By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn men torched visiting Rogers State with 60 percent shooting – 67 percent in the second half – to build a comfortable lead and cruise to a 93-71 win Saturday.
Washburn freshman Jack Bachelor paced the Ichabods with 17 points in Saturday's 93-71 MIAA win over Rogers State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
After a bit of a slow start, Washburn eventually built a double-digit lead and kept the Hillcats at arm’s length throughout most of the contest.
“It helps when you make shots, and we made shots today,” Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. “We did a good job of sharing it. We got some good looks, and we made some tough looks too. When you make shots, it helps everything.
“I thought we were ok defensively. Not great. But we made enough shots to keep them at that distance.”
The one snag in the first half was foul trouble encountered by sophomore point guard Sam Ungashick. Junior Jake Schadegg and freshman Jack Bachelor came off the bench to fill in for the starting point man.
“Sam is a very good player and has been very good,” Ballard said. “So, I was a little concerned when he went out. But Jake Schadegg came in and did a very good job, not just holding things down but elevating us. We actually played a little bit better with Jake in there, which says a lot about Jake as a player.
“Jack and Jake both did a very good job handling that point guard role and allowing us to finish the first half strong.”
Washburn Rural product Bachelor, who has seen most of his time at shooting guard, said he wasn’t concerned about taking over at the point.
“Sam happened to get a couple of fouls and we have a ‘next man up’ mentality,” Bachelor said. “In practice, me and Jake and Sam work together in the backcourt, so it doesn’t really matter. I can play off the ball, I can play the point.”
Bachelor led the Ichabods with 17 points, hitting six of nine shots, including three from behind the arc. The entire team was on fire from deep, connecting on 61 percent of its three-point attempts.
“He's been a pleasant surprise,” Ballard said about the Topeka freshman. “Not that we didn’t think we were getting a good player. But I did not imagine that he would be this good this quick.
“He’s a high-IQ guy, a high-energy guy who just loves to compete and has a good skill set. He doesn’t look like a freshman out there, and that’s not easy to do in this league. And I think our guys do a nice job of supporting him the right way.”
“As I get used to the great players around me, it’s just getting a lot easier,” Bachelor said. “They find me when I’m open and I try to find them when they’re open. We’ve got a lot of shooters. It’s a fun offense and I’m finding my role in it.”
Sophomore Jarmell Johnson scored 15 points in Washburn's 93-71 MIAA romp past Rogers State on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bachelor led five players in double figures. Jarmell Johnson tallied 15, Andrew Orr 12, Brayden Shorter 11 and Ungashick 10.
The Ichabods improved to 5-3, 1-1 in MIAA play. With freshman and sophomores seeing a good deal of playing time, Ballard believes this team has potential for more than he’s seeing presently.
“We are pretty young and trying to get some guys acclimated,” the coach said. “It’s still a process and I think we can still get a lot better. But their approach has been good. They’re starting to figure how to play together and we’re figuring out how to coach them too. Some of that is just figuring out what you’ve got and what their strengths and weaknesses are as individual players.”
WASHBURN MEN 93, ROGERS STATE 71
Rogers State 36 35 -- 71
Washburn 41 52 -- 93
Rogers State (3-4, 2-2) – Fry 5-7 0-0 10, Marshall 4-6 5-5 13, Battle 6-14 7-7 20, Johnson 2-9 4-4 9, Anderson 2-7 2-3 7, Hamilton 2-3 2-2 6, Davidson 1-3 0-0 2, Tillery 0-2 0-0 0, Clover 1-4 0-0 2, Stephens 0-0 0-0 0, Rogers 0-1 0-0 0, Price 0-0 0-0 0, Fox 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 24-57 20-21 71.
Washburn (5-3, 1-1) – Christiansen 2-5 0-0 5, Orr 4-7 4-4 12, Johnson 6-9 0-0 15, Ungashick 4-7 0-0 10, Keegan 3-6 0-0 9, Byrd 2-3 0-0 4, Bachelor6-9 2-2 17 , Shorter 4-6 0-0 11, Schadegg 3-4 0-0 8, Eman 1-2 0-0 2, Dajani 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 35-58 6-6 93.
3-point goals — Rogers State 3-16 (Johnson 1-5, Anderson 1-4, Battle 1-3, Davidson 0-2, Marshall 0-1, Rogers 0-1); Washburn 17-28 (Bachelor 3-5, Shorter 3-5, Johnson 3-4, Keegan 3-3, Ungashick 2-5, Schadegg 2-3, Christiansen 1-2, Eman 0-1). Rebounds — Rogers State 24 (Marshall 5); Washburn 32 (Byrd 9). Assists — Rogers State 7 (Johnson 2, Anderson 2); Washburn 23 (six players with 3). Turnovers — Rogers State 7; Washburn 11. Fouled out — none. Attendance — 1,350
