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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights boys basketball fought back from an early double-digit deficit to put itself in position to post its second win of the season Monday night, but Manhattan rallied down to stretch to take a 56-54 non-league decision at Heights.

Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 15 points in Monday's 56-54 non-league loss to Manhattan. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

"I just told them, 'Nobody plays harder than us,' '' Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. "But we don't have closure. We've got to have a bucket to win, or make a free throw to win and we don't make it.

"I always talk about 'it.' To win, you've got to do 'it.' Today it's a layup, it's a rebound, it's a made free throw. When 'it' needs to be done you do it and you win. (Manhattan) did 'it'. We're up seven and they get three straight drives all the way to the rim and score and then a kid shoots a crazy three with somebody jumping in his face and hits it to seal it. He did 'it.' 

The T-Birds, now 1-2 on the season, dug itself a 16-6 hole at the end of the opening quarter, but the T-Birds answered with a 19-6 second quarter to take a 25-22 halftime advantage.

The game remained tight in the third quarter, but Shawnee Heights led by as many as six in the period and took a 41-39 lead into the final eight minutes.

Heights pushed its advantage to eight points at 51-43 on a hoop from junior Cam Ross with 3:16 remaining but Manhattan battled back to take a 55-54 lead on senior Will Carpenter's sixth 3-pointer of the night and senior Sawyer Newton added a free throw to account for the final margin.

Carpenter led all scorers with 27 points while Newton finished with 12 points.

Freshman Quincy Dixon (22) scored 13 points in Shawnee Heights' 56-54 non-league loss to Manhattan Monday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Ross led Shawnee Heights with 15 points while freshman Quincy Dixon had 13 points and senior JaiMarion Cook 12 for the T-Birds.

Shawnee Heights will be right back in action Tuesday night, traveling to Lansing for a United Kansas Conference contest.

MANHATTAN BOYS 56, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 54

Manhattan           16 6 17 17 -- 56

Shawnee Heights 6 19 16 13 -- 54

Manhattan (5-1) – Carpenter 10-19 1-2 27, Doering 1-8 2-2 5, S. Newton 5-6 2-3 12, Witt 2-7 0-0 5, Washington 1-2 3-3 5, Hattrup 0-1 0-0 0, Braxmeyer 0-1 0-0 0, A. Newton 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 19-46 10-12 56.

Shawnee Heights (1-2) – Alston 3-7 0-0 7, Cook 4-10 1-2 12, Ross 6-17 2-2 15, Scott 1-3 0-0 2, Dixon 6-9 0-0 13, Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Doby 0-0 0-0 0, Lee 1-3 3-3 5, Halloran 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-49 6-7 54. 

3-point goals – Manhattan 8 (Carpenter 6, Doering, Witt), Shawnee Heights 6 (Cook 3, Alston, Ross, Dixon). Total fouls – Manhattan 13, Shawnee Heights 18. Fouled out – Scott. Technical foul -- Scott.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Saturday's 78-72 Washburn double-overtime Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association victory over Central Missouri included big individual offensive performances for both teams, including eight individual scorers who notched between 11 and 21 points.

But 7 -- the number of steals registered by Ichabod junior Jeremiah Jones -- was just as big as Washburn improved to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Junior Jeremiah Jones scored 13 points and had seven steals in Washburn's 78-72 double-overtime MIAA victory over Central Missouri on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

A 6-foot-3 transfer from Mary, Jones scored 13 points in Saturday's win, but it was his seven steals that were his personal highlight of the day and a key factor in the Ichabods' come-from-behind win.

"It's just based off my instincts,'' Jones said. "I'm really watching people's eyes and trying not to gamble too much and give up easy plays, but just play my game.''

Jones leads the nation in total steals with 37 and is ranked seventh in steals per game at 3.36 per contest. Jones recorded a school-record eight in his first game as an Ichabod to open the season.

"I would rather get a steal than a shot, honestly, that how it feels for me,'' Jones said. "When I get a steal, it's a rush.''

"He's a great athlete and he's got great anticipation,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "And what I'm really proud of with JJ is that he's become better on the ball and then off the ball he's just got a knack for getting those steals.''

The Ichabods will now step out of MIAA play, traveling to San Antonio, Texas for the annual River City Holiday Classic.

Washburn will face No. 4 ranked Lubbock Christian at 11 a.m. on Tuesday before wrapping up the 2025 calendar year with a 1 p.m. contest on Wenesday against No. 8 ranked West Texas A&M.

Ballard said Saturday's thriller against the Mules should give the Ichabods a boost heading into this week's top-10 matchups.

"We've won some games in the 90s and we can do that, but sometimes in some of these games, especially in the MIAA, you're going to have to grind a few out and I think we showed that,'' Ballard said. "And just the response on a night when offensively it was kind of janky, our guys stayed resilient on the defensive end and that was good and I'm proud of them.''

Lubbock Christian fell for the first time this season in an 87-83 loss at Cameron last time out, dropping its record to 9-1 on the season.

The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Chapps 1-0 after winning the only meeting on Nov. 26, 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

West Texas A&M is 10-0 after defeating Texas-Dallas 94-82 last time out.

Washburn is 2-1 all-time against the Buffs, falling 98-93 in the last meeting in overtime in Las Vegas in Ballard's second season as the Ichabods' head coach.

The Ichabods are likely to move into the No. 1 ranking in the NABC poll this week after Nova Southeastern fell to Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, 88-83.

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The Ichabods lead the NCAA Division II ranks in scoring margin at plus 31.2 points per game.

Washburn ranks seventh in field goal percentage at 51.7 percent and is also eighth in assists per game (19.5), seventh in assist/turnover ration (1.68) and first in rebound margin (plus 13.6).

Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game.

WU sophomore Dillon Claussen is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 69.1 percent while junior Jack Bachelor  is 16th in the nation in total assists with 55 and fourth in assist to turnover ration at 3.93 to 1.

The Ichabods' 11-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 12.

Amondo Miller, Jr. leads Lubbock Christian with a 22.6 scoring average while hitting 20 of 43 3-point attempts. Kendal Dow is averaging 14.9 points while Antonio Pusateri is scoring 13.5 points per game, Alex Anamekwe is 12.2 points and Lucas Mercandino 11.2.

Undefeated West Texas A&M owns three wins over MIAA foes this season, posting an 87-75 win over Missouri Western, a 76-70 win over Pittsburg State and an 81-70 win over Central Oklahoma.

Fontaine Williams leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game, hitting 19 of 49 3-point attempts, while Brock Mishak is averaging 10.8 points, Camden Cowgill 10.7 and James Parlow, Jr. 10.6 points per game. Williams is a Wichita native and transferred from Barton County as did Parlow.

The Ichabods return to MIAA play on Jan. 3, hosting Emporia State.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball will wrap up a four-game homestand at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Truman State in Lee Arena.

Washburn will close out its four-game homestand with a Tuesday non-conference game against Truman State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Washburn is 6-3 on the season after a 67-56 MIAA loss to Central Missouri on Saturday while Truman State moved to 4-5 after defeating Southwest Baptist 90-55 last time out.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah is averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Ichabods while also shooting 55.7 percent from the floor. She swats away a team-high 1.1 blocks per game and has scored in double figures in six games.

With 253 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is fourth in program history and she is 10th with 684 career total boards. Her career field goal percentage of .578 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 15th among all Ichabods with 1,108 career points and is tied for 11th in program history with 68 career blocked shots. 

Senior Payton Sterk is also averaging 12.9 points while drilling 16 3-pointers and leads the Ichabods with 1.9 steals per game.

Senior Gabi Giovannetti averages 12.6 points for the Ichabods and has hit a team-high 18 3-pointers.

Giovannetti is eighth in program history with 130 career 3-pointers made. She is tied for 19th among all Ichabods with 54 blocked shots.

Junior Madelyn Amekporfor led Washburn with 16 points in Saturday's loss to Central Missouri on 5 of 11 shooting and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. 

Sterk added 10 points against the Jennies while Giovannetti added nine.

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