Women’s basketball makes tournament after dominant start

Bryan Grabauskas

The women’s basketball team for Washburn saw mixed success throughout the season.

The first four games went back-and-forth between winning and losing until late November. Then, the Ichabods won four games in a row. They followed that streak of winning with a loss, but then rebounded with another four consecutive victories.

From November to January, the team was a dominant force that won 10 out of 13 games. After that, they spent the rest of the season trading off wins and losses, with the exception of a pair of wins in early February.

The most exciting game of the season had to be an early February match up against the rival Fort Hays State. They lost a thriller against the Tigers by one point Feb. 4. The final score was 61-60 and that game ended up being ESPN 3’s national game of the week.

Despite their late-season stumble, the Ichabods made it to the MIAA tournament. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round against Southwest Baptist.

Alyxis Bowens finished her senior season with three top five numbers in single-season school records. She finished with a .585 shooting percentage, which is the third highest school record. She also had three rebounds per game, which is tied for fourth. Finally, she blocked 1.5 shots per game, which is fifth in school history.

Another impressive accomplishment was the fact that Coach Ron McHenry got to 400 wins in his career as Washburn’s head coach. Despite the decent season the team had, Coach McHenry holds the team to a higher standard.

“It was probably a season I would call missed opportunities,” McHenry said. “Although we finished 17-12 we had plenty of games where we let some winning opportunities slip through our finger tips. The conference is way too tough to let those opportunities slip by.”

McHenry had positive things to say, as well.

“We had seven seniors that had good careers here on and off the court,” McHenry said. “It is always a pleasure to coach young adults that I know will be successful as Washburn University graduates in their future.”