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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
There can't be any celebrating until Friday, but Seaman's boys and girls bowling teams did what they could Wednesday at West Ridge Lanes to win Centennial League team championships and will now play the waiting game.
Eight of the nine league schools competed in the league meet Wednesday in two separate sessions, but Emporia did not have school Wednesday due to weather conditions and was not allowed to travel to Topeka to compete. The Spartans will compete Friday, with all of their scores counting in the final team standings.
In the meantime, Seaman put up the scores to beat in the league race, with the Viking boys rallying for a 3,380-3,330 margin over Washburn Rural, while Seaman's girls are in control by a 3,079-2,969 margin over Rural.
Seaman's girls bowling team celebrates a strike during the Baker format games in Wednesday's Centennial League bowling tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Individually, Seaman sophomore Katie Price leads the girls standings with a 658 series, while Washburn Rural's Hannah Casto is currently second with a 650 and Seaman's Makenzie Millard third with a 590.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After some hiccups earlier in the season, Highland Park's boys basketball team has continued to make steady progress, as evidenced by the Scots' 8-game winning streak.
And Highland Park's latest win Wednesday night may well have been its best performance of the year, with the Scots taking control by the end of the opening quarter on the way to a 65-40 Centennial League romp over Manhattan on Senior Night at Hi Park.
“You could kind of seeing it coming and it’s been good to see the progression, to see where we were back in December and to keep building and be at the spot we’re at right now late in the season,'' Highland Park coach Michael Williams said.
“It’s just good to put a whole game together. I think over the course of the season we’ve put stretches together and put quarters together, but now to be able to put together three quarters, three and a half quarters, four quarters, I think that’s boding well.’’
Highland Park opened up a 17-8 first-quarter advantage and stretched its advantage to 30-19 at the half before turning the game into a rout with a 35-21 scoring edge over the second half, improving to 11-5 overall and staying alive in the league race with a 10-3 record.
The Scots also displayed perhaps their most balanced offensive attack of the season, with nine played cracking the scoring column and three seniors cracking double figures.
MuKhajhae Daniels led Highland Park with a game-high 15 points while CJ Powell added 14 points and Jahi Peppers 11 as the Scots shot 51 percent and canned 9 3-pointers, including 3 from Powell and 2 from junior Juan'Tario Roberts, who finished with 8 points.
"To see multiple guys involved, that was big,'' Williams said. "I think it's a testament to the kids just sticking through it.''
Senior Owen Braxmeyer led Manhattan (8-8, 6-7) with 12 points while sophomore Jack Wilson added 9 points.
Highland Park boys basketball coach Michael Williams speaks about Scot senior CJ Powell, who was honored before Wednesday's game for reaching the 1,000-point career milestone in a recent game. (Top photo by Rick Peterson/ Bottom photo by Rex Wolf)
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 15th-ranked Washburn University men’s basketball team will get a second shot at Missouri Western Thursday night, with the Ichabods hosting the Griffons in a 7:30 MIAA tilt at Lee Arena.
After winning its first eight games of the season, Washburn suffered its first loss on Jan. 9 against the Griffons, dropping a 74-67 road decision.
The Ichabods will take a 14-3 record (overall and the MIAA) into Thursday’s rematch while Missouri Western is 10-8.
Washburn has won its last three games, including a 70-68 road win at Central Missouri last Saturday, while Missouri Western has won two straight games, snapping a seven-game losing streak with an 82-81 win over Pittsburg State and then topping Newman 86-75 on Tuesday.
Washburn will be aiming to snap a three-game losing streak against the Griffons.
enior Tyler Geiman and the Washburn men's basketball team will be out to avenge an earlier loss to Missouri Western Thursday night at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In more than three decades as a head basketball coach at the high school and college level, Shawnee Heights boys coach Ken Darting thought he'd seen just about everything.
But the Hall of Fame coach is quick to admit that he had no frame of reference for the frustration his T-Birds have gone through during the 2020-21 season, from team and individual COVID-19 quarantines to key injuries to multiple game postponements and cancellations and about everything else in between.
"Not even close,'' Darting said. "It's just been something every day.''
One of the biggest challenges for Ken Darting and his Shawnee Heights T-Birds this season has been to get on the basketball court. [Photo by Rick Peterson]
Coming off a team COVID quarantine and having Tuesday's home game against United Kansas Conference foe Leavenworth postponed due to inclement weather, Shawnee Heights' boys have played a city-low total of 10 games -- the traditional halfway mark for the regular season -- with just one full week of the regular season remaining before the start of postseason.
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TopSports.news
Four Topeka West players scored 14 or more points as the Chargers moved closer to the Centennial League boys basketball championship with a decisive 66-46 road win Monday night at Washburn Rural.
Topeka West started slow out of the gate, trailing the Junior Blues 10-5 at the end of the first quarter, but the Chargers took control of the game with a 48-23 scoring advantage over the middle two quarters en route to improving to 14-2 overall and 11-1 in the league with their eighth straight victory.
Elijah Brooks
West, which knocked Washburn Rural out of a tie for second, now leads the league race by two games over Highland Park with four games left to play.
