Bobcats boys basketball team seeks return to full strength, victory against Bishop Ward

By Angelique McNaughton

January 29, 2013, 1:56 p.m.

Updated: January 30, 2013, 2:09 p.m

Topeka — The Basehor-Linwood High School boys basketball team traded leads with Hayden most of the game but was unable to walk away with a win on Saturday, falling 53-46 in the final minutes of the game.

The Bobcats were down one with 1:44 left when a hard fourth foul from Senior Ben Johnson put the Wildcats at the free throw line, bringing the score to 47-44.

Freshman Jahron McPherson put up a short jumper that missed but drew a foul.

McPherson made both free throws, putting the Bobcats back within one point with 1:03 left in the game.

“We took a three-point lead in the fourth quarter and I could have done things differently as a coach,” BLHS coach Mike McBride said. “I didn’t do a good job coaching in the last three minutes.”

A series of subsequent fouls that included junior Chase Younger fouling out with 12.9 seconds and junior Tim Sanders fouling out with less than 10 seconds left in the game put the Wildcats at the free throw line and the lead out of reach for the Bobcats. Johnson led the team with 12 points and junior Chase Younger had nine points, while junior Tim Sanders scored eight during a game that included seven lead changes and five ties. Junior Sean Potter also put up five points in his first varsity game for the Bobcats.

“That was a big, bright spot that it was his (Potter’s) first game and he was able to score five,” McBride said. “Looks like he can make us eight deep going into sub-state.“

Senior Matt Ogilvie got injured within the first 30 seconds of the game and never returned. Junior Zach McNabb also remained sidelined.

“We were down two guys (on Saturday night) and that’s been the story of the season,” McBride said. “It’s been injury filled and there’s been other issues off-court but we played hard to win.”

The Bobcats were coming off of a 56-51 loss on Friday at De Soto.

“Friday night we didn’t play very hard and very well,” McBride said. “We came in like we thought we could beat De Soto because Tonganoxie beat them. We didn’t think they were very good and I felt like we didn’t play very hard, though I am not taking anything away from De Soto because they are a good team.”

Johnson said the Bobcats were physically tired on Saturday night and had to fight through the game.

“Overall, I think we got a lot better, we just have to work,” Johnson said.

“We’re getting better and we’re getting there. Sub-state and state is all that matters.”

Younger said he felt like the Bobcats were coming together as a team and rotating the ball more but added there is always room for improvement.

“That’s what it is about,” he said. “We are just trying to get better, offensively especially.”

Saturday’s loss brings the Bobcat’s record to 6-6 for the season, a record they’d improve to 7-6 on Tuesday (5-2 in the KVL), though McBride said the record is getting thrown out the window.

“The next four weeks we are preparing for sub-state and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

McNabb returned against Bishop Ward on Tuesday, strengthening the Bobcat’s roster.

“I think the big thing we need to stress is staying positive and the kids haven’t lost hope,” he said. “We played Ottawa with six guys and lost by five. If we get all seven or eight players, who knows what we can be.”

Basehor-Linwood girls fall in BLHS Invitational third-place game

By Angelique McNaughton

January 23, 2013

While she’s vocal on the court, senior Jamie Johnson didn’t have much to say off it once she emerged from the locker room after the Basehor-Linwood girls basketball team failed to place in the top three at the Bobcat Invitational on Saturday.

The Bobcats suffered the tough loss in front of the home crowd, falling 50-29 to St. Joe Benton.

“We did really well … it just wasn’t all there and our shots weren’t falling,” Johnson said. “The team was good. They were really good.”

And she left it at that.

Johnson, who earned all-tournament team honors, put in plenty of minutes against the Cardinals but fell short offensively after aggravating an elbow injury she suffered last season.

“I just got done talking to her and told her she is going to get that elbow healthier and going to be scoring in the double digits,” BLHS coach Jason Tatkenhorst said. “Under the circumstances, though, she played well.”

Junior Alex Gorman led the Bobcats with seven points. Sophomore Madison McDowell added six points, all from behind the arc, and both Johnson and junior Victoria Smith contributed five points apiece. Smith also had two blocks and senior Kara Stephens had five steals. The Bobcats had an answer for almost every Cardinal bucket in the first half, trading the lead several times, but St. Joe Benton rarely missed a shot and outrebounded the Bobcats, 33-23.

Tied at the end of the first quarter, McDowell came up big and sunk back-to-back three pointers to give the Bobcats the lead with 5:03 left in the first half. BLHS stepped up once more with 1:50 left in the second quarter to take the lead, 15-13. It would be the last time the Cardinals would trail for the rest of the game. St. Joe Benton opened the second half with a three-pointer to make it 21-13 and the Bobcats never quite recovered, scoring only four points in the third quarter and 16 the rest of the game.

The Bobcats (5-6, 3-3 in the Kaw Valley League) opened the tournament with a 43-29 win against Ottawa High School Tuesday, then lost to top-seeded Holton, 51-24, on Thursday.

“I told the girls we are supposed to be mad in the locker room because we lost the game on the scoreboard,” Tatkenhorst said. “But overall, though, we saw improvement.”

In his first year as head coach, Tatkenhorst said it’s been a roller coaster of a season but the ride is getting better — especially considering that the Bobcats committed fewer turnovers than the Cardinals (18-19) in defeat.

With the season hitting the halfway point, Tatkenhorst said progression is what he wants to see right now, as the competition only gets harder. A pair of road trips at De Soto on Friday and Hayden on Saturday will hopefully give his team some motivation this week in practice, he said.

“If we continue getting better, making those shots and making those free throws, the games will get a lot easier and we will get more wins,” he said.

Tripp’s turn: Shawnee senior leads latest St. James title run

By Angelique McNaughton

October 30, 2012, 12:17 p.m.

Updated: October 31, 2012, 12:00 a.m.

On her third consecutive serve, Emily Tripp took an extra moment to pause, look out across the court and absorb her surroundings.

Tripp’s cheeks were visibly flushed red, while her hair and uniform were damp with sweat.

The St. James Academy senior from Shawnee scanned the arena before quickly resuming play. She bounced the volleyball a few times at her feet before putting it on her palm and spinning it, eventually sending it soaring over the net, resulting in yet another point for her team.

The Thunder were in the final set of a match against Shawnee Heights for the Class 5A state volleyball championship at the Topeka Kansas Expocentre Saturday afternoon when Tripp had her moment.

She later explained that her assistant coach Brian Dorsey had advised her to “sit back and enjoy the moment” at some point during the tournament. When Tripp finally decided to adhere to his advice during the championship game, she said, it was worth it.

“It was cool to take a step back and enjoy how lucky I am and look at the crowd, my family and my teammates giving 110 percent,” she said. “It was energizing.”

Tripp’s serves put her team within three points of victory, eventually enabling the Thunder to win the state championship with a 25-6, 25-19 victory against the Thunderbirds.

It was the Thunder’s fifth-straight title, their first at 5A and Tripp’s second as a varsity player.

After playing a minimal role in St. James’ past appearances, Tripp worked her way into the spotlight last year as a junior with a right-place-at-the-right-time kind of scenario.

Thunder coach Nancy Dorsey said Tripp had to “wait her turn” early on, playing behind a strong line of upperclassmen.

“She did a great job (last year) and that gave her the confidence that she can hang,” Dorsey said. “Every match, she got better and better.”

After patiently waiting her turn, Tripp took control of the libero spot this season as a middle back row player and stepped into a dominant leadership role.

The 5-foot-5 veteran led the team this season with 474 digs — 66 of those occurring during sub-state play.

As her skill set improved and her presence on the court solidified, Tripp was quick to say that she has just played the roles asked of her.

“In our program, any player has as an important role as anyone else,” she said. “I’ve played the role that I needed to contribute, and I know I’m capable of being positive and showing my love for my sport; and for me, that’s what I’ve been carrying through my career.”

Tripp first started playing volleyball more than 10 years ago as a third-grader before eventually participating in club volleyball in middle school.

“I have always loved the sport and really enjoyed the team aspect and being a part of the team,” Tripp said. “Personal accomplishments are great, but when you have 10 to 13 of your sisters backing you up, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Tripp’s parents, Nora and Mike Tripp, initially said to each other that if their daughter didn’t enjoy volleyball, they would take her out of it.

“As parents, we were not going to make her feel like we are forcing her,” Nora Tripp said. “But Mike and I said to each other that we can see how much she loves it. … It’s who she is.”

Friends and family started to take notice of the new influences on the impressionable young athlete’s life.

She watched her daughter completely transform as a person and athlete throughout the last 10 years with her love of volleyball never faltering.

“We’ve just watched her develop into this confident and strong player and woman,” she said. “Seeing her go from third grade and developing her body and her skill (and) her understanding of the game has been amazing.”

Tripp’s parents were among the strong contingent of St. James followers over the weekend who watched as the Thunder downed opponents 6-0 during pool play on Friday.

Advancing to the semi-finals against Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel on Saturday, the defending 4A champions displayed their best blocking of the season with 11 solo blocks and eight block assists. Tripp led the team over the weekend with 53 digs.

After advancing to the championship, the Thunder went point for point in the first set against Shawnee Heights but were dominated most of the game because of missed digs and over hits. The Thunder, however, came back and won the first set, 25-19. Crisp playing and solid runs held Heights to only six points in the deciding match.

When the Thunder were accepting their awards on the court Saturday, Nora Tripp said someone sitting next to her commented that the scene was straight out of a movie.

“The girl next to me said, ‘This is like a movie, and we just need the credits rolling,’” she said. “Watching that moment come together for (Emily) as a parent, I cried like a baby.“

Tripp linked arms with her two fellow seniors after the medals were distributed and walked to the center of the court to receive the class 5A state tournament trophy.

With tears in their eyes, the seniors looked across at each other and whispered, “We did it.”

“That was our goal all along,” Emily Tripp said. “It was really awesome to turn and look at my best friends, knowing we worked our butts off and we earned this. … Nothing more satisfying.”

The surreal experience at center court occurred and evaporated just as quickly for Tripp in a whirlwind of emotions as her high school volleyball career came to a close.

“I’ve never been more happy to end on such a good note,” Tripp said. “The front of our warm-up shirts said: Work Hard, Play Hard. That describes our tournament (in that) we worked hard in practices, we worked hard in games and it resulted in that great victory.”

Suki seemed born to entertain

March 26, 2011 – 6:21pm

SPLASH!

On a warm March afternoon, Suki Willison goes over the list of things she still has to accomplish before the weekend shows.

Willison’s hair is loosely pinned back and a silver treble clef necklace rests in the hollow of her neck. The pendant isn’t any showier than the rest of the jewelry she dons, but it provides the only visible indication as to who Willison is and what she does.

Willison manages Uncle Bo’s, a blue’s bar in the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 E. 6th. Uncle Bo’s has featured local and national acts during its Friday and Saturday night shows and in September celebrated its fifth anniversary for the entire month.

The simple act of wearing the necklace supports Willison’s belief that “you do what you love and be around what you love every day.”

And that’s just what she says she does.

Willison is the president of the Topeka Blues Society and The Kansas Blues Connection. At Uncle Bo’s, she acts as manager, booking agent and door girl among other things so that her role really transcends any one word. She is more like the go-to-girl for the bands, employees and customers who frequent Uncle Bo’s every weekend.

Working from home throughout the week, Willison scouts bands via the Internet while preparing for upcoming shows. Willison said the internet makes it easier to book shows and connect with artists.

Mike Eaton, of Platinum Express, wrote on Willison’s Facebook wall: “I for one just love playing at Uncle Bo’s. We always have a great time.”

At 59, Willison’s sister Dana Valyer, of Topeka, said Willison is at the “height of her career.”

“It’s like her calling,” Valyer said. “She’s always liked and loved music.”

Valyer and Willison shared a room growing up and although music was always playing, she said she never thought her sister would be doing what she is today.

Originally from Emporia, Willison’s family moved to Topeka when she was 11.

As early as junior high, Willison was using her milk money to book bands with names like The Germs and The Serfs, and that original taste of the entertainment industry stuck with Willison.

She went to school for social work during the day but at night worked at bars to financially support herself.

Willison got married and had her daughter Katie.

“I kind of backed away from it all then,” Willison said. “I even worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield.”

But it was against everything she was, Willison said.

Willison no longer could avoid the grasp that the music and entertainment industry had on her.

She briefly went and worked at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City before owning her own bar — Suki’s — for about 20 years.

Hoping to finally take a break after recently turning 50, Willison sold Suki’s.

Shortly after, a friend approached her for help opening a bar in the Ramada.

“I just sold a bar and didn’t really want to get in that, but she was a friend,” Willison said. “And then the ball started rolling.”

It continues to roll more than five and a half years later. Uncle Bo’s has featured acts ranging from local youth talent to recent Grammy award winner Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band.

Jim Thistle, drummer in the Bart Walker Band, said Willison originally heard his band play in Nashville.

“Suki just loved us, and we just loved her,” Thistle said.

Willison said she has a three-song rule in choosing a band.

“I give them three songs,” Willison said. “And it has to be catchy and energetic because it’s not what I like because I’m still hearing my favorites, but it’s what will get people.”

In the end, Willison said she has been in a fortunate avenue that has allowed her to grow with Topeka.

“We all have a path in life and we may deviate from it but the way it is set up,” she said, “we will end up following that path. So to look back on that now, that was my path the whole time.”

When she was 15, Willison worked as a “barker” selling stuffed animals in a traveling carnival.

“I remember thinking, God it was a stage, it was an act, it was entertainment,“ Willison said. “So it was there with me, I mean I didn’t know because I had to make money for my family but those were steps in my life that would get me to where I was going because I still do it every week. You come in and we hit the lights and want to dazzle you.”

For more information about Uncle Bo’s, visit the website at www.UncleBos.com.

Youth tourney brings in big bucks

March 24, 2011 – 7:57pm

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

While youth wrestlers from across the state are preparing to hit the mats this weekend at the Kansas Expocentre, Topekans are gearing up for everyone else who plans to come, too.

Those involved with the Kansas Kids Wrestling Championships expect it to bring more than 7,500 people to the capital city.

H.R. Cook, general manager of the Expocentre, said the importance of the event extends beyond the actual venue.

“It’s a really, really big deal, because it’s not only the Expo that hosts the event but the entire community,” Cook said.

From city officials to Visit Topeka Inc., to those in the restaurant and lodging industries, a lot of people in Topeka are preparing for the influx of out-of-town parents, aunts and uncles, siblings and grandparents who will be at Landon Arena on Saturday and Sunday to watch about 1,500 wrestlers compete.

The wrestling championships occur annually in March, drawing participants of varying ages and sizes from every district in the state.

Mayor Bill Bunten said the event allows people to get together in the capital city and take advantage of what Topeka has to offer.

“For us, it’s a weekend when people stay here, eat here and shop here,” Bunten said. “It’s a fun event, and economically, it brings a great number of people to our city.”

Olivia Simmons, president and chief executive officer of Visit Topeka, said the overall economic impact of the event is huge.

Simmons said a conservative estimate of the revenue garnered from the event is $1.47 million.

The wrestling championships are the second-largest event in terms of revenue behind NHRA drag racing at Heartland Park Topeka.

Dena Soden, director of sales for Capitol Plaza Hotel, 1717 S.W. Topeka Blvd, said the hotel is completely booked tonight and Saturday night.

Soden said the hotel typically sells out a year before the championships.

Topeka has hosted this event for more than 15 years, continuously outbidding other cities for the contract.

In 2009, Topeka outbid Salina, Hays, Hutchinson and Wichita to retain the event under the current three-year contract, which expires in 2012.

The bidding process for the next host city will begin in the fall. Next March could be the last year the event is in Topeka as the competition gets tougher with new, larger arenas popping up across the state.

But Cook said it is because of the open arms of the citizens, not the arena, that Topeka has been able to retain this event for so long.

Simmons agrees.

“It’s that hospitality and that personal touch that you can’t put a price tag on,” Simmons said. “And that’s what we need from our community to help bring this event back year after year.”

Weigh-in for the wrestlers starts this evening. The opening ceremony and competitions commence Saturday morning.

Wrestlers to battle for infant ‘fighter’

February 10, 2011 – 11:48am

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Tyler Cook typically wrestles for entertainment and enjoyment, but this weekend it’s all about the money.

Money to benefit an infant battling cancer, that is.

Cook and other independent professional wrestlers from the region will compete on Friday at the Boys and Girls Club of Topeka. All of the ticket sales and proceeds from the event will go toward medical expenses for 3-month-old cancer patient Jacoby Brown and his family.

At a little over a month old, Jacoby was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that attacks the nervous system. Jacoby underwent two rounds of chemotherapy at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo, where he’s been since November. He recently developed an internal infection.

“Though we are not yet sure of the outcome, we know and have seen that Jacoby is a warrior and will fight this monster every day until he is healed,” Dustin Brown, Jacoby’s father, said in a statement. “Thank you for your support. It helps us and Jacoby to continue on in our fight against this terrible disease.”

The Browns call Jacoby a fighter for all he’s had to endure and because his arms are always flailing in the air. This weekend, however, the wrestlers will fight for him.

“A Night for Jacoby” will feature wrestlers from Impact Pro Wrestling Midwest and Metro Pro Wrestling.

Cook, who is with Metro Pro Wrestling, said he is excited to lend his talents to a good cause.

“Definitely something that touched my heart a little bit because it is such a tough situation for such a young baby. I want to do anything I can to help out,” Cook said.

A local group that called itself “Team Jacoby” first contacted the Brown family with a desire to help. Group members invited the wrestlers and organized the event.

Laura Moran, one of the organizers, said she found out about Jacoby on her cousin’s Facebook.

“It weighed heavy on my heart and I felt like there was something I needed to do to help,” Moran said.

This is the third local benefit for Jacoby.

David Brown, Dustin’s father, said his infant grandson “has touched many, many people in a special way.”

“This child, at just over 3 months of age, has been through more than most people do in a lifetime,” David Brown said. “Two spinal taps, bone marrow sampling, major abdominal surgery, two rounds of chemo and eight weeks in intensive care. Jacoby Allen Brown is an amazing little guy.”

The outpouring of public support, David Brown added, “opened a new world,” to the Brown family.

“People showed up at the pancake feed that had no connection to us,” Brown said. “It’s amazing.”

David Brown said the wrestling tournament is a neat way to get people involved.

Dustin Brown was recently laid off from McElroy’s Heating and Cooling. The extra time enables him to spend more time with Jacoby after his wife, Sheri Brown, returned to her job at Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

But really, David Brown said, Sheri and Dustin don’t want sympathy or expect anything.

“They just ask for prayers,” he said.

Bell time for “A Night for Jacoby” is at 7:30 p.m. and doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Lupita’s Mexican restaurant, Urban Salon, and Junior’s Bar and Grill or at the door the day of the show.

Man convicted of 1981 sodomy up for parole

February 16, 2011 – 10:13pm

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

A man who sexually attacked and sodomized a 13-year-old Topeka boy more than 25 years ago is being considered for parole.

In 1983, a jury found James Monroe Pollock guilty of aggravated sodomy and aggravated battery.

Family members of the victim will once again speak against Pollock’s release at the Kansas Parole Board public comments hearing Friday in Room 106-A in the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson.

The family is asking the public to participate, imploring “anybody and anyone” testify to keep Pollock, 69, in prison.

In a phone interview, the victim’s sister read from a letter she prepared for the hearing.

“The damages that my brother has suffered and the emotional stress has taken a toll on his personal, professional and family life,” she read. “People don’t realize it could be their child or their great-grandchild.”

Pollock attacked her brother and left him for dead in his home in October 1981.

The victim endured 12 operations within 10 months, including a colostomy and a reversal because of the damages suffered that night.

Pollock is an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility where the final hearing will take place in March, said parole board administrator Marie McNeil.

The parole board most recently denied parole to Pollock in 2001 and refused another hearing for 10 years, the maximum allowed by law.

The victim’s mother said every time Pollock is eligible for parole she experiences a whirlwind of emotions.

“I get nervous, sick at my stomach and just am so afraid that the board will let him go,” she said. “It’s more for other children out there because we can’t let anyone else get hurt like our son has been.”

The victim’s father said this is the type of man you read about, visualize on the playgrounds and don’t want roaming the streets.

Subsequent hearings on Pollock and other inmates will be Monday at the Finney State Office Building, 230 E. William St., in Wichita, and Tuesday at City Hall, 701. N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

The victim’s sister plans to attend the Topeka and Kansas City hearings.

“Please do not let this man out of prison,” her letter concluded. “Once a pedophile always a pedophile.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal doesn’t identify sexual assault victims.