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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights girls took care of business on their home floor Tuesday, defeating Basehor-Linwood 39-32 in a Class 5A sub-state semifinal, setting up a big challenge Friday.
Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot led the way with 16 points in Tuesday's 39-32 Class 5A sub-state win over Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The T-Birds built a double-digit lead early in the second half and maintained it until late. With three minutes remaining, Basehor-Linwood collapsed the deficit to five points. Holding the T-Birds scoreless for more than four minutes, the Bobcats then pulled to within three, 31-28, with 1:35 remaining.
Shawnee Heights, led by sophomore KK Emmot, connected on enough free throws in the final minute to hold off the threat.
“We played sharp in the first quarter and continued that through the second quarter,” Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. “We changed some things up on defense that we thought we might try, and it worked out well for us holding them down.
“We knew (Basehor-Linwood) would make it close because we’ve played them enough to know they are never going to give up and they’re going to play hard until the very end. We knew we were going to have to deal with that. I’m really proud of the girls who stepped up and made free throws.”
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 14-7 on the season, attempted 27 free throws in the game, knocking down 16. The T-Birds were led by Emmot’s 16 points. Kaydence Torrez scored eight and Tayler Hanshaw had seven.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was before Washburn Rural boys basketball coach Alex Hutchins arrived in Topeka, but he has been told the story about how a few seasons ago Wichita West came in to Rural for a Class 6A sub-state semifinal and knocked off the heavily-favored Junior Blues to end their season.
Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley dunks the ball for two of his 23 points in Tuesday's 78-50 sub-state win over Wichita West. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Hutchins' No. 3-seeded Rural team made sure that history didn't repeat itself Tuesday, knocking down 14 3-pointers on the way to a 78-50 rout and a shot at a sub-state title Friday night.
"That (West's upset of Rural) was mentioned to me in the very first summer I was here,'' Hutchins I was here. "It was talked about how incredible our environment is here at Washburn Rural with our student section and our crowd and our cheerleaders and our band.
"And they mentioned that there had been one time in the past where I think the band was on a spring break trip and we had a really high seed and kind of a sleepy crowd and it kind of ended up in disaster. So we didn't specifically bring up that story, but we told the boys, 'You can't take anything for granted, you've got to be ready to go.' ''
West (4-17) took an early 5-2 lead, but junior Draden Chooncharoen converted an old-fashioned three-point play and senior Amare Jones hit a 3-point shot to put the Junior Blues up 8-5 and they never trailed again.
Rural led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter and used a 22-9 second quarter to take a commanding 43-22 lead at the half.
The Junior Blues connected on 7 of 12 3-pointers in the half, led by freshman Brooks Ballard, who came off the bench to hit 4 of 4 treys.
Rural continued to rain 3s in the third quarter, opening up a 66-39 advantage at the end of the third stanza after leading by as many as 29 points.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MIAA regular-season champion Washburn University is well represented on the men's all-conference team announced Wednesday, earning three major awards, two All-MIAA defensive team members, two first-team All-MIAA selections as well as a second-team and third-team pick.
[Graphic by Washburn Athletics]
Earning MIAA coach of the year honors was Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard, who led the Ichabods to 26 regular- season wins this season - one shy of the Ichabod program record of 27 for regular-season wins set by the 1986-87 NAIA National Championship team that went 35-4.
Ballard also led the Ichabods to their first No. 1 ranking since the 1991-92 season and to a top-five spot in the national rankings for 14 straight weeks. The MIAA regular-season championship this season is the 11th in program history and the first since the 2011-12 season.
Washburn senior Jacob Hanna earned four different awards as he was named the MIAA's newcomer of the year, the MIAA's defensive player of the year, a first-team all-MIAA selection and was named to the MIAA all-defensive team.
Hanna is averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while dishing out 98 assists. Hanna has reached double-figure scoring in 26 of 28 games this season.
Hanna was joined on the all-MIAA Defensive team by senior Michael Keegan. Keegan leads the MIAA with 66 steals, and he is 11th in blocked shots with 21. Starting all 28 games this season, Keegan has averaged 8.3 points while pulling down 4.9 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Washburn Rural product Jack Bachelor was named first-team All-MIAA with Hanna after averaging 13.6 points over the regular season and 14.3 in MIAA play.
He is second in the MIAA in assists and assists per game and leads the league in assist to turnover ratio at 2.9. Bachelor is also shooting 41 percent from 3-point range during MIAA play while leading the MIAA in free throw percentage, hitting 83 of 95 free throw attempts for an 87 percent clip.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball juniors Payton Sterk and Yibari Nwidadah were both named to the All-MIAA second team announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Washburn junior Yibari Nwidadah has been named to the All-MIAA second team while also being named to the conference all-defensive team. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junior Payton Sterk has been named to the All-MIAA second team while also being named the conference co-newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Additionally, Sterk earned the honor of co-newcomer of the year while Nwidadah was one of five players selected to the all-defensive team.
Nwidadah earns all-conference honors for the second time in her career and for a second straight season after receiving honorable mention a season ago. The junior led Washburn in scoring at 16.6 points per game while shooting a team and conference high 63.3% from the floor. She tallied seven double-doubles while averaging 7.8 rebounds.
On the offensive end Nwidadah had 11 outings scoring 20 or more points, including a new career high at Quincy on Nov. 16, scoring 29 on 12-16 shooting. She finished the regular season fourth nationally in FG% while ranking sixth in the MIAA in scoring average. She was also named to the all-defensive team for the first time in her career.
Sterk averaged 16.4 points while playing and starting all 29 games, logging a team-high 31.1 minutes per game. She shot a team-high 39.2% from deep and drilled 62 3-pointers, a team-high. The junior guard had 10 games scoring at least 20 points including three 30-plus performances. She scored a Washburn career-high of 33 points with seven made 3-pointers on Feb. 13 against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.
Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.
Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.
Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).
Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 2 -- Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.
The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.
The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).
Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
West sub-state No. 2 -- Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).
CLASS 5A BOYS
