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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Obviously, the ultimate goal for Washburn Rural's girls bowling team was to win the state championship in Thursday's Class 6A state meet at Bowlero-Northrock.
Washburn Rural's girls bowling team poses for a picture after finishing second in Thursday's Class 6A state tournament at Bowlero-Northrock. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But Jo Ricard and her Junior Blues know that finishing second to perennial state power Campus was no small feat.
Campus captured its seventh state title over the past nine seasons, with runnerup finishes in the other two years, by a 3,255-3,092 margin over Washburn Rural, which out-distanced Olathe Northwest by 102 pins for the runnerup spot.
"It is still a great accomplishment,'' Ricard said. "That's the first team we've gotten second with since Steve (Peoples) and I started in on the girls side of the program, so we gave it a run for our money. The first two games we were right there, right in it, and then the third game we dropped off and put ourselves in a little bit of a hole and then it wasn't quite what we had been bowling with the Baker.''
"We're going home with something, which is better than nothing,' said Rural senior Claire Ireland, who led the Junior Blues with a 14th-place individual finish. "I think our three 10-pin games we felt more confident about and then Baker was a little iffy.
"Campus just bowled better than us all-around.''
Washburn Rural senior Claire Ireland reacts after bowling a strike on the final ball of her high school career in Thursday's Class 6A state tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's Gabby Martinez receives a hug from fellow senior Claire Ireland at the conclusion of Thursday's Class 6A state bowling tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Ireland bowled a 594 series to earn her second straight 6A state medal while sophomore Camrynn Ahrens shot a 557, junior Ashley Billups a 557, senior Gabby Martinez a 552, freshman Megan Glinka a 535 and junior Elizabeth Poling a 509 series.
"I will take that happily,'' Ireland said about earning another state medal.
Wichita Northwest Kalee Stockstill captured the individual championship with a 705 three-game series while Wichita East junior Bella Lumbreras was second with a 663 series and Garden City junior Kyleigh Whitehurst third with a 662.
Campus put three bowlers in the top 20, led by fourth-place Allie Gentry with a 657.
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING TOURNAMENT
At Bowlero-Northrock
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Sophomore Cody Spangler would have loved to have had his Washburn Rural bowling teammates alongside him for Thursday's Class 6A state bowling tournament at Bowlero-Northrock.
Washburn Rural sophomore Cody Spangler bowled a 702 series Thursday to post a sixth-place individual finish in the Class 6A state tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But as the lone Junior Blues state qualifier, Spangler did what he could to make the program proud, bowling a 702 three-game series to earn the sixth-place individual medal.
"At first I was nervous, but I was talking to friends and I just locked in I guess and I started bowling really well and I just kept hitting my mark,'' Spangler said. "I was really proud of myself.
"I didn't know I was going to bowl this well at state considering last year I bowled a 188 average (on the season). To average 234 at state, that's a 46-pin jump, which is just crazy.''
Washburn Rural sophomore Cody Spangler bowled three games between 225 and 248 Thursday to post a sixth-place individual finish in the Class 6A state tournament. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Spangler rolled games of 225, 248 and 229 to finish just four pins out of the top five.
"This definitely inspired me to work a lot harder in bowling,'' Spangler said. "I don't know if I'm going to bowl as well as I did this year because it was just a great year all over. I had a 300 game and this (state finish) will be kind of hard to beat. I'm going to try though.''
Topeka High senior Thomas Patterson bowled a 642 series on Thursday in Wichita, narrowly missing a Class 6A state medal. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Thomas Patterson, a Topeka High senior, bowled 232 and 218 games in Thursday's Class 6A state tournament at Bowlero-Northrock. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Topeka High senior Thomas Patterson also competed at state as an individual, bowling a 642 series, which was just eight pins away from a state medal.
Patterson started his day with a 232 game, followed by a 192 and a 218 in his final game.
CLASS 6A STATE BOWLING TOURNAMENT
At Bowlero-Northrock
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls basketball team ended its regular season with a disappointing five-point loss to United Kansas Conference rival Piper last Friday, but the T-Birds got a second shot at the Pirates in Wednesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal.
Shawnee Heights celebrates its 67-59 double-overtime Class 5A sub-state victory over Piper Wednesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And although the T-Birds stared a second straight loss in the face on multiple occasions, Shawnee Heights found a way to extend the game at the end of regulation and the first overtime before dominating the second OT to advance to Saturday's sub-state championship game with a 67-59 win.
"Tonight really I think it was just pretty much like do or die,'' Heights guard Breezy Canady said. "Especially us seniors we wanted obviously to make it to the second round, but we just gave everything we've got because there's nothing after this if we didn't.''
Canady said that last Friday's loss gave the T-Birds motivation in the rematch.
"I think we were maybe too big-headed,'' Canady said. "I don't know what was going on. Piper's a good team but we just lacked energy the other night and honestly we lacked energy at times in this game, too, but we figured it out.''
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 15-6, will go on the road to De Soto for Saturday's sub-state final while Piper finished its season 10-11.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls finished fourth and the Wildcat boys fifth as a team in Wednesday's first-ever Class 4A-1A state bowling tournament at Bowlero-Wichita while three Hayden bowlers took home state medals.
Chase Bauer finished ninth individually in the boys state meet while Emily Lee placed 11th and Jenna Henkensiefken 13th in the girls tournament.
Hayden finished fifth in the boys division with a team score of 3,377 while Blaser shot a three-game score of 637.
Blaser, a regional champion, shot games of 215, 209 and 213.
The Wildcats also got a 563 series from Kolton Meier, a 560 from John Stickland, a 512 from Trevor Christy, a 506 from Reece Renyer and a 418 series from Caston Meier.
E. Lee recorded a 523 series while Henkensiefken shot a 512.
Hayden got a 454 series from Ashley Lee, a 410 from Kinsley Reynoso and a 330 from Clemence Henry.
The 6A boys and girls tournaments will be contested Thursday at Bowlero-Northrock while the 5A tourneys will be held on Friday, also at Northrock.
CLASS 4A-1A STATE TOURNAMENT
Tuesday sub-state basketball: Top seed Highland Park boys roll to 85-43 5A semifinal win over Turner
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Highland Park got off to somewhat of a slow start in Tuesday's Class 5A boys sub-state semifinal against Kansas City-Turner, but opened up a double-digit advantage by halftime and turned the game into a rout with a 33-point third quarter on the way to an 85-43 win at Topeka High.
Highland Park senior Amari Taylor (0) scored 25 points in the Scots' 85-43 Class 5A sub-state win over KC-Turner Tuesday night. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Highland Park senior Mikey Williams scored 21 points as the Scots improved to 20-1 with an 85-43 sub-state win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
The Scots led the Bears by just a 19-18 advantage at the end of the opening quarter but used a 20-9 second quarter to take a 39-27 advantage at the halftime break and outscored Turner 33-9 in the third quarter to take a 72-36 lead and force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.
Senior Amari Taylor led Highland Park, now 20-1, with 25 points, followd by junior Mikey Williams with 21 points, junior Ja'Corey Robinson with 16 points and senior Tamir Anderson with 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Highland Park junior Ja'Corey Robinson slams down a dunk in Tuesday's 85-43 sub-state win over KC-Turner. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Tamir Anderson scored 12 points on four 3-pointers in Highland Park's 85-43 sub-state win over KC-Turner Tuesday night. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Highland Park advanced to Friday's sub-state championship game to face the winner of the semifinal between Kansas City-Washington and Bonner Springs.
The sub-state championship game will be played at Topeka West, with the sub-state winner advancing to next week's Class 5A state tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 61, WICHITA NORTHWEST 24
The ‘second season’ began on Tuesday night with the first round of the sub-state tournament. The Grizzlies of Wichita Northwest
