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By NATHAN SWAFFAR
Topsports.news
WICHITA – For the second straight season, Rossville once again found itself with an opportunity to advance within only two victories of a state title.
Senior Jakoby McDonnell led Rossville with 14 points in Wednesday's Class 2A quarterfinal loss to Berean Academy. [File photo/TSN]
Unfortunately for the Bulldawgs, the 2026 season ended in the same place it did in 2025.
Rossville’s 17-8 season concluded in the Class 2A boys state quarterfinals once again on Wednesday as Berean Academy took home a 55-38 victory at Friends University.
As a team, the Bulldawgs shot 40 percent from the field, but their offense struggled to reach the levels it had during the regular season.
Berean (23-2) zeroed in on Rossville senior standout Jack Donovan, allowing him little space and even fewer scoring opportunities. All in all, the Warriors held Donovan scoreless on only eight shot attempts throughout the quarterfinal contest.
“It’s hard to beat a good team that talk and they did both, kudos to them,” Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell said. “We didn’t make an adjustment on our side and we kind of got flustered. Once you get flustered, it’s human nature; it’s kind of hard to dig yourself out of a hole.”
The defensive slugfest got going immediately, as the Bulldawgs and Warriors refused to give up an inch of space. However, thanks to a last-second shot at the buzzer from Wyatt Friesen, the Warriors took a 9-7 lead into the second quarter.
Turnovers became a nagging problem for Rossville over the next eight-minute period. Carelessness and the Warriors’ relentless defense culminated in seven giveaways by the Bulldawgs, directly leading to seven points from those turnovers. They finished the half with nine giveaways and ended the game with 11 total.
McDonnell said the turnover issues were as much a credit to the Warriors’ defense as they were to careless ball security from the Bulldawgs.
“This is state, the butterflies are different, the thought process is different, the environment is different,” McDonnell said. “When you mix all that together, you're going to have some slippage. And our problem is that we had too much of the slippage, and then they converted off of it.”
And Rossville’s struggles on the offensive side were no better, ending the second quarter with only five points with a 22.2 shooting percentage. However, Berean couldn’t take full advantage as it dealt with its own offensive struggles, but still took a 20-12 advantage into the locker room.
Even though both teams shot under 30 percent in the first half, the Warriors had far more offensive opportunities, outshooting the Bulldawgs by 10 attempts.
Out of halftime, both teams found a better offensive rhythm. Rossville finished the third quarter with a much improved 67.7% mark from the floor, but Berean wasn’t far behind, shooting over 50%.
In addition, the Warriors inflicted greater damage thanks to multiple made 3s and seven made free throws. That extended their lead to double-digits with a 35-24 advantage with one quarter to go.
Over the final eight minutes, the Bulldawgs struggled to find a way back into the affair. The Warriors kept them at a distance and closed things out to advance to Friday night’s semifinals.
Jakoby McDonnell led the Bulldawgs with 14 points to go along with three rebounds and assists. Cameron Miller also finished in double figures with 10 points.
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By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Class 5A No. 3 girls seed Shawnee Heights faced No. 6 seed Basehor-Linwood for the third time this season Wednesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College, but this time the stakes were much higher, with the United Kansas Conference rivals squaring off in the state tournament.
Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in Wednesday's 61-47 Class 5A quarterfinal win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights, making its first state appearance since 2011, faced adversity almost immediately, but overcame the loss of a key player to advance to Friday's 5A semifinal with a 61-47 quarterfinal win over the Bobcats.
Just 49 seconds into the game, junior starter Pearmella Carter drove to the basket, was fouled, and went down hard. Carter had to be helped off the court by trainers and did not return to the game.
Losing their top rebounder and second-leading scorer forced the T-Birds to quickly adjust.
“For us to overcome adversity that happens 49 seconds into the game with Mella going out — and she’s been our top rebounder and our second-leading scorer all year long — for the girls to come through that was huge,” Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. “That’s what we told them. We led for most of the first half, and they just had to believe in themselves and believe they could do it.
"Everybody just kind of pulled together and got the job done.”
Senior Reianna Vega scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Wednesday's 61-47 Shawnee Heights win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Reianna Vega said the team leaned on each other after the early injury.
“Coach kept telling us to play together as a team,” Vega said. “We’ve been through adversity a lot of times, and we’ve gotten this far. We can’t give up now, so we had to keep fighting.”
Late in the first quarter, Shawnee Heights knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining to take a 15-12 lead.
Basehor-Linwood responded by drawing a foul at the buzzer and hitting both free throws to trim the lead to 15-14 after one quarter.
Scoring slowed early in the second quarter, but senior Imani McGlory eventually broke through with her first basket to make it 17-14.
The T-Birds followed with a 6-0 run while Basehor-Linwood struggled to finish at the rim.
However, the Bobcats answered by closing the half on a 7-0 run to take a 25-21 lead into the locker room at the half Shawnee Heights shot just 3 of 16 from the field in the quarter.
Vega came alive in the second half, scoring all 16 of her points after halftime.
Shawnee Heights repeatedly tried to regain the lead, but Basehor-Linwood continued to answer.
With 2:10 left in the third quarter, junior KK Emmot scored to tie the game at 36.
Emmot then knocked down a 3-pointer to give the T-Birds a brief lead, but Basehor-Linwood finished the quarter on a 5-0 run to go up 41-39 heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter belonged to Shawnee Heights.
The T-Birds opened the period on a 7–0 run. Vega tied the game at 41 with a basket, Emmot followed with a 3-pointer, and Vega scored again to make it 46-41.
Emmot and Vega added four more points before McGlory scored five straight to extend the lead to 57-45 with 1:05 remaining.
Freshman Bijoy Schmidt sealed the victory with two free throws with 37 seconds left as Shawnee Heights secured the 14-point win and advanced to the state semifinals on Friday at Wichita's Koch Arena.
The T-Birds shot 7 of 9 from the field in the fourth quarter and outscored Basehor-Linwood 22-6 in the final period.
“We tried to get things slowed down a little bit offensively so we could run some sets and be more under control,” Wells said about the fourth-quarter turnaround.
“Then we started getting shots that we’re capable of hitting instead of trying to run so much and taking shots that weren’t our best looks.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- No. 2 seed Silver Lake never trailed in Wednesday's Class 3A girls quarterfinal against Hesston at White Auditorium after scoring the first six points of the night.
But the 26-1 Eagles had to fight off multiple Swather runs before finishing off a 54-45 win to advance to Friday's 3:30 p.m. semifinal at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni (4) scored 29 points with six steals in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston Wednesday at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"Huge credit to Hesston,'' Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. "They're a great basketball team and I think they played up to their potential tonight. They played at a really high level, especially their bigs, their young bigs. They did a great job.
"The first half I felt like we were about ready to break it open and then they went on that run in the second quarter to finish it. They did a much better job of trying to play through their bigs the third quarter. We got in foul trouble and we had to adapt and improvise there and we were able to take their best punch and then throw one of our own and finish the game out. I'm super proud of our team.''
Silver Lake, which is in the 3A Final Four for the fifth straight season, including a state title in 2024 and a runnerup finish a year ago, will face No. 3 seed Holcomb (25-2) on Friday after the Longhorns advanced with a 45-32 quarterfinal win over Ellsworth.
Silver Lake led 15-9 at the end of the opening quarter after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from sophomore Karys Deiter and went up 27-13 after a traditional three-point play from Eagle senior star Kailyn Hanni.
But Hesston ended the half with an 8-1 run to cut its deficit to 28-21 and after falling behind 36-23 at the 5:35 mark of the third quarter the Swathers put together a 16-3 rally to tie the game at 39 with 6:16 remaining.
Silver Lake junior Savanah Wende reacts after hitting a big 3-pointer in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The tie lasted just 21 seconds, however, with junior Savanah Wende draining a 3-pointer to give Silver Lake a 42-39 advantage, part of a 10-2 Eagle run that put them back in control.
Hanni connected on three of four free throws over the final 49.6 seconds, closing out a game-high 29-point performance while hitting 11 of 16 free throws and coming up with six steals.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter had nine points, seven rebounds and four steals in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Deiter added nine points with seven rebounds and four steals as Silver Lake forced 26 Hesston turnovers, while Wende had seven points with a pair of 3-pointers.
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By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
The Rossville Lady Bulldawgs' basketball season came to an end on Tuesday night against Ellinwood in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.
Rossville senior star Rylee Dick scored 31 points in her final high school game against Ellinwood on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Before the season began, Rossville coach Derek Dick told TopSports.news that he and the team wanted to enjoy the little moments this year. They envisioned that goal of making it to the state tournament and before it all began, he said the first week of practice was the best he’d had in his 16 years of coaching.
While Derek and Rylee Dick only shared the court for two years in the Rossville uniform at the varsity level, it began way before that.
Rylee Dick knew she had a dream of playing college basketball some day at the next level and she will be doing that as she’s signed to play with Rockhurst University.
After the state quarterfinal game, Derek said it was something he’ll never forget with his daughter, cherishing those small moments.
“I made memories with my daughter that will last for a lifetime. We go to the gym every night to practice, I’m going to miss that,” Dick said after a tear rolled down his eye. “I was proud to share that moment with her and I know I was hard on her a lot, but I wanted her on the big stage. I thought she earned it through her work to be here.”
Derek Dick did say he was going to be a little lighter on Rylee this season, but they both know it’s out of love and wanting the best for Rylee.
“I know she’s my daughter, I’m super proud of Rylee,” Derek said, choking up. “When we were struggling to score or get things going, we put the ball in her hands and let her go and she made plays and gave us a chance, proud of her.”
When you look at the resume of Rylee, it’s quite remarkable. She became No. 2 all-time in Rossville scoring history back in January. She eclipsed the 1,500 point mark on March 3 and she nearly scored 50 points in a game, with 47 back in December against Kansas City-Ward.
Something people know about Rylee is her sharp shooting beyond the 3-point arc, creating for her teammates and making her teammates better.
But something that hasn’t bceen in Rylee’s favor is her height, with Dick listed at 5-foot-9. She recognized that from a young age and she needed to grind and put in countless hours even after practice.
“Ever since third or fourth grade, I always said I wanted to play college basketball and that’s definitely not an easy thing to do, especially being short,” Rylee said with a smile. “I know that I’m not that naturally gifted at basketball, so I had to put in a lot of time and effort and take it to where I am today and I knew that wouldn’t happen without being in the gym every night.
"I’m grateful for the grind. It’s taught me so much and I can use the skills and hardships I learned for everyday life… you’re not going to be anywhere without hard work. I’m glad that was instilled into me at a young age and so that I can accomplish other things, too.”
“I know there’s people all throughout the state that work hard but literally, she’s in the gym every night and with her height… she's a good athlete, not an elite athlete, but she has to do that stuff to give herself a chance. She understands that, she knows that, she’s earned everything she’s got,” Derek Dick said.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights T-Birds hung with the top-seeded team in Class 5A for as long as they could.
But eventually, two-time defending state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel pulled away, their size, experience and depth just too much. The T-Birds’ season ended with a 53-38 loss in the quarterfinals in Wichita.
Shawnee Heights senior JaiMarion Cook led the T-Birds with 11 points in Tuesday's Class 5A 53-38 loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights knew it had its hands full when it was seeded eighth in the bracket. Kapaun Mt. Carmel has followed up its back-to-back state titles with a 26-0 season thus far.
The T-Birds trailed just 12-10 after one period. But the Crusaders quickly hit on seven as their lucky number. They put together two 7-0 runs in the second period, then added another 7-0 run in the third period.
Heights slowed the Kapaun offense to a grind, giving up just 28 points in the first half. When the T-Birds scored first in the third period, they trailed just 28-20. But the eighth seed just couldn’t generate enough offense to pull off an upset. Shawnee Heights hit just 13-38 field goal attempts.
“We had a game plan. The kids tried to execute. They did execute – Kapaun had two-thirds of their average points,” Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. “At halftime, we were down 10 and in the game. But they got a couple of runs there.”
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s height posed a problem for the T-Birds. The T-Birds were out-rebounded, 33-20.
The Crusaders got a handful of second-chance buckets on offensive rebounds while locking down the paint at the other end.
“It’s not a surprise if you look at (both teams’) records,” Darting said. “If you look out on the floor, the size and the athleticism. Just physically, they’re just better at every position.
“I always tell the kids, ‘Make sure you get beat, not lose. And when you get beat, it’s just because you weren’t good enough.' ”
Shawnee Heights advanced to the tournament by amassing a 15-8 regular-season record, then defeating De Soto and Leavenworth in sub-state. But that résumé was deemed only eighth best in the bracket, forcing the T-Birds into the dreaded 1-8 matchup.
“We lost eight games coming in. Seven of those eight are in the 5A or 6A tournament, and the eighth one is De Soto, who we eliminated,” Darting said. “So that shows you that we could probably play with just about every team in this tournament. We just got the draw we did.”
Senior Jaimarion Cook led the T-Birds in his final game with 11 points. Two other seniors – Ja’Veon Alston and Aiden Scott – also played their final games Tuesday.
