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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Leah Crawford

LEAH CRAWFORD, Seaman

A sophomore bowler, Crawford shot a 661 three-game series to capture the girls individual title in Friday's city championships at Gage Bowl. Crawford rolled games of 224, 211 and 226 to take individual honors by 36 pins as Seaman rolled to its third straight city team championship by a 3,293-2,970 margin over Washburn Rural.

Cianna Graves

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the United Kansas Conference championship at 155 pounds while also recording the 100th pin of her career on Saturday at Piper as No. 3-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights claimed the team championship by a 179.5-163 margin over top-ranked Basehor-Linwood. Now 28-2 on the season, Graves went 3-0 on the day with three pins.

Caleb Menke

CALEB MENKE, Hayden

Menke, a 175-pound junior wrestling standout, reached the 100-win milestone on Thursday at Royal Valley, a rare accomplishment for an underclassmen, and followed that up with the 175-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Washburn Rural, posting a 5-0 record on the day, including a 55-second pin and a 15-0 technical fall.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

A five-run sixth inning propelled Washburn University softball to a 7–5 comeback victory over Truman State on Sunday in the Alvy Early Memorial Classic in Bentonville, Ark., lifting Washburn to an 8-2 record on the season.

Sophomore Dalaney Anderson hit a three-run home run to power Washburn softball to a 7-5 comeback win over Truman State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Trailing 5-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Washburn's offense erupted with a game-changing rally.

Erin Boles opened the surge with an RBI single, plating Ashley Gaughan to make it a 5-3 game.

Two batters later, Dalaney Anderson delivered the game's biggest swing, a three-run home run to left field that put the Ichabods ahead 6–5.

The inning continued with a double from Seaman product Aspen Burgardt, followed by an RBI single from Madi Moore to extend the lead to 7–5.

Anderson finished the day with three RBI, all coming on her go-ahead blast.

Boles, Shawnee Heights grad Taylor Brees, Moore, and Maddie McGee all contributed an RBI as Washburn totaled 10 hits.

In the circle, Jenna Sprague was outstanding in relief for the Ichabods.

Entering in the fourth inning, Sprague tossed 32/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while keeping Truman off the board to earn her first win of the season.

Truman built an early lead, thanks to a grand slam from Cassie Smith, but after Washburn starter Kierra Goos exited, Sprague steadied Washburn and shut the Bulldogs down the rest of the way.

Washburn's scoring began in the second inning when McGee drove in Danielle Schlader. Brees later added an RBI double in the fourth as part of a two-hit performance.

Washburn returns to action Friday through Sunday in Tahlequah, Okla. at the Cherokee Classic.

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

The Class 4A No. 8 Hayden girls hosted Junction City on Friday night and delivered a dominant performance, rolling to a 61–23 Centennial League victory.

The Blue Jays stayed within striking distance early, pulling to within one midway through the first quarter at 9–8, but that would be as close as they would get.

Hayden quickly took control with a 12-0 run to close the opening period, building a 19-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

From there, the Wildcats’ pressure defense and aggressive play in the paint made it difficult for Junction City to find any offensive rhythm.

Hayden consistently attacked the basket, converting high-percentage looks and forcing turnovers on the defensive end.

Junior Alana Mitchell continued her strong recent play late in the second quarter, providing a spark that helped Hayden pull away before halftime.

Mitchell knocked down two 3-pointers and scored seven of her 10 points in the closing minutes of the half, sending the Wildcats into the locker room with a commanding 35-13 lead.

“I have been playing the best that I can, putting all my effort into it, being aggressive, and working extremely hard to help my team win,” Mitchell said.

Hayden showed no signs of slowing down after the break.

The Wildcats came out firing in the third quarter, with Hailey Schmidtlein scoring nine consecutive points during a decisive run that pushed the lead to 44-15.

Hayden continued to stretch the margin, closing the quarter ahead 56-21 and triggering a running clock in the fourth.

Schmidtlein led Hayden with a game-high 18 points.

Junction City was led in scoring by Laniyah Warmack, who finished with 10 points.

The Blue Jays struggled all night to generate consistent offense against Hayden’s defensive pressure.

With the win, Hayden built momentum heading into a challenging road matchup on Tuesday against Topeka High.

The Trojans are coming off an impressive 45-26 win over Washburn Rural, though Hayden defeated Topeka High earlier this season, 51–40, at home.

“They’re a dangerous team with a lot of talent,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. “We’ll have to play good defense and move the ball well on offense.”

HAYDEN 61, JUNCTION CITY 23

Junction City 8 5 8 2 --23

Hayden 19 16 21 5 -- 61

Junction City (2-13 0-4) -- Warmack 4-8 2-2 10, Henry-Rivers 1-3 1-4 3, Pruitt 1-12 0-0 2, Riley 1-3 0-0 2, Nabus 1-1 0-0 2, Covington 2-4 0-0 2, Hatcher 0-1 0-0 0, Douglas 0-2 0-0 0, Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Briley 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 10-36 3-6 23.

Hayden (13-4 4-1) -- Schmidtlein 6-14 6-9 18, Walter 3-11 0-2 7, Foster 2-5 0-0 4, Watts 1-1 1-2 3, Huscher 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell 3-5 2-4 10, Borjon 3-8 1-1 8, Wichman 3-6 1-2 7, Connell 2-8 0-0 4, Wrench 0-1 0-0, Slyter 0-1 0-2 0, Scheer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 11-22 61.

3-point goals -- Hayden 4 (Mitchell 2, Walter, Borjon). Total Fouls -- Junction City 17, Hayden 10. Fouled out -- Pruitt.