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Author: Dave Riggert

Northwest Missouri State soccer adds eight for 2012

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Northwest Missouri State women’s soccer coach Tracy Hoza Friday announced the signing of seven high school athletes and one junior college transfer to National Letters of Intent for the 2012 season.

Kiersten Mottl is the lone junior college transfer coming from Lewis & Clark College which was the 6th-ranked team in the nation last season.

Joining Mottl will be six freshmen, Katy Lindsey from Park Hill South (Kansas City, Mo.), Elisabeth Lee from Millard South (Omaha, Neb.), Jill Kieffer from Lincoln Southwest (Lincoln, Neb.), Chelsea Fournier (Kansas City, Mo.), Crys McElhose of Sioux City East High School (Sioux City, Iowa), Anna Holden from Harrisonville, Mo. and Nicole Mitchell from St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.).

Below is more information about the eight players signed by the Bearcats:

• Kiersten Mottl (St. Louis, Mo.) – Midfield
Previous School: Lewis & Clark College  Head Coach: Tim Rooney
High School: Incarnate Word Academy  Head Coach: Annie Beekman
Parents: Steve and Rebecca Mottl
Lewis & Clark: Mottl was a two-time First-Team NSCAA All-America pick during her two seasons at Lewis & Clark under Tim Rooney. In 2011 she was ranked in the top 30 in junior college for scoring as she was also named NJCAA All-America, all-Region and all-Conference during her freshman and sophomore seasons.
High School: As prep at Incarnate Word Academy in St. Louis starting every game at defender helping the Red Knights capture a Missouri State Championship in 2009. She played for Annie Beekman at Incarnate Word. Mottl played club soccer for Shattuck – St. Mary’s earning US Club National runner-up finish in 2007 and 2008.

• Nicole Mitchell (Lenexa, Kan.) – Defender
High School: St. James Academy   Head Coach: Rick Enna
Parents: Michelle and Riley Mitchell
High School: Mitchell has been a four-year varsity defender for Head Coach Rick Enna earning 2011 All-State accolades. As a freshman she helped lead her team to a Kansas High School State Title. She played club at KCFC Alliance for KC Friendlies helping guide her team to two tournament championships and three runner-up finishes since 2007. She is currently a member of Kansas Rush club team.

• Anna Holden (Harrisonville, Mo.) – Forward
High School: Harrisonville HS   Head Coach: Dan Coleman
Parents: Lance and Laura Holden
High School: Holden has been a First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-District and All-Region selection three consecutive years. She was also named First-Team All-State while being named Region Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and earned Second-Team All-State accolades her sophomore season under Head Coach Dan Coleman. Holden was also nominated for All-America honors her junior year and is currently the school record holder for goals in a game, goals in a season, and goals in a career at Harrisonville High.

• Crys McElhose (Sioux City, Iowa) – Midfield
High School: Sioux City East HS   Head Coach: Ashley Hugel
Parents: Theo and Robert McElhose
High School: McElhose was a three-year varsity starter and has been a two-year captain as midfielder for the Black Raiders. She was a two-time all-Conference selection and scored an exciting game winning goal in the regional championship to send Sioux City East to the state tournament under Head Coach Ashley Hage. She was also a two-time all-Conference runner in cross country and an individual state qualifier as a junior. Played club for Gateway City and Coaches Shane Tymkowicz and Gabe Wortman.

• Jill Kieffer (Lincoln, Neb.) – Defender
High School: Lincoln Southwest HS   Head Coach: Dan Sharp
Parents: Scott and Amy Kieffer
High School: Kieffer helped lead the Silver Hawks to a City Championship in 2011 and a Nebraska State Semifinal finish. She was named all-Conference and was tabbed Honorable Mention to the all-Omaha World Herald Team and earned Academic All-State accolades. Kieffer was a two-time Nebraska State Cup Champion in 2011 and 2012 for her club team, Toro Bravo. Toro Bravo was one of the best female teams in the country and was the 2011 Midwest Regional Champs for Coach Marcus Kelcher. They also finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation.

• Elisabeth Lee (Omaha, Neb.) – Defender
High School: Millard South HS   Head Coach:
Parents: John and Margaret Lee
High School: Entering her senior season Lee has been a three-year letter winner and starter at defender. She is a two-time Honorable Mention Nebraska All-State selection as team captain at Millard South. Played her club soccer for Omaha Elite and Coach Becky Sanow and is a two-time Nebraska State runner-up.

• Katy Lindsey (Kansas City, Mo.) Defender
High School: Park Hill HS   Head Coach: Joe Toigo
Parents: Darryl and Lisa Lindsey
High School: Lindsey has been a four-year letter winner and starter at midfield for Coach Joe Toigo. She helped lead the Panthers to a conference championship in 2009 and 2011 and a District Championship during the 2011 season. She was also a Second-Team All-Conference selection as a sophomore and junior. She also earned all-conference honors in cross country and was a sectional qualifier. Lindsey has also been the starting midfielder on her club team at Kansas City United Soccer for Coach Rich Wolf and was back-to-back runner-up at the State Cup.

• Chelsea Fournier (Kansas City, Mo.)
High School: Raytown HS   Head Coach: Roger Burris and Megan Evans
Parents: Greg and Kari Fournier
High School: Fournier was a three-year starter for the Bluejays helping lead Raytown to a conference championship in 2009. She was a second-team all-conference selection as a junior for Coach Roger Burris and Megan Evans. Played club with the Futura Force and Coach Mike Mantlo, reaching the Missouri State Cup semifinals the last two seasons. She was also a three-year starter on the softball diamond earning all-conference accolades as a sophomore and junior. Fournier has also been on the honor roll all four years at Raytown and a member of student council.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Jayhawks hold off Kansas State for win in Manhattan

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Tyshawn Taylor heard the Kansas State fans razzing him during pre-game warmups. The senior guard for Kansas (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) understands that the confidence he exudes rubs some the wrong way.

Here’s the thing, though: He backs up the bravado when the game is on the line.

Taylor scored 10 of his 20 points during a key stretch of the second half Monday night, allowing the Jayhawks to survive a stiff test from the Wildcats in a 59-53 victory.

And it was Taylor who had the last word.

“They had a chance to talk to me while I was warming up,” he said of the fans in Bramlage Coliseum. “I felt like I had my chance to talk to them a little bit after the game.”

Taylor popped the front of his jersey in the closing minutes, no doubt irking the purple-clad fans who had worked themselves into a frenzy during the Wildcats’ second-half charge.

The one that Taylor seemed to answer all by himself.

“Tyshawn has been unbelievable in conference play,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Arguably as good a player as there is in the league in conference play.”

Jeff Withey added 18 points 11 rebounds and nine blocks in another impressive performance, helping make up for an off game by Thomas Robinson and allow the Jayhawks (21-5, 11-2 Big 12) to win for the 36th time in their last 39 games against the Interstate 70 rival.

Kansas moved one-half game ahead of No. 3 Missouri (23-2, 10-2), which plays Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, in the race for the regular-season conference championship.

Jamar Samuels had a season-high 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-8, 6-7), who missed out on a golden opportunity to tack a signature win on its NCAA tournament resume.

The Wildcats were not without their chances.

They briefly pulled ahead midway through the second half, and were within 55-51 when Rodney McGruder knocked down a jumper with 1:14 left in the game. But they came up empty on their next three trips down the court, unable to take advantage of the Jayhawks’ balky foul shooting.

“This loss hurt,” Samuels said.

McGruder finished with 12 points for Kansas State, while Will Spradling had 10.

“When you’ve got grown men playing for you, it makes our guys look like little kids,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. “We have to prepare our guys to handle those situations.”

The Jayhawks, who used a big first-half run en route to a 67-49 win in Lawrence last month, got off to another good start. Robinson’s basket made it 23-12 with 4:09 left before halftime, part of a stretch in which Kansas State went 7 minutes without scoring.

Thomas Gipson finally got on the board with 2:15 remaining, the first points by anyone besides Samuels and McGruder for Kansas State. Samuels added two free throws in the final minute to get the Wildcats within 28-18 at halftime.

It was the start of their only sustained run.

Spradling hit a jumper out of halftime, and Samuels knocked down two 3-pointers — a big confidence boost for someone who came into the game shooting 22.9 percent beyond the arc.

“He always makes 3s against us,” Self said.

Samuels’ second 3-pointer got Kansas State within 32-30, and a basket by Jordan Henriquez a couple minutes later tied the game. Gipson’s free throw with 11:47 left gave the Wildcats a 37-36 lead, their first since it was 2-1 in the opening minutes of the game.

It didn’t last long.

Taylor rattled in a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock hit zero to put Kansas back into the lead. He added another 3 moments later, and Withey grabbed an offensive board and managed to coax home a layup as the Jayhawks stretched it open.

Kansas State struggled to find an answer after the Jayhawks switched to a zone defense.

“Those junk defenses — and I say that in a nice way, not a negative way — they’re made to get you to stand around,” Martin said. “They got the mission accomplished.”

Taylor added a circus-like layup to make it 47-37 with 6:29 left, forcing Martin to call a timeout. The Jayhawks kept pouring on the pressure, with Taylor answering a basket by Gipson with his own soaring dunk along the baseline.

Gipson lost his cool on the next trip down court. The big freshman stood his ground and drew a charge on Robinson, his fourth foul, but said something as the two stood up. He was hit with a technical foul, and Withey knocked down both free throws to restore a 10-point lead.

Kansas survived some tense moments down the stretch to win another game in Manhattan.

“We’re going to have to keep fighting these battles to win the league,” Taylor said. “We just have to keep battling and keep getting better, because we still have a couple of tough games.”

— Associated Press —

KU football adds prep running back to 2012 recruiting class

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New Jersey standout running back Tevin Shaw has joined the 2012 Kansas Football signing class Jayhawk head coach Charlie Weis announced Monday. Shaw, who attends Piscataway High School, is the 18th player to sign with KU in the February signing period, in addition to three January transfers, pushing Weis’ first class haul to a total of 21 athletes.

Shaw dominated the state of New Jersey in 2011 racking up First Team All-State honors, in addition to being named the Middlesex County Player of the Year by the Newark Star-Ledger. He rushed for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior and led his team to the New Jersey Section 2, Group 4 title for the second-straight season. In the title game versus Elizabeth, Shaw set a school record with 304 rushing yards. He also scored three TDs, including the game winner.

Shaw owns the Piscataway High School records for career rushing yards (2,848), rushing touchdowns (45) and longest rush (98 yards). Coached by Dan Higgins at Piscataway, Shaw was also an outstanding defensive player, tallying 90 tackles and seven interceptions in 2011 on his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors by the Somerville News Tribune.

Also a standout wrestler, Shaw placed second in the New Jersey State Wrestling Championships as a junior, wrestling at 171 pounds. He holds the school record for wins with 120 and is currently 25-0 as a senior wrestling in the 185-pound weight class. He has led the PHS wrestling team to the County Championship in each of the last three years, earning MVP honors in 2011. Additionally, Shaw competes in track and field, running both the 100 and 200 meters and is a member of the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relay teams.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas’ Withey named Big 12 Player of the Week

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Kansas center Jeff Withey has been selected Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week, for games of Feb. 7-12 in voting by a panel of media covering the league. It is the first conference weekly accolade for Withey and sixth time in 2011-12 that a Jayhawk has earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

Withey had a career week as Kansas won at No. 6 Baylor (68-54) and against Oklahoma State (81-66). The 7-0 San Diego, Calif., junior began with a career-best 25 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocks at Baylor. He made 8-of-10 (.800) shots from the floor in that game. He then grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds versus Oklahoma State to go along with 18 points and seven blocks.

Withey is the second Big 12 player to grab at least 20 boards in a game this season joining Kansas junior teammate Thomas Robinson who had 21 rebounds against North Dakota (12/31). Withey shot 60.9 percent from the floor on the week, while connecting at a .789 clip from the free-throw line. He is averaging 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds and leads the Big 12 in blocks (79) and blocks per game (3.2). His 44 rejections in league play is double the total of the next closest player.

Withey joins Robinson, senior Tyshawn Taylor and junior Travis Releford in earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season. Robinson has won the award three times, while Taylor, Releford and Withey once this season. This is the first time in conference history that four different players from the same school have been named Big 12 Player of the Week during the same season.

— KU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State softball postponed again

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Due to a winter storm that passed through Springfield, Mo., early Monday morning the Northwest Missouri State softball team’s season opener at Drury University has been postponed while no make-up date has been set at this time.

The Bearcats and Panthers were originally slated to open their season on Saturday, but cold winter weather pushed the games to Tuesday. If no make-up date is set before this weekend the Bearcats would open their season in Oklahoma at the Southwestern Oklahoma State Triangular in Weatherford, Okla.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Western softball splits on final day of Henderson State Tournament

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The Missouri Western softball team ended the HSU Tournament like they started with a split on the final day of the tournament. Western won game on against 12th ranked Arkansas-Monticello by a score of 1-0 before falling 6-2 in eight innings against host school Henderson State. Western finishes the first weekend of the season with a 4-2 record.

Game One: #23 MWSU 1, #12 AMU 0
The Griffons were able to open up the last day of the HSU Tournament on the right foot gettinga 1-0 victory over the 12th ranked Arkansas Monticello. This game was a pitchers’ duel between MWSU’s Jackie Bishop and UAM ace Kayla Jackson. Bishop gave up just three hits in the contest while Jackons gave up two with one of the being a solo homer off the bat of Griffon sophomore Taylor Anding.

Game Two: HSU 6, #23 MWSU 2 (8 innings)
In game two, Missouri Western broke a scoreless tie in the fourth–inning as Meagan Roemmich blasted a RBI single off the left field fence to score Kendall Sorensen who led off the inning with a single.

Henderson State finally got on the board in the sixth-inning as Amber Klug led off the inning with a single to get things started. With one-out, Katey Gorsage hit a two run homer over the right-field fence giving the Lady Reddies a 2-1 lead.

Missouri Western forced extra-innings for the second time with a Roemmich RBI double in the sixth-inning,

The Lady Reddies put up four runs in the eight giving them the big lead in extra innings.

Kasey Carlock easily finished the inning picking up her second win of the afternoon. Annalee Rubio got the loss for the Griffons giving up nine hits and three earned runs while striking out three. Emily Moe pitched one inning giving up four hits and two earned runs.

Western had eight hits with Sorensen, Anding and Roemmich each collecting two.

Full stats of the first game of the day and last game of yesterday will be made available as soon as possible. The Griffons will continue their early season play on Friday, February 17 – Sunday, February 19 when they participate in the Southeastern Oklahoma State Tournament held in Durant, Okla. The Griffons will take on Newman University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Friday. Game times are set for 10:00 am and 12:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest men’s tennis opens season with victory

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The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team held off the 14th-ranked team in NAIA Lindsey Wilson taking a season opening 5-4 victory on Saturday.

The Bearcats held off one of the top teams in NAIA as the Blue Raiders staged a valiant comeback in singles after Northwest took a 3-0 lead following doubles action.

In the top doubles match, Mario Jakovljevic and Jose Ortega used an 8-5 win over Lindsey Wilson’s Pablo Vilches and Gilles Cornelis to give the Bearcats the early 1-0 lead.

The duo of Guilherme Narducci and Rafael Bugiga — who are ranked fourth in the south central region — doubled the Bearcat lead to 2-0 with a hard-fought 9-7 win over Fabricio Morales and Marlon Dal Pont at No. 2 doubles.

Northwest completed the doubles sweep as Calvin Patterson and Luis Altimires outlasted Fernando Bogajo and Victor Saez 9-8.

Lindsey Wilson picked up its first point as Saez took a 6-1, 7-5 victory in No. 4 singles. However, Jakovljevic would push the Bearcat lead to 3-1 after beating Morales 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2 singles.

The Blue Raiders then began a gallant comeback with three straight singles wins to tie the match at 4-4.

Vilches beat Narducci 7-5, 7-5 in the No. 3 singles match and top-seeded Bogajo defeated Patterson 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Dal Pont tied the match with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ortega in the sixth singles match.

Northwest would stop the comeback in No. 5 singles as Altimires knocked off Cornelis 6-3, 6-2 and claim the 5-4 win.

The Bearcats take the week to regroup before returning to the court Feb. 26 as they travel to Ouachita Baptist.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Atchison’s Downing leads Missouri State past Bradley

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Anthony Downing had 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Caleb Patterson added 14 points as Missouri State defeated Bradley 64-53 on Sunday.

Kyle Weems scored 11 points for the Bears (16-11, 9-6 Missouri Valley), giving him 1,800 for his career. He is the 26th player in MVC history to reach that milestone.

Dyricus Simms-Edwards had 18 points and six rebounds, and Walt Lemon Jr. had 13 points for the Braves (7-20, 2-13), who shot 29.8 percent (17 of 57) from the floor.

Keith Pickens gave Missouri State the lead for good, 41-40, on a jumper with 12:13 remaining, and neither team scored for more than four minutes afterward. While Bradley stayed cold, the Bears got separation, as Patterson made back-to-back baskets to spark a 21-11 run over the final 6:56.

Patterson, in his second game back after missing three contests with an ankle injury, made 5 of 11 shots from the field.

Jordan Prosser had 10 points for Bradley.

— Associated Press —

Griffons fall short Saturday against No. 18 Bearcats

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The Missouri Western men have made a habit of dropping close, hard fought games and the Griffons (7-15, 2-14) did it again Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena. Western wouldn’t go away in the second half and took No. 18 Northwest Missouri (19-3, 13-3) down to the wire, before falling 67-61. It marked the Griffons eighth loss of six points or less this season.

The Griffons were twice able to pull within three points in the final 30 seconds, but Bearcat free-throws downed Western and helped the Bearcats avoid the upset.Down by six with 24 seconds remaining, Reed Mells drained a 3-pointer that gave Western life. Two Jake Reinders free throws put Northwest up by five before a TJ Johnson dunk narrowed the lead to three again. Three more Bearcat free throws, and missed three’s from James Harris and Johnson closed out the game.

The Griffons jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, that quickly turned into a 5-12 deficit early in the game. Western was a chilly 32 percent from the field in the first half. Douglas and Harris each scored six first half points. Mells had five and Justin Reid scored four in the first frame.

Lavonte Douglas recorded his fifth double-double of the season, leading the Griffons with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson and Harris each scored 13 for Western. Reid finished with six and chipped in 10 boards. The Griffons shot 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from behind the arc and just under 44 percent from the charity stipe. Western held a 26-20 points in the paint advantage and out rebounded the Bearcats 38-31. Western had 12 turnovers, which Northwest converted into 14 points. The Griffons managed just four points on eight Bearcat turnovers.

Western begins the second half of a four-game road swing when they travel to Jefferson City to take on Lincoln Feb. 15. Western concludes the road trip on Feb. 18 with  a trip to Kirksville to face Truman State.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri makes 14 three-pointers in win over No. 6 Baylor

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Phil Pressey’s first 3-point attempt went in off the glass. The sophomore guard, known more for flashy, no-look passes than his outside touch, took that sketchy success and ran with it.

Pressey scored 19 points, making four of No. 4 Missouri’s season-best 14 3-pointers, and the Tigers beat No. 6 Baylor 72-57 on Saturday. He had no 3-pointers the previous five games, but stepped up against the slumping Bears.

“It just happens like that sometimes,” Pressey said of his bank shot. “I made it, so that’s all that counts.”

Sixth man Michael Dixon also had four 3-pointers and Marcus Denmon added three for Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which shot 50 percent from long range.

“That’s what they was giving us and that’s what we was taking. And making,” Dixon said.

Missouri is 14-0 at home with an average margin of 24 points and got an easier test a week after needing an 11-0 run to beat Kansas by three. Both games were sellouts but the matchup against Baylor (21-4, 8-4), carrying a higher ranking, failed to match that atmosphere.

Still, the Tigers said they were energized by the response from the fans in the second half.

“Yeah, it got pretty loud,” Dixon said. “The crowd does ignite us.”

Quincy Miller had 20 points and Perry Jones III had just four on 2-for-12 shooting for Baylor, which flopped for the second straight game after a 14-point home loss against Kansas (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) on Wednesday night. The Bears shot just 36 percent, negating a whopping 40-27 rebounding advantage.

Baylor has lost twice to Missouri and Kansas and is unbeaten otherwise.

“When Missouri is on, there is nobody in the country as good as them offensively. Nobody. Period,” coach Scott Drew said. “And when I mean on, is when they’re making their 3s. So you have to hope they’re not on. They’ve been on a lot this year.”

Baylor stopped Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri’s lone inside threat, but nobody else. Ratliffe was held to six points on 3-for-9 shooting after entering the game shooting 75.5 percent, threatening the NCAA single-season record.

“When you’re making shots, it’s really tough to go out there and try to chase around the guys that they have that can break you down off the bounce,” Drew said. “So usually you have to give up something, and tonight we gave up the 3.”

Pierre Jackson, who had 20 points and 15 assists in a one-point loss to Missouri at home on Jan. 21, had five points on 2-for-9 shooting with five assists in the rematch. Baylor entered the game leading the Big 12 in 3-point shooting but was just 4 for 17 from long range.

The 6-foot-11 Jones, a sophomore, is a top NBA prospect, but has struggled in both meetings against Missouri, totaling eight points and four rebounds at home. He also was off at Kansas, getting five points on 1-for-8 shooting.

“The problem is he’s judged on that potential sometimes,” Drew said, “and that’s hard on everybody.”

Denmon had 16 points, passing Jon Sundvold for 10th on Missouri’s career scoring list. Dixon finished with 16 points and six assists, and Kim English had 12 points, all in the second half.

Missouri shot 48 percent from the field overall. It had 12 3-pointers twice earlier in the season, against Oklahoma and Niagara.

Pressey totaled 16 3-pointers in the first 24 games. Three of his 3-pointers on Saturday came in the first half, including two in the final 1:42 to help Missouri take a 33-29 lead.

Missouri hit six 3-pointers and Steve Moore had a dunk during a 20-6 run that broke open a one-point game midway through the second half. Dixon had the last two from well beyond the line for a 58-43 cushion with just over eight minutes left, and his 3-pointer started the run.

Baylor had a 13-1 rebounding advantage early, taking full advantage of its height advantage against Missouri’s four-guard attack.

Baylor has lost 11 in a row at Missouri and hasn’t won in Columbia since 1948. The Bears have lost nine in a row to top-10 opponents.

— Associated Press —

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