Tuesday night's Washburn Rural boys basketball performance against Emporia wasn't real pretty. In fact, things got downright ugly at times, particularly in a scoreless fourth quarter.
Washburn Rural's bench celebrates Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday night at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] But all that mattered to Rural coach Alex Hutchins was that his Junior Blues somehow found a way to escape with a 46-44 overtime home Centennial League decision over the Spartans.
"Find a way to win,'' Hutchins said. "We've been talking about it, even before the last couple of games, about how we've got to be gritty and we've got to find ways even when it's not pretty to get it done.
"Friday against Junction we had three points at the end of the first quarter and tonight we don't score in the fourth quarter but find a way to win both. Yeah, would I prefer it look a little different? Sure, but I'd rather it be that way than a pretty loss.''
Washburn Rural, now 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the Centennial League, looked to be on cruise control after taking a 39-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
But Emporia (15-5, 4-3) pitched a 13-0 shutout over the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 39.
Junior Zach Wright scored the game-winning basket for his only points of the game in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues trailed 42-41 in the four-minute extra session and there were ties at 42 and 44 before junior Zach Wright emerged as the hero, scoring his only basket of the game on a driving layup with 19 seconds remaining for what proved to be the game-winner.
"I saw a guy help and I was like, 'I'm just going to take it, I want to win the game,' '' Wright said. "I saw a little opening, I Euroed into the guy and made the layup.
"Coach always talks about finding a way no matter how it is, and that's what we did.''
Emporia called a timeout with 11.6 seconds left to set up a final play, but junior Harrison Trelc, who had burned Rural for a game-high 19 points, missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key as time ran out.
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior John Hoytal added eight points and eight rebounds and junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds as Rural avenged an earlier 52-46 loss to the Spartans in Emporia.
Washburn Rural girls basketball overcame a slow start with a 19-0 second quarter Tuesday night, going on to complete a three-game season sweep over Emporia with a 50-26 home Centennial League victory.
Freshman Brynn Anderson scored a game-high 19 points in Washburn Rural's 50-26 win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Now 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the league, Washburn Rural clinched its 33rd straight winning season.
The Junior Blues committed seven turnovers in the opening seven minutes on the way to an 8-8 deadlock with the Spartans (7-13, 1-6) at the end of the first quarter, but Washburn Rural took control with its second-quarter shutout, opening up a commanding 27-8 advantage at the half.
Rural went on build a 40-16 lead by the end of the third stanza before forcing a running clock midway through the fourth.
"We were really not happy with the way we started because I didn't think we were focused in our talk before the game,'' Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "I thought we were too loosey-goosey and we just weren't zeroed in and I think it showed once that game started.
"We were just tossing that ball away, and you can't do that. Emporia is a good enough team that they'll make you pay for it and they did in the first quarter. But then we started getting a little bit more zeroed in on defense. I really thought our defense picked up and I thought we were kind of forcing them into some shots that they were a little iffy about shooting.''
Washburn Rural senior Hallie Walker had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 50-26 Centennial League win over emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Freshman Kamryn Smith scored 10 points with three treys in Tuesday's 50-26 Washburn Rural win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 7's
Freshman Brynn Anderson led Washburn Rural with a game-high 19 points while senior Hallie Walker had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Kamryn Smith came off the bench to score 10 points, with three 3-pointers.
Blanco, a senior girls wrestling standout, captured the 145-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South, improving to 37-3 on the season. After receiving a first-round bye, Blanco posted 32-second, 1:13 and 5:35 wins by fall, including a third-period pin over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes in the title match.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior basketball standout, Donovan scored a total of 61 points in two Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs improved to 12-6 on the season. Donovan scored 21 points in Tuesday's 75-43 Big East League win over Royal Valley and then scored a career-high 40 points, with six 3-pointers and a 4 of 4 performance at the free throw line in Friday's 95-48 non-league victory over Abilene.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East wrestling regional at Bonner Springs as Shawnee Heights finished second as a team and qualified all 14 of its competitors for state. Now 31-2 on the season, Graves received a first-round bye and then went 3-0 with 1:35 and 1:56 pins and a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel.
Washburn University softball controlled every facet of the game in a 6–0 shutout of Southeastern Oklahoma Sunday, using a second-inning surge and a complete-game pitching gem from senior Sadie Walker to earn their 13th win of the season with their sixth win in a row.
Senior pitcher Sadie Walker helped Washburn softball close out a perfect 5-0 weekend with a 6-0 Sunday win over Southeastern Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]
Walker was in command from the first pitch, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just five hits, striking out six, and walking only one.
Walker faced 28 batters, just one over the minimum, as the Ichabods wrapped up a perfect 5-0 weekend at the Cherokee Classic in Tahlequah, Okla.
Washburn's offense erupted in the second inning, transforming a scoreless contest into a commanding lead for the 13-2 Ichabods.
The inning began with Erin Boles singling to left, followed by a walk to Maddie McGee. Makenzie Saisworked another walk to load the bases with none out.
That set the stage for freshman Taylor Brees, a former Shawnee Heights standout, slashing a two-run double, bringing home McGee and Boles while advancing Sais to third.
Moments later, after a strikeout, Madi Moore continued the barrage with a two-run double of her own, scoring both Brees and Sais to stretch the lead to 4-0.
With two outs, Seaman product Aspen Burgardt delivered the biggest swing of the inning -- a towering two-run home run that brought home Moore and capped the six-run outburst. The Ichabods totaled four hits, drew three walks, and sent 10 hitters to the plate in the inning.
Sais singled again in the sixth inning, later stealing both second and third base -- giving her four stolen bases in the game after swiping two in the first inning.
Sunday's win followed a pair of Washburn win on Saturday -- a 7-3 win over Harding and a 3-1 win over Southwestern Oklahoma.
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team turned in a strong performance in Saturday's Class 5A East regional at Bonner Springs, posting a runnerup team finish while advancing all 14 competitors to the state tournament Feb. 27-28 at Park City.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones (top) won the 135-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds, ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, got individual regional championships from 135-pound sophomore Olive Jones and 155-pound senior Cianna Graves and put four other wrestlers in the finals, finishing second to top-ranked Basehor-Linwood by a 275-212.5 margin.
Jones improved to 35-1 on the season with a 1 minute, 25-second win by pin over Basehor-Linwood sophomore Willow Rademacher (30-10) in the 135 final while Graves improved to 31-2 with a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel (25-3) at 155.
The T-Birds got second-place finishes from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris (17-3), junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly (25-12), senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (29-5) and junior 190-pounder Brooklyn Binkley (20-11) while sophomore Bianca Juarez (110 pounds) posted a third-place finish.
Freshmen Makynzie Allen (100) and Stella Engel (235) qualified with fourth-place regional finishes while freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) finished fifth, senior Shelby Watson (170) sixth, sophomores Halle Hill (115) and Evelyn Ruby (140) seventh and freshman Carmarra Smith (105) eighth.
Highland Park senior Makayla Cadet, the defending 5A state champion at 190 pounds, earned a shot to defend her title with a third-place regional finish. Cadet is 20-2 on the season.
Washburn Rural senior Emme Blanco won the Class 6A West 145-pound regional title Saturday at Wichita South, helping Rural finish third as a team. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Elia Smith won the 170-pound title in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South for the third-place Junior Blues. [File photo/TSN]
Rural regional champs Blanco, Smith lead 13 Junior Blues 6A qualifiers
Washburn Rural seniors Emme Blanco and Elia Smith captured individual regional championships in the Class 6A West regional Saturday at Wichita South, powering the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish with 13 state qualifiers.
Blanco, now 37-3 on the season, won the 145-pound title with a 5:35 pin in the finals over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes while Smith, 32-3, earned a 4-1 decision over Derby senior Chloe Spears (36-6) in the 170-pound regional final.
The Junior Blues got third-place regional finishes from 125-pound senior Lacey Middleton (36-6), 140-pound senior Madi Blanco (35-4) and freshman 155-pounder Raella Ebanez (31-8) while freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (25-5), freshman 135-pounder Alea Estep (21-16), 190-pound junior Lily Davis (33-10) and sophomore Emma Mehl (24-14) placed fourth.
Junior Dixie Day (120) qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish while freshman Ashlyn Johnson (110) finished seventh and freshman Hadley Rosenbaum (100) and junior Rylee-Jade Ebanez (130) placed eighth.
Topeka High freshman 235-pounder Kya Dawkins qualified for state with a seventh-place regional finish while senior 170-pounder Taniza Huggins advanced with an eighth-place finish.
The 6A state tournament will be contested Feb. 27-28 at the AdventHealth Sports Park in Overland Park.
