- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Playing for a state championship is something every high school athlete dreams of.
Hayden senior Finn Dunshee has rushed for 821 yards and 14 touchdowns entering Saturday's Class 3A state championship game despite missing five full games with an injury. [File photo/TSN]
And no athlete feels more blessed to get that opportunity than Hayden senior star running back Finn Dunshee, who will help lead the 12-0 Wildcats into Saturday's 1 p.m. Class 3A title game against 12-0 Cheney at Hutchinson's Gowans Stadium.
"I'm just happy to be here,'' the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder said. "I wouldn't want to be here with any other team, these boys are great. It's really just pure joy.''
That joy was heartbreak just a few weeks ago after Dunshee suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee early in Hayden's Week 5 district game against Perry-Lecompton.
"It was just a normal sweep, our bread and butter, and someone was being blocked downfield and he got off his block and he pulled me down from behind,'' Dunshee explained. "I just kind of got spun around and landed on it wrong and it just went.
"I could feel that something wasn't right in my knee. I think I stayed in for one play and then I came off. It was a complete tear.''
Dunshee's initial fear was that his senior season was over.
"At first the doctor said I'd be done, so I'm just happy to be out here and have gotten another chance,'' Dunshee said.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls basketball team had an outstanding 2022-2023 season, posting a 21-2 record, winning the United Kansas Conference championship and advancing to the Class 5A state tournament.
Matt Tinsley's Seaman girls basketball team is coming off a 21-2 season and is the reigning United Kansas Conference champion. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the way the season ended, with a 65-42 first-round state loss to St. James Academy, has given Matt Tinsley's Vikings plenty of motivation entering the upcoming campaign.
"We have a chip on our shoulder,'' Tinsley said. "Our quote today in practice is, 'Feeling comfortable is the first cousin to being complacent.' We're disappointed with how last season turned out, but looking on the positive side of it, we got a taste of (state) and now we know what it takes to get back there and hopefully take that next step.''
Seaman would appear to have the pieces in place to make that happen, beginning with four players who earned TopSports.news All-Shawnee County recognition a year ago.
Seaman junior Anna Becker is a two-time All-Shawnee County pick and was the UKC player of the year last season. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Maddie Gragg was an All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick and was named the county newcomer of the year as a freshman. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Anna Becker and sophomore Maddie Gragg were All-Shawnee County Top 10 selections last season while senior Taylin Stallbaumer was a second-team pick and junior Jaida Stallbaumer received honorable mention.
Becker, who has orally committed to Drake, averaged 12 points, 3.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals last season, while Gragg, the county newcomer of the year, averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 60.2 percent from the field on 2-point attempts and 75 percent from the free throw line.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball showed plenty of offensive firepower in Tuesday's 97-76 home non-conference win over Ottawa.
Sophomore Sam Ungashick led five double-figure scorers for Washburn in Tuesday's 97-76 win over Ottawa. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But it was the Ichabods' performance on the other end of the court that left Washburn coach Brett Ballard with a sour taste in his mouth.
Washburn, which improved to 3-2 on the season, had five players in double figures and eight players with at least seven points, but the fact that the Ichabods have now allowed four of their first five opponents to score between 76 and 85 points was a concern for Ballard.
"I'm about as disappointed as I could be after a win,'' Ballard said. "I thought our defense was as bad as it could be. We just can't guard like that and win games in our league.
"No disrespect to Ottawa, but we're trying to prepare our guys for MIAA teams and that defensive effort, you're going to get beat every night with that, so we've got some things to tighten up.''
Washburn used an 8-0 run to take a 34-18 lead over the Braves with 6:33 left in the first half and went on to lead by as many as 18 points before taking a 51-35 lead to the locker room at the half.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The smiles told it all.
Washburn University's women's basketball team continued its early-season hot streak in Tuesday's home-opener at Lee Arena, going wire to wire for an 86-66 non-conference win over William Jewell that stretched the 4-1 Ichabods' win streak to four games.
Senior Aubree Dewey scored a career-high 23 points and dished out eight assists as Washburn improved to 4-1 with its fourth straight victory, an 86-66 win over William Jewell. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior point guard Aubree Dewey led Washburn with a career-high 23 points, including a three of three performance from 3-point range, and also contributed eight assists while sophomore Gabi Giovannetti had 17 points with five 3-pointers and Yibari Nwidadah registered a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Sophomore Gabi Giovannetti scored 17 points with five 3-pointers in Washburn's 86-66 win over William Jewell Tuesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN
Sophomore Yibari Nwidadah had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds in Washburn's 86-66 win over William Jewell Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Ten Ichabods cracked the scoring column while WU out-rebounded the Cardinals 50-31 and dished out 19 assists.
"Coach (Lora Westling) is preaching to us right now to just find joy in every single thing that we're doing, so we've found joy again in basketball,'' Dewey said. "It wasn't really lost but we're showing it now.
"We weren't showing that we were having fun and once we started showing that we're having fun it all started clicking better.''
Westling agreed.
"Winning cures everything,'' Westling said. "Credit to our players, we just have continued to talk about just getting better one day at a time, one percent better every day and we're trying to do that.
"We've got a great group and everybody's contributing.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Both Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard and 6-foot-2 guard Jack Bachelor thought the former Washburn Rural star might be wearing a redshirt during his first season of college basketball.
Former Washburn Rural star Jack Bachelor is off to a solid start for Washburn University as a true freshman, averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 assists for the 2-2 Ichabods. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Bachelor's strong summer and preseason performance quickly changed those thoughts and Bachelor has quickly cemented his place in Ballard's rotation for the 2-2 Ichabods after scoring 12 points off bench in his college debut.
Entering Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. home non-conference game against Ottawa, Bachelor has played 21.3 minutes per game while averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 assists on 65.2 percent shooting from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
"We did (consider redshirting him), honestly,'' Ballard said. "We had talked about that being a potential option and Jack has been a pleasant surprise. I knew he'd be good, but I didn't know he'd be this good, this early.
"I thought maybe the biggest challenge would just be athletically, but he's held his own from that standpoint and is heady, high IQ and not afraid.''
Bachelor also thought it might take a while to get on the floor for the Ichabods.
"It was a consideration redshirting, just because I'm not physically the biggest, strongest guy and we have a lot of really good guards, but I decided I wasn't going to,'' he said.
Bachelor, whose father Aaron and mother Angie both played at WU, said he proved to himself in the season-opening pair of games in the Central Region Crossover in Kansas City, Mo. that he could be successful at the Division II level.
"I had an idea that I might play so I was ready to just give whatever I could to the team and when I got in I was ready to go,'' Bachelor said. "I surprised myself a little. I have confidence in myself, but it was a really good two first games and I couldn't ask for more.
"I was talking to my parents and I was like, 'I don't know what my expectations were, but that was really fun.' ''
Washburn Rural product Jack Bachelor drives to the basket in last Saturday's 82-66 win over Rockhurst. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bachelor has cracked double figures in three of four games and is coming off a 10-point, five-assist performance in last Saturday's 82-66 win over Rockhurst.
"He loves to compete,'' Ballard said. "You can tell he enjoys being in the gym and likes the competition. I think that part of it gives you a chance to get better every day and gives me confidence as a coach to put him in the game.''
