- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team punctuated a solid 4-1 start to the 2023-2024 season with a 69-56 home non-league win over Shawnee Mission West Wednesday night.
Hayden senior Dom Ridley scored a game-high 19 points in Wednesday's 69-56 non-league win over Shawnee Mission West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Wildcats went wire-to-wire for their third straight win after scoring the first four points of the game against a short-handed Shawnee Mission West team, which played without multiple varsity players (coach's decision).
"It was pretty solid,'' first-year Wildcat coach Trey Brown said of his team's performance. "I love their effort, being down a key guy (injured senior Jacob Padilla). I think the guys fought hard and we've got a couple of things to clean up, but other than that the effort was great, we executed for the most part and they played hard and that's all you can ask for this early on.''
- Details
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Last Year Brooklyn DeLeye was enjoying her senior year of high school as a student at Washburn Rural, where she won two state championships, the first coming her junior year in basketball and the last coming her senior year in volleyball.
“Washburn Rural was a special environment that I will cherish forever,'' said DeLeye, a two-time Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year in volleyball. "The relationships I made and the support from the community has definitely been a big impact on my career. I think the amazing coaches I had, and the teammates that I spent so much time with, truly helped develop me into the player and person I am today.
"They pushed me to be my best and always held me accountable. I have nothing but great things to say about Washburn Rural and I know so many other people would agree with me.”
This year DeLeye's a freshman at the University of Kentucky, where she was named SEC Freshman of the Year.
“Being named SEC Freshman of the Year felt so surreal,'' she said. "Growing up watching college volleyball and all these amazing players receiving awards, receiving one for myself truly felt like a dream. I also would not have even been close to getting this award if it weren’t for my amazing support system, my teammates, and my coaches.
"This team truly was patient with me all year. I had a rocky start and I received nothing but love and support all year.”
DeLeye posted amazing numbers in her first season in Lexington with 416 points scored and 391 kills with 184 digs.
“In my eyes, the start of the year did not go according to plan as far of what I was doing to help my team on the court,'' DeLeye said. "When I got to college, I thought I would just jump in and pick right up where I had left. I was so wrong. It took me months to get accustomed to the college level of volleyball and I am not the most patient person. I wanted results fast, but the reality was that it was a slow process. I had to get out of my comfort zone and really try to find myself again in volleyball.
"Our season started off rocky as well, but I think the team and myself were just trying to build trust within each other and the new system we were trying to run. Once we built that trust, I think that’s is when everything started to click. My confidence came back and I think the results really started to show as well.”
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake boys basketball team went into the holiday break riding high off a 62-54 victory over rival Rossville Tuesday night.
The Eagles received a charge from junior Jared Johnson, who came out firing, hitting four 3-point buckets in the first quarter. The Eagles built a seven-point advantage in the first period and maintained a lead throughout.
Silver Lake's Jared Johnson scored 22 points with four 3-pointers in the Eagles 62-54 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I felt like everything was going in. It just felt amazing,” Johnson said. “I think that really built our confidence and we just built off of that.”
“We expected (Rossville) to either pressure-man us or go zone,” Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger said. “So, if they went zone, we told him to let it fly because he can shoot it. He was making them tonight.”
Silver Lake's Elijah Lopez drives to the hoop in Tuesday's 62-54 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Johnson led the Eagles with 22 points. Silver Lake also got 14 points each from Elijah Lopez and Brody Deiter.
As always, a victory over Rossville felt special to the Eagles.
“It was really fun,” Johnson said. “We had a great crowd out there. Our student section was getting into it. You can’t really describe how great it feels.”
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
A matchup of two of the top girls basketball teams in Class 3A went the way of host Silver Lake Tuesday. The top-ranked Eagles knocked off fourth-ranked Rossville 65-52 in the final game before the holiday break.
Senior MaKenzie McDanield (10) scored a game-high 20 points as top-ranked Silver Lake stayed unbeaten with a 65-52 win over Rossville on Tuesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
A sluggish second quarter put the Bulldawgs behind by 11 and they were unable to make up the deficit.
“Rossville’s a great (challenge) for us for a number of reasons,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “First off, they are a super athletic team. They play incredibly hard, and they play in a way that is unique in terms of who we have faced so far. They are an up-tempo team. They do a great job of pressing using their length to disrupt you. You have to play with poise and not get caught up in the up-and-down game that they want to play.
“In the first quarter we fed into that a little bit, but we did a really good job, especially in the second quarter, of settling down and taking the shots we wanted to take in the half court. In the second and third quarter, you saw the lead extend because of that.”
Sophomore Kailyn Hanni drives to the basket in Tuesday's 65-52 Silver Lake win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Kaylee Deiter scored 13 points as Silver Lake improved to 5-0 with a 65-52 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Twenty points from senior MaKenzie McDaniel – 13 of which came in the first half – led the Eagles, who also got 16 points from Kailyn Hanni and 13 from Kaylee Deiter.
“This was a game we’ve been anticipating for forever,” McDaniel said. “It’s always a high-energy, big game. We make a bucket list at the beginning of the season, and beating Rossville is always very important to us.
“It’s nice to go into break with this big win.”
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's women put a bow on the 2023 portion of their season Tuesday afternoon, running away in the second half with a 75-56 win over Northeastern State at Lee Arena.
WU coach Lora Westling said Tuesday was a great way to head into the holiday break.
"That was the first thing I told my girls, 'Thank you for getting a win while I'm in this ridiculous (Christmas) sweater,' '' Westling said. "I think it's a combination of the work they've been putting in.
"These girls deserve going into break with a little bit of joy and a little bit of confidence because they've certainly been putting in the work.''
Washburn's NIbari Nwidadah (32) is congratulated by her teammates after scoring and drawing a foul in Tuesday's 75-56 MIAA win over Northeastern State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn coach Lora Westling, decked out in a Christmas sweater, coaches her Ichabods during Tuesday's 75-56 MIAA win over Northeastern State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn, 8-3 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA, and Northeastern State were deadlocked at 17 at the end of the first quarter and 34-all at halftime before the Ichabods took control with a 20-9 third quarter and cruised the rest of the way.
