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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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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 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.
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.''
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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.
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.' ''
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.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FINN DUNSHEE, Hayden
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior, Dunshee carried the ball 13 times for 129 yards and scored four touchdowns as Hayden advanced to the Class 3A state football championship game with a 42-14 playoff win over Holton Friday night at Hayden. Dunshee, who saw his most extensive action since suffering a knee injury in Week 5, scored on a 65-yard run on the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage and also added a 4-yard TD run and hooked up with Connor Hanika for 4 and 30-yard TD passes.
YIBARI NWIDADAH, Washburn University
Nwidadah, a 6-2 sophomore center, was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Hansen Speark Funeral Home Classic at Quincy, Ill. after helping lead the 3-1 Washburn women's basketball team to a pair of lopsided wins and the Ichabods' third straight win overall. Nwidadah, an Olathe North product, scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in just 14 minutes of action in Friday's 80-64 win over McKendree and scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 20 minutes in Saturday's 97-62 win over Quincy, Ill. Nwidadah is averaging 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, with two double-doubles.
JENSEN SCHRICKEL, Hayden
A 5-10, 150 junior, Schrickel scored a pair of touchdowns in Friday's 42-14 Class 3A state semifinal win over Holton at Hayden. Schrickel returned a kickoff 60 yards for a TD after Holton had scored its first touchdown of the night to cut Hayden's lead to 21-7 and Schrickel scored on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Connor Hanika to help Hayden put the game away after Holton had cut the Wildcats' lead to 28-14. Schrickel also scored on a two-point conversion pass from Hanika.