Jeff North girls snap Cair Paravel’s three-game winning streak, 35-30
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel girls’ three-game winning streak was snapped in a 35-30 home loss to Jefferson County North in the final regular season game Thursday. The Lions finished the schedule with an 11-11 record and now await their postseason assignment.
Becca Gateley led CPLS with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in Thursday's 35-30 loss to Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Lions stayed in lockstep with the visiting Chargers right to the end. Neither team led by more than four points until the final seconds, and Cair Paravel led by one point, 30-29, with 3:40 left.
It was at that point that the foul disparity became too much for the Lions to overcome. Cair Paravel committed 20 fouls to the Chargers’ 10. The Chargers hit 14-20 free throws to the Lions’ 2-4. Cair Paravel’s two seniors – Karsyn Hastert and KellyAnn Chada – both fouled out in the final minutes.
“Obviously, fouls were a big part of the game, and it was hard because three of my girls were playing with four fouls,” said Cair Paravel coach Jaley Barkley.
The Lions got just three points from their leading scorer, London Backman, and none from Chada.
“You could definitely tell Jefferson County North had scouted us. They were all over Karsyn and they really shut down KellyAnn and London,” said Barkley. “I’m proud of the girls that stepped up. They hit some shots.”
Karsyn Hastert had 10 points in Thursday's 35-30 Cair Paravel loss to Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Becca Gateley got hot in the second half, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Lions in it. She finished with 11 points, followed by Hastert with 10.
Though the loss dropped the Lions to .500, Barkley said the three-game win streak injected a sense of pride in the team.
“The girls have really enjoyed having that winning record,” Barkley said. “It’s kind of brought a different fuel and energy to the team that wasn’t there last year. Being .500 puts us kind of in the middle of the pack (for sub-state) as opposed to some of the years before.”
The Lions are 5-2 in February and hope to be peaking at the right time.
“From our first game of the season ‘til now, we’ve improved in all areas,” Barkley said. “I’m just proud of the girls for everything they’ve learned throughout this season in every individual game. They’ve been very coachable and have grown so much.”
JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTH GIRLS 35, CAIR PARAVEL 30
Jefferson County North 10 4 11 10 -- 35
Cair Paravel 7 8 8 7 -- 30
Jefferson County North (13-9) – Blattner 2-7 3-4 8, Johnson 1-9 2-2 4, Thompson 2-7 4-8 8, Porter 2-6 0-0 4, L. Noll 0-6 2-2 2, Schrick 1-4 0-0 2, R. Noll 1-6 1-2 3, Hernandez 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 10-47 14-20 35.
3-point goals – Jefferson County North 1 (Blattner), Cair Paravel 4 (Gateley 3, Backman). Total fouls – Jefferson County North 10, Cair Paravel 20. Fouled out – Hastert, Chada. Technical fouls – none.
Rick Peterson
Washburn women in Oklahoma for final regular-season road trip
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball is in Oklahoma for its final regular-season road trip of the 2025-2026 season, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. Thursday game at Central Oklahoma.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 17 points to lead Washburn in a 72-64 MIAA win over Northeastern State last Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn improved to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in the MIAA with a 72-64 win over Northeastern State last Saturday in Lee Arena.
Washburn is one win away from equaling its win total in an 18-13 season in 2024-25 with a minimum of five games remaining.
Central Oklahoma improved to 9-15 overall and 4-11 in the MIAA with a 64-61 win over Rogers State at home last time out.
Senior Yibari Nwidadah averages team-highs of 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Ichabods while also shooting a team-high 56.7 percent from the floor.
With 286 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah ranks thirdin program history and she is fifth with 790 career boards.
Her career field goal percentage of .578 is the second best in program history. In scoring she ranks 13th among all Ichabods with 1,265 career points and is 11th in program history with 69 career blocked shots.
Senior Payton Sterk is second on the team with an 11.7 scoring average while hitting a team-high 38 3-pointers.
Sterk currently sits 17th in program history with 100 3-pointers made in just 55 career games with Washburn.
Sterk's career free throw percentage of 86.5 percent is the best for any Ichabod.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored 10.7 points per game and is second on the team with 33 3-pointers. She also is swiping a team-high 1.8 steals per game, ranking seventh in the MIAA in steals.
Giovannetti is tied for sixth in program history with 145 career 3-pointers made. She is 19th among all Ichabods with 57 blocked shots and she ranks 31st in program history with 948 career points.
Holding opponents to 57.7 points per game, Washburn ranks first in the MIAA in scoring defense.
Forcing 18.21 turnovers per game, the Ichabods lead the conference.
Five players scored in double figures for the Ichabods in Saturday's win over Northeastern State, led by 17 points from Giovannetti. Sterk had 11 points with five assists and junior Britany Kogbara came off the bench to score 11 points with nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Senior Aniah Wayne and sophomore Brooke Gomez scored 10 points apiece.
Nykaiya Dillard is scoring a team-high 12.4 points per game for Central Oklahoma while Kaitlyn McCarn is averaging 11.2 points.
Jerney Bennett is averaging 8.5 points with team-highs of 4.0 blocks and 8.0 rebounds per game. She is fourth in the nation and first in the MIAA in blocks while ranking seventh in the conference in rebounds.
Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 16-12.
Washburn plays its final regular season road game of the year on Saturday against Rogers State in Claremore, Okla.
Rick Peterson
No. 3-ranked Washburn men to put 24-1 record on the line at Central Oklahoma
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 3-ranked Washburn Ichabods will finish off the regular-season road portion of their schedule this week, traveling to Oklahoma to face Central Oklahoma on Thursday and Rogers State on Saturday.
Washburn junior Jeremiah Jones leads NCAA Division II in steals entering Thursday night's game at Central Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is 24-1 overall and 14-1 in the MIAA after rolling to a 78-54 win over Northeastern State last Saturday in Lee Arena while Central Oklahoma is 15-12, 8-7 MIAA after falling last time out to Rogers State, 75-59, at home.
The Ichabods can clinch no less than a share of the MIAA title with a win in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. contest at Central Oklahoma.
Washburn would clinch an outright title with a win at UCO and a loss by Central Missouri at Rogers State on Thursday.
Thursday's game is the only regular-season meeting between the Ichabods and the Bronchos this season.
The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA, putting up 87.4 points per game.
Defensively, the Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring defense, allowing 62.3 points a game.
The Bronchos are averaging 73.2 points and allowing 68.0 points.
Washburn has recorded its 32nd 20-win season in program history and their sixth under coach Brett Ballard in his ninth season on the Ichabod bench.
The Ichabods are second in NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 25.1 points per game and are ranked third in field goal percentage at 51.4 percent. Washburn leads the nation in rebound margin at plus 12.4.
WU junior Jeremiah Jones is first in the national in total steals with 78 and ranked second in steals per game at 3.12.
Jones needs eight steals to reach 200 for his career and he is ranked fifth in career steals on the active NCAA D-II chart and No. 34 out of all NCAA levels.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen is 10th in the nation in field goal percentage at 62.9.
Senior Brady Christiansen is 10th on the NCAA active D-II chart with 716 career rebounds and he also has moved into the top 50 all-time at Washburn in scoring with 812 career points.
Senior Sam Ungashick has scored 951 collegiate points, with 592 coming at Washburn after transferring from Benedictine after his freshman season.
The Ichabods held Northeastern State 38 points under its season scoring average of 82.9 points per game in Saturday's win.
Bob Hoffman is 128-78 in his seventh season at Central Oklahoma and 647-399 in his 32nd year overall. Hoffman came to UCO from Mercer, where he led the Bears to 209 wins in his 11-year stint there.
He led the Bears to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win in 2014 – a major upset of Duke in the opening round of March Madness. Hoffman is 5-6 against Washburn.
Senior Gabi Giovannetti scored a game-high 17 points to lead Washburn in a 72-64 MIAA win over Northeastern State last Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 
