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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
ROSSVILLE – Rossville's boys basketball team isn't loaded with shooting depth and building cohesion and rhythm within the lineup will take time for a team with just two seniors.
However, Tuesday night's 50-43 victory over Silver Lake was a step in the right direction for Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell and the Bulldawgs.
First-year Rossville boys basketball coach Brandon McDonnell an his Bulldawgs opened Mid-East League play with a 50-43 win over rival Silver Lake Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Saint Mildren (10) scored a game-high 17 points in Rossville's 50-43 win over Silver Lake Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville and Silver Lake's teams are remarkably similar in the 2022-2023 campaign. Both squads have very few returners to their lineups, bruising defenders and a plethora of guys learning the Xs and Os on the court.
With the similarities, this matchup was uniquely intriguing.
Tuesday night's War on 24 contest at Rossville didn't light up the scoreboard, but it showcased Rossville's gritty and hard-nosed defensive performance.
It took everybody in the "Dawghouse" to slow down a Silver Lake team that was rolling on initial momentum.
The game plan for McDonnell and the Bulldawgs against Silver Lake was simple -- outwork Silver Lake.
"Compete," McDonnell said. "That's the bottom line. It's not an X and O type thing; it's are you going to come out here and compete as hard as you can? Really, that was our first complete game from the tip to the finish of doing a game in its entirety with competing. When you (compete), we're going to be hard to beat, and we're not relying so much on our offensive efforts; it's our defense that really chimed in today.
"A lot of things that aren't kept in stats is what we did today, and that's a reason why we were able to pull some things out today and come out with a victory on War on 24.''
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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
Coming off a win over defending Class 6A state champion Wichita Heights, the Washburn Rural boys wanted to come out of winter break the same way they went in.
With 24 points in the fourth quarter, they were able to do just that, knocking off Junction City 64-58 in both teams' Centennial League opener.
“All league games are huge, especially with the league shrinking down, there’s not as many games so you really have to capitalize on the opportunities you get so it was good to hold serve at home,” said Rural coach Alex Hutchins, who earned his first Centennial League win as head coach.
Senior Jack Bachelor (center) scored 21 points to lead the way in Washburn Rural's 64-58 Centennial League win over Junction City. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior JC Heim drives to the basket in Tuesday's 64-58 Centennial League win over Junction City. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Senior Jack Bachelor led the way for the Junior Blues, finishing with 21 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
Bachelor played lead guard in a team performance that coach Hutchins was pleased with in crunch time against an aggressive defense.
“I thought the guys did a pretty good job of handling pressure, I don’t know that we really turned it over too much against the press from Junction,” Hutchins said. “I was proud of the way we gutted it out and finished.”
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
ROSSVILLE – If Class 3A's No. 2-ranked Silver Lake developed any cobwebs over the winter break, it wasn't noticeable Tuesday night as the Lady Eagles opened the new year with an emphatic 63-50 rivalry victory over its Highway 24 nemesis, Rossville.
The last time the Silver Lake Lady Eagles lost a regular season contest was January 22nd, 2022. With the same starting five that took this team to a state tournament last year, the Eagles have yet to look back and are moving forward at warp speed.
Silver Lake junior Makenzie McDaniel (left) scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Eagles' 63-50 win at Rossville Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 2023 opener had more meaning than most matchups.
Both Rossville and Silver Lake entered the War on 24 contest undefeated.
No. 9-ranked Rossville entered Tuesday night's Mid-East League matchup with a ton of momentum, winning its first five games before Silver Lake handed the Bulldawgs their first loss and outscored its first five opponents, 305-142.
The Lady Dawgs were looking to avenge their two losses against Silver Lake from last year but couldn't overcome the Eagles.
"I told the girls I was very proud of them," Rossville coach Michael Bell said. "I thought we accomplished a lot of stuff that we wanted to. I thought we were able to get the ball out and push. (Silver Lake) obviously has a great team, but we've got to play for four quarters. We had some mishaps."
A big reason why Rossville took a home loss was the standout 6-foot-1 junior McKenzie McDaniel's impact for Silver Lake. For the second game in a row, McDaniel had a double-double, recording 22 points and 14 rebounds.
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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
Through the middle two quarters of their Centennial League opener Tuesday night, the No. 7-ranked Washburn Rural girls basketball team went on a 35-0 run against Junction City en route to a 50-9 home win.
“(We were) obviously a little rusty coming off the break,” said Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick. “But we will take a 'W' anytime. It’s a credit to the kids and how hard they are working.”
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye scored a game-high 17 points Tuesday night as Washburn Rural opened Centennial League play with a 50-9 romp past Junction City. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Zoe Canfield (15) scored 13 points in the Junior Blues' 50-9 Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Blue Jay sophomore Sasha Cebula scored a layup in the first minute of the second quarter to make the game, 10-5.
It was about the only highlight for Junction City (1-6 overall, 0-1 league) on the night as the Lady Blues (4-2, 1-0) scored the final 20 points of the quarter to lead 30-5 at the break.
“We’ve got a lot of things we can do on offense to create better looks for us, but, when we have a couple of kids hit some outside shots and some 3s, like we did, it just opens up everything,” Bordewick said.
All 30 first-half points for Rural came from seniors Brooklyn DeLeye and Chloe Carlgren and junior Zoe Canfield. The trio of starters combined to score 39 for the game.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas announced Tuesday night that he has entered the transfer portal after one season at the University of Kansas.
"Thank you Kansas. I have entered my name into the transfer portal,'' the 6-foot, 200-pound Thomas announced on Twitter Tuesday night.
Former Topeka High star Ky Thomas scores the first of his two touchdowns for Kansas in the 2022 Liberty Bowl. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Topeka High product Ky Thomas announced Tuesday night that he has entered the transfer portal after one season at Kansas. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Thomas, who finished his high school career as the the No. 2 all-time rushing leader in Kansas with 7.703 yards (3.009 as a senior), began his college career at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas prior to the 2022 season.
As a redshirt freshman at Minnesota, Thomas led the Gophers with 824 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries and capped his Minnesota career with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, earning offensive most valuable player honors in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
Thomas played in nine games this past season at Kansas, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries (3.1 yards per carry). Thomas also had 39 receiving yards and a TD on five receptions.
Thomas scored two touchdowns, on a 29-yard pass reception and a 2-yard run, in Kansas’ 55-53 triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
