- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's men's basketball team, picked second in both MIAA preseason polls, will open its conference season Wednesday night, hosting unbeaten Fort Hays State at Lee Arena (7:30 p.m. tipoff).
The Ichabods are 3-3 on the season after wrapping up their non-conference schedule with a 79-69 win over Benedictine College last Saturday.
Fort Hays State is 4-0 on the season with wins over Arkansas Tech, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Central Christian and Manhattan Christian.
The Ichabods hold a 98-70 series advantage over the Tigers and have won the last six in a row.
Washburn is 23-9 in MIAA openers and 4-0 in conference openers under coach Brett Ballard.
Junior guard Jalen Lewis leads Washburn with a 15.8 scoring average entering Wednesday's MIAA opener against Fort Hays State at Lee Arena. [File photograph]
Junior guard Jalen Lewis leads Washburn with a 15.8-point scoring average and in minutes played at 30.5 per game, while freshman Michael Keegan is averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds and recorded career-highs of 17 points and eight rebounds against Benedictine.
Connor Deffebaugh also scored a career-high 17 points against the Ravens and had six rebounds and three assists.
Washburn has played all but two minutes this season without All-America guard Tyler Geiman (ankle), but Geiman could be back in the near future. WU has also been without post Jonny Clausing and guard Tyler Nelson.
Geiman ranks ninth on Washburn's career scoring list with 1,394 in 116 career games while Lewis is No. 4 in made 3-pointers with 210.
Fort Hays State is coming off an 83-34 victory over Manhattan Christian.
All-MIAA returner Jared Vitzum averages 11.3 points and 11 rebounds for Fort Hays State while Kaleb Hammeke averages 10.8 points and Nyjee Wright 10.3.
Washburn will also be at home Saturday, hosting Nebraska-Kearney.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four Shawnee County high school basketball teams have earned spots in the first Kansas Baskeball Coaches Association state rankings of the season.
Washburn Rural's girls, the 2019 state champion, begin the 2021-2022 season ranked No. 2 in Class 6A behind defending state champion Shawnee Mission Northwest, while Topeka High, last year's runner-up is ranked eighth. Topeka High has advanced to the 6A semifinals the past three seasons, with a pair runner-up finishes in '19 and '21.
Brooklyn DeLeye and the Washburn Rural girls will begin the 2021-22 basketball season ranked No. 2 in Class 6A. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Kiki Smith is a top returner for Topeka High's girls, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 6A by the KBCA. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake, which advanced to the state tournament a year ago, is No. 5 in the 3A girls rankings.
Ty Henry (middle) and Seaman are ranked No. 8 in Class 5A to open the 2021-2022 season by the KBCA. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman, which is coming off a 13-9 season, holds down the No. 8 spot in the 5A boys rankings.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
GIRLS
Class 6A
1. Shawnee Mission Northwest; 2. Washburn Rural; 3. Olathe North; 4. Shawnee Mission West; 5. Blue Valley North; 6. Derby; 7. Dodge City; 8. Topeka High; 9. Wichita Heights; 10. Olathe Northwest.
Class 5A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas; 2. Andover Central; 3. Salina Central; 4. Lansing; 5. Maize; 6. Bishop Carroll; 7. St. James Academy; 8. Maize South; 9. Kapaun Mt. Carmel; 10 Emporia.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege; 2. McPherson; 3. Labette County; 4. Andale; 5. Louisburg; 6. Paola; 7. Clearwater; 8. Wellington; 9. Eudora; 10. Wamego.
Class 3A
1. Hugoton; 2. Cheney; 3. Nickerson; 4. Goodland; 5. Silver Lake; 6. Phillipsburg; 7. TMP-Marian; 8. Hesston; 9. Eureka; 10. Haven.
Class 2A
1. Sterling; 2. St. Mary's Colgan; 3. Garden Plain; 4. Valley Heights; 5. Smith Center; 6. Hillsboro; 7. Trego Community; 8. Wabaunsee; 9. Atchison County; 10. Moundridge.
Class 1A-Division I
1. Little River; 2. Burlingame; 3. St. John-Hudson; 4. Spearville; 5. Pretty Prairie; 6. Centralia; 7. South Central; 8. Doniphan West; 9. Victoria; 10. Osborne.
Class 1A-Division II
1. Central Plains; 2. Hanover; 3. Lebo; 4. Golden Plains; 5. Hutchinson Central Christian; 6. Dighton 7. Wheatland-Grinnell; 8. St. John's-Beloit; 9. Bucklin; 10. Attica.
BOYS
Class 6A
1. Free State; 2. Shawnee Mission Northwest; 3. Wichita Heights; 4. Blue Valley Northwest; 5. Blue Valley West; 6. Blue Valley North; 7. Derby; 8. Lawrence; 9. Olathe South; 10. Blue Valley.
Class 5A
1. Maize; 2. Basehor-Linwood; 3. Bishop Carroll; 4. Andover; 5. Blue Valley Southwest; 6. Kapaun Mt. Carmel; 7. Hays 8. Seaman; 9. Maize South; 10. St. James Academy.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege; 2 Louisburg; 3. Tonganoxie; 4. Rose Hill; 5. McPherson; 6. Abilene; 7. Buhler; 8. Wamego; 9. Parsons; 10. Holton.
Class 3A
1. Hesston; 2. Galena; 3. TMP-Marian; 4. Royal Valley; 5. Wichita Collegiate; 6. Nemaha Central; 7. Hugoton; 8. Cheney; 9. Wichita Trinity; 10. Haven.
Class 2A
1. Hillsboro; 2. St. Mary's; 3. Wabaunsee; 4. Lyndon; 5. Inman; 6. Valley Falls; 7. Ellinwood; 8. Jefferson County North; 9. Erie; 10. Trego Community.
Class 1A-Division I
1. Olpe; 2. South Gray; 3. Troy; 4. Little River; 5. Meade; 6. Centralia; 7. Wichita Classical School; 8. Solomon; 9. Frankfort; 10. Osborne.
Class 1A-Division II
1. Hanover; 2. Northern Valley; 3. Wheatland-Grinnell; 4. Pawnee Heights; 5. Axtell; 6. Elyria Christian; 7. Waverly; 8. Logan-Palco; 9. Attica; 10. South Barber.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
City players earned nine of 12 first-team spots on the All-Centennial League boys soccer team, led by player of the year Porter Schafersman of Washburn Rural.
Schafersman, a senior, was one of four Washburn Rural players named to the first team after the Junior Blues posted a 19-1-0 record, a second-place finish in Class 6A and captured a 27th straight league championship (outright or shared), with seniors Wyatt Arnold and Joe Morse and junior Easton Bradstreet also earning first-team honors.
Washburn Rural senior Porter Schafersman has been named the Centennial League player of the year after helping lead the Junior Blues to a 19-1-0 record and a second-place finish in Class 6A. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman puts seniors Pablo Font and Gavin Wilhelm on the 12-player first team, while Hayden junior Jake Muller, Highland Park junior Villamy Diaz and Topeka High senior Sergio Ramirez also earned first-team recognition.
Topeka High freshman Chris Brown was voted the Centennial League newcomer of the year while Rural's Brian Hensyel was selected league coach of the year.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hunter Bentley
HUNTER BENTLEY, Washburn University
Bentley, a 5-foot-9 senior guard out of Bishop Miege, scored 16 points and added 6 rebounds and 3 assists in Washburn University's 71-69 non-conference home loss to Rockhurst University Saturday, including a late 3-pointer that gave the Ichabods a chance at the victory.
Corey Catron
COREY CATRON, Rossville
A senior, Catron capped off an oustanding senior season in Rossville's 35-12 win over Beloit in Saturday Class 2A championship football game at Salina. Catron starred at linebacker as the Bulldawgs limited the Trojans to two touchdowns and added 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as Rossville captured its second straight undefeated 2A state title.
Connor Deffebaugh
CONNOR DEFFEBAUGH, Washburn University
Deffebaugh, a 6-3 sophomore guard from Fayetteville, Ark., scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds last Saturday as Washburn University's men's basketball team evened its record at 3-3 with a 79-69 non-conference victory over Benedictine College at Lee Arena.
Torrey Horak
TORREY HORAK, Rossville
Horak, a senior quarterback, completed 10 of 14 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns as Rossville completed a second straight 13-0 season with a 35-12 win over Beloit in the Class 2A state championship game last Saturday at Salina. Horak also ran for a touchdown.
Michael Keegan
MICHAEL KEEGAN, Washburn University
A 6-6 freshman guard from Dyersville, Iowa, Keegan scored 27 points in two games on the week as Washburn evened its record at 3-3. Keegan scored 10 points in a 69-63 loss to Oklahoma Baptist and followed that up with 17 points, 8 rebounds and three 3-pointers in Saturday's 79-69 win over Benedictine College at Lee Arena.
Jalen Lewis
JALEN LEWIS, Washburn University
Lewis, a junior guard from Liberty, Mo., scored a career-high 30 points in a 69-63 loss to nationally-ranked Oklahoma Baptist last Tuesday, hitting 13 of 20 shots with four 3-pointers, and had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the Ichabods' 79-69 win over Benedictine on Saturday.
- Details
By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Entering the game at 2-3, the banged-up Washburn men’s basketball team looked to get right with a Saturday matchup against Benedictine College, which was playing the game as an exhibition.
The game included 11 lead changes before the Ichabods were able to pull away down the stretch for a 79-69 win.
“I liked our response,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "There was some adversity we went through tonight. I thought we responded the right way.''
Connor Deffebaugh tied for game-high honors with 17 points in Washburn's 79-69 win over Benedictine. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The win moved Washburn to 3-3 on the year with conference play set to begin next week.
