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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
League champion Highland Park dominates the 2023 All-Meadowlark Conference girls basketball team, with four Scots receiving all-conference recognition and Hi Park earning three of four individual honors.
Highland Park's Amelia Ramsey, a 6-foot sophomore, has been named the Meadowlark Conference girls player of the year for the 2022-2023 season. [File photo/TSN]
Second-year Highland Park coach Rob Brown has been named the Meadowlark Conference coach of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park junior Angelique Gowan-Britt has been named the Meadowlark Conference defensive player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Scot sophomore Amelia Ramsey was named the Meadowlark player of the year while junior Angelique Gowan-Britt was named the defensive player of the year and second-year Highland Park coach Rob Brown was voted coach of the year.
Highland Park went undefeated in the league and 19-4 overall on the season, qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament for the first time in 11 seasons.
Ramsey was the lone Scot named to the first team while A. Gowan-Britt and sophomore DeAsia Sanders both were second-team honors and junior Se'Ona Gowan-Britt received honorable mention.
ALL-MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON – Three-seeded Silver Lake’s hopes of bringing home its first state title since 2016 were denied by second-seeded Goodland for the second straight year in a 54-51 3A state semifinal loss Friday night.
Silver Lake senior Taylor Ross, shooting a free throw, led the Eagles with 15 points in Friday's 54-51 semifinal loss to Goodland. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
There wasn’t a runaway favorite for the duration of the game.
Several lead changes, adversity with foul trouble and shortened runs for both squads made it difficult to see who would come out on top.
Although losing to the defending state champions in the 3A state semifinal may seem identical to last year, it was far from it. This tournament felt different for Silver Lake (23-2).
Last year’s youthful starting five brought a battle-tested veteran-led group to this tournament run.
The moment wasn’t too big, and the lights weren’t too bright for a Silver Lake team that has been to the 3A state tournament three years in a row. Participating in the tournament is an annual tradition for the sophomores and juniors.
Three Eagle players were able to hit double-digit scoring in the loss. Senior Taylor Ross had a game-high 15 points, junior Kaibryn Kruger had 13 points, and Makenzie McDaniel finished the night with 10 points despite only playing 19 minutes.
Goodland (25-0) made the free throws with minimal time remaining and kept Silver Lake from hitting a 3-point buzzer-beater which would have sent the game into overtime. However, the Eagles were an eyelash away from another chance to dethrone the defending 3A state champions.
“Goodland is a really good team, and you have to play your best to beat them,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “Both teams were in foul trouble in the first half, and I felt like we played well through it. It’s a challenging loss. I hurt for our seniors, and they played their hearts out. Goodland was the better team tonight.
“In games like this, sometimes the shots fall, and sometimes they don’t. But I never once questioned this team’s effort and attitude throughout the entire year. I’m proud of how they competed for Silver Lake.”
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural girls earned their shot at a second straight Class 6A state championship by outlasting Blue Valley 51-39 at Wichita State's Koch Arena Friday afternoon.
Washburn Rural celebrates after Friday's 51-39 Class 6A semifinal win over Blue Valley. [Twitter/Washburn Rural Athletics]
In doing so, the Junior Blues avenged a 41-31 loss to Blue Valley in their final game of the regular season.
“I don’t know that we really competed the first time we played them,” Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. “We had 21 or 22 turnovers the first time we played them (as opposed to just 10 on Friday). This time we just decided that we refused to lose. The heart and tenacity that this group showed today…it’s pretty amazing.”
The victory set up a return performance in the state final at 6:15 p.m. Saturday to face Blue Valley North, a 50-42 winner over Derby in Friday's second semifinal.
Senior point guard MaRyah Lutz sparked the Junior Blues in the second quarter with three 3-point baskets – the only points Washburn Rural would score in the period.
It was enough to outpace the Tigers 9-7 and stretched Washburn Rural’s lead to 19-14 at halftime.
Lutz finished with 14 points Friday on the heels of her 19-point effort against Lawrence in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
“I think my confidence level was up,” Lutz said. “As soon as I hit that first shot I felt like, ‘I got it.’ ”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Andover led for only 43 seconds of Friday's Class 5A boys semifinal and only .5 of a second after the early stages of the first quarter.
But that .5 of a second was enough to put Andover in Saturday's championship game while ending Highland Park's bid for a perfect season, with the Trojans ending the game with a 7-0 run to pull out a 55-54 win at White Auditorium.
Highland Park senior point guard Quentin Adams reacts at the end of Friday's 55-54 heartbreaking state semifinal loss to Andover. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park's Mikey Williams (left) and Tre Richardson look up at the scoreboard at the end of Friday's 55-54 semifinal loss to Andover. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park, which will play for third place at 2 p.m. Saturday, led by six points (54-48) with less than two and a half minutes remaining, but the Scots left the door open with some missed free throws and a couple of costly turnovers and the Trojans stormed right through.
"We've been kind of harping on those things all year long, just the little things, and then the details,'' HIghland Park coach Mike Williams said. "Games are won, especially at this time of year, in the details of the game.
"Some of those situations kind of got us, but take nothing away from our guys. They competed, they stuck in there and that was a crazy big moment and they gave themselves opportunities to put a team away and move on, but we just came up a little bit short.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
United Kansas Conference champion Seaman dominates the 2022-2023 All-UKC girls basketball team, led by sophomore player of the year Anna Becker.
Seaman sophomore Anna Becker has been named the United Kansas Conference player of the year by league coaches after helping lead the Vikings to a 21-2 record. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman's Maddie Gragg was the lone freshman to earn All-United Kansas Conference recognition after heling the Vikings win the league title and post a 21-2 record. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Taylin Stallbaumer earned a first-team spot on the All-United Kansas girls basketball team. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection by UKC coaches. [File photo/TSN]
Becker was one of three Vikings to earn first-team honors, along with freshman Maddie Gragg and junior Taylin Stallbaumer, while Seaman coach Matt Tinsley was named the UKC coach of the year.
Seaman coach Matt Tinsley has been named the United Kansas Conference coach of the year after leading the Vikings to a 21-2 record and the UKC title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Also earning first-team recognition was Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby, giving the city four of seven first-team spots.
Earning second-team berths were Shawnee Heights senior Taylor Rottinghaus and Topeka West junior Zoe Clark.
Seaman sophomore Jaida Stallbaumer received honorable mention along with Shawnee Heights junior Breezy Canady and Topeka West seniors Azaryah Duncan and Jazmyn Ford.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL
