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Lady Blues top Buffs 48-42 to capture Glaciers Edge championship
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- The Washburn Rural Junior Blues faced the Wichita Southeast Buffaloes in the championship game of the Glaciers Edge Tournament on Saturday at Emporia High School, with the Junior Blues winning the title with a hard fought 48-42 victory.
Washburn Rural poses for a picture Saturday after winning the championship in the Glaciers Edge Tournament at Emporia. [Washburn Rural girls basketball]
Washburn Rural jumped out to an 8-2 lead behind seniors Josie Carlgren and Ella Hirschi, who scored five and three points, respectively. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first quarter with the Buffs trimming two points off the lead and trailing 15-11.
Carlgren led the Junior Blues with seven points, followed by Hirschi’s six points. Senior Ka’Mya Gant led Wichita Southeast with 7 points in the opening eight minutes.
Washburn Rural extended their lead to seven points, 18-11, on the first play of the second quarter on a 3-pointer from freshman Brynn Anderson. Wichita Southeast was able to cut the lead back down to five points at 22-17 halfway through the quarter.
Both teams were only able to score two points apiece for the remainder of the half, giving the Junior Blues a 24-19 lead heading to the locker room.
The Lady Buffaloes had a great start to the third quarter, scoring the first five points, to tie the contest at 24. Rural's Anderson answered the Southeast run with a traditional three-point play that impacted both teams.
Her excellent scoop shot gave the Blues the lead at 27-24 and drew the fourth foul on Buffaloes senior post player, Deena Holmes, who had to sit out the majority of the remaining six minutes of the third quarter.
The Junior Blues extended the lead to 35-28 with a little over one minute left in the third quarter. However, Southeast senior Vivianna Wall hit a corner 3-pointer, cutting the lead to four, 35-31. Rural responded with a buzzer beater by Carlgren, giving Washburn Rural a 37-31 lead going into the final quarter.
Foul trouble became an issue late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter for the Junior Blues and coach Kevin Bordewick discussed the play of his team while battling the fouls.
“We battled foul trouble that we hadn’t seen before, but we had girls come in off the bench (freshmen Kamryn Smith and Aly Hinck) and do a fantastic job,” Bordewick said.
Wichita Southeast came out and scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the game, 38-37, with five minutes remaining.
The Junior Blues regained the lead, 40-38, with four minutes left on a huge 3-pointer by Hirschi. On its next possession, Rural junior Brooklyn Rutherford was fouled on a 3-pointer and she made two of three from the line, extending the lead to 42-38.
With 1:45 left in the game and clinging to a 42-40 lead, Rutherford made a reverse layup on a beautiful backdoor pass from Anderson, giving the Junior Blues a 44-40 lead.
“It was something out of our offense and it’s great to be able to have teammates where I can give the ball up and they will do something great with it,” Anderson said.
After the teams traded empty possessions, another big play for the Junior Blues occurred on a missed 3-point attempt from Hirschi with 24 seconds remaining in the game. Carlgren was able to force a tie-up, giving the ball back to Rural.
“That’s what Jo does so well. She is a hustle maniac, goes after everything and is our anchor on defense,” Bordewick said.
Southeast had to foul and Anderson made two free throws, giving Rural a 46-40 lead. After a Lady Buffaloes basket, Anderson scored the final two points of the contest from the line, giving the Blues the championship victory by a six-point margin.
Washburn Rural was led by Anderson’s 20 points, with Anderson named the most valuable player for the tournament. Carlgren had 11 points and senior Hirschi tallied 9, all on 3-pointers. Fellow senior Hallie Walker had a team-leading nine rebounds.
Individual champ Madi Blanco powers Rural to runnerup team finish in 20-school home tourney
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior wrestling star Madi Blanco admitted that she was fighting some butterflies before Saturday's 140-pound championship match in the sixth annual Washburn Women's Invitational.
Washburn Rural senior Madi Blanco reacts after winning the 140-pound title in Saturday's Washburn Women's Invitational with a 37-second pin in the finals. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But it certainly didn't show as Blanco, No. 3-ranked in Class 6A and No. 5 in the All-Class rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, needed just 37 seconds to clench her tournament championship with a win by pin over Gardner-Edgerton sophomore Camila Vasquez, No. 5-ranked in 6A and No. 8 in the All-Class rankings.
"Me and my coach had a conversation about energy and to be grateful for where I am, how much I've gone through to get here and that really helped me and put me in the right mindset to get into that final round,'' Blanco said. "I felt really good.''
Blanco, who placed fourth in 6A at 135 pounds and is a two-time state placer, posted three straight pins on Saturday, with her win in the finals following pins in 1:31 and 2:14.
And Blanco said she continues to gain confidence as the Junior Blues get ready for the biggest three tournaments of the season -- Centennial League, regionals and state.
"The steps I took to get here are what really helped me grow,'' Blanco said. "My coaches, my teammates, they're encouragers and I think that really helps. It's just a process.
"I thank the Lord that I have my parents (Evie and Anthony), that raised me so well. They taught character, mental strength, all of it, so I think that my confidence came from them and my coaches.''
Parker said Blanco has earned all the success she's had for the Junior Blues.
"She is as intentional about everything she does as any kid that I've ever coached, and the fact that she wrestles with gratitude,'' Parker said. "She's just happy for the opportunity to be here and do this and I think that goes a long way in this sport.''
Blanco helped lead perennial state contender Washburn Rural to a runnerup finish to Gardner-Edgerton (273-194) in Saturday's 20-school tournament, with Shawnee Mission South (159.5) third and Clay Center (156.5) fourth.
Washburn Rural was ranked No. 4 in 6A in last week's KWCA rankings, with Gardner-Edgerton No. 2 behind top-ranked Garden City.
Freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (top) posted a runnerup finish for Washburn Rural in Saturday's Washburn Women's Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural 125-pound senior Lacey Middleton (right) finished second Saturday as the host Junior Blues posted a runnerup team finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
In addition to Blanco's title, the Junior Blues got runnerup finishes from 105-pound freshman Aliyah Tangpricha (17-3), 125-pound senior Lacey Middleton (29-4) and 170-pound senior Elia Smith (23-3) while 145-pound senior Emme Blanco (29-3), 190-pound junior Lily Davis (26-7) and 235-pound sophomore Emma Mehl (18-9) all posted third-place finishes.
Seaman finished in the upper half of the field with a ninth-place finish (74 points), with four Vikings finishing in the top six, led by junior fourth-place 170-pound placer Isabel McClintock (19-12).
Washburn Rural will be back at home next Saturday to host the Centennial League girls and boys tournament (9 a.m start).
Top-ranked Washburn men improve to 22-0 with 89-67 MIAA road romp past Lopers
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top-ranked Washburn University men's basketball pushed its unbeaten streak to 22 games Saturday afternoon, taking an 89-67 road win at Nebraska-Kearney.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored a career-high 27 points in Washburn's 89-67 MIAA road win at Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Now 22-0 overall and 12-0 in the MIAA, the Ichabods had to navigate a competitive opening stretch that featured six lead changes and four ties in the first 10 minutes.
UNK grabbed an early 6-3 edge, but Washburn answered with a transition-heavy surge keyed by sophomore Dillon Claussen and Jack Bachelor to regain control.
A 9-0 Washburn run late in the first half created separation, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Claussen and senior Brady Christiansen that pushed the margin to double digits.
Washburn closed the half on a 17-5 run overall and carried a 44-29 lead into the break after shooting 44 percent from the floor and forcing 10 Loper turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Claussen opened with the second half with a three and senior Bryson Smith followed with a layup to ignite another push that ballooned the WU lead to 20 at 53-33 with 15:34 left.
Nebraska-Kearney countered with its best stretch of the afternoon, trimming the deficit to eight behind Ja'Bryant Hill and Clayton Moore during a 9-0 Loper run midway through the half.
But each time UNK threatened, Washburn responded.
Smith attacked the rim for consecutive scores, Bachelor knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Claussen controlled the paint to steady the lead.
The Ichabods eventually built their largest cushion at 22 points with 2:46 remaining and closed out the win from the free throw line.
Claussen led four Ichabods in double figures with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two assists.
Smith finished with 19 points, 18 in the second half, while Bachelor added 17 points and six boards, and Christiansen chipped in six points and four rebounds.
