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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball juniors Payton Sterk and Yibari Nwidadah were both named to the All-MIAA second team announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Washburn junior Yibari Nwidadah has been named to the All-MIAA second team while also being named to the conference all-defensive team. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junior Payton Sterk has been named to the All-MIAA second team while also being named the conference co-newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Additionally, Sterk earned the honor of co-newcomer of the year while Nwidadah was one of five players selected to the all-defensive team.
Nwidadah earns all-conference honors for the second time in her career and for a second straight season after receiving honorable mention a season ago. The junior led Washburn in scoring at 16.6 points per game while shooting a team and conference high 63.3% from the floor. She tallied seven double-doubles while averaging 7.8 rebounds.
On the offensive end Nwidadah had 11 outings scoring 20 or more points, including a new career high at Quincy on Nov. 16, scoring 29 on 12-16 shooting. She finished the regular season fourth nationally in FG% while ranking sixth in the MIAA in scoring average. She was also named to the all-defensive team for the first time in her career.
Sterk averaged 16.4 points while playing and starting all 29 games, logging a team-high 31.1 minutes per game. She shot a team-high 39.2% from deep and drilled 62 3-pointers, a team-high. The junior guard had 10 games scoring at least 20 points including three 30-plus performances. She scored a Washburn career-high of 33 points with seven made 3-pointers on Feb. 13 against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.
Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.
Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.
Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).
Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 2 -- Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.
The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.
The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).
Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
West sub-state No. 2 -- Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).
CLASS 5A BOYS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Easton Broxterman
EASTON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
A senior wrestling star, Broxterman claimed his third straight Class 6A state championship Saturday in Overland Park, clinching the 144-pound championship with a a 16-0 technical fall over Manhattan junior Brecken Crist-Funk. A four-time state finalist, Broxterman finished his season with a 41-2 record, including four straight technical falls in last weekend's state tournament.
Makayla Cadet
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
Cadet, a junior, became Highland Park's first-ever girls state wrestling champion on her 17th birthday Saturday in Park City, registering a first-period pin over Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro in 1 minute, 36 seconds to win the Class 5A 190-pound title. Cadet, who finished 23-4 on the season, went 4-0 at state with four pins. Cadet's pin over Renfro avenged a loss on a 1:37 pin in a regional final.
Maddie Gragg
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 junior basketball standout, Gragg converted a buzzer-beating inside shot to give the undefeated and top-ranked Seaman girls a 48-47 United Kansas Conference over Piper Wednesday at Seaman. Gragg led the Vikings with 14 points against the Pirates and scored 34 points on the week as defending Class 5A state champion Seaman went 3-0 on the week to finish off a perfect 20-0 regular season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which won its sixth straight team championship, and Topeka High four-time diving champ Jaxon Cowdin headline the 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving team.
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving first team -- Front, from left: Palmer Heskett, Hayden; Castle Wallace, Washburn Rural; Evan Hoobler, Shawnee Heights; Truman Brede, Shawnee Heights; Dawson Blankenship, Topeka High; Kinser Barbosa, Seaman. Back, from left: Peyton Holmes, Seaman; Jeremiah Moylan, Seaman; Will Stewart, Topeka High; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural; Luke Lemke, Washburn Rural; Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Jaxon Cowdin, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front, from left: Patrick Luke, Hayden; Dominic Delgado, Topeka High; Alex Lanterman, Washburn Rural; Kaden Collette, Topeka West; Joseph Jensen, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Owen Lathrop-Allen, Topeka High; Miller Reid, Hayden; William Toland, Topeka High; Josh Hochard, Seaman; Sourish Sinha, Washburn Rural; Brody Clark, Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The All-City team, based on performances in the city meet, includes a city-high four members of the Rural team that won its sixth straight city championship.
Earning first-team All-City honors for the Junior Blues are Thomas Appuhn, Luke Lemke, Andrew Morao-Jaspe and Castle Wallace.
Sophomore Morao-Jaspe won four gold medals in the city meet to pace Rural's title run.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin earned his fourth straight city one-meter diving title and his third straight Centennial League championship before finishing 11th in 6A.
The Trojans also put Dawson Blankenship and Will Stewart on the first team after finishing second as a team in the city meet.
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City team by repeat picks Truman Brede and Evan Hoobler while Kinser Barbosa, Peyton Holmes and Jeremiah Moylan earned first-team berths for Seaman and Hayden is represented by Palmer Heskett.
All-City capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball finished out its regular season with a 70-66 come-from-behind MIAA win Saturday afternoon, knocking off Missouri Southern on the road.
Yibari Nwidadah (32) scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Saturday's 70-66 MIAA road win at Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]
WU finished its regular season 17-12 overall and 11-8 in the MIAA and will compete in the conference tournament this week in the historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Washburn is the No. 5 seed and will open its tournament bid against No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. Friday.
Saturday's regular-season finale was a back-and-forth affair early on with four ties in the first quarter.
Washburn went fron down by three to up by three with a 6-0 run started by a Yibari Nwidadah shot inside.
The Ichabods led by five with 1:27 to play in the quarter after Aniah Wayne on a triple. The Lions (18-13, 10-9) tied things up in the next minute but the Ichabods still led 21-19 after one, with Nwidadah scoring in the final seconds.
The second quarter began much like the first with both teams trading scores.
A free throw by Gabi Giovannetti tied the game up at 29 with 3:52 to go before the half, but the next nine points would all come from the Lions as they shot 61.5% in the quarter. The run came to an end as Giovannetti ended the half with a 3-pointer to make it 38-32 Southern going into the break.
Washburn began chipping away at the lead early in the third, pulling within two at the 6:46 mark after another layup by Nwidadah.
The next six points went to Missouri Southern to go back in front by eight. The Ichabods kept it there and a triple by Wayne cut the Washburn deficit to three with 2:19 in the quarter. Neither team scored the rest of the frame, making it a 52-49 Southern lead heading into the fourth.
