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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
LANSING at SEAMAN
Seaman senior Aron Davis is coming off a summer knee injury but is being counted on to be one of the top players in Shawnee County for the Vikings, the defending Class 5A state champions. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman senior Kaeden Bonner averaged 13.4 points and hit 64 3-pointers last season as the Vikings captured the school's first Class 5A boys state title. [File photo/TSN]
The reigning Class 5A state champions kick off the 2022-2023 season with their first United Kansas Conference game against Lansing (7:30 p.m.). Craig Cox's Vikings won their final 11 games last season to finish 18-7 and dominated the 5A state tournament. Returning from that team are senior standouts Kaeden Bonner and Aron Davis, who played a big role in the Vikings' run to the school's first boys state title . Bonner received TSN Top 10 All-Shawnee County and second-team All-Centennial League recognition last season as well as All-5A honorable mention from the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. Bonner averaged 13.4 points, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals, shooting 63 percent on 2-point field goal attempts and 45 percent from 3-point range while hitting a city-high 64 3-pointers. Davis came on strong late last season for the Vikings, earning All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition and averaging 5.7 points and 1.6 blocked shots while shooting 65 percent from 2-point field goal range.
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Junior Brennon Dodge is in his third varsity season for Shawnee Heights, averaging 14 points with 47 3-pointers last season. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights had a breakout 14-8 season a year ago and opens its United Kansas Conference schedule (7:30 p.m.) against a De Soto team that advanced to the Class 5A state championship game last season, dropping a 66-47 decision to Seaman to finish off a 20-5 campaign. Shawnee Heights is still a relatively young team, but returns several experienced players. Junior Brennon Dodge, who has played a big role for Ken Darting's T-Birds since his freshman season, earned Second 10 All-Shawnee County honors and second-team All-United Kansas Conference recognition last season. Dodge averaged 14 points his sophomore season to go with 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game while hitting 47 3-pointers on the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
LANSING at SEAMAN
Seaman sophomore Anna Becker averaged 14 points as a freshman for the 16-6 Vikings, earning Top 10 All-Shawnee County and first-team All-Centennial League honors. [File photo/TSN]
A good Class 5A and United Kansas Conference matchup right out of the gate between Lansing, No. 3 in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association preseason rankings, and No. 9 Lansing (5:45 p.m. tipoff). Seaman posted a 16-6 record a year ago and will build this year's team around returning standouts Anna Becker, a sophomore, and junior Taylin Stallbaumer. Becker was a TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-Centennial League first-team pick as a freshman and was named the newcomer of the year in the Centennial League and Shawnee County. after averaging 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists. Stallbaumer averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.0 assists a year ago while connecting on 43 3-pointers. Stallbaumer was a Top 10 All-Shawnee County and second-team All-Centennial League selection. Lansing finished fourth in the 5A state tournament last season.
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby returns to lead a T-Bird team that is looking to improve on last season's 10-11 record. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights opens its United Kansas Conference schedule against De Soto (5:45 p.m.), with the T-Birds looking to take steps this season after a 10-11 record a year ago. Bob Wells' T-Birds showed flashes of potential last season and Shawnee Heights returns a solid nucleus from that team. After missing her sophomore season with a knee injury, Emari Doby bounced back with a strong junior campaign, earning first-team All-UKC and Second 10 TSN All-Shawnee County recognition. Doby averaged 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists while hitting 13 3-pointers. Breezy Canady, a junior, also returns for Shawnee Heights after averaging 1.6 asists and 1.2 steals as a sophomore. Other experienced T-Birds include seniors Riley Showalter, Taylor Rottinghaus, Abby Fleischer and Taylor Rantz.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Andrew Orr grew up in a football family, with his father, Michael Orr, playing at Kansas State and his brother, Nicholas, playing at Colorado State-Pueblo
And Andrew played the sport himself for his first two years of high school at Blue Valley North before deciding that basketball would be his primary sport in college.
Washburn 6-8 sophomore Andrew Orr leads the Ichabods with a 13.6 scoring average, including a career-high 24 points in his last game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Andrew Orr, a state champion in two sports at Blue Valley North, has scored 8 or more points in every game this season, cracking double figures in six of seven games. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
It's a decision that's paid dividends for both Orr and the Washburn men's basketball team.
"I played football my freshman and sopomore year -- I was a tight end and D-end,'' Orr said. "Going into my junior year I was thinking about how I really wanted to play basketball in college and I really wanted to pursue that so I figured that whole fall season spending my time doing football necesarily wasn't a waste of time but it was just I could be advancing my skills in basketball.
"I was decent (at football), but my thing is I wasn't the type of kid that wanted to go out and really hit somebody. I wasn't a very aggressive kid when it came to it, so that was my problem, trying to go out and just hit somebody in the mouth. That wasn't really my mentality a lot of the time.''
Of course Andrew still had to sell dad, who played offensive line or Bill Snyder at Kansas State, on the idea of giving up the sport.
"I had to convince my dad to let me stop playing football,'' Orr said. "Most kids have to convince their parents to let them play football. I had to convince my dad to let me stop playing.
"Once I did that, then it was just talking to my coach and it was the summer before the season started so I wasn't too locked in.''
The bottom line was that basketball is his favorite sport.
"Growing up I enjoyed playing basketball more than I did football,'' Orr said. "I enjoyed football, I just enjoyed the style of basketball and it was better for me.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls basketball team opened defense of its Class 6A state championship, its second title since 2019, with a 49-24 win over Thomas More Prep-Marian in Thursday's opening round of the Hays Shootout.
The Junior Blues, who are coming off a 23-2 season, advanced to a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face Hays.
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye scored 10 points to lead a balaced Washburn Rural attack in Thursday's 49-24 season-opening win over TMP-Marian. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural led by just an 8-6 margin at the end of the opening quarter but the Junior Blues stretched their lead to 23-14 at the half and outscored the Monarchs 26-10 in the second half.
Rural emptied its bench in the second half, with 10 Junior Blues cracking the scoring column.
Senior Brooklyn DeLeye led the Junior Blues with 10 points while sophomore Kate Hinck and junior Zoe Canfield added nine points apiece.
Senior Jaci Von Lintel led TMP with a game-high 12 points, accounting for half of the Monarchs' points.
With a semiinal win on Friday Washburn Rural will advance to Saturday's 5 p.m. tournament championship game.
CAIR PARAVEL BOYS 53, WAVERLY 47 (OT) -- Trey Brown and his Cair Paravel boys basketball team had to work overtime Thursday night but the Lions gave Brown his first coaching victory in the opening round of the three-day Burlingame tournament.
Cair Paravel jumped out to a big first-half advantage but the Bulldogs rallied in the second half to force the extra session with the game tied at 44.
The Lions closed out the victory with a 9-3 edge in the OT period.
Jase Pavlik had a big night for the Lions, scoring 19 points with four 3-pointers.
Pavlik scored six points in overtime.
Cair Paravel got eight points from Ty Gossard, seven from Evan Will and six apiece from Ben Roeder and Cameron Brian.
The Lions will play tournament host Burlingame at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
WAMEGO BOYS 62, TOPEKA HIGH 47 -- Wamgeo spoiled Geo Lyons' debut as Topeka High's head coach with a dominating second half, pulling away for a 62-47 victory at Wamego.
The Trojans and Red Raiders were tied at 26 at halftime, but Wamego opened up a three-point advantage and the end of the third period and outscored High 20-8 the rest of the way.
Madon Gomez had 16 points and Da'Mykel Hayes 15 for Topeka High while Jayden Norman added nine points.
The Trojans will play at Valley Center on Saturday.
WAMEGO GIRLS 57, TOPEKA HIGH 52 -- Seniors Kiki Smith and Faith Shields combined for 32 points Thursday night, but Wamego took control down the stretch for a 57-52 non-league win at Wamego.
Smith scored 20 points and Shields 12 for the Trojans.
The Trojans, who were making their debut under new coach Brittney Redmond, led 16-10 at the end of the opening quarter and took a 20-19 lead to the locker room at the half.
Topeka High 38-35 at the start of the fourth quarter but Wamego closed with a 22-14 fourth-quarter rally.
Topeka High will play at Valley Center on Saturday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University star pole-vaulter Zac Chandler was on top of his game last indoor season before everything was taken away in an instant with a torn achilles tendon.
Washburn University pole-vaulter Zac Chandler is scheduled to compete on Saturday as he continues his comeback from an achilles injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Former Washburn Rural state pole vault champ Zac Chandler will return to action for Washburn University on Saturday, 10 months after suffering a serious achilles injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Ten months later Chandler's recovery still isn't complete, but the former Washburn Rural state champion has progressed to the point that he's ready to return to action in Saturday's Washburn Alumni Invitational at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
"I'd say I'm 80 percent overall,'' Chandler said. "Some days I feel 100 and some days I feel like I'm 20 percent. Our practices kind of look like whatever the warmups feel like is what I'll do.
"I just kind of do half of what everyone else does, but that in the longterm will help me to get better. I take smarter reps than I ever have before.''
