By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After having its six-game winning streak snapped by top-ranked and undefeated Shawnee Mission South in a 10-point semifinal loss Friday night, No. 3-ranked Washburn Rural bounced back Saturday with a dominating 44-28 win over Hutchinson in the third-place game of the Thunderbird Classic at Shawnee Heights.
Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 59 points in three Thunderbird Classic games, surpassing 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for her career. [File photo/TSN]
Now 9-3 on the season Washburn Rural took control in the first half when the Junior Blues limited the Salthawks to just eight points.
Rural built a 15-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and led 21-8 at the half.
The Junior Blues put the Salthawks away with a 20-5 third quarter, opening up a huge 41-13 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
Hutchinson outscored Rural 15-3 over the final eight minutes, but the game had long been decided.
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye powered the Junior Blues with 18 points while seniors MaRyah Lutz and Chloe Carlgren added seven points apiece.
DeLeye scored 59 points in the tournament, ecliping 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for her career.
ROSSVILLE GIRLS 58, NORTHEAST KANSAS 28 -- Rossville bounced back from an overtime semifinal loss to Atchison County with a 58-28 romp past Northeast Kansas, finishing third in the Jefferson North Invitational.
Rossville junior Emma Mitchell (left) scored 23 points on Saturday in the Bulldawgs' 58-28 win over Northeast Kansas in the third-place game of the Jefferson County North Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville, which improved to 9-4 on the season, led 26-18 at the half and then outscored NEK 32-10 in the second half, including a 10-0 shutout in the fourth quarter.
Junior Emma Mitchell led Rossville with 23 points, including a six of six performance at the free throw line, while freshman Rylee Dick added nine points and junior Kinsey Perine eight.
Mitchell, Dick and Perine were all named to the all-tournament team.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 45, WICHITA LIFE PREP 43 -- Tournament host Shawnee Heights bounced back from a first-round loss to post two straight victories and finish fifth in the Thunderbird Classic, including a tight 45-43 win over Wichita Life Prep on Saturday morning.
After losing to tournament runnerup Wichita South by three points on Thursday, No. 9-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights took a consolation win over Shawnee Mission North on Friday and finished up its tournament run with Saturday morning's win over Life Prep.
With the back-to-back wins Shawnee Heights improved to 9-4 on the season.
