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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After advancing to the Class 6A-5A state championship match as a sophomore, the last two seasons have been a bit of a nightmare for Seaman girls wrestling star Koti Best.
Seaman senior Koti Best returned from an injury Saturday to win the 125-pound title in the Class 5A West regional at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A four-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, Best missed a big chunk of her junior season with concussion issues although she did return -- briefly -- in time for state.
"I wrestled the first round and I got re-concussed,'' Best lamented.
Best was back at full strength for the start of the current campaign, but was forced to the sidelines again after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the Newton tournament.
"It was not a good time,'' Best said. "I was so scared. I was like, 'I can't lose my season two years in a row.' ''
Seaman senior Koti Best reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's Class 5A West regional en route to the 125-pound title. [Seaman Athletics]
Fortunately, that didn't happen, with Best returning to action with a dominant performance in Saturday's 5A West regional tournament at Seaman while capturing the 125-pound title and reaching the 100-win career milestone during the tournament.
"It's been so frustrating because I was so close and then I just kept getting shot down and shot down and hurt and hurt, but it motivated me a lot,'' Best said.
And Best got through regionals without any further damage to her shoulder.
"I felt very good,'' she said. "My shoulder was a little bit sore, but that's expected.''
Best, now 17-2 on the season, went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting more than 1 minute, 25 seconds.
Best posted 30-second, 1:02 and 25-second pins to reach the championship match before defeating Great Bend freshman Micah Ellegood in a final that was halted at the 1:25 mark due to an injury to Ellegood that occurred during a Best takedown.
"I felt so awful, I felt so bad,'' said Best, who was leading 9-2 when the match was stopped.
"We've been there and I don't want to see anybody ever get hurt,'' said Seaman coach Jordan Best, Koti's father. "That's not how we want to win matches. It's unfortunate, but I hope she makes a quick recovery and I know she can bounce back. She's going to be a stud.''
Best will now look forward to her final state meet Feb. 28-March 1 at Park City's Hartman Arena as one of seven state qualifiers for the Vikings.
Seaman senior Taylie Heston was the 120-pound runnerup in Saturday's Class 5A West Regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior 120-pounder Taylie Heston (29-7) also advanced to the regional finals before she dropped 2-1 four-overtime decision to Emporia junior Kensley Medrano.
Seaman, which finished sixth as a team, also got fourth-place finishes from senior 110-pounder Natalie Smith (26-9) and 130-pound junior Makenna Stuke (23-13) and sixth-place finishes from freshman 115-pounder Avery Villines (13-16) and senior 190-pounder Abagail Soppe (11-9) and a seventh-place showing from freshman Savannah Rivera (11-24).
"Actually that's a little bit more than I envisioned happening, so it's a good day,'' Seaman coach Jordan Best said. "We had some girls that themselves didn't think they would actually make the state tournament that made it so that's awesome.''
Topeka West qualified two wrestlers for state, with sophomore 235-pounder Monica Stewart (12-13) finishing sixth and sophomore 170-pounder Haylee Jessepe (6-12) finishing eighth.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel won the regional team title by a 218.5-180.5 margin over Hays.
CLASS 5A WEST GIRLS REGIONAL WRESTLING
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Northeastern State University Events Center continued to be a house of horrors for the Washburn University men on Saturday as the No. 1-ranked Ichabods fell 88-84, losing their fourth game in a row to the RiverHawks in Tahlequah, Okla.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter led Washburn with 21 points in Saturday's 88-84 MIAA loss at Northeastern State. [File photo/TSN]
For the second straight game the Ichabods led at the break by four, leading Northeastern State 40-36 despite the RiverHawks shooting 60 percent from the field in the opening period (15 of 25) while the Ichabods were 15 of 35 for 43 percent.
In the second half, the Ichabods (22-2 overall, 13-2 MIAA) led by as many as eight points with 14:12 to go after a layup by sophomore Jack Bachelor, who scored 10 points in the second half.
A 17-6 run by the RiverHawks that finished with back-to-back 3-pointers put NSU up 62-60 with 10:22 to go.
The RiverHawks (14-10, 8-7) pushed their lead to five at 82-77 with 3:00 to go, but a Brayden Shorter 3-pointer cut the lead to 82-80 17 seconds later.
NSU hit a pair of free throws, then after two free throws by Bachelor and Jacob Hanna pulled the Ichabods within one at 85-84 with 33 seconds left.
NSU scored a basket with 26 seconds to go and a free throw with 18 to left to wrap up the win.
Shorter scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half while hitting five 3-pointers, leading five Ichabods in double figures.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball was strong on the defensive end Saturday, building a first-half lead and holding on late for a 62-52 road win over Northeastern State.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah (32) scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Washburn's 62-52 MIAA win at Northeastern State. [File photo/TSN]
With Saturday's victory Washburn improved to 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the MIAA, eclipsing its win total for the 2023-2024 campaign with a minimum of five games remaining in the current season. The 14 victories are also a high-water mark for WU under coach Lora Westling, in her third season.
It was a slow start to the game offensively for both teams, with the first field goal of the game coming from junior Yibari Nwidadah at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter.
Washburn held the RiverHawks (10-14, 6-9) without a field goal until there was just 3:16 in the quarter. The Ichabods led by as many as six in the first quarter but finished the opening 10 minutes leading 14-12.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second quarter. Separation was created by Washburn with a 6-0 run over the final 4:11 of the half, with a layup by Nwidadah pushing the Ichabod halftime lead up to 12 (31-19) as the visitors held the home team scoreless over the final four minutes of the second quarter. Northeastern State shooting 18.2 percent in the second quarter.
After the first two points of the third quarter went to the RiverHawks, the next seven all went to Washburn, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers, first from Payton Sterk then Gabi Giovannetti to lead 38-21.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's girls avenged an earlier six-point loss to Manhattan with a 64-52 home Centennial League win over the Indians Friday night.
Freshman Hailey Caryl led Topeka High with 22 points in Friday's 64-52 Centennial League win over Manhattan Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Freshman Hailey Caryl led the Trojans with 22 points, going 7 of 7 from the field, and also contributed 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton added 18 points, with a pair of 3pointers, while junior Keimara Marshall had 12 points with 8 rebounds and senior Jo'Mhara Benning had 5 points and 13 rebounds.
Topeka High, which dropped a 60-54 decision to the Indians on Feb. 5, improved to 10-7 overall and 3-4 in the Centennial League while Manhattan fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Indians trip Trojan boys in OT
Looking for its second straight win, Topeka High's boys took Manhattan to overtime Friday night at High before dropping a 73-66 decision to the Indians.
Manhattan improved to 6-10 while Topeka High fell to 1-16.
Junior Simon Rowley led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Friday's 64-58 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Blues protect Centennial lead with 64-58 win at Junction City
Washburn Rural's boys strengthened their hold on the Centennial League lead with a 64-58 win at Junction City Friday night.
Junior Simon Rowley led the Junior Blues with 18 points while Amare Jones had 14 points, senior Kaden Ballard 12 points and junior John Hoytal nine.
Rural, which won its third straight game, improved to 12-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the league while the Blue Jays fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Senior Kate Hinck led Washburn Rural with 17 points in Friday's 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Rural girls take 71-13 Centennial road win over Blue Jays
Ten Washburn Rural players cracked the scoring column, including three double-figure scorers, as the Junior Blues rolled to a 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City.
Senior Kate Hinck led the Junior Blues with 17 points, followed by Maddie Vickery with 16 points and Gracie Hayes with 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Rural built a 45-8 halftime lead and a running clock was used throughout the second half.
Senior Kamoni Ford led Topeka West with 13 points in Friday's 69-46 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
West boys roll to 69-46 UKC road win over Leavenworth
Four Topeka West players cracked double figures Friday night as the Chargers improved to 10-6 on the season with a 69-46 United Kansas Conference road victory at Leavenworth.
