- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top-ranked Seaman's 24-game winning streak appeared to be in serious jeopardy for much of Wednesday's United Kansas Conference makeup game against No. 5 Piper.
Junior Maddie Gragg hit a follow shot at the buzzer to give Seaman a 48-47 win over Piper Wednesday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Maddie Gragg and the Vikings found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, with the junior standout hitting a follow shot at the buzzer to give Seaman a 48-47 victory and the outright UKC title.
"Just find a way to win,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "We have some tough kids in that locker room, oh my goodness, and (Piper) got us out of our comfort zone.
"But these girls are just so tough and they battled and we got back in it. We made it interesting by missing free throws late, but we had kids step up and I don't have enough time here to talk about everything that these kids did to contribute but it was definitely a team effort against a great team. We're happy with the win, especially playing back-to-back games. This has been a tough week.''
Seaman, which improved to 19-0 overall and 15-0 in the conference with their 25th straight win, trailed the Pirates (15-4, 12-3) by four points at the end of the opening quarter, by as many as seven points in the second and third quarters and by five in the fourth stanza, but the Vikings never lost contact.
After trailing by five (43-38) with less than three and a half minutes left, Seaman used an 8-2 run to take its first lead of the second half (46-45) with just 30.8 seconds remaining on two Gragg free throws.
Piper senior star Grace McCallop answered at the other end with 16 seconds left to put the Pirates back in front 47-46 before Seaman called a timeout with 14.1 seconds remaining to set up its final play.
Viking senior star Anna Becker drove the length of the court and missed a shot, but after players from both teams got their hands on the ball, Gragg scooped up the loose ball and scored just before the final buzzer.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After running away with the Class 6A state title in 2023, Washburn Rural's boys bowling team had an off day in the 2024 regional and failed to qualify for state as a team, depriving the Junior Blues of an opportunity to defend their championship.
Washburn Rural's boys and girls bowling teams swept the team championships in Wednesday's Class 6A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural was back on its game in Wednesday's 2025 regional at Gage Bowl, rolling to the team championship by a 123-pin margin over fellow Centennial League member Junction City (3,562-3,439).
The Junior Blues put three bowlers in the top 10 while all six Rural team members finished in the top 18 and bowled between 598 and 679 series.
Sophomore Andrew Faurot paced Washburn Rural with a third-place individual finish (679) while Glinka finished seventh (650) and junior Cody Spangler 10th (642).
Senior Tyler Faurot bowled a 617 series while senior Conner Ahrens had a 606 and junior Jackson Keller a 598.
Washburn Rural's boys title-winning performance came after the Rural girls dominated the morning session.
The Junior Blues, who finished second in 6A a year ago, put four bowlers in the top eight places individually on the way to winning the team title by a whopping 341 pins over Junction City (3,259-2,918).
Senior Elizabeth Poling and junior Camrynn Ahrens finished two-three individually in the regional meet, with Poling second with a 629 series and Ahrens third with a 616.
Rural junior Kenzie Lawson posted a sixth-place finish (597) and senior Ashley Billups an eighth-place showing (575) while sophomore Megan Glinka bowled a 561 series and junior Stella Gordon a 451.
The 6A state tournament will be held next Friday at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, with the girls bowling at 8:50 a.m. followed by the boys at 1:40 p.m.
CLASS 6A REGIONAL
At Gage Bowl
BOYS
Team scores
Washburn Rural 3,562, Junction City 3,439, Olathe Northwest 3,318, Manhattan 3,256, Wichita Southeast 3,169, Lawrence Free State 3,092, Lawrence 2,996, Olathe North 2,972, Gardner-Edgerton 2,894, Olathe West 2,813, Topeka High 2,621, Mill Valley 2,592.
Individual results
1. Maxwell Case, Wichita Southeast, 782; 2. Simon Clark, Olathe Northwest, 680; 3. Andrew Faurot, Washburn Rural, 679; 4. Jesse Holtkamp, Junction City, 664; 5. Jackson Sorenson-Hills, Olathe Northwest, 657; 6. Nicholas Burfict, Manhattan, 652; 7. Logan Glinka, Washburn Rural, 650; 8. Cael Smith, Junction City, 649; 9. Maddox Siharath, Wichita Southeast, 644; 10. Cody Spangler, Washburn Rural, 642.
Other Washburn Rural -- 13. Tyler Faurot, 617; 15. Conner Ahrens, 606; Jackson Keller, 598.
Topeka High -- 38. Austin Mitchell, 518; 46. Franklin Jackson, 499; 52. Adrian Meraz, 477; 63. Wyatt Jones, 434; 67. Miles Barnes, 415; 70. Hunter Mitchell, 380.
Individual state qualifiers -- Maxwell Case, Wichita Southeast; Nicholas Burfict, Manhattan; Maddox Siharath, Wichita Southeast; Graesyn Hoss, Lawrence; Knowlen Owens, Olathe West; Jacob Catron, Olathe West.
GIRLS
Team scores
Washburn Rural 3,259, Junction City 2,918; Mill Valley 2,768, Olathe West 2,519, Lawrence Free State 2,476, Olathe Northwest 2,606, Manhattan 2,674, Gardner-Edgerton 2,289, Wichita Southeast 2,705, Olathe North 2,559, Lawrence 2,183, Topeka High 1,914.
Individual results
1. Cortlynn Millington, Manhattan, 640; 2. Elizabeth Poling, Washburn Rural, 629; 3. Camrynn Ahrens, Washburn Rural, 616, 4. Alyssa Brantley, Wichita Southeast, 604; 5. Abby Haney, Mill Valley, 601; 6. Kenzie Lawson, Washburn Rural, 597; 7. Victoria Martinez, Junction City, 576; 8. Ashley Billups, Washburn Rural, 575; 9. Grace Radi, Manhattan, 566; 10. Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton, 565.
Other Washburn Rural -- 12. Megan Glinka, 561; 31. Stella Gordon, 451.
Topeka High -- 32. Lilly Krohe, 450; 50. Sophia Ambrose, 394; 65. Catie Fulton, 333; 68. Maurine Wadley, 292; 70. Molly Meseke, 283; 71. Keelie Colstrom, 247.
Individual state qualifiers -- Cortlynn Millington, Manhattan; Alyssa Brantley, Wichita Southeast; Grace Radi, Manhattan; Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton; Emma Reese, Olathe Northwest; Lexie Eberle, Olathe West.
Seaman's girls bowling team posted a 1-2-3 individual finish and won Tuesday's Class 5A regional by 514 pins. [Seaman Athletics]
Seaman girls go 1-2-3 en route to 5A regional title sweep
Seaman's girls swept the top three individual spots in Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Emporia's Flint Hills Lanes as the Vikings claimed the team championship by a 514-pin margin over Emporia. Shawnee Heights also claimed a state team berth with a third-place finish.
Viking freshman Leah Crawford shot a 630 series to win the individual championship while sophomore Paige Snyder was second with a 613 and junior Claire LaDuke third with 581.
- Details
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The Seaman Vikings, ranked eighth in Class 5A, began the final week of the regular season by facing the Leavenworth Pioneers in a United Kansas Conference battle on Tuesday night.
Seaman junior KaeVon Bonner led Seaman with 26 points and seven 3-pointers in Tuesday's 76-38 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
The Vikings relied on a hot shooting night and a tough defense that forced 20 turnovers to defeat the Pioneers, 76-38.
The first four minutes of the contest was back-and-forth with the teams tied at 5. Over the next minute, juniors KaeVon Bonner and Landon Wiltz hit 3-pointers to give the Vikings an 11-5 lead with three minutes left in the quarter, causing the Pioneers to take a timeout. Bonner hit two more 3-point shots to finish the quarter and the Vikings led 19-10.
Bonner continued his hot shooting in the second quarter, finishing 6-6 from behind the 3-point arc and leading the Vikings with 21 points in the half. Wiltz and fellow junior Cameron Brian scored 6 points and 5 points, respectively, in the quarter.
But the highlight of the quarter and quite possibly the game, came with one second remaining in the first half. Following a Leavenworth turnover, Seaman coach Craig Cox inserted Bonner back into the game, who had gone to the bench after picking up his second foul late in the first half. Senior Bryer Finley threw a three-quarter court pass to Bonner, who spun and banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Vikings a 44-28 lead at the half.
- Details
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
In the first of three games this week to close out the regular season, the top-ranked team in Class 5A, the Seaman Lady Vikings faced the Leavenworth Pioneers Tuesday night.
Seaman senior Anna Becker (23) led the way with 18 points in Tuesday's 54-29 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
The Lady Vikings were dominant on defense and efficient on offense, taking control from the opening tip and winning the United Kansas Conference game going away, 54-29.
"I love watching us play,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "We work well together and we were sound on both ends of the floor for a majority of the game. Our defense was solid in the first half.”
Seaman started the game on an 8-0 run over the first five minutes, led by senior Anna Becker’s five points. Leavenworth scored their first and only two baskets in the final 1:25 of the quarter and Seaman led, 16-4.
The second quarter saw the Lady Pioneers almost double their offensive output, but the Lady Vikes were still able to force nine turnovers and extend their lead to 34-11 at the half.
Seaman came out of the locker room after halftime and shot 8-15 from the field to extend their lead to 52-18 and the running clock was in effect for the final stanza. Tinsley complimented his team’s play in the third quarter, “Our offense in the third quarter was efficient. Our emphasis in practice on Monday was on ball movement and shot selection. When we have at least five passes and player movement, we will have great shots.”
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By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
The Class 4A No. 2-ranked Hayden girls hosted Junction City Tuesday night and this game would be all Hayden as the Wildcats would open with a 25-0 first quarter and take a 41-9 halftime lead.
Senior Brylee Meier scored a game-high 26 points as Hayden took a 76-23 Centennial League victory over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
The Centennial League-champion Lady Wildcats would end up finishing off league play with a 76-23 win over the Blue Jays.
The Wildcats would get a career night from senior Brylee Meier as she would hit six 3-pointers on 10-15 shooting from the field and lead all scorers with 26 points.
"She hit her first couple and when she does that she is pretty deadly, and once I saw those first few go in I knew it was going to be a good night,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said.
“I just kept getting open on the 3-point line, and my teammates would give me the ball whenever I was open,'' Meier said.
The Wildcats also got double figures from freshman Hailey Schmidtlein scoring 17 as 12 of the 14 girls to check into the game would crack the scoring column for the Wildcats.
