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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural boys blasted out of the gate Friday versus Hayden, compiling an early lead that led to a 79-62 win, the Junior Blues’ second in Centennial League play.
Sophomore Brooks Ballard drilled a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter to help give Washburn Rural a 22-9 advantage in the opening period.
Sophomore Brooks Ballard scored a game-high 24 points with six 3-pointers in Washburn Rural's 79-62 Centennial League win over Hayden Friday night at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
“I thought we did a really good job early,” said Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins. “Hayden has had some games where they’ve struggled early. So, we thought it was really important to get off to a good start and try to take control of the game. So, I was pleased with that.”
Washburn Rural senior Draden Chooncharoen scored 10 points in Friday's 79-62 Centennial League win over Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior John Hoytal scored 16 points in Friday's 79-62 Washburn Rural win over Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Ballard went on to tally 24 points to lead the home team. John Hoytal, Simon Rowley and Draden Chooncharoen each broke double figures, and eight Junior Blues got in the scoring column on a very efficient offensive night. Washburn Rural hit 28 of 49 shots from the field.
“This feels like a good team win,” said Chooncharoen. “Our coach says we can really play 12 guys. That’s how deep we are. So, it just feels good getting a good win for our team with everyone contributing.”
The Junior Blues picked up their sixth victory in a row to improve to 7-2
“We just want to keep our momentum going,” Chooncharoen said. “Every day at practice, just keep working hard. Just keep going game by game. I feel like our senior class is really keeping everyone composed. We got a lot of young guys contributing and our team chemistry is pretty good. We all get along pretty well. We have fun at practice, but also get stuff done. So, it’s a lot of fun.”
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
When Hayden’s usually high-scoring Hailey Schmidtlein was slowed in the second half Friday at Washburn Rural, the Wildcats got a burst of production from the rest of the team to gain a 38-35 Centennial League victory over the Junior Blues.
Hayden sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein (center) led Hayden with a game-high 17 points in Friday's 38-35 Centennial League win over Washburn Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Schmidtlein scored 14 of Hayden’s 17 points in the first half, and it looked like the Wildcats might ride the sophomore to the win. But Washburn Rural held Schmidtlein to just three points on five shot attempts in the second half. Points had to come from the rest of the Wildcats if they were to get the win.
Hayden senior Ella Foster capped the group effort with a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining to extend Hayden’s 1-point lead. The Junior Blues got a couple of chances at the buzzer but couldn’t overcome the deficit.
“(Coach Carvel) Reynoldson always tells me to shoot the ball,'' Foster said. "I pass up a lot of shots I probably should shoot. But I saw the shot clock was at one and I knew it had to go up and it was just amazing to see it go in.”
Hayden got 18 second-half points from Foster and company, just the lift the Wildcats needed with Schmidtlein focusing on rebounding, defending, and distributing the ball.
“(Schmidtlein) can really put up big numbers and she was on her way to doing that,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. “I don’t know if (Washburn Rural) changed too much of what they were doing to her. But she just trusted her teammates a little bit more. She made some tough shots in the first half, and she got other people involved in the second half for easier shots, and it worked out for us.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Not everything went Shawnee Heights' way early in Friday's United Kansas Conference girls game against Leavenworth, with the T-Birds missing some easy shots, turning the ball over and getting in foul trouble right out of the gate.
But Heights' defense kept the hosts in the hunt early and then the T-Birds turned a single-digit halftime advantage into a running clock late as Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to five games with a 53-22 home rout over the Pioneers.
Senior Imani McGlory scored a game-high 18 points with four 3-pointers in Friday's 53-22 Shawnee Heights win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"In the first half we were getting some great shots and they were either rolling around the rim or hitting the bottom of the rim,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "You put those shots in and all of a sudden the first half is a whole lot different and we feel a whole lot better.
"But the girls did a good job of coming out in the second half and establishing themselves and did a good job of penetrating and making the defense collapse and getting those shots from the perimeter to fall.''
Shawnee Heights, now 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the UKC, fell behind 5-0 early and trailed for most of the opening quarter before scoring the final six points of the quarter to take a 14-10 lead.
The T-Birds led 21-14 at the half after a second quarter that included a total of 11 points for both teams.
But Shawnee Heights left no doubt after the break, outscoring the Pioneers 18-6 in the third stanza to build a 39-20 cushion before closing out things with a 14-2 fourth quarter and forcing a running clock over the final 3:29.
Senior Imani McGlory led the T-Birds with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while junior Pearmella Carter scored all of her 12 points in the second half after missing the bulk of the first half with two fouls.
Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter scored all 12 of her points in the second half in Friday's 53-22 UKC win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior KK Emmot scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, with a pair of 3-pointers.
Sophomore Layla Brown led Leavenworth (4-3, 2-3) with 13 points.
Shawnee Heights will be back at home Tuesday, hosting Piper in a UKC contest.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS GIRLS 53, LEAVENWORTH 22
Leavenworth 10 4 6 2 -- 22
Shawnee Heights 14 7 18 14 -- 53
Leavenworth (4-3, 2-3) – Walker 1-4 0-0 3, Huewitt 2-7 1-4 6, Brown 4-15 3-7 13, Allen 0-3 0-0 0, M. McIntyre 0-2 0-0 0, Graham 0-2 0-0 0, McCann 0-2 0-0 0, Lovejoy 0-2 0-0 0, P. McIntyre 0-3 0-0 0, Noell 0-0 0-2 0, Tolber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-40 4-13 22.
Shawnee Heights (6-3, 5-1) – Emmot 3-8 2-2 10, McGlory 5-11 4-4 18, Carter 4-5 4-6 12, Baum 1-4 1-2 3, Vega 2-5 0-0 4, Brees 1-1 0-0 2, Hamilton 2-4 0-2 4, Schmidt 0-2 0-2 0, Karlyle 0-0 0-0 0, Moeder 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-40 11-18 53.
3-point goals – Leavenworth 4 (Brown 2, Walker, Huewitt), Shawnee Heights 6 (McGlory 4, Emmot 2). Total fouls – Leavenworth 16, Shawnee Heights 15. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural sophomore boys basketball standout Brooks Ballard and Topeka High girls basketball standout Hailey Caryl have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Ballard and Caryl over the past week.
Brooks Ballard, Washburn Rural
BROOKS BALLARD, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2 sophomore, Ballard scored 21 points in last Saturday's 68-53 non-league road victory at Olathe West as the Junior Blues opened the 2026 portion of their schedule.
Ballard hit 7 of 11 field goal attempts overall, 6 of 10 3-pointers and connected on his lone free throw in the Rural win.
Ballard added 7 points on Tuesday as the defending Centennial League champions opened league play with a 50-45 road win at Junction City, improving to 6-2 on the season.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High
After missing the first four games of the 2025-2026 season with an injury, Caryl, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, has returned to help lead Topeka High to three straight victories.
Caryl scored a career-high 26 points in last Friday's 86-31 road win over USD 501 rival Highland Park, hitting 10 of 16 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 free throw attempts.
Caryl added 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists on Tuesday as the Trojans posted a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball continues its four-game road trip on Saturday, traveling to Northwest Missouri for a 3:30 p.m. contest.
Washburn, 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA, is one of four remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division II after starting the trip with an 87-75 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday.
Dillon Claussen, Washburn University
The Bearcats are 9-7 overall and 2-3 in the MIAA after falling at home to Central Missouri last time out, 76-72.
The Ichabods have the No. 2-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA (89.4 points per game) and the No. 2-ranked scoring defense (61.5-point average).
Washburn leads NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 27.9 points per game and is fifth in field goal percentage at 51.9 percent.
Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).
Junior Jeremiah Jones is first the nation in total steals with 50 and is ranked second in steals per game at 3.33.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen is fifth in the nation in field goal percentage at 66.9.
Ichabod sophomore Marcus Glock played his freshman season at Northwest Missouri where he started 19 of 28 games, averaging 9.1 points while hitting a team-high 51 3-pointers and averaging 13.5 points in two games against Washburn.
Junior Jack Bachelor is 17th in the nation in total assists with 75 and second in assist to turnover ration at 3.57 to 1.
Claussen scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half in Wednesday's win over Missouri Western, going 6 of 10 for the game and adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Senior Sam Ungashick provided a big lift off the bench with a season-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and Bachelor added 16 points and senior Brady Christiansen contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Ichabods' 15-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 16.
