Welcome to Top Sports News

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka West boys basketball doesn't necessarily have a go-to player.

Instead, Christian Ulsaker's Chargers have four or five players that can fill that role on any given night, which could make Topeka West a very dangerous team over the course of the 2025-2026 season.

opeka West senior Loc Duncan (12) led all scorers with 26 points Friday as the Chargers opened their season with an 81-54 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

West's balance was on full display in Friday's 81-54 United Kansas Conference home victory over De Soto, with senior Loc Duncan leading the way with a game-high 26 points while all five West starters cracked double figures.

Junior Prince Lassiter scored 18 points in Friday's 81-54 UKC Topeka West win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka West senior JayVeon Traylor slams home a dunk in Friday's 81-54 Charger win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Junior Prince Lassiter backed Duncan with 18 points, while senior Jay'Veon Traylor added 12 points and seven rebounds, senior Gad Munganga 11 points and senior Keimani Paul 10.

"Thankfully our guys don't have a huge ego,'' Ulsaker said. "I've got guys like Loc standing next to me and he understands that nobody's above the team, so they get what they need to do.

"If it's Kei's night, he's OK with that. If it's Jay'Veon's night he's OK with that. Tonight it was just Loc's night.''

Duncan agreed with his coach that the Chargers have the firepower to share the wealth.

"I absolutely agree with that,'' Duncan said. "Everybody in the whole starting five can get going and it can be anybody's night any given night.

"If teams try to key on me that leaves my other teammates open, to get open easy buckets for them. They can't really key on one person because we've got five guys that can do anything.''

Both Munganga and Duncan hit three 3-pointers apiece as West, currently ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, finished with eight 3s as a team. 

The Chargers went wire to wire for the victory, opening up a 17-11 first-quarter advantage and taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.

West boosted its lead to double-digits at 53-41 by the end of the third quarter and the Chargers turned the game into a rout with a 28-13 fourth quarter.

Senior Brayan Salas led De Soto (0-1, 0-1) with 15 points while senior Dylan Narayan added 10 for the Wildcats.  

TOPEKA WEST BOYS 81, DE SOTO 54

De Soto         11 13 17 13 -- 54

Topeka West 17 14 22 28 -- 81

De Soto (0-1, 0-1) – Patterson 3-8 1-2 9, Dickinson 4-11 1-4 9, Narayan 5-6 0-0 10, Salas 7-19 1-3 15, Krier 1-3 0-0 2, Rapp 1-2 3-3 5, Brady 0-2 0-0 0, Morton 1-1 0-0 2, Hastings 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 6-12 54. 

Topeka West (1-0, 1-0) – Munganga 4-9 0-0 11, Traylor 5-8 1-3 12, Duncan 9-13 5-8 26, Paul 3-6 3-3 10, Lassiter 6-8 6-6 16, Ware 1-3 0-2 2, Phillips 0-2 0-0 0, Fox 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-50 15-22 81.

3-point goals – De Soto 2 (Patterson 2), Topeka West 8 (Munganga 3, Duncan 3, Traylor, Paul). Total fouls – De Soto 14, Topeka West 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- De Soto (pre-game dunk), Munganga, Duncan.

Wildcat girls ride 3-point barrage past Chargers

De Soto made nine 3-pointers on the night, including seven in the first half, en route to a 68-21 UKC romp past Topeka West Friday at West.

Five different Wildcats drained 3-pointers, including four players with multiple treys, as De Soto (1-0 overall, 1-0 UKC) took control early and forced a running block throughout the fourth quarter.

Junior Clare Leis paced De Soto with a game-high 15 points while freshman Maddie Leis added 12 points and junior Katie Bush 10.

Junior Sydney VanDyke led Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) with 10 points and eight rebounds.

DE SOTO GIRLS 68, TOPEKA WEST 21

De Soto         18 27 18 5 -- 68

Topeka West   6 8 6 1 -- 21

De Soto (1-0, 1-9) – C. Leis 6-10 1-2 15, O'Brien 2-4 0-0 6, Cinotto 3-3 1-2 9, Gulley 0-0 2-2 2, Chappel 0-2 0-0 0, M. Leis 4-11 2-3 12, Bush 4-9 2-2 10, Carpenter 2-6 3-4 7, Major 1-3 0-0 3, Stapp 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Reiswig 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 24-53 11-17 68. 

Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) – Sa'Niya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, VanDyke 3-10 4-8 10, Ogles 1-5 0-0 2, Hall 0-6 1-2 1, McGlory 1-2 0-0 3, Allen 1-3 0-0 3, Sa'Mya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, Traylor 1-3 0-2 2, Fox 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 7-33 5-14 21.

3-point goals – De Soto 9 (C. Leis 2, O'Brien 2, Cinotto 2, M. Leis 2, Major), Topeka West 2 (McGlory, Allen). Total fouls – De Soto 16, Topeka West 18. Fouled out – Chappel. Technical fouls -- none.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University women's basketball rode a fourth-quarter comeback to knock off Nebraska Kearney 71-65 Thursday night in Lee Arena in the Ichabods' MIAA opener.

Senior Yibari Nwidadah (32) celebrates a big basket late in the game in Washburn's come-from-behind 71-65 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

While happy overall with the Ichabods' start to the season, Washburn coach Lora Westling has lamented the Ichabods' penchant for making things tougher than they need to be at times.

That bugaboo showed up again Thursday night, with the Ichabods trailing much of the game, but Washburn played its best when it needed it the most, taking control down the stretch.

"We've just got to settle in earlier and that's been a struggle,'' Westling said. "They'll respond and we'll put up a fight, we're not going to get kicked down, but we'd like to be a little more aggressive to start the fight.

"But I was really proud of our team down the stretch and I thought we got some big plays and especially some big stops. Our seniors didn't quit, they showed great resilience, and that's why you love to have seniors on your team.''

"We do definitely make it harder than we need to,'' WU senior Payton Sterk said. "but I think we do make it count when it's important and I think we were really good at dialing in our energy and really focusing in that second half and that's what won the game.''  

The Ichabods (5-2 overall, 1-0 MIAA) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead while holding the Lopers (4-5, 0-1) scoreless until the 6:22 mark.

A hoop from Britany Kogbara made it 11-4 Washburn with 3:37 left in the opening quarter, but Nebraska Kearney finished the quarter on an 11-3 run, including the final seven points to lead 15-14. 

Early in the second quarter Madelyn Amekporfor scored to put Washburn back in front, but the Lopers scored the next eight points as they held the Ichabods to 27.8-percent shooting from the floor in the quarter and Kearney held a 33-26 lead at the break.  

The deficit for Washburn reached nine points midway through the third quarter, but a bucket by senior Yibari Nwidadah started a 7-0 run to pull the Ichabods within two. 

Nebraska-Kearney led 49-47 going into the fourth stanza, but Washburn finally broke through to tie the game at 53 on a Kogbara basket.

Payton Sterk drove for a layup to put the Ichabods in front 58-56 with 5:48 to go.

The Lopers rallied to go back up by four, but Washburn answered with six in a row, the final four from senior Gabi Giovannetti.

An old fashioned three-point play by Nwidadah in the final minute put the Ichabods in front for good and the Ichabods held on to win, 71-65. 

Read more …

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn's volleyball season came to an end Friday night with a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul in the NCAA Central Region semifinals.

The Ichabods end the season with a 27-5 record after going 13-3 in the MIAA and winning a share of the MIAA regular-season championship.

Washburn's outstanding 2025 volleyball season ended Friday with a 3-0 loss to Concordia-St. Paul in an NCAA Central Region semifinal. [File photo/TSN]

The Golden Bears (28-5), the No. 2 seed in the region, took control late in the first set and went up 1-0 in the match with a 25-21 win. Sixth-seeded Washburn (27-5) led early in the second set before falling by the same score, 25-21. The Ichabods led deep into the third set but were unable to extend the match, falling 26-24.

Early in the first set it was back-and-forth with eight ties in the first 16 points.

Concordia-St. Paul created some space with three straight points to lead 15-12.

Shortly after Keilah Rivers knocked down a kill that pulled the Ichabods within one point at 17-16. Washburn stayed within two points until the Golden Bears secured the final two points of the set to win 25-21. Both teams hit over .270 in the set to open the match.

After CSP got the first point in the second, Washburn's Brooklyn Morrisey slashed a kill that started a 6-0 run.

Washburn held the lead until the Golden Bears won five straight points to go in front by one, 13-12. The deficit grew to as many as four points but the Ichabods hung around, pulling back within two at 23-21 on a Brynne Topolski kill off an assist from Sydney Conner. 

Once again the final two points went to Concordia-St. Paul to win the set.

Washburn jumped in front 7-4 in the third after Austin Broadie connected on a kill. The lead grew to seven points at 14-7 after a six-point burst that began with Morrisey taking a pass from Corinna McMullen to the floor for a kill.

The Golden Bears won six of the next eight points to pull within three at 16-13. The Ichabods recovered, going on a 6-4 run to lead 22-17 after Broadie and Bella Limback combined for a block.

CSP won four straight points, forcing two Washburn timeouts. The Ichabods still were able to reach match point at 24-23 after an attacking error, but the next three points went to the Golden Bears as they closed out the match.

Read more …