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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's women's basketball team will open a four-game homestand with a 5:30 p.m. Wednesday MIAA contest against Fort Hays State at Lee Arena.
The Ichabods lost will be looking to get back on track Wednesday night after dropping road games at Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State last week to fall to 7-8 overall and 3-6 in the MIAA
Washburn's Lakyn Schieferecke had a breakout week last week, scoring a career-high 10 points at Missouri Southern and grabbing six rebounds at Pittsburg State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Fort Hays State (13-6, 8-3 MIAA) has also lost back-to-back games and the Tigers are coming off a tough 53-52 loss to then-No. 19-ranked Nebraska-Kearney.
The Tigers and Ichabods only played once last season and No. 1-ranked Fort Hays State defeated Washburn in Topeka, 72-50, on Dec. 1, 2022 to begin MIAA play. Like last season, Washburn and Fort Hays will only play once this season in the regular season.
Fort Hays State closed out last season with a 30-4 record and was picked second in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll while Washburn was voted 10th.
The Ichabods are third in the MIAA in fewest points allowed per game, holding opponents to 57.2 points per game.
WU junior point guard Aubree Dewey is five points away from having 400 in her career after a 20-point effort at Pittsburg State, tying her career-high.
Dewey is the lone Ichabod averaging double figures at 11.0 points per game and is eighth among MIAA players with 3.7 assists per game.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys held on to the No. 1 spot in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 5A boy state rankings for the second straight week.
Highland Park senior Bo Aldridge and the Scots remained No. 1 in the latest KBCA Class 5A boys state rankings, released Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park is one of nine Shawnee County teams in this week's KBCA rankings, with Washburn Rural's girls climbing to No. 3 in 6A while Seaman's girls fell to No. 3 in 5A after dropping a double-overtime decision to United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood.
Shawnee Heights girls moved up to the No. 7 spot in 5A while Silver Lake's girls fell to No. 7 in 3A after a triple-overtime Mid-East League loss to Riley County and Topeka High girls are No. 8 in 6.
Washburn Rural remained 10th in the 6A boys rankings while Topeka West remained No. 6 in 5A and Hayden fell to No. 10 in 4A.
KANSAS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION STATE RANKINGS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH BOYS (1-7) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (6-0)
Bo Aldridge and the top-ranked Highland Park boys will open the Topeka Invitational Tournament at 3:15 p.m. Thursday against Shawnee Mission North. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka Invitational Tournament at Topeka West
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Highland Park will open the Topeka Invitational Tournament in Thursday's 3:15 p.m. game against Shawnee Mission North, coached by former Topeka High coach Pat Denney. Highland Park is coming off a 91-29 Meadowlark Conference rout over Kansas City-Harmon last Friday while SM North is coming off a 44-34 Sunflower League loss to Shawnee Misssion South, the Bisons' seventh straight loss. Scot senior Bo Aldridge led the Scots with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Harmon. The Highland Park-SM North winner will advance to an 8:30 p.m. Friday semifinal to face the winner of the first-round game between Wichita Southeast and Hayden.
Hayden junior Jacob Padilla (0) is coming off a 25-point performance with four 3-pointers in last Friday's 67-57 Centennial League win over Topeka High. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
WICHITA SOUTHEAST BOYS (4-5) vs. HAYDEN (4-4)
Topeka Invitational Tournament at Topeka West
Hayden will face Wichita Southeast in a 5 p.m. first-round game in the Topeka Invitational Tournament. Hayden, ranked No. 10 in Class 4A, snapped a three-game losing steak with a 67-57 Centennial League win over Topeka High last Friday while Wichita Southeast has won three straight games, including a 68-55 win over Wichita East on Tuesday. Junior Jacob Padilla led Hayden with 25 points, including four 3-pointers, against Topeka High while senior Joe Otting added 12 points. The Hayden-Wichita Southeast winner will play an 8:30 p.m. Friday semifinal against the winner of the opening-round game between Highland Park and Shawnee Mission North.
LANSING BOYS (1-7) vs. TOPEKA WEST (6-2)
Topeka Invitational Tournament at Topeka West
The defending Topeka Invitational Tournament champions will be on their home court to take on United Kansas Conference rival Lansing in a 6:45 p.m. first-round game. Topeka West will be looking to bounce back from last Friday's 71-56 UKC loss to Piper, which snapped the Chargers' six-game winning streak. Senior Xavier Alexander scored 19 points and hit three 3-pointers while senior Malachi Berg added 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. Lansing has dropped six straight games, including a 45-32 UKC decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday. West beat the Lions 65-49 on Dec. 13. The West-Lansing winner will play a 6:45 p.m. semifinal Friday night against the winner of the first-round game between Lawrence and Topeka High.
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• My thoughts this week go back to when Kansas State hired Jerome Tang.
• From what could be college basketball’s epicenter, especially since Kansas is the reigning national champion, Bill Self applauded the move.
• Seems the two coaches maintain a healthy respect, which makes the clash Tuesday in Manhattan different than the last 10 years.
• Unexpected, of course, is how quickly Tang reshaped K-State into a team that appears as if it can compete favorably with any opponent.
• But then, KU is not just any opponent.
• The K-State men’s basketball coaches who won their first meetings against KU: Frank Martin (2008), E.A. Knoth (1921) and Mike Ahearn (1907).
• The dominance in this series amazes me since I’m old enough to remember many games considered tossups.
• Not old enough to meet Ahearn, though I saw and covered games in the fieldhouse named for him.
• In modern times, the Jayhawks seemingly soar each season while the Cats tend to arc or dip.
• Last weekend, KU put on a reunion celebrating 125 years of basketball that featured four coaches spanning 60 years.
• Just four, mind you, all with Final Four appearances.
• Self would deny it, but he’s the best of them.
• The consistently high level KU plays at is unmatched in college hoops, especially along a 125-year timeline.
• But the reunion ended, and former players and coaches flew home.
• Next up? A polar opposite engagement for the Jayhawks.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Q Stovall took a somewhat circuitous route to Shawnee Heights, but the 6-foot senior is getting more and more used to his new home, playing a key for the T-Birds' boys basketball team in a 6-2 start to the season.
"I have lived in New York, Connecticut and South Carolina and now I recently moved here,'' Stovall said. "This is not fast-paced like New York and the other states I lived in, but I can focus more here and work on my game.
"At first I was like, 'It's too slow,' but then I started liking it. I was able to focus on school and work out more.''
Senior Q Stovall is coming off a season-high 21 points in last Friday's 65-51 Shawnee Heights UKC home win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights newcomer Q Stovall has helped the T-Birds post five straight wins to improve to 6-2 on the season. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Stovall arrived in the Topeka area last May to live with his uncle and was able to get acquainted with his Shawnee Heights teammates and T-Bird coach Ken Darting in summer and offseason workouts.
"It was a big transition because I was out of shape at first,'' Stovall said. "But just working with coach Darting and the other coaches, they just pushed me through that whole process.''
