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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the second time this season, Hayden's boys basketball team took Emporia down to the wire on the road with a chance to win.
But for the second straight time, Emporia found a way to fight off the Wildcats, with the Spartans claiming a 59-52 decision Tuesday night in the Centennial League opener for both schools. Emporia took a 57-53 win over Hayden earlier in the season in the Paul Terry Classic.
Hayden senior Jake Muller (3) looks for room to maneuver against Emporia's zone defense in Tuesday's 59-52 Wildcat loss to the Spartans. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden, which fell to 3-2 overall, 0-1 in the league, only led once on the night, at 3-2, but the third-ranked (Class 4A) Wildcats never lost contact.
Emporia (6-1, 1-0) led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and 34-27 at the half, but Hayden pulled within a point (42-41) with 1:46 left in the third quarter after sophomore Jacob Deister's third straight 3-pointer.
The Spartans stretched their lead back to six points (49-43) at the start of the fourth quarter, but Hayden pulled within two points (54-52) with 3:34 remaining on two Joe Otting free throws before Emporia ran off the final five points of the game, all from the free throw line.
"That's a credit to (the Spartans),'' Hayden coach Dwayne Paul said. "They play hard, they play fast, they make you shoot shots that you have to make. That's what the 1-3-1 (defense) does. Last time we played they had about a two and a half minute stretch where they out-toughed us and in my opinion they out-toughed us from the start to the finish today.
"We came back and we made it (close) but when it's time for your toughness and your team and your togetherness to shine through the most, we folded at that time.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Playing No. 3-ranked (Class 5A) Emporia for the second time in its first five games, Hayden's girls basketball team showed showed improvement in Tuesday night's Centennial League opener against the Spartans.
But the Wildcats' fourth-quarter rally wasn't enough to keep Emporia from improving to a perfect 7-0 (1-0 in the league) with a 43-34 home win.
Hayden girls basketball coach Carvel Reynoldson talks to his Wildcats during Tuesday's 43-34 Centennial League loss at Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Emporia, which had beat Hayden 52-25 in the second round of the Paul Terry Classic early in the season, built double-digit advantages in each of the first three quarters.
But after trailing by 13 points (32-19) late in the third quarter, Hayden (3-2, 0-1) used a 10-0 run, capped by a Brylee Meier 3-pointer, to cut the Spartans lead to 32-29 with 5:43 remaining.
Emporia regained control at that point, however, using an 8-1 run to build its lead back to 40-30 and the Wildcats got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
"We played better tonight, but it's still frustrating for me and the girls because we think we can compete with them if we play better,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. "We got ourselves in too big of a hole.''
Emporia jumped out to a 13-2 advantage at the start of the game before Meier hit a 3-pointer to cut Hayden's first-quarter deficit to 13-5.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE (2-2, 2-0) at ROSSVILLE (1-4, 0-0)
Senior Troy Heiman (30) scored 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, in Silver Lake's 55-48 win over St. Marys in the Eagles' final game of 2022. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Both teams ended their pre-holiday schedules with victories. Silver Lake improved to 2-0 in the Mid-East League with a 55-48 win over St. Mary while Rossville picked up its first win under first-year head coach Brandon McDonnell, a 44-37 non-league decision over Kansas City Christian. Senior Troy Heiman led Silver Lake with 21 points against St. Marys, including 13 points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Jared Johnson added 13 points for the Eagles, hitting four 3-pointers, while senior Ian Stithem grabbed 11 rebounds. Sophomore Tayson Horak and freshman Jack Donovan scored 11 points apiece for Rossville in the Bulldawgs' win over Kansas City Christian, with both players hitting three 3-pointers.
Senior Jack Bachelor is averaging a team-high 16.4 points and 3.8 assists for 3-2 Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
JUNCTION CITY (4-2, 0-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-2, 0-0)
Washburn Rural ended the 2022 portion of its schedule with a 39-38 win over Wichita Heights, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 6A and the defending 6A state champion. Senior Jack Bachelor led Rural with 11 points against Wichita Heights while junior JC Heim added 10 points and senior Jacob Hirschi nine points on three 3-pointers. Bachelor leads the Junior Blues with a 16.4 scoring average while Bachelor is also averaging 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals. Junction City is coming off a 55-53 loss to Wichita Northwest in its final game of '22.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE (4-0, 2-0) at ROSSVILLE (5-0, 0-0)
Silver Lake junior standout Makenzie McDaniel scored 21 points in the No. 2-ranked Eagles' 59-36 Mid-East League win over St. Marys in Silver Lake's final game before the holiday break. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Tuesday's early-season War on 24 showdown matches Silver Lake, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 3A by the KBCA, against Rossville, No. 9-ranked in 3A. Silver Lake ended its pre-holiday schedule with a 59-36 Mid-East League win over St. Marys while Rossville ended 2022 with a 63-12 non-league romp past Kansas City Christian. Junior Makenzie McDaniel paced Silver Lake with 21 points against St. Marys while senior Taylor Ross added 10 points. Rossville raced out to a 31-2 first-quarter advantage over KCC and cruised the rest of the way as four Bulldawgs cracked double figures. Freshman Rylee Dick led Rossville with 18 points while junior Emma Mitchell added 15 points, junior Kinsey Perine 11 points and junior Katie Spielman 10.
Washburn Rural junior Zoe Canfield scored 15 points with four 3-pointers as the Junior Blues rallied for a 49-34 win over Wichita Heights in Rural's final game before the holiday break. [File photo/TSN]
JUNCTION CITY (1-5, 0-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-2, 0-0)
Washburn Rural, ranked No. 7 in Class 6A by the KBCA, knocked off a pair of state-ranked Class 6A teams in its final two games before the Christmas break, including rallying from a double-digit deficit for a 49-34 win over Wichita Heights in its final game of 2022. Junior Zoe Canfield scored 15 points with four 3-pointers against Heights while senior Brooklyn DeLeye added 14 points. Junction City dropped a 68-53 decision to Wichita Northwest to end its pre-holiday slate. Both teams will be playing their Centennial League openers.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County football standouts Jacob Carver, Ben Evans,Joe Otting, Tre Richardson and Ty Weber have been selected to play in the 50th annual Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played July 15 in Hays.
Carver is a 6-foot-2, 300-pound lineman out of Rossville while Evans is a 6-2, 275 lineman and Otting a 6-5, 281 lineman out of Hayden, Richardson a 5-11, 175 receiver/running back from Highland Park and Weber a 6-3, 230 linebacker for Washburn Rural.
All five local player were named to the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 for the 2022 season.
Hayden advanced to the Class 3A sub-state round in '22 with a 10-2 record while Washburn Rural posted an 8-3 record and made it to the third round of the 6A playoffs, Highland Park had a breakout 6-3 season and Rossville went 5-5 after winning back-to-back state championships.
Hayden coach Bill Arnold will serve as an assistant coach for the East.
Shawnee County Shrine Bowl selections at a glance:
