- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After being hit with a barrage of Mill Valley 3-pointers that put them in an 11-point first-quarter hole, Shawnee Heights' girls spent the rest of Wednesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal fighting back.
That spirited rally from double-digit deficits in all four quarters gave the T-Birds a chance at the end of the game, but Heights couldn't quite complete the comeback, dropping a 48-44 decision on its home floor.
"It a bucket here, a bucket there, a free throw here, a free throw there,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "We were making all the great hustle plays to put ourself in position, we just could not quite get over the hump.
"But what more can we say about their effort and how they just stick with it and keep going and keep working all the time?''
Sophomore Breezy Canady (right) led Shawnee Heights with nine points in the T-Birds' 48-44 sub-state loss to Mill Valley Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Taylor Rottinghaus scored eight points in Shawnee Heights' 48-44 season-ending sub-state loss to Mill Valley Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights finished its season 10-11 while 9-12 Mill Valley advanced to a 6 p.m. Saturday sub-state final at Lansing.
Mill Valley started the game red hot, with the Jaguars connecting on five 3-pointers in the opening quarter to build a 21-10 advantage.
Shawnee Heights fought back to within five points in the second quarter before trailing 28-21 at the half, but Mill Valley pushed its advantage back to 37-26 with 2:40 left in the third quarter and took a 41-31 lead into the fourth.
Mill Valley went back up by 11 early in the final period, but Shawnee Heights rallied to within two points remaining on a three-point play from junior Taylor Rottinghaus with 3:34 left and got within two again with 24.3 seconds remaining after a shot from sophomore Breezy Canady.
After a pair of Mill Valley missed free throws with 21.2 seconds left Shawnee Heights got a good look at a 3-pointer that would have given the T-Birds the lead, but junior Riley Showalter's attempt bounced off the rim and Mill Valley senior standout Emree Zars was fouled and hit two free throws to clinch the Jaguar victory.
Zars was a thorn in the T-Birds' side all night, finishing with a game-high 27 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and an 11 of 13 performance at the free throw line.
Heights struggled through a tough offensive night, shooting just 30.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from the line.
Canady led the T-Birds with nine points, while Rottinghaus added eight points and Abby Schulte and Emari Doby seven apiece.
And although the season came to a disappointing end, Wells said he was extremely proud of his team throughout the season.
"We can not fault them any single game for their effort,'' Wells said. "There has never been a lack of effort in a game, never been a lack of effort in practice.
"They come out and work their tails off and do what we want them to do. It's just getting the ball to go in the basket sometimes.''
Zars was the lone player in double figures for Mill Valley while senior Greta Trowbridge added nine points with two treys and sophomore Keira Franken had six points on two 3-pointers.
Lansing advanced to the sub-state final with a 55-25 semifinal romp past Piper.
MILL VALLEY GIRLS 48, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 44
Mill Valley 21 7 13 7 -- 48
Shawnee Heights 10 11 10 13 -- 44
Mill Valley (9-12) -- Franken 2-4 0-2 6, Fields 2-3 0-3 4, Pringle 0-2 0-0 0, Trowbridge 3-8 1-2 9, Zars 7-13 11-13 27, Vosburg 1-3 0-1 2, Landon 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-35 12-21 48.
Shawnee Heights (10-11) -- Rottinghaus 3-8 2-3 8, Doby 3-11 1-2 7, Schulte 2-6 2-2 7, Fleischer 1-3 0-0 2, Oczko 3-10 0-0 6, Showalter 1-7 0-2 3, Hill 0-2 0-0 0, Rantz 1-2 0-0 2, Canady 4-10 0-1 9. Totals 18-59 5-10 44.
3-point goals -- Mill Valley 6 (Franklin 2, Trowbridge 2, Zars 2), Shawnee Heights 3 (Schulte, Showalter, Canady). Total fouls -- Mill Valley 15, Shawnee Heights 17. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON 
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights senior girls wrestler Maranda Bell and Seaman senior boys bowler Jack Easum have been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Athletes of the Week for last week.
Bell was crowned the Class 6A-5A state champion in the 191-pound division while Easum was a Class 5A-1A individual regional champion while leading the Vikings to a regional team title.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Bell and Easum last week:
Shawnee Heights senior 191-pounder Maranda Bell won the Class 6A-5A state wrestling championship last Thursday in Wichita. [Submitted]
MARANDA BELL, Shawnee Heights
A senior 191-pound star girls wrestler, Bell won a Class 6A-5A state championship last Thursday at Park City's Hartman Arena, becoming Shawnee Heights' first official girls state champ and first girls wrestler to reach 100 wins in her career.
Bell, who was 27-1 on the season, won all four of her state matches by pin, in 13 seconds, 3:01, 56 seconds and 1:03 in the championship match over Derby sophomore Meya Howell.
Bell led Heights to a fifth-place team finish, with the T-Birds the highest-finishing 5A school.
Seaman senior bowler Jack Easum won a Class 5A-1A individual regional title last week in Emporia, leading the Vikings to the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
JACK EASUM, Seaman
Easum, a senior, won the boys individual championship in last Tuesday's Class 5A-1A bowling regional at Emporia's Flint Hills Lanes, winning by 30 pins with a three-game series of 747.
Easum put together games of 235, 279 and 233, leading the Vikings to the regional team championship by a 3,610-3,554 margin over De Soto.
Easum will bowl in the 5A-1A state tournament on Friday at Northrock Lanes in Wichita after finishing 21st individually and helping the Vikings finish third as a team last season.
- Details
By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After a 13-15 regular season Washburn University women’s basketball entered the MIAA tournament as the No. 9 seed, facing No. 8 Pittsburg State in the first round Wednesday.
A strong defensive effort and key shot-making from seniors propelled the Ichabods to a 59-53 win over the Gorillas at Municipal Auditorium.
“It was a big win for us because it would have been hard to put that much effort in the defensive end of the floor and have it not work out for you, but we hit enough shots down the stretch,” said Washburn coach Ron McHenry. “We will take this and try to enjoy it, its too hard to kick these out too fast.”
![Senior Hunter Bentley scored 20 points to lead Washburn to a 59-53 win over Pittsburg State in the opening round of the MIAA women's tournament Wednesday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]](/images/aa-images/HunterBentleyPSU_2.jpg)
Senior Hunter Bentley scored 20 points to lead Washburn to a 59-53 win over Pittsburg State in the opening round of the MIAA women's tournament Wednesday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
After a 1-7 start to the season Washburn will play for a chance to get into the tournament semifinals.
“Getting off to 1-7 I laugh at myself … you can just destroy yourself at that point,” McHenry said. “We had to right ourselves against a really good conference … I figured with that group of seniors we had that they would find our way back.”
In round two it will be No. 1 Missouri Southern waiting for the Ichabods, who will play for a second straight da on Thursdayy.
“They are running on about 15 straight wins,” McHenry said. “They got some players so we will have our hands full.''
In the first quarter Washburn was dictating pace, slowing the game down and forcing Pitt State into tough looks late in the shot clock. The active defense led to a 5-15 shooting performance in the opening quarter for the Gorillas.
Offensively the Ichabods were efficient, with six players scoring in the first quarter as they shot 50 percent as a team to take a 16-15 lead into the second quarter.
“We worked hard to get a team that will guard hard and have a toughness to it and that gives us a chance to win every game,” McHenry said. “It’s all a credit to them.”
Senior Hunter Bentley took over Washburn’s offensive attack in the second quarter, scoring seven points in the first 3:42 of the quarter. Her second 3-pointer of the game gave the Ichabods a 23-17 advantage and forced a timeout.
The lead grew to as many as 10 before Washburn’s offense went cold, allowing Pitt State to go on a 7-0 run. The lead was three at halftime, with the Ichabods in front, 29-26.
Baskets were hard to come by in the third quarter as each side traded scores. The Gorillas got to the free throw line, knocking down four in the quarter. Most of Washburn’s offense continued to come from Bentley.
“Just being confident (was important) and pulling the trigger when it’s open. If we aren’t taking our open shot then we might not get one at all,” Bentley said. “Coach Mac had confidence in me and my teammates have confidence in me.”
Two free throws by sophomore Macy Doebele in the final second of the quarter made it a 42-37 game heading into the fourth quarter.
The lead for the Ichabods was at seven with just under seven to play after a driving finish from senior Nuria Barrientos.
Both sides were shooting under 35 percent as the game moved into the final five minutes with Washburn possessing a 46-42 lead.
Senior Shae Sanchez scored seven straight points, the last three coming on a 3-pointer to put the Ichabods up by seven with 3:03 to play. Another basket by Sanchez with under two minutes to play, followed by a defensive stop and Washburn began to run clock.
“Just the confidence my team gives me (was important),” Sanchez said. “Really great defense leads to great offense.”
A 3-pointer for Pitt State along with missed free throws from the Ichabods left the door open with the Gorillas in possession of the ball and down by just four with 31.2 seconds left.
Washburn played strong defense forcing a turnover and after being fouled Barrientos knocked down two free throws putting the lead back at six.
That would be enough for the Ichabods to hold on, pulling off the upset and winning, 59-53.
Washburn advanced to the second round of the MIAA women's tournament with a 59-53 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
“We will enjoy it for a second here, catch our breath and then get back after it,” McHenry said.
Bentley led Washburn with 20 points, while Sanchez added 13, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Barrientos had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
After the win the Ichabods are 14-15 on the year and will play top-seeded Missouri Southern Thursday at noon.
WASHBURN WOMEN 59, PITT STATE 53
Washburn 16 13 12 17 -- 59
Pitt State 15 11 19 16 -- 53
Pitt State (16-13)
Johnson 2-4 0-0 4, Gegg 1-14 7-8 9, Jackson 5-14 0-0 11, Davis 2-7 1-2 7, Crain 1-7 2-2 4, Holmes 0-0 0-0 0, Gerber 3-7 0-0 6, Shipley 4-6 4-5 12. Totals: 18-59 14-17 53.
Washburn (14-15)
Sanchez 5-10 1-2 13, Oliver 3-7 0-0 6, Bentley 7-9 3-6 20, Barrientos 4-13 2-2 10, Doebele 2-7 4-4 8, Cassaday 1-4 0-0 2, Dewey 0-4 0-0 0, Willey 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 22-56 10-14 59.
3-point shots – Pitt State 3-17 (Gegg 0-5, Jackson 1-4, Davis 2-6, Crain 0-2). Washburn 5-12 (Sanchez 2-5, Bentley 3-5, Doebele 0-1, Willey 0-1). Rebounds – Pitt State 39 (Jackson 7), Washburn 39 (Barrientos 10). Assists – Pitt State 6 (Gegg 2), Washburn 4 (Dewey 2). Turnovers – Pitt State 10, Washburn 10. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University baseball squad rolled to a seven-inning 12-2 non-conference victory over Emporia State on Tuesday afternoon to capture its fifth straight win.
The Ichabods have now won 11 of their last 12 games and will resume MIAA play at Newman this weekend, March 4-6.
For the third straight game, Washburn, 12-4 on the season, got on the board in the first inning. Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli led off with a walk and then moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cal Watkins. With two out, Zion Bowlin ripped a single to left field to give the Ichabods a 1-0 lead.
Zion Bowlin had a big day at the plate with two doubles and three RBI as Washburn posted a 12-2 non-conference victory over Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Hornets (5-10) leveled the score in the top of the second with an RBI single.
In the home half of the second, Quinn Waterbury singled up the middle and advanced to third on Cale Savage's double down the left field line. Down in the count 0-2, Clark-Chiapparelli brought both Ichabods in with a single to center to make it a 3-1 game.
Emporia State got one run back the following inning with a two-out single through the left side to cut Washburn's lead to 3-2.
The Ichabods added a pair of insurance runs in the third. Bowlin reached on an infield single and advanced to third on Brett Ingram's two-base hit. Connor Scott recorded on RBI with a sacrifice fly and the next batter, Kros Bay, safely reached on an error by the third baseman and Ingram easily made it home for the second run of the frame.
In the bottom of the fourth, Washburn pushed its lead to 9-2. A single, hit batter, and another single loaded up the bases and a passed ball allowed Clark-Chiapparelli to score. Bowlin came up to the dish swinging and hit the first pitch to left center for a two-RBI double. Ingram followed that up with a single to score Bowlin.
The Ichabods scored their final runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a double-digit lead. Bowlin led off the inning with another double and later scored on a fielder's choice that resulted in an error. A wild pitch scored Ingram and moved Scott up into scoring position. Waterbury recorded an RBI groundout that brought home Scott to make it a12-2 game.
WU pitcher Cash Crane closed out the seventh and left runners stranded at first and third with a groundout to end the game.
The Ichabods pounded out 12 hits with six Ichabods recording at least one. Bowlin was a perfect 4-4 at the plate and had three RBI and three runs scored. Ingram went 3-3 and scored twice and drove in one run. Also with a multi-hit game was Clark-Chiapparelli, who went 2-3 and scored two runs to go with two RBI.
Washburn starter CharlieKiefer picked up his second straight win and is now 2-1 on the season. He went four innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and struck out five.
Austin Gerety pitched the fifth inning and got three strikeouts. Wyatt Hardy allowed just one hit in the sixth and Crane also surrendered just one hit in his inning.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University star senior point guard Tyler Geiman was named to the 2022 All-MIAA men's basketball first team as well as the MIAA's All-Defensive team on Tuesday by the MIAA office.
Also earning honors were Jalen Lewis, who was named third-team All-MIAA, and Michael Keegan, who was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year.
Washburn senior Tyler Geiman was named to the All-MIAA first team and the All-MIAA Defensive Team on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Geiman was named first-team All-MIAA after leading the Ichabods with in scoring with a 15.5 scoring average, 6.2 rebounds per game and a 6.6 assist average.
He also led the Ichabods in minutes per game (34.8) and steals per game (1.3).
Geiman finished tied for 10th in the league in scoring, seventh in rebounding, first in assists and assist to turnover ratio, tied for 11th in steals and fifth in minutes played.
Geiman was named to the all-conference first team for the second time, joining Brady Skeens, Will McNeill, Ewan Auguste and Dan Buie as the only Ichabods to be named multiple times to the MIAA's top postseason team.
Geiman was also named to the MIAA All-Defensive team for the second time in his career.
Overall, it was Geiman's third time earning All-MIAA honors after earning honorable mention accolades in 2018-19 as a sophomore.
Jalen Lewis
Michael Keegan
Lewis earned third-team All-MIAA honors after averaging 13.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists while playing 31.2 minutes per game.
Lewis was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick last season. Lewis finished 22nd in the MIAA in scoring and was ninth in the MIAA in 3-pointers per game and 21st in minutes per game.
Keegan joins Javion Blake as the only two Ichabods to be named the MIAA Freshman of the Year.
Keegan averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists and registered a team-high 26 blocks while starting 26 of 28 games.
He finished 13th in the MIAA in rebounds per game, sixth in blocks and 20th in steals per contest.
Former Manhattan star Trevor Hudgins was named the MIAA player of the year.
The Ichabods will open the MIAA Tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. facing Emporia State in Kansas City, Mo. at the Municipal Auditorium.
2022 All-MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
