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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods improved to 4–0 on the season Saturday with an 88-57 rout over Winona State in Pittsburg in their final game of the Central Regional Challenge.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored 14 points with five assists and three 3-pointers in Saturday's 88-57 win over Winona State in the Central Regional Challenge. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn returns to a renovated Lee Arena for its home opener against Rockhurst on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
After falling behind 2–0 on the opening possession, Washburn responded with a 10-0 run midway through the first half, sparked by threes from Bryson Smith and Jermiah Jones and a fastbreak layup from Dillon Claussen.
That surge flipped the momentum and gave Washburn a lead it would hold for the final 37 minutes.
The Ichabods shot 50 percent in the opening half and knocked down eight triples to build a 41-26 advantage at the break.
The second half was more of the same as Washburn opened with back-to-back transition buckets from Smith and Brady Christiansen, then extended the margin with a 7-0 spurt capped by a Marcus Glock 3-pointer.
The lead ballooned to 33 points in the final minutes, the Ichabods' largest cushion of the night.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn volleyball celebrates Saturday after earning a share of the MIAA regular-season championship in Whiting Fieldhouse. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn volleyball poses for a team picture after earning a share of the MIAA regular-season title Saturday at Whiting Fieldhouse. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]Washburn, which improved to 24-3 overall and 13-3 in the MIAA, breezed through the first two sets with 25-14 and 25-9 wins over the Lions. The Ichabods were slowed in the third set before pulling away late to sweep the Lions (13-16, 3-13) with a 25-23 win.
Shawnee Heights product Kali Henry (right) is congratulated by her Washburn teammates during a long service run in Saturday's 3-0 MIAA sweep over Arkansas-Fort Smith. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Prior to the match seniors Austin Broadie, Sydney Conner, Alex Dvorak, Kali Henry, Bella Limback and Corinna McMullen were recognized.
The Ichabods got to work right away in the first set, leading 8-3 after Limback and Natalie Hedlund combined for a block. Later on McMullen served an ace that capped off a 3-0 run to put Washburn up 18-10. The offense went on to hit .333 in the set as they eased to the 11-point first-set win.
After Arkansas-Fort Smith took the first point in the second set, the next seven came from the Ichabods with the run wrapped up on a kill by Broadie on a pass from McMullen. Shortly after that a 6-0 run pushed the lead to double figures at 14-3. Washburn led by as many as 16 points, including the final margin.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore cornerback Josh Grant returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown, helping spark Washburn's season-ending 29-24 MIAA win at Missouri Southern. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Redshirt freshman quarterback Logan Madden threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns in Washburn's 29-24 MIAA win at Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore linebacker JC Heim registered 12 tackles and forced a fumble in Washburn's 29-24 MIAA road win at Missouri Southern Saturday. [File photo/TSN] - Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn women's basketball picked up its first win of the 2025-2026 season on Saturday afternoon, riding a late comeback to knock off No. 18-ranked Southwest Minnesota State 63-59 in the Ichabods' final game of the Central Region Challenge in Edmond, Okla.
Britany Kogbara
The Ichabods will return to action inside of renovated Lee Arena against Southwest Baptist at 7 p.m. next Friday at 7 p.m.
Now 1-1 on the young season, Washburn led early Saturday thanks to points in the paint from Yibari Nwidadah and Britany Kogbara. The Ichabod lead reached six points at 15-9 after a driving basket by Brooke Gomez as WU led the Mustangs (2-2) 17-12 after the opening quarter.
Kogbara got the first basket of the second quarter but after that Southwest Minnesota State took over, scoring the next nine points to lead by two. The deficit reached double figures at 33-22 as the Mustangs connected on five 3-pointers in the quarter. Washburn battled through the hot shooting with five more points from Kogbara in the final 90 seconds to give her 15 in the half and cut the Southwest Minnesota State lead to 35-29 at the break.
After the first two points of the half went to Southwest Minnesota State the next 10 points went to the Ichabods as they tied the game with a bucket by Nwidadah and went in front on a pair of free throws by Payton Sterk. Southwest Minnesota State answered right back, going in front by five to end the third quarter leading 47-42.
The Mustangs' lead reached nine with under eight minutes to play. At the 5:36 mark Sterk drilled a 3-pointer to make it 53-49 and start the Ichabod rally. Washburn got within three in the final three minutes and finally came all the way back to tie it up at 59 after Madelyn Amekporfor hit a jumper at the 1:53 mark. She followed with a fastbreak layup to put Washburn in front. The Ichabods forced three straight turnovers and sank free throws on the other end in the final minute to take the four-point win.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's hard to think of much that Ken Darting hasn't accomplished in his Hall of Fame basketball coaching career.
He's led three different schools to state tournament appearances, won five state championships at two schools, including three straight titles at Highland Park, posted a perfect 25-0 campaign and registered 603 coaching victories.
Ken Darting, a member of multiple Halls of Fame, will close out his legendary coaching career alongside his son, Kerry, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Now, when high school practice for the 2025-2026 season starts on Monday, Darting will add what he feels is the only missing piece when his son, Kerry, joins him on the T-Bird bench in his final season at Shawnee Heights.
The 76-year-old Darting had thought about retirement the last couple of years, but wanted to finish out with this year's senior class, which has been a part of back-to-back Class 5A state tournament appearances.
"I'm looking forward to this year as much as I have any year ever and that's pretty good when you say you lost your three leading scorers, three leading rebounders, three leading percentage shooters, leading free throw shooters, leading assist guy, and I'm looking forward to it? I've got to be drunk, dumb or something,'' Darting said. "But these senior kids do everything you ask and they want to be good, they want to have a good team. Those kids have done everything that I told them is important to get good, so we're looking forward to it.
"That's why it should be nothing but fun. When I'm saying I'm looking forward to this year and I said what I lost, I ain't stupid. I'm not looking forward to it because we're going to have five All-Americans and we're going to beat everybody 60 points. I'm looking forward to it because the kind of people that I like to work with are there.''
![Kerry Darting, who operates Darting Basketball Academy, will serve as an assistant coach for his father, Ken, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]](/images/KerryDarting-2.jpg)
Kerry Darting, who operates Darting Basketball Academy, will serve as an assistant coach for his father, Ken, this season at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
And when Kerry, a former Division I assistant and the co-founder with his dad in the highly-successful Darting Basketball Academy, committed to joining his dad on the Heights bench, one more season was a done deal for Ken.
"A biggie is Kerry coming on board,'' Ken said. "That made it a no decision.''
Coaching with his son is something that Ken has thought about for a long time, but the stars just never aligned to make that possible until now.
