 Lock & Key Performers Feb. 3, 2025

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    AnnaBecker2025newmug 1Anna Becker

    ANNA BECKER, Seaman

    Becker, a senior guard, was named the Most Valuable Player in last week's Glacier's Edge Tournament at Emporia after helping lead the undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Vikings to the tournament championship. The Drake signee scored 47 points in Seaman's three victories, including 21 points with 4 3-pointers in Saturday's 63-50 win over No. 2 ranked (6A) Derby in the title game.

    JaxonCowdinnewmug 1Jaxon Cowdin 

    JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High

    A senior, Cowdin captured his fourth straight city one-meter diving championship last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatiorium while helping the Trojans swimming/diving team post a second place team finish. Cowdin won the the city diving title with a six-dive score of 253.15 and also finished fifth in the 50-yard free and swam on High's second-place 200-yard free relay and third-place 200 medley relay.

    KKEmmot2024mug 2

    KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights

    Emmot, a sophomore, scored a career-high 36 points on Saturday as Shawnee Heights rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to take a 59-54 win over No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural in the championship game of the Capital City Classic at Topeka West. Emmot 75 points in the T-Birds' three games on the week, scoring 14 in a 54-47 OT win over Blue Valley and 25 points in a 65-32 win over Topeka West. 

  • Capital City Classic: Emmot, T-Birds roar back from 16-point deficit to claim championship

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Shawnee Heights' hopes looked bleak late in the first half of Saturday's Capital City Classic championship game against Washburn Rural.

    SHeightsGBB2025WR 2Shawnee Heights poses for a team picture Saturday after winning the championship in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    SHtsGBBjube2025WR 1Shawnee Heights celebrates its 59-54 win over Washburn Rural Saturday at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    The T-Birds trailed the Junior Blues by a whopping 16 points while their top three scorers were all in serious foul trouble.

    But the situation wasn't anything a career performance from sophomore star KK Emmot as well as timely key plays from several other T-Birds couldn't rectify, with Shawnee Heights rallying for a 59-54 win at Topeka West.

    "For our girls to have the resolve to come through adversity like they did, I'm just so proud of them,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "Because it would have been real easy, like coach (Duncan) Whitlock said, to fold like a lawnchair, but they didn't. They kept fighting and they kept staying with it and they stayed together as a group when it would have been real easy to splinter off there.''

    "We just really needed to step up and just stop fouling,'' Emmot said about the Heights turnaround. "We just had to change defenses. We changed to a different defense and we just kept going to that and that helped the game.''

    KKEmmot2025WR 3Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot (left), who scored 36 points, battles for a loose ball Saturday against Washburn Rural's Tenly Bunck (22) and Maddie Vickery. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    Emmot poured in a career-high 36 points, including 19 in the third quarter, as the 9-4 T-Birds turned the tables on the No. 5-ranked Class 6A Junior Blues.

    "We just never stop competing,''Emmot said. "No matter how far down we are we just compete, compete, compete and competing wins the game.''

    Shawnee Heights, which trailed 33-19 at the half, hit the Junior Blues (7-4) with a 24-11 lick in the third quarter, pulling within a point (44-43) at the start of the fourth quarter.

    Rural continued to hold the lead through the bulk of the final stanza until T-Bird junior Reianna Vega scored with 45 seconds remaining to give Heights its first lead since the first quarter at 55-54.

    Washburn Rural turnovers led to two Emmot free throws and two Vega charities to close out the win.

    Vega backed Emmot with 12 points while senior Kaydence Torrez and Vega combined for 15 rebounds.

    MaddieVickery2025SH 1Washburn Rural sophomore Maddie Vickery scored 27 points in Saturday's 59-54 loss to Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 27 points while sophomore Gracie Hayes added 9 points off the bench on three 3-pointers.

    SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 59, WASHBURN RURAL 54

  • Capital City Classic: T-Birds, Junior Blues roll to title game matchup

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Shawnee Heights entered Friday's Capital City Classic semifinal against Topeka West having already taken 17 and 28-point wins over the Chargers this season.

    KKEmmot2025TW 1Sophomore KK Emmot scored a game-high 25 points as Shawnee Heights advanced to the Capital City Classic title game with a 65-32 semifinal win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    But T-Bird coach Bob Wells wanted to make sure his team took nothing for granted against West, which was coming off a big overtime win over Highland Park in the opening round.

    "That's what I told them, that this needed to be all business,'' Wells said. "There couldn't be any messing around, we had to be focused and we had to have good energy and we needed to get right after it from the beginning and do a good job of taking care of the ball, no unforced errors and things like that and just work on improving.''

    Heights then went out and heeded Wells' message, rolling to Saturday's 11:30 a.m. championship game with a 65-32 win.

    The 8-4 T-Birds put the 2-9 Chargers away with a 19-4 start and were in control by 20 points (37-17) at the halftime break.

    Heights then hit West with a 24-7 lick in the third quarter, forcing a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.

    HaleyBowers2025TW 1Senior Haley Bowers scored 13 points in Shawnee Heights' 65-32 semifinal win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    KaydenceTorrez2025TW 1Senior Kaydence Torrez (20) had 10 points and 11 rebounds in Shawnee Heights' 65-32 win over Topeka West on Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN[]

    Sophomore standout KK Emmot powered the T-Birds with a game-high 25 points while senior Haley Bowers added 13 points and Kaydence Torrez and Reianna Vega 10 apiece. Torrez also grabbed 11 rebounds.

    Junior Imani McGlory led Topeka West with 12 points.

    With the win the T-Birds earned a shot at city rival Washburn Rural in Saturday's title game, with the Junior Blues advancing with a 75-48 semifinal win over Lawrence.

    Topeka West will take on Lawrence in the 10 a.m. third-place game.

    SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 65, TOPEKA WEST 32

    Shawnee Heights 19 18 24 4  -- 65

    Topeka West           4 13 7 8 -- 32

    Shawnee Heights (8-4) – Emmot 7-11 8-10 25, T. Brees 0-2 0-0 0, Bowers 5-12 1-2 13, Torrez 5-7 0-1 10, Vega 4-9 1-1 10, Hanshaw 1-7 0-0 3, Akins 0-0 0-0 0, L. Brees 0-3 0-0 0, Scherer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 12-16 65.

    Topeka West (2-9) – I. McGlory 4-12 2-2 12, VanDyke 2-7 0-4 4, Keeling 0-1 0-0 0, Hall 2-9 2-4 6, Gonzales 1-9 1-2 3, A. McGlory 2-6 0-0 5, Allen 0-3 0-0 0, Kutina 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 12-48 5-12 32.

    3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 7 (Emmot 3, Bowers 2, Hanshaw, Vega), Topeka West 3 (I. McGlory 2, A. McGlory). Total fouls – Shawnee Heights 7, Topeka West 15. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.

    MaddieVickery2025Law 1Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 33 points in Washburn Rural's 75-48 semifinal win over Lawrence Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

    Vickery has 33-point night as Rural romps to 75-48 win

    Lawrence got No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural's attention when it took a 30-27 lead with three minutes left in the first half of Friday's second Capital City Classic semifinal.

    But the Junior Blues responded wih a 48-point scoring onslaught the rest of the night, rolling to a championship game berth with a 75-48 win over the Lions.

    Lawrence rode a barrage of early 3-pointers to its 3-point lead, but Washburn Rural (7-3) ended the first half with a 10-0 run to open up a 37-30 advantage and never looked back.

    "I thought we were a lot more focused on both ends of the floor and we were just patient and had good spacing with our offense to kind of make that little break at the break,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "And then I thought the start of the third quarter we had an intention about getting the ball inside a little bit more and then Madison Lemke stepped up and took two charges and I think it took them out of their rhythm a little bit.''

    Rural tacked on six more unanswered points to take a 43-30 lead 49 seconds into the second half, took a 58-42 lead at the end of the quarter and went on to lead by as many as 29 points late in the contest.

    Maddie Vickery, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, led all scorers with 33 points, going 15 of 19 at the free throw line as Rural took advantage of a decided height advantage.

    "We were really trying to get paint touches,'' Vickery said. "That's one of the big things we strive for as a team because even in practice when we get a paint touch everything good happens.''

    Vickery was the only player in double figures for the Junior Blues, but Rural had nine players crack the scoring column, including seven with five or more points.

    Senior Brynnae Johnson led Lawrence (6-5) with 13 points.

    Washburn Rural will face city rival Shawnee Heights in Saturday's 11:30 a.m. championship game.

    WASHBURN RURAL 75, LAWRENCE 48

    Washburn Rural 20 17 21 17 -- 75

    Lawrence             18 12 12 6 -- 48

    Washburn Rural (7-3) – Hinck 4-8 0-0 8, Rutherford 2-5 0-0 6, Vickery 8-19 15-19 33, Lemke 3-7 2-3 8, Bunck 2-5 1-2 5, Hirschi 0-3 0-0 0, Moore 1-1 2-2 5, Hayes 2-3 0-0 6, Walker 0-1 0-0 0, Simpson 0-0 0-0 0, Carlgren 1-3 0-0 2, Petersen 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 24-57 20-28 75. 

    Lawrence (6-5) – Glover 0-2 0-0 0, Baars 3-6 0-0 9, Barnes 2-2 0-0 5, Johnson 4-12 4-5 13, Ramos 2-3 0-0 6, Barber 4-9 0-0 9, Juelsgaard 2-9 1-3 6, Urish 0-0 0-0 0, Koehn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-43 5-8 48. 

    3-point goals – Washburn Rural 7 (Vickery 2, Hayes 2, Rutherford 2, Moore), Lawrence 9 (Baars 3, Ramos 2, Barnes, Johnson, Juelsgaard). Total fouls – Washburn Rural 13, Lawrence 22. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.

  • Capital City Classic: West upsets Highland Park 52-45 in OT, advances to semifinal

    Rick Peterson

    By RICK PETERSON

    TopSports.news

    Topeka West's girls basketball team has suffered its lumps while facing a United Kansas Conference schedule that includes three of Class 5A's seven top-ranked schools.

    TW2025jubeHP 2Topeka West celebrates Thursday's 52-45 overtime win over Highland Park Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    But the Chargers put their lessons learned to good use Thursday night, picking up their second win of the season while handing USD 501 rival Highland Park only its second loss in a 52-45 overtime decision in the opening round of the Capital City Classic on West's home court.

    "At the beginning of the season it's hard to keep those girls focused, but it's like, 'Hey, we're playing the top teams in the state,' '' West coach Angie Ketterman said. "But this helps a lot. It's good to see them happy and it was a good, hard fought win.''

    West, now 2-8, and Highland Park, 7-2, locked up in a nail-biter from start to finish, with the Chargers' final margin the biggest lead by either team on the night.

    With the victory Topeka West advanced to a 6:30 p.m. Friday semifinal to face Shawnee Heights, a 54-47 overtime winner over Blue Valley. Washburn Rural, a 76-25 winner over Free State, will take on Lawrence in the 8 o'clock semifinal, with the Lions advancing with a 54-36 win over Shawnee Mission West.

    AddalineHall2025HP 1Topeka West junior Addaline Hall sent Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    AddalineHall2025HP 3Topeka West junior Addaline Hall reacts after sending Thursday's game against Highland Park to overtime with a layup at the end of regulation. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    Topeka West forced the extra session when junior Addaline Hall came out of a scrum to convert a breakaway layup with two seconds left to tie the game at 39.

    "I just saw a loose ball, hustled to get it and made the layup and that's about it,'' Hall said. "I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the clock and I was like, 'Four seconds, I've got to make this.' ''

    Highland Park led for much of the overtime, including a 45-42 advantage after two Pearmella Carter free throws with 1:51 remaining, before West scored the final 8 points of the game, all by junior Imani McGlory.

    McGlory went an amazing 17 of 18 from the free throw line on the way to a game-high 28 points while the Chargers also took advantage of a 10 of 32 showing at the line from Highland Park.

    "We practice a lot on our free throws,'' McGlory said. "I feel like as the season goes on we get better and are more like a team together. We got our second win of the season and it feels good.

    "I feel like we really stayed composed this game and really played as a team and didn't give up.''

    Hall added 11 points for West.

    Carter, a sophomore, paced Highland Park with 21 points while senior Tahtionna Broils added 11 points and senior De'Asia Sanders 9 points with a pair of 3-pointers.

    TOPEKA WEST 52, HIGHLAND PARK 45 (OT)

    Highland Park 5 12 11 11 6  -- 45

    Topeka West    9 6 14 10 13 -- 52

    Highland Park (7-2) – Kincade 0-5 0-0 0, Broils 4-14 4-7 12. Harts 1-8 0-6, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 7-20 8-13 22, Paredes 0-0 0-0 0, Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Sanders 3-11 1-6 9. Totals 15-54 13-32 45.

    Topeka West (2-8) – I. McGlory 5-19 17-18 28, VanDyke 0-2 0-0 0, Keeling 0-3 0-4 0, Gonzales 2-8 0-0 4, A. McGlory 2-5 0-0 4, Allen 1-2 2-2 5, Hall 4-11 2-4 11, Kutina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-40 21-28 52.

    3-point goals – Highland Park 2 (Sanders 2), Topeka West 3 (Allen, I. McGlory, Hall). Total fouls – Highland Park 25, Topeka West 20. Fouled out – Allen, VanDyke, Gonzales, Jones. Technical fouls – none.

    ReiannaVega2025BV 3Junior Reianna Vega led Shawnee Heights with 19 points in Thursday's 52-45 OT win over Blue Valley. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

    T-Birds advance to semis with 54-47 OT win

    Shawnee Heights was forced to play the entire overtime without leading scorer KK Emmot after the sophomore standout fouled out with 6.8 seconds remaining in regulation.

    But Emmot's teammates quickly picked up the slack, with the T-Birds holding a 9-2 advantage over Blue Valley in the four-minute extra session to take a 54-47 first-round win and move on to Friday's 6:30 p.m. Capital City Classic semifinals to face Topeka West.

    "It was something that we've been trying to get through in practice and make sure that there's times when we get (KK) out and play for an extended period of time just in case something silly happens,'' Heights coach Bob Wells said. "And I thought the girls responded well.''

    Heights senior Kaydence Torrez opened the overtime with a hoop to put the 7-4 T-Birds ahead to stay and junior Reianna Vega hit two free throws to put Heights up 49-45 with 2:28 left in the OT.

    After Blue Valley (3-8) scored its only basket of the OT, the T-Birds scored the final 5 points, including the final four from senior Haley Bowers.

    Vega led the T-Birds with 19 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds while Emmot finished with 14 points and Torrez had 9 points and 14 rebounds.

    "I felt very proud of us,'' Vega said. "I think on the court we show that we're a very capable team.''

    Freshman Devin Splittorff tied Vega for game-high scoring honors with 19 points.

    SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 54, BLUE VALLEY 47 (OT)

    Blue Valley            11 14 7 13 2 -- 47

    Shawnee Heights 13 14 8 10 9 -- 54

    Blue Valley (3-8) – Goldstein 2-7 0-0 5, Forgy 0-1 0-0 0, Splittorff 6-16 4-4 19, Ashley Bergeson 1-1 0-0 3, Barnes 4-6 2-4 10, Wombolt 1-12 3-6 6, Lund 1-5 0-0 2, Suhr 1-2 0-0 2, Tenpenny 0-3 0-0 0, Faulkner 0-0 0-0 0, Avery Bergeson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 9-14 47.

    Shawnee Heights (7-4) – Emmot 4-14 5-6 14, Brees 0-3 0-2 0, Euwer 1-7 0-0 2, Torrez 2-10 5-8 9, Vega 6-13 7-8 19, Hanshaw 0-1 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 3-4 3, Bowers 2-8 2-2 7. Totals 15-57 22-30 54.

    3-point goals – Blue Valley 6 (Splittorff 3, Wombolt, Goldstein, Ashley Bergeson), Shawneee Heights 2 (Emmot, Bowers). Total fouls – Blue Valley 27, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out – Emmot, Ashley Bergeson, Barnes. Technical fouls – none.

    MaddieVickery2025FS 2Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 21 points in Washburn Rural's 76-25 win over Free State Thursday night in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

    Rural rolls to 51-point first-round win over Firebirds

    On paper, No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural looked to be a heavy favorite over Free State in final first-round game of the Capital City Classic.

    And the Junior Blues lived up to that billing and then some, rolling to a 76-25 win over the Firebirds.

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