After spending their whole lives growing up in one town, a lot of high school athletes have their hearts set on getting away and seeing somewhere new when it comes time to pick a college.
Taylor Brees
Former Shawnee Heights multi-sport standout Taylor Brees was one of those student-athletes, but after a lot of thinking, Brees decided she wasn't going anywhere, a decision that has paid immediate dividends for both Brees and Brenda Holaday's 13-2 Washburn University softball team.
"I didn't want to stay here and Washburn actually never even crossed my mind,'' Brees said. "I was looking at St. Louis University and I was pretty heavily leaning on that. And then I just got a random text one day from Holaday and she wanted me to come on a visit.
"I was like, 'Oh yeah, I'll go but I'm not really thinking that's where I'll end up,' because I was so heavy on SLU (an NCAA Division I school) at that point. Then I came and I was like, 'Oh, this is not what I thought it was.' I was pleasantly surprised and I ended up deciding that this was probably my best fit.''
Brees was told that she would have an opportunity to play this spring as a freshman for the Ichabods, which helped cement her decision.
"That was a big thing that went into my decision was that (coach Holaday) basically told me that I could have an almost immediate impact whereas SLU, they were kind of a little bit more wishy washy about that,'' Brees said. "And Washburn also has such great facilities, so it was kind of a combination of those things.''
The 5-foot-3 Brees knew she had to earn her way into the Washburn lineup and went about doing that over the fall and winter while also making the position switch from second base to right field.
"I was really nervous that first game and, honestly, all fall and winter I wasn't really sure that I would be starting,'' she said. "I was kind of like on the bubble there, like that 10th man in softball terms. But the day before we were leaving for Texas, they put me in lineup. So I kind of only had a day before I knew.
"That first game I was really nervous and when I heard my name in the lineup I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is really happening.' But I went up there and I got a hit my first at bat and after that hit I was like, 'OK, you're fine, you can do this.' ''
Holaday, a former state-champion coach at Washburn Rural and the winningest coach in Washburn softball history, said Brees has taken advantage of every opportunity she's been given.
"She absolutely has,'' Holaday said. "To be a freshman and come into a program with a lot of established kids that should be tabbed for certain starting positions and all the transition that goes into playing at the college level and being a college student and moving away from home, the transition and the changes that she's made are a credit to her.
"She's extremely, extremely coachable, so when we saw what her bat was giving us in the fall and we had Dalaney Anderson at second we decided we would try to convert her to an outfielder. She loves second base and if she had her way she'd be at second base, but she loves playing more, so she started working at the outfield.''
The Cair Paravel girls’ three-game winning streak was snapped in a 35-30 home loss to Jefferson County North in the final regular season game Thursday. The Lions finished the schedule with an 11-11 record and now await their postseason assignment.
Becca Gateley led CPLS with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in Thursday's 35-30 loss to Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Lions stayed in lockstep with the visiting Chargers right to the end. Neither team led by more than four points until the final seconds, and Cair Paravel led by one point, 30-29, with 3:40 left.
It was at that point that the foul disparity became too much for the Lions to overcome. Cair Paravel committed 20 fouls to the Chargers’ 10. The Chargers hit 14-20 free throws to the Lions’ 2-4. Cair Paravel’s two seniors – Karsyn Hastert and KellyAnn Chada – both fouled out in the final minutes.
“Obviously, fouls were a big part of the game, and it was hard because three of my girls were playing with four fouls,” said Cair Paravel coach Jaley Barkley.
The Lions got just three points from their leading scorer, London Backman, and none from Chada.
“You could definitely tell Jefferson County North had scouted us. They were all over Karsyn and they really shut down KellyAnn and London,” said Barkley. “I’m proud of the girls that stepped up. They hit some shots.”
Karsyn Hastert had 10 points in Thursday's 35-30 Cair Paravel loss to Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Becca Gateley got hot in the second half, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Lions in it. She finished with 11 points, followed by Hastert with 10.
Though the loss dropped the Lions to .500, Barkley said the three-game win streak injected a sense of pride in the team.
“The girls have really enjoyed having that winning record,” Barkley said. “It’s kind of brought a different fuel and energy to the team that wasn’t there last year. Being .500 puts us kind of in the middle of the pack (for sub-state) as opposed to some of the years before.”
The Lions are 5-2 in February and hope to be peaking at the right time.
“From our first game of the season ‘til now, we’ve improved in all areas,” Barkley said. “I’m just proud of the girls for everything they’ve learned throughout this season in every individual game. They’ve been very coachable and have grown so much.”
JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTH GIRLS 35, CAIR PARAVEL 30
Jefferson County North 10 4 11 10 -- 35
Cair Paravel 7 8 8 7 -- 30
Jefferson County North (13-9) – Blattner 2-7 3-4 8, Johnson 1-9 2-2 4, Thompson 2-7 4-8 8, Porter 2-6 0-0 4, L. Noll 0-6 2-2 2, Schrick 1-4 0-0 2, R. Noll 1-6 1-2 3, Hernandez 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 10-47 14-20 35.
3-point goals – Jefferson County North 1 (Blattner), Cair Paravel 4 (Gateley 3, Backman). Total fouls – Jefferson County North 10, Cair Paravel 20. Fouled out – Hastert, Chada. Technical fouls – none.
The red-hot Cair Paravel Lions ran their winning streak to 17 games Thursday, setting themselves up for the post-season with a 64-43 victory over Jefferson County North.
Chase Hastert paced Cair Paravel with 13 points in Thursday's 64-43 win over Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 20-2 Lions have not tasted defeat since December 12, when they dropped a hard-fought battle with Axtell, the state’s top-ranked team in Class 1A Div. 2.
Thursday, Cair Paravel overcome a size disadvantage by playing gritty defense and shooting the lights out. The Lions hit 23-47 shots, including eight threes to just two for JCN.
The Lions had to figure out how to stop towering post player Isaac Laird and high-scoring wing man Chance Jenkins. Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer decided to put his tallest player, Blaine Durbin, on the lanky Jenkins, leaving senior Caleb Cleverdon to defend Laird in the paint.
“Coach Johnny McDermott put together a flawless scouting report and they followed it to a T,” Kueffer said. "(The Chargers) were a huge matchup problem, and they’re going to make a run, I would be surprised if they don’t win their sub-state. They’ve got a lot of length and they’ve got matchups.
“Caleb Cleverdon, I mean, he doesn’t look like much of an offensive lineman, but he is. So, we just had him sit on (Laird). He had to have help from behind and we had to talk, big time. Really proud of Caleb for the way he showed up tonight.”
Freshman Mateo Gossard reacts after hitting one of his four 3-pointers Thursday night in Cair Paravel's 64-43 win over JCN. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Lions led 18-9 early in the second period when they got an outburst from freshman Matteo Gossard, the only non-starter to play for the Lions. Gossard nearly brought the roof down when he connected on four consecutive 3-pointers in the quarter.
“Stay ready, you don’t have to get ready,” Kueffer said of Gossard’s contribution. “He’s a player. No surprise to anybody, but so happy for him. He’s been a spark all year, but really happy to see those shots fall for him.”
“Our guards, Chase (Hastert) and Lucas (Marichal), were driving in, creating open lanes for me and then just dishing the ball. Then I just basically had to finish the job,” Gossard said. “So, thanks to them. When I hit the first one, I kind of was like, ‘I might be able to get hot.’ Then my teammates just kept giving me the ball when there was no one on me.”
Trailing 34-15 at halftime, Jefferson County North made some adjustments and appeared energized to make a run. But senior Drew Fay, scoreless in the first half, converted all four of his field goal attempts in the quarter to help the Lions stay in front.
“It was a great team win. This was definitely one of our best games of the season,” Fay said. “I felt like we all worked together, we all played hard, and things were just kind of clicking tonight. Our passes felt crisp. We were hitting shots. It seemed like things were just going our way.”
The Lions’ offense produced balanced scoring Thursday. Hastert led with 13 points, followed by Gossard and Durbin with 12 apiece. Cleverdon and Fay each tallied 10, and Marichal added seven.
The Lions entered the final week of the season as the seventh-ranked team in Class 2A. Having never been ranked before this season, they now enter the postseason in an unfamiliar role – the hunted as opposed to the hunter.
“It’s interesting because we’re starting to get a little bit of attention from people,” Kueffer said. “We just got to make sure that we deflect and redirect all that attention towards Christ because that’s what we stand on. That’s the cornerstone of everything we do. We’re getting attention for the school, which is a great thing, but we got to make sure that the main thing stays the main thing.”
CAIR PARAVEL BOYS 64, JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTH 43
Jefferson County North 7 8 16 12 -- 43
Cair Paravel 10 24 15 15 -- 64
Jefferson County North (16-6) – Van Dyke 2-8 0-0 4, Elias 1-5 0-0 3, Fuhrman 3-9 4-8 10, Jenkins 4-9 1-1 10, Laird 5-5 2-4 12, Lindsay 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 17-39 7-13 43.
3-point goals – Jefferson County North 2 (Elias 1, Jenkins 1), Cair Paravel 8 (Gossard 4, Cleverdon 2, Hastert 2). Total fouls – Jefferson County North 14, Cair Paravel 13. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
The No. 3-ranked Washburn Ichabods clinched their 12th MIAA regular-season title and second straight with a dominant road performance Thursday night, rolling past Central Oklahoma, 82-58.
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor scored 19 points for the Ichabods in Thursday's 82-58 win over UCO while adding nine assists, four steals and hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts.
Washburn will play its final regular-season road game at Rogers State on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Ichabods, who improved to 25-1 overall and 15-1 in the MIAA, set the tone early and never trailed, building a commanding 51-30 halftime advantage while shooting 49 percent from the field (19 of 37), including a blistering 53 percent from 3-point range (9 of 17) in the opening 20 minutes while holding the Bronchos to 9 of 25 shooting at 36 percent.
Washburn's defense clamped down on the Bronchos from behind the 3-point line in the second half, holding UCO to 1 of 13 shooting and just 12 of 36 overall.
Midway through the second half, UCO did cut the Ichabod lead to 14 at 62-48, but Washburn responded with a 20-4 run to slam the door, building its lead to as many as 30 with 95 seconds to play.
The Ichabods picked up their first win at UCO since Jan. 14, 2017, snapping a five-game losing streak in Edmond.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored a team-high 19 points for the Ichabods, 16 in the opening half, while adding nine assists and four steals and hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts.
Sophomore Marcus Glock added 14 points off the bench, going 4 of 6 from deep, while sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 13 points in 17 minutes and senior Brady Christiansen scored 12 with seven rebounds.
Washburn University women's basketball picked up its eighth win in its last 10 tries and third in a row on Thursday evening with a 63-48 road win at Central Oklahoma.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah led a balanced attack with 14 points as Washburn improved to 18-7 with a 63-48 MIAA win at Central Oklahoma Thursday. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods play on the road for the final time in the regular season at Rogers State on Saturday with a 1 p.m. tipoff.
After a quick start by the Bronchos (9-16 overall, 4-12 MIAA) that saw them in front 8-7, Washburn (18-7, 11-5) took control in the last five minutes of the opening quarter.
The Ichabods finished the quarter on a 7-2 run to take an 18-12 lead at the end of the quarter while shooting 58.3 percent.
A pair of quick buckets by sophomore Brooke Gomez and senior Yibari Nwidadah pushed the Washburn lead to double figures at the 8:23 mark of the second quarter and forced a timeout by Central Oklahoma.
Scoring was scarce for both teams in the quarter after the opening minutes, as the Ichabods held the home squad to 3-11 shooting in the frame. The Ichabods led by as many as 12 points and went into the break leading 31-22.
The Bronchos came out of halftime firing, cutting the lead down to four at 34-30 with 5:12 remaining in the third.
Washburn responded with five points in a row, all from junior Britany Kogbara, and a jumper by Kellyn Hunter pushed the lead back to double figures and Washburn went into the fourth quarter leading 45-35.
Nwidadah got a pair of buckets early in the fourth stanza but the Bronchos cut away at the lead chipping it down to seven.
This time the Ichabods responded with a 10-0 run, capped off by 3-pointers from freshman Kennadi Jackson and senior Gabi Giovannetti, giving WU its largest lead of the game with 4:48 to go. The lead never dipped below 13 points from that point as Washburn closed out the 15-point win.
Washburn junior Jack Bachelor scored 19 points for the Ichabods in Thursday's 82-58 win over UCO while adding nine assists, four steals and hitting 5 of 8 3-point attempts. 
