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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After suffering its only two losses of the season back to back, Topeka West boys basketball team has bounced back with three straight victories, including a 56-54 Centennial League road win Tuesday night at Junction City.
In a game that was relatively tight throughout, the Chargers got a pair of game-winning free throws from senior guard Marque Wilkerson to improve to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the league.
Junction City (5-5, 3-4) got a pair of clutch 3-pointers to tie the game twice in the late going, but Wilkerson's charities allowed the Chargers to escape with the big road win.
Wilkerson, who scored 74 points last week in three Topeka Invitational Tournament games, continued his hot streak with a game-high 21-point performance Tuesday night.
The Alexanders, senior Trevion and sophomore Xavier, combined for 23 points, with Trevion scoring 12 and Xavier 11.
After missing the Topeka Invitational with a foot injury, junior standout Elijah Brooks returned for Topeka West, scoring 3 points.
Senior Chris Dixon led three players in double figures for Junction City with 17 points. Juniors Terrance Tedder and Seth Clark added 16 and 11 points, respectively.
JUNCTION CITY GIRLS 45, TOPEKA WEST 35
Topeka West's girls, 2-8 overall and 1-8 in the Centennial League, spotted Junction City a 10-point lead in the first quarter of Tuesday night's game, but the Chargers battled back to give themselves a chance before the Blue Jays pulled away late.
West trailed 20-10 after the first quarter, but the Chargers used a 6-3 second quarter to cut their deficit to 23-16 and outscored the Blue Jays 13-10 in the third quarter to trail by just a 33-29 margin at the start of the fourth.
Junction City (4-8, 2-6) won the game at the free throw line, hitting 18 of 27 charities while West was just 3 of 18.
Senior Lucy Rivera led all scoers with 19 points, going 12 of 16 at the line and hitting her team's only 3-pointer, while senior Mellana Davis added 16 points.
Freshman Siani Sanchez and sophomore Makinsey Jones scored 6 points apiece to lead Topeka West.
JEFFERSON WEST GIRLS 45, HAYDEN 34
Playing without its top two scorers, Hayden's girls basketball team couldn't keep pace with Jefferson West late in the game, with the Tigers pulling away for a 45-34 victory in Tuesday's first round of Wellsville's Top Gun Invitational.
Hayden, which lost junior Macy Smith to an ACL injury earlier in the season, played Tuesday without leading scorer Carly Stuke, a junior who sat out the game with an injury.
The Wildcats, who fell to 5-5 on the season, were still able to stay in the hunt though the first half, leading 12-11 at the end of the first quarter before trailing by just 2 points (22-20) at the half.
Jefferson West pushed its lead to 33-29 at the end of the third quarter and then outscored the Wildcats 12-5 in the fourth for its final margin.
Juniors Kristin Biltoft and Mellany Roenne tied for game-high scoring honors for Jefferson West (7-4) with 14 points. Biltoft hit all of 8 of her free throw attempts while Jeff West went 16 of 21 as a team.
Sophomore Noelia Cruz and senior Callie Moore scored 7 points apiece to lead Hayden, while senior Rhen Calhoon and freshman Lauren Sandstrom scored 6 each.
SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH GIRLS 59, SEAMAN 32
Seaman, which fell to 3-4, struggled offensively in Tuesday night's 59-32 non-league road loss at Shawnee Mission South, with the Raiders taking control with a 34-15 scoring edge over the middle two quarters.
Shawnee Mission South held a slim 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Raiders used a 12-4 second quarter to take a 26-14 halftime advantage and doubled up the Vikings 22-11 in the third to take a commanding 48-25 lead into the fourth.
Freshman Brooklyn Gormley led Seaman with 11 points while senior Raigan Kramer added 10.
Senior Natalie Payne scored a game-high 25 points for Shawnee Mission South, which improved to 7-3. Freshman Camryn Smith added 17 for the Raiders.
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 56, JUNCTION CITY 54
Topeka West 22 11 11 12 -- 56
Junction City 18 16 10 10 -- 54
Topeka West (9-2, 6-1) -- Wilkerson 8 4-6 21, Brooks 0 3-6 3, T. Alexander 5 1-2 12, X. Alexander 3 3-4 11, Putthoff 2 0-0 6, Lira 0 0-0 0, Foy 0 0-0 0, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Austin 1 0-0 3, Lowery 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 11-18 56.
Junction City (5-5, 3-4) -- Dixon 5 4-4 17, Tedder 7 1-1 16, Smith 1 0-0 2, George 0 1-2 1, Rowell 2 1-2 5, Clark 3 2-2 11, Boganowski 1 0-0 2, Felton 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 9-11 54.
3-point goals -- Topeka West 7 (X. Alexander 2, Putthoff 2, Wilkerson, Austin, T. Alexander), Junction City 7 (Dixon 3, Clark 3, Tedder). Total fouls -- Topeka West 10, Junction City 16. Fouled out -- Smith.
JUNCTION CITY GIRLS 45, TOPEKA WEST 35
Topeka West 10 6 13 6 -- 35
Junction City 20 3 10 12 -- 45
Topeka West (2-8, 1-8) -- S. Triplett 2 0-1 5, Sanchez 2 1-2 6, Benson 0 0-0 0, Clark 0 1-5 1, Ford 2 1-6 5, Anthony 1 0-0 3, N. Triplett 2 0-2 4, Duncan 2 0-2 5, Davis 0 0-0 0, Henderson 0 0-0 0, Jones 3 0-0 6. Totals 14 3-18 35.
Junction City (4-8, 2-6) -- Robinson 4 0-0 8, Harris 0 0-3 0, M. Davis 5 6-8 16, Deguzman 0 0-0 0, Rivera 3 12-16 19, Parrett 0 0-0 0, Nabus 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 18-27 45.
3-point goals -- Topeka West 4 (S. Triplett, Anthony, Duncan, Sanchez); Junction City 1 (Rivera). Total fouls -- Topeka West 19, Junction City 14. Fouled out -- Robinson.
JEFFERSON WEST GIRLS 45, HAYDEN 34
Hayden 12 8 9 5 -- 34
Jefferson West 11 11 11 12 -- 45
Hayden (5-5) -- Cruz 2 3-3 7, Calhoon 3 0-1 6, Sandstrom 2 1-1 6, Moore 2 3-4 7, Schmidtlein 1 0-0 2, Lenherr 1 0-0 3, Huscher 1 0-0 3, Anguiano 0 0-0 0, Gill 0 0-1 0. Totals 12 7-9 34.
Jefferson West (7-4) -- Dickey 2 1-1 7, Roenne 4 6-10 14, Warden 2 0-0 5, Young 2 1-2 5, Biltoft 3 8-8 14, Michaelis 0 0-0 0, M. Tibbits 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 16-21 45.
3-point goals -- Hayden 3 (Sandstrom, Lenherr, Huscher), Jefferson West 3 (Dickey 2, Young). Total fouls -- Hayden 19, Jeff West 16. Fouled out -- none.
SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH GIRLS 59, SEAMAN 32
Seaman 10 4 11 7 -- 32
SM South 14 12 22 11 -- 59
Seaman (3-4) — Kramer 4 0-0 10, Sweeney 0 1-2 1, Schumann 2 2-2 6, Stallbaumer 1 0-0 2, J. Anderson 0 0-0 0, Gormley 5 1-3 11, C. Anderson 1 0-0 2, Noble 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Stueve 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 4-7 32.
SM South (7-3) — Moore 1 0-0 3, Payne 6 12-16 25, Smith 8 1-7 17, Gunnigle 2 2-2 6, Thornton 0 0-0 0, Bagby 0 0-0 0, Jorrel 0 0-0 0, Staines 0 0-0 0, Bortel 0 0-0 0, Kovalcik 2 0-0 6, Clark 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 15-25 59.
3-point goals -- Seaman 2 (Kramer 2), Shawnee Mission South 4 (Kovalcik 2, Payne, Moore). Total fouls -- Seaman 16, Shawnee Mission South 11. Fouled out -- none.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park boys basketball coach Michael Williams has been looking for his Scots to play with a little more urgency out of the gate.
Williams got his wish Tuesday night at Manhattan, with the Scots rolling to a 17-5 first-quarter lead and a 28-14 halftime advantage on the way to a 61-47 Centennial League victory.
CJ Powell, a 6-foot-7 senior, had big first and fourth quarters for Highland Park, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter and 10 in the fourth, finishing with a game-high 27 points to lead the way as the Scots evened their record at 5-5 (4-3 in the league) with their second straight win.
Junior Juan'Tario Roberts added 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers for Highland Park.
Manhattan (3-4, 2-2) got 24 points from senior Owen Braxmeyer, including 3 3-pointers, to lead the Indians.
The Indians used an 18-13 third quarter to cut Highland Park's lead to 41-32 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Scots closed out their win with a 20-15 fourth-quarter scoring edge.
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 61, MANHATTAN 47
Highland Park 17 11 13 20 -- 61
Manhattan 5 9 18 15 -- 47
Highland Park (5-5, 4-3) -- Peppers 3 1-2 8, Powell 12 2-4 27, Kingcannon 1 0-0 3, Prosper 0 0-0 0, Roberts 6 0-0 14, Richardson 1 0-0 2, Simms 0 0-0 0, Daniels 2 3-4 7, Flores 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 6-10 61.
Manhattan (3-4, 2-2) -- Hall 0 0-0 0, Braxmeyer 10 1-1 24, Brown 0 0-0 0, Perkins 2 2-2 8, Reid 1 1-1 3, Wilson 0 2-2 2, Carr 1 3-3 6, Wilson 2 0-2 4. Totals 16 9-11 47.
3-point goals -- Highland Park 5 (Roberts 2, Peppers, Powell, Kingcannon), Manhattan 6 (Braxmeyer 3, Perkins 2, Carr). Total fouls -- Highland Park 14, Manhattan 12. Fouled out -- none.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden and Seaman traded blows through the first half of Tuesday's Centennial League boys contest, but the Vikings got the best of the offensive flurry on the way to a 56-45 road win.
Hayden came out smoking against the Vikings, hitting four first-quarter 3-pointers while also converting a traditional 3-point play en route to a 19-7 advantage late in the quarter.
The Wildcats took a 19-9 lead into the second quarter, but Seaman responded to its double-digit deficit with a vengeance, hitting the Wildcats with a 21-5 second-quarter lick to take a 30-24 advantage at the half and held off Hayden the rest of the way to improve to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the league.
"I was hoping at some point they might cool off, but they've got a number of capable guys and they came off a (Topeka West) game where they shot it really well, so they came out with a lot of confidence,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said of the Wildcats. "It was more about picking up our defense, but also us being better offensively and to flip it like we did was a huge turnaround.''
"Their second quarter mirrored our first quarter,'' Hayden coach Torrey Head said. "They came back, and to their credit, smacked us right back as hard as we hit them and then they hit us a little harder. When baskets are falling it's easier to play and when baskets aren't falling you don't guard quite as well.''
Seaman's Ty Henry slips under the basket for 2 points against Hayden (Photo by Rex Wolf /TSN)Hayden (3-8, 2-6) battled back from a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter to get as close as 3 points on three occasions.
Hayden was within 5 (41-36) going into the fourth quarter and was still within 5 with 6:19 remaining before Seaman ended the game with a 10-4 run and led by 13 late.
The Wildcats fought foul problems throughout the game, with sophomore Joe Otting (10 points, 9 rebounds) and junior Trent Duffey both fouling out.
"I thought we came out the third quarter and made a little bit of a flurry and had a chance to make it a ballgame, but when certain guys aren't in the game for us it's awfully difficult for us to play like we'd like to,'' Head said.
Both teams lost key players to injuries in the second half, with Hayden senior Geivonnii Williams, who led the Wildcats with 12 points, leaving the game with 2:47 left in the third quarter and Seaman sophomore Kaeden Bonner exiting with 2:46 left in the game. Both players suffered injuries to their left ankles.
Junior Ty Henry led a balanced Seaman attack with 12 points while junior Mateo Hyman added 11 points and senior Micah Kobuszewski 10 as five Vikings scored at least seven points.
"After playing three games last weekend and just having the one practice, I wasn't sure how we were going to be and if we'd be able to respond with our legs, but our guys did a really good job and it always helps when you get contributions down the line,'' Cox said.
SEAMAN BOYS 56, HAYDEN 45
Seaman 9 21 11 15 -- 56
Hayden 19 5 12 9 -- 45
Seaman (5-5, 4-3) -- Hyman 2-3 7-8 11, Henry 5-12 0-1 12, Bonner 3-9 2-2 9, Stallbaumer 3-7 1-2 7, Davis 2-4 0-0 4, Brewer 1-2 0-0 2, Stuewe 0-2 0-0 0, Kobuszewski 4-5 1-2 10, Gormley 0-0 1-3 1, Finley 0-0 0-0 0, Griess 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-44 12-18 56
Hayden (3-8, 2-6) -- Williams 4-9 3-3 12, Muller 2-6 3-4 8, Duffey 2-6 0-0 6, Pivarnik 2-8 0-0 6, Otting 2-3 6-6 10, Bartlett 0-2 0-0 0, Gorman 1-4 0-0 3, Rice 0-2 0-0 0, Munoz-Frye 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-40 12-13 45.
3-point goals -- Seaman 4 (Henry 2, Bonner, Kobuszewski), Hayden 7 (Duffey 2, Pivarnik 2, Williams, Muller, Gorman). Total fouls -- Seaman 12, Hayden 18. Fouled out -- Duffey, Otting.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University track and field assistant Rick Attig doesn’t have anything left to prove in a coaching career that has included outstanding success at the high school, NCAA Division I and now Division II levels.
But the 68-year-old Attig is still enjoying himself too much to even think about walking away from the sport he loves.
“I don’t think I could do that,’’ Attig said. “I think it would drive me nuts. We have three acres and I could mow my grass. I still do that, but I just couldn’t imagine doing anything else than coaching. I’m still loving it.
“It’s one of those type of things that if I was retired, I would still want to do it as a hobby because I get lots of enjoyment out of it.’’
Rick Attig is in his fifth season as an assistant track and field coach at Washburn, continuing an ultra-successful high school and college coaching career. [Photograph courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Attig may be best known for his work as a jumps and multi-events coach at the University of Kansas and Nebraska, but also enjoyed success at Raytown South (Mo.) High School early in his coaching career and at Blue Valley North before joining Washburn head coach Cameron Babb in 2016 to help relaunch the Ichabods’ track and field program after a long hiatus.
“I recruited Cameron to help me there at Blue Valley North,’’ Attig said. “I would try to recruit decathletes or heptathletes to help coach at Blue Valley North and Cameron came in and did just a really good job. He’s a really good coach and I really like him.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Washburn Rural volleyball and girls basketball coach Kevin Bordewick is one of 23 high school coaches from across the nation selected as 2020 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of of State High School Associations Coaches Association.
Bordewick, the lone honoree from Kansas, has been at Washburn Rural for 28 years, including 26 seasons as the Junior Blues' head volleyball coach and 12 seasons as Rural's head girls basketball coach.
Washburn Rural's Kevin Bordewick, who has 1,099 victories as a head coach at Rural, has been named a National Coach of the Year for 2019-20 by the NFHS. [Photograph by Rick Peterson]
Bordewick has coached Washburn Rural to seven Class 6A state championships in volleyball and one in basketball while compiling a 1,099-284 record at Rural (896-218 in volleyball, 203-66 in basketball). Bordewick has 1,175 career victories.
Bordewick was named a national coach of the year for the 2019-20 school year for volleyball.
"It's very humbling and I really think it's more of an award for eveybody that's been involved in some way, form or fashion for the Washburn Rural community,'' Bordewick said. "All the assistant coaches that we've had, the administrators, the athletic directors, the principals, the school board, to me you can't have any of that (success) without their support and continual backing.''
And, of course, Bordewick knows his programs have been blessed with talented student-athletes over the years.
