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DAJIA ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
Last season Anderson, a senior, became the first city wrestler to win a girls state title and led the Junior Blues to a win in the first-ever girls state tournament. After winning the state title at 235 pounds a year ago, Anderson, 10-0, is top-ranked in Division I at 191 pounds this season.
MARANDA BELL, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Bell is currently second-ranked behind Anderson in Division I at 191 pounds with a 9-0 record. Bell was the runner-up in the inaugural United Kansas Conference tournament last season, helping the T-Birds win the UKC team title.
ADDISON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
Broxterman, a sophomore, is third-ranked in Division I at 120 pounds with a 7-2 record. She was a state qualifier last season at 116 pounds for the state-champion Junior Blues and posted a 31-11 record on the year. Broxterman posted a runner-up finish in the Centennial League.
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Seaman junior Ty Henry (23) blocks a shot attempt by Topeka High's Nazim Phillips Friday night. [Photograph by Rex Wolf]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's boys basketball team struggled at times in both halves of Friday's home Centennial League contest against Topeka High.
But the Vikings found a way to win a game they probably would have lost a year ago, surviving a late Trojan rally to hold on for a 50-48 victory.
With the win Seaman evened its record at 3-3 and eclipsed its win total from the 2019-20 season, while High fell to 0-4.
"We're not going to complain about winning, but we are going to want to learn from it and learn how to finish games when you put youself in that perfect position to put somebody away,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said.
Seaman never led in the first half while shooting just 26 percent while Topeka High hit 11 of 14 shots (78.6 percent) en route to taking a 23-20 halftime advantage.
The Vikings finally heated up in the second half, getting 16 second-half points from junior Mateo Hyman, and used an 11-0 run at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter to take a 44-33 advantage with less than six minutes remaining.
Seaman struggled the rest of the way, but held on for the win, getting a huge block and rebound from junior Ty Henry, who clinched the victory with two free throws with 8.3 seconds left.
Hyman came off the bench to lead Seaman with 18 points while Henry added 11 points and sophomore Aron Davis 9. Seaman hit 12 of 21 second-half field goal attempts to finish at 40.9 percent for the game and went 10 of 11 from the free throw line.
"(Topeka High's) junk defenses were effective, the triangle and two in the first half and box and one in the second half, and I was happy and proud of our guys that in that third quarter we found a way to attack and get some good shots and build a lead,'' Cox said.
"Unfortunately, the last three minutes we didn't make good decisions and we didn't play good defense and almost let them get the game tied.''
Topeka High, which played without senior standout Jalen Smith, was led by senior Isiah Esquibel, who scored a game-high 23 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Senior Jayden Leesman added 13 points for the Trojans.
Topeka High shot 71 percent from the field (22 of 31), but the Trojans went just 2 of 8 from the free throw line and committed 25 turnovers.
Coming off an extended holiday break Seaman now faces another long layoff before beginning competition in the Valley Center tournament on Jan. 21. The Vikings were scheduled to play Manhattan on Friday, Jan. 15, but that game has been postponed to COVID-19 protocols at Manhattan.
SEAMAN BOYS 50, TOPEKA HIGH 48
Topeka High 12 11 10 15 -- 48
Seaman 8 12 15 15 -- 50
Topeka High (0-4, 0-4) -- Esquibel 10-13 1-1 23, Wilson 1-3 0-2 2, Walker 2-3 0-0 4, Canady 2-4 0-1 4, Leesman 6-7 1-4 13, Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, McMillon 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-31 2-8 48.
Seaman (3-3, 3-3 -- Henry 4-7 2-2 11, Bonner 2-6 0-0 5, Stallbaumer 1-5 0-0 2, Kobuszewski 1-6 0-0 2, Davis 2-4 4-4 9, Hyman 7-14 3-3 18, Brewer 0-1 1-2 1, Gormley 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 18-44 10-11 50.
3-point goals -- Topeka High 2 (Esquibel 2), Seaman 4 (Hyman, Henry, Bonner, Davis). Total fouls -- Topeka High 14, Seaman 11. Fouled out -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Isiah Esquibel knew his Topeka High boys basketball team was going to experience some growing pain searly this season after graduating several key players off last year's Trojan team that went 16-6 and shared the Centennial League championship.
That has been evident in the early going, with the Trojans 0-3 overall and in the league entering Friday's 7:30 p.m. league game at Seaman, which is 2-3.
Senior Isiah Esquibel (5) is looking to help Topeka High make a second-half climb after an 0-3 start. [Twitter]
Esquibel, a 6-foot-4 guard, said the key will be getting all of the Trojans, including a host of varsity newcomers, on the same page.
"We're just trying to get this thing all together, just trying to get some wins at this point,'' Esquibel said. "We've played well at times. It's just the experience of the other teams gets to us at times. With the guys we have now, they've stepped up, but we just need a little bit more.''
Topeka High squandered a late lead in a 47-46 loss to Emporia and the Trojans have went through other bad stretches that cost them in 13-point losses to USD 501 rivals Topeka West and Highland Park.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The good news is that Washburn University's women's basketball team will play again, and all WU coach Ron McHenry and the Ichabod players can do is be ready for that day after a frustrating string of three straight postponed games.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn men’s basketball team won last Saturday at Northeastern State despite not being at its best, rallying from a 12-point deficit in the second half to pull out an 85-84 overtime MIAA victory over the Riverhawks.
But Ichabod coach Brett Ballard knows that anything less than WU’s ‘A’ game probably won’t be enough for the No. 5-ranked Ichabods to have a chance to knock off top-ranked Northwest Missouri in Thursday’s 6 p.m. MIAA contest at Maryville, Mo.
"We'll have to play a lot better,'' Ballard said Wednesday. "If we play like we did Saturday it will get ugly.''
