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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In a marquee boys wrestling matchup between Class 6A's No. 1-ranked Garden City and No. 3-ranked Washburn Rural, the Buffaloes prevailed 49-27 in Thursday night's dual at Rural.
Washburn Rural two-time state champion Easton Broxterman won a 15-0 technical fall in Thursday's home dual against Garden City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Junior Blues coach Josh Hogan knows that the experience of squaring off with one of the state's premier teams early in the season will only help his team moving forward.
"That's what I just told the boys in the circle there,'' Hogan said. "We train to beat people that are better than us so any time we get a chance to wrestle people that are quote, unquote better than us or maybe actually better than us we'll take our swings.''
Rural had three reigning or former state champs in its lineup but Hogan said Thursday's experience could be particularly valuable for the newcomers and up-and-comers for the Junior Blues.
"Some of the guys that dropped matches tonight were definitely in position to be able to win a match or capable of winning a match, but it's a big environment,'' Hogan said. "Things can get a little scrambled in the brain of a teenager when they've got everybody in the crowd watching them and hooping and hollering.
"Ultimately it will help prepare us for these type of situations that are still yet to come.''
Washburn Rural defending state champion Kristjan Marshall (top) recorded a pin in Thursday's home dual against Garden City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Thursday's dual started with the 150-pound match due to random draw, and after defending 6A champion and top-ranked Kristjan Marshall picked up a second-period pin for Rural at 157 to tie the match 6-6, Garden City won eight of the next nine matches to build a commanding 49-12 lead. The Junior Blues' lone win during that stretch was a forfeit to Rural sophomore 190-pounder Jadyn Baum.
Junior Landen Kocher-Munoz, a former Class 6A state champion and a two-time state finalist, registered a win by major decision Thursday night against Garden City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural's No. 4-ranked 132-pounder Cooper Stivers, No. 1-ranked 138-pounder Landen Kocher-Munoz and top-ranked 144-pounder Easton Broxterman swept the last three matches of the night, but the Junior Blues were unable to make up the early deficit.
Stivers recorded a first-period pin while former state champ Landen Kocher-Munoz took a 13-5 major decision and Broxterman registered a 15-0 technical fall over Logan Avalon in a match that pitted two-time state champ and three-time state finalist Broxterman against No. 2-ranked Avalon.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Washburn University men trailed for the first time this season at the halftime break, but turned up the defense and controlled turnovers in the second half on the way to a 76-62 win over Texas Permian Basin in its non-conference finale.
Senior Andrew Orr led five double-figure scorers for Washburn with 16 points in Wednesday's 76-62 win over Texas-Permian Basin. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved 11-0 on the season and returns to MIAA play at Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg.
Washburn trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, its largest deficit of the season, with 1:45 to go in the half before the Ichabods closed the frame on a 7-2 run to enter the locker room trailing 36-32.
The Ichabods turned the ball over eight times leading to eight points for the Falcons. Overall, there were nine lead changes in the first half.
The Ichabods outscored the Falcons 17 to 9 in the first 5:15 of the second half to take a 49-45 lead as Jack Bachelor scored eight points.
The Falcons (8-3) took their last lead of the game at 51-50 with 12:03 to play on a 3-pointer by Alex Matthews, who had a game-high 26 points, before Andrew Orr gave the Ichabods a 52-51 lead.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls, ranked No. 4 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, took control with a huge first half on the way to a 59-38 home non-league victory over No. 3 Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night at Rural.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 19 points in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural, now 4-1 on the season, jumped out to a 20-5 first-quarter lead over the Cougars and followed that up with a 19-6 second quarter to take a commanding 39-11 advantage at the half.
Northwest (2-1) outscored the Junior Blues 27-20 in the second half, but Washburn Rural was never seriously threatened.
Maddie Vickery, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, led Washburn Rural with a game-high 19 points while seniors Kate Hinck and Tenly Bunck added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Senior Tenly Bunck had 14 points with three 3-pointers in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Kate Hinck scored 15 points with a pair of 3-pointers in Washburn Rural's 59-38 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Bunck connected on three 3-pointers and Hinck two as five Rural players combined for eight treys.
Shawnee Mission Northwest did not have a player score more than eight points.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods opened the River City Classic with an 87-67 win over the St. Edward's Hilltoppers on Tuesday night, turning a two-point lead with under seven minutes to go into a 20-point victory.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored 25 points with seven 3-pointers in Washburn's 87-67 win over St. Edward's Tuesday in San Antonio. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will wrap up non-conference play on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Texas Permian Basin in San Antonio.
After falling behind 3-0 after the Hilltoppers hit their opening shot of the game, Washburn jumped out to a 9-3 lead and eventually went up 22-13 after Brayden Shorter's fourth 3-pointer midway through the first half.
The Hilltoppers hit back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the lead to three at 22-19, but Jack Bachelor answered with a 3-pointer of his own followed by another Shorter deep shot and a fastbreak dunk by Michael Keegan as the Ichabods scored nine straight points to go up 34-21 with 4:41 to play.
Shorter then hit his sixth and seventh 3-pointers of the half to put WU in front 40-25 and Jacob Hanna and Bachelor finished the scoring in the half with two free throws each as the Ichabods took a 44-32 lead into the break.
Starting the second half, Washburn (10-0) pushed out to a 15-point lead with 17:47 to play in the game, but the Hilltoppers (8-4) would slowly chip away trimming an eight-point Ichabod lead with 10:45 to play down to two with 6:30 to play at 65-61.
A driving score by Hanna, followed by a Shorter jumper with another drive by Hanna and a bucket by Andrew Orr stretched the Ichabod lead back to eight with 4:47 left.
The Hilltoppers scored a basket after a pair of free throws by Hanna, pulling within eight, but a 3-pointer by Brady Christiansen from the corner moved the Ichabod lead back to 11 with 3:56 to go as the Ichabods closed with a 14-2 leading to post the 20-point win in the first meeting between the two schools.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BAYAMON, P.R. -- Washburn University women's basketball hit the century mark as it wrapped up its time at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 100-43 win over Ana G Mendez on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah (middle) scored 16 points to lead five double-figure scorers in Washburn's 100-43 win on Tuesday in Puerto Rico. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods got back to .500 on the year at 6-6 as they return to conference action against Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Junior Yibari Nwidadah picked up where she left off the day before, scoring the first six points of the game for Washburn to help build a 9-1 lead at the 5:28 mark.
The advantage grew to double figures with 3:17 to go at 17-6. The Trinos scored the next five points to pull within six in the final minutes before the Ichabods finished on a 6-0 run to lead 23-11 after one.
The Ichabods began the second quarter with a 13-0 run, capped by a fastbreak layup from Madelyn Amekporfor at the 7:33 mark. The lead grew to 30-points after Payton Sterk made a pair of free throws with 4:05 left in the half.
Washburn's defense tightened up after the first quarter, holding the Trinos to 1-16 shooting (6.25 percent) in the quarter and just four points to lead 52-15 at halftime.
