- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Washburn Rural's girls bowling team fell a big short of its ultimate goal of winning a Class 6A state championship Thursday at Northrock Lanes.
But the Junior Blues took home some nice consolation prizes that a lot of bowlers and teams would have loved to have.
After building a 112-pin lead through the first two games of the day Washburn Rural slipped in the final game of American TenPin and the four Baker Format games, but the Junior Blues still captured the third-place state trophy with a score of 2,925, finishing behind Centennial League rival Junction City (3,014) and Campus (2,965).
Washburn Rural's girls bowling team poses with its third-place Class 6A state bowling trophy Thursday at Northrock Lanes in Wichita. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
After finishing third to earn the final team berth out of the Washburn Rural regional, Junior Blues coach Jo Ricard was happy overall with Rural's state showing.
"We kind of said, not to the girls but Steve (Peoples, assistant coach) just talking between the two of us that we were really coming in kind of in an eighth-place position based on how we came out of regionals and the score we had in regionals,'' Rural coach Jo Ricard said. "But we also knew that we had a ton of potential and we do have that between our girls to do some diffferent things that we didn't do last week at our regional.''
Adding to Washburn Rural's state haul were top-six finishes by senior Kaitlyn Doyal and sophomore Gabriella Martinez.
Doyal posted a fourth-place finish with a three-game series of 616 while Martinez finished sixth with a 583 series.
Washburn Rural got its day off to a fast start with a 848 four-person score as Doyal rolled a 235 game, Amaya Buchanan a 215 and Martinez and Taylin Sakers adding 199s.
The Junior Blues added to its lead 753 series behind 205s from Doyal and Martinez, but Rural fell to a 661 in Game 3 as Junction City bowled an 804 third game to take the team lead by 31 pins (2,293-2,262) heading into Baker play.
"Struggling in that third one, that's always kind of a scary piece struggling in that third one going into Baker because you want to build that momentum going into Baker,'' Ricard said.
Campus and Junction City continued to bowl well in Baker, riding a 217 game to a 727 total to move past Washburn Rural into second while Junction City finished Baker with a 219 to finished Baker with a 721 series to clinch its victory.
Washburn finished Baker with a 663 total, with a high game of 173.
Buchanan added a 524 series (21st individually) while Claire Ireland had a 473 series to round out Rural's top four.
Doyal's opening 235 and second-game 205 put Doyal in a position to challenge for the individual title, but Madison Walker of Campus took top honors wiht a 653 series.
"After my first game I knew I was aiming for higher than what it was,'' said Doyal, who posted a second straight top-10 state finish. "But even though I didn't finish as well as I wanted to, I still tried to move off of shots, switch a ball if I had to and try to make the adjustments as much as I could.''
Martinez, who was making her first state appearance, turned in one of her top finishes of the year.
"I was really just trying to come and do what I could for the team and not even thinking about individual,'' said Martinez, a state alternate for Rural last season. "And then I just really had some of my best games ever.
"It all just came together and I'm really happy with it. It's pretty awesome.''
Junction City placed three bowlers in the top 20, led by third-place Olivia Oliver (625).
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING
GIRLS
Team scores
Junction City 3,014, Campus 2,965, Washburn Rural 2,925, Garden City 2,837, Olathe East 2,796, Wichita Northwest 2,783, Olathe Northwest 2,636, Olathe North 2,563, Olathe South 2,508.
Individual results
1. Madison Walker, Campus, 653; 2. Audrey Valdez, Olathe North, 637; 3. Olivia Oliver, Junction City, 625; 4. Kaitlyn Doyal, Washburn Rural, 616; 5. Camryn Lenz, Dodge City, 602; 6. Gabriella Martinez, Washburn Rural, 583; 7. Avery Schippers, Wichita Northwest, 577; 8. Yumi Yoshikai, Wichita Northwest, 571; 9. Lily-Ann Leeper, Garden City, 567; 10. Jordan Hunt, Junction City, 562; 11. Kellie Kritzler, Olathe East, 561; 12. Holly Bridges, Garden City, 561; 13. Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton, 554; 14. Dylan Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 554; 15. Nicki Culp, Wichita South, 548; 16. Breanna Warren, Campus, 545; 17. Skyler Holmes, Olathe Northwest, 544; 18. Josephine Richards, Olathe East, 542; 19. Cassidy Eschlimann, Junction City, 536; 20. Savannah Hsu, Campus, 533.
Other Washburn Rural -- Amaya Buchanan 524, Claire Ireland 473, Callie Hart 458, Taylin Sakers 419.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn women’s basketball season came to an end Thursday afternoon with a 62-54 second-round loss to top-seeded Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
The Ichabods had claimed a first-round victory over Pittsburg State, but an 18-2 third-quarter run for the Lions would be too much for Washburn to overcome.
“It was kind of a microcosm (of our season), we just battled, we got down and I have a group that just refuses to shut down, that’s what I really respect about this group, there has been some tough times and they have really dug in and played,” said Washburn coach Ron McHenry.
Washburn senior Hunter Bentley finisher her college career with an 18-point performance in Thursday's loss to Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
After trailing by as many as 15 late in the third, the Ichabods had a chance to tie the game in its closing minutes, which McHenry credited to the team's toughness that it had displayed all season.
“They are fighters, and I use that word in the nicest way,” McHenry said. “It was easy to shut it down there in the third, fourth quarter when we were struggling but we never did … there was chances to shut down out there, but this team’s never done that.”
The loss ends the season and careers for Washburn’s senior class of six.
“Led by a lot of these kids next to me, this senior class kind of kept us going,” McHenry said.
“It’s everything (to play here) I was lucky, nobody gets to be able to actually play for five years so that was just really cool for me. This is the best team that I have played on, the most fun we have had,” said senior Hunter Bentley, the programs all-time leader in games played.
Washburn will close its season with a record of 14-16, losing in the second round of the MIAA tournament for a second straight season.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Like everybody in the field, Washburn Rural junior Josh Hammons was shooting for a state championship in Thursday's Class 6A state bowling tournament at Northrock Lanes.
But Hammons couldn't complain much after earning the first state medal of his high school career, finishing 10th with a 638 three-game series.
Washburn Rural junior Josh Hammons, reacting to a strike, placed 10th in the Class 6A state bowling tournament Thursday, with a high game of 268, at Wichita's Northrock Lanes. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Hammons' highlight of the day was a second-game 268, in between 187 and 183 games.
"I'm pretty happy with my performance today,'' said Hammons, who was an individual state qualifier. "The middle game was really what got me up there.
"Of course I would have liked to shoot better, but since I'm a junior there's always next year and I want to go out there and do what I can.''
Hammons had also bowled at state as a sophomore on the Junior Blues' fourth-place team, but showed nearly a 150-pin improvement on Thursday.
"I bowled like a 490 last year so I think that since I have improved so much over last year I wonder what I can do next year,'' Hammons said. "I'm just going to put in the work and try to get there.''
Shawnee Mission East won the team championship by a 3,363-3,256 margin over Derby, with individual champion Walter Workman leading the Lancers.
Centennial League member Junction City earned the third-place team trophy with a 3,175 team score, with three Blue Jays cracking the top 20 individually.
Logan Lindsley finished 14th with 618 series while Torrey Lindsay was 16th (608) and Cael Smith 17th (604).
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING
BOYS
Team scores
Shawnee Mission East 3,363, Derby 3,256, Junction City 3,175, Garden City 3,152, Olathe Northwest 3,110, Lawrence 3,110, Olathe South 2,904, Olathe East 2,887, Campus 2,864.
Individual results
1. Walter Workman, Shawnee Mission East, 699; 2. Kane Burns, Garden City, 696; 3. V-Thoon Thanasouk, Campus, 689; 4. Colby Hedden, Derby, 686; 5. Emilio Deloera, Wichita Northwest, 682; 6. Brady Aebersold, Shawnee Mission East, 653; 7. Maison Albarado, Lawrence, 652; 8. Jason Miller, Derby, 639; 9. John Shelton, Shawnee Mission East, 639; 10. Josh Hammons, Washburn Rural, 638; 11. Michael Anderson, Olathe West, 638; 12. Sebastian Daniel, Lawrence, 623; 13. Tyler Newell, Wichita South, 621; 14. Logan Lindsley, Junction City, 618; 15. Kaden Whitehurst, Garden City, 616; 16. Torrey Lindsay, Junction City, 608; 17. Cael Smith, Junction City, 604; 18. Chaz Smith, Wichita South, 604; 19. Thomas Mitchell, Olathe Northwest, 602; 20. Oscar Rubio, Liberal, 597.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team let a double-digit lead get away late in regulation before taking command in overtime to take a 53-43 victory at Holton and advance to Saturday's Class 4A sub-state championship game.
Hayden, which improved to 8-13, led 30-22 at the end of the third quarter and by as much as 12 points before Holton (12-9) came storming back to force the extra session with the game tied at 41-41.
Hayden dominated the four-minute overtime period, outscoring the hosts 12-2 to win going away.
Hayden went two of two from the field in the OT and hit seven of eight free throw attempts.
Senior Trent Duffey scored 22 points to lead the way as Hayden advanced to a Class 4A sub-state final with a 53-43 overtime win at Holton Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Trent Duffey led Hayden with 22 points while hitting three 3-pointers, including a huge trey in OT.
Junior Joe Otting added 18 points for Hayden while junior Jake Muller scored eight points with a pair of 3s and Dylan Foster six points on two 3s.
Hayden advanced to Saturday's 6 p.m. sub-state final at Wamego to take on the 14-7 Red Raiders, who advanced with a 55-39 semifinal win over Coffeyville.
Jack Bachelor led the way with 12 points as Washburn Rural took a 40-38 road win at Wichita Southeast in a Class 6A sub-state semifinal. [File photo/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 40, WICHITA SOUTHEAST 38 -- No. 11 Class 6A West seed Washburn Rural rode outstanding defense and timely 3-point shooting to a 40-38 road win at No. 6 Wichita Southeast in a Class 6A sub-state semifinal Wednesday night.
Washburn Rural, which improved to 9-12, did not allow more than 11 points in a quarter, including just six in the first quarter as the Junior Blues opened up a 17-6 advantage.
The Junior Blues also scored more than half their points on 3-pointers, hitting seven on the night.
Rural led 22-17 at halftime and 30-28 at the start of the fourth quarter and was able to hold on for the win.
Junior Jack Bachelor led the Junior Blues with 12 points while Quincey Kidd, Griffin Durst and Wyatt Conklin all added eight points for the Junior Blues.
Bachelor, Kidd and Conklin all hit a pair of 3-pointers for Rural.
With Wednesday's win Washburn Rural advanced to a 6 p.m. sub-state final Saturday at Dodge City.
DODGE CITY BOYS 73, TOPEKA HIGH 37 -- No. 3 West seed Dodge City improved to 18-3 with a 73-37 romp past Topeka High in a Class 6A sub-state semifinal Wednesday at Dodge City.
Topeka High ended its season 4-17 while Dodge City will play Washburn Rural in a sub-state championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Dodge City.
SPRING HILL GIRLS 63, HIGHLAND PARK 31 -- Highland Park gave Spring Hill a battle through three quarters Wednesday night before the Broncos finished with 24-5 fourth quarter to turn the Class 5A sub-state semifinal game into a rout.
Spring Hill (15-6) led the Scots 14-9 at the end of the first quarter, 23-12 at the half and 39-26 through the third quarter before the Broncos pulled away for the 32-point victory.
Sophomore Victoria Reed scored all nine of Highland Park's points in the first quarter before sitting on the rest of the game with an injury.
Freshman Amelia Ramsey scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Highland Park, which finished the season 4-17 after going winless in 2020-2021.
- Details
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Anna Becker’s 21-point outing helped Seaman's girls basketball team punch their ticket to Saturday's Class 5A sub-state final with a 46-35 home semifinal victory over Salina South.
Becker had a huge third-quarter performance for the Vikings, hitting four 3-point shots in a row and accounting for had all 13 of Seaman’s third-quarter points.
“She definitely doesn’t play like a freshman,” Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. “The last couple of games she has put us on her back. She had 18 (points) in the second half last game. She’s capable of doing that.”
“She’s a confident player and you can see that.”
Seaman freshman Anna Becker (23) scored 21 points, including 13 in the third quarter, as the Vikings advanced to Saturday's Class 5A sub-state final with a 46-35 win over Salina South. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Becker credits all of her teammates in the paint for her individually outstanding third quarter.
“My teammates were finding me for open shots and they were going in for me,” Becker said. “Our posts have developed a lot. We want to get our posts the ball as much as possible. Our posts tonight had the size advantage over (Salina South). Salina was paying a lot of attention to them, so it made life easier for me.”
“Our posts on this team help out the guards a lot.”
Tinsley told TopSports.news after last Friday’s victory over Emporia that they needed to change things up from what they have been comfortable doing.
“The basket seems to get bigger when you go inside-out on offense,” Tinsley said. We want 10 hands on the ball on every possession. We can’t just rely on Anna (Becker) to create shots or rely on Taylin (Stallbaumer) to hit 3s all of the time. We want to move the ball with confidence.”
“We hope to have the same night from our posts on Saturday.”
Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley talks to his team during Wednesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal against Salina South. The Vikings advanced with a 46-35 win. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Tinsley wanted the guards to consistently and rapidly feed the basketball to Ava Esser, Brooklyn Gormley, Meagan Mills and the other low-post contributors.
The tallest player for Salina South was 5-foot-9, giving Seaman the size advantage.
“I have to give credit to our guards for feeding it great to the post tonight,” Gormley said. “I thought as a team we did a great job rebounding the ball today. It would be nice for the good defense and the offensive rebounds to carry over on (Saturday).”
It wasn’t a flawless four quarters for the Lady Vikes. The game started out slow for them.
In the first quarter, Seaman was only able to put up seven points. The Lady Vikes shot 2-11 from inside the paint and it was a struggle to heat up.
The Lady Vikes came alive in the second quarter. Two 3-point conversions by Stallbaumer and an excellent interior effort from Gormley put Seaman on top before the halftime break.
Seaman came out with firey energy out of the break. The defense played more physically and gave Salina South a lot of trouble in the third quarter.
“I feel like our defense is doing great every single game,” Gormley said. “I thought we did a great job as a team coming out of the break.”
Seaman’s defense held Salina South to a game-low four points. While the defense was thriving, Becker was having a noteworthy third quarter. Becker’s 13-point third quarter extended the Seaman lead to 18 before the fourth quarter.
“We came out in the second half knowing we needed to pick up our energy,” Becker said. “We needed to move the ball more with high energy.
The Lady Vikes only sent the entire Salina South team to the charity stripe just once. They didn’t allow a single free point throughout the four quarters.
Seaman would have too big of a lead for Salina South to catch up in the fourth quarter and the Lady Vikes would go on to win the game.
With the Lady Vikes win, the current winning streak has been extended to six games and are hoping to make it seven on Saturday.
“I don’t want to put pressure on the girls,” Tinsley said. “You hear a lot at this time of year of teams surviving and advancing, I don’t want to convey that message. I told our girls that it’s thriving and advancing. We want to play to thrive. If you go into a game in survival mode, you make too many mistakes.”
“We want to be in attack mode. When you think of attack mode, you don’t have any time to be nervous or timid, you just go out and play.”
Seaman (16-5) will play Andover Central (16-5) Saturday at Seaman for a chance to play in the 5A state tournament.
SEAMAN GIRLS 46, SALINA SOUTH 35
Salina South 8 7 4 16 – 35
Seaman 7 15 13 11 – 46
Seaman (16-5) – Schumman 1 0-0 3, Stallbaumer 4 0-0 10, Becker 7 3-5 21, Gormley 2 2-2 6, Esser 3 0-1 6.
Salina South (7-14) – Peterson 2 (0-0) 5, Arnold 1 (0-0) 2, Herbel 4 (0-0) 11, Hamel 2 (0-0) 6, Harris 3 (0-0) 6, G. Nash 2 (0-1) 5.
3-point goals – Seaman 7 (Becker 4, Stallbaumer 2, Schumann), Salina South 7 (Herbel 3, Hamel 2, G. Nash, Peterson). Total fouls – Seaman 9, Salina South 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
