By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

A memoir published in 2018 and republished earlier this year is gaining traction. Jeff Baxter, a 1966 graduate of Great Bend High School and 2014 Kansas Teacher of the Year, is using his own story of growing up in Great Bend and later battling depression to help a new generation of students.

"When you think that the second-leading cause of death of those between 14 and 23 is suicide, I wanted to write something about how you overcome these things," he said. "What things you need to find, how you get through it, what things matter. That is what my book is about, finding hope."

"More Than One Way Home" originally featured cover art from the publisher. It was not personal enough for Baxter, who asked if artist and friend Brad DeLuc could come up with something better.

"I said, 'Read the first two chapters. What do you see?'" Baxter said. "That's what he saw is the cover of the book. In fact, he looked up old pictures of 1301 Morton in Great Bend, Kansas."

After graduating from GBHS, Baxter began a successful career as an English teacher in 1971. More than 20 years later, he thought he had it all: a beautiful wife and three incredible kids. But he was also battling depression.

"Ultimately, what we found out was I never went through the grieving process with the death of our first child or the death of my grandmother, who I was really close to," he said. "One day, my therapist said, 'Jeff, can you recall a time when you were most at peace?' This image came up almost instantly: sitting on the front porch with my grandmother."

That scene would ultimately become the cover of his book but not before some large personal transformations. Baxter was the subject of a CNN feature after he lost 270 pounds from 2010-13. His weight had ballooned to 475 pounds and was costing him everything. As he lost the weight, he gained steam in the classroom to earn the 2014 Kansas Teacher of the Year honor. In 2018, he was inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame.

Baxter grew up around words thanks to his mother and grandmother. He'd long enjoyed writing but the idea of turning thoughts into chapters escaped him.

"I didn't start thinking I was going to do a book until students saw some of my writing," he said. "They would share it with their moms or dads. Over the years, they said I should figure out a way to tell this whole story because people need to hear it. That's when I began to think about the story."

As he suffered from chronic depression for several years, Baxter never thought he would one day call it a blessing. But he realized he could see similar pain in students. He often let them know he was there to listen.

"One of the things that marked me as a great teacher was I really cared about my students," he said. "I built trust relationships with them. I still hear from students I taught as far back as 1971."

The desire to help young people was ultimately a driving force for writing the book. Baxter's own struggles are universal across all generations and he wanted to share his journey.

"I wanted it to be about overcoming difficulties, overcoming setbacks, dealing with things like that and what the process is," he said. "Ultimately, here is how you find hope."

Baxter taught at Leavenworth High School for more than 20 years. He spent the last nine years of his career at Blue Valley West High School before his retirement in June.

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-One-Way-Home/dp/1480950017">CLICK HERE </a>to purchase a copy of "More Than One Way Home."

Great Bend native, retired Teacher of the Year, pens memoir about hope

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Make a Difference Contest 

At 19 years old, Eston Juno of Otis will be set to enter the workforce when he graduates this spring after just one year in Barton’s Natural Gas Program and is ready to see his efforts pay off.

“While searching for careers during high school, I came across the oil and natural gas field and it sparked an interest in me,” he said. “I saw that it had a lot of different types of jobs, good pay, and you can work just about anywhere.”

Barton Natural Gas Instructor Coordinator Keith Frank said that technicians can make approximately $21 to $35 per hour based on his conversations and observations with industry partners, and benefits like insurance and retirement plans are always excellent. He said the salary and benefits for natural gas technicians are a very attractive part of the industry, but as an alumnus of the program and a technician in the field for decades, that is only part of what makes this career path fulfilling.

“The Barton program and my career in natural gas were the best things that ever happened to me,” he said. “The job can be challenging in certain weather conditions, but most of the time I enjoyed being outdoors, and that you get to work with your hands, and you get to work without somebody staring over your shoulder all the time.”

Juno said having an instructor with so much field experience has been invaluable in the classroom.

“The instructors have been great,” he said. “All the experience Keith had in the field is important because he saw everything you can see, and all kinds of problems you see when working for a gas company and how to solve them. He knows what skills that you will need. We get plenty of practice on both bookwork and hands-on skills so that we can do both and fully understand what we are doing.”

Juno said that while the technical training and equipment are top-notch, Barton’s program also teaches soft skills and goes above and beyond to help its students find jobs quickly after they complete the program.

“They bring in gas companies, and you get to meet their people directly and learn about the everyday tasks and what different job options there are,” he said.

Making friends was not something that Juno was planning on when he enrolled in the program, but he said it has been a surprising and enjoyable added benefit to coming to Barton.

“All of us are always working on projects together, so we are always talking through problems, and we all get along very well,” he said. “We all have the same sense of humor and have a lot of the same drive when it comes to working. I have become very good friends with all my classmates.”

For more information on the Barton Natural Gas Program, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://landing.gobarton.com/natural-gas" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">landing.gobarton.com/natural-gas</a>.

Local resident prepares for workforce with Barton’s Natural Gas Program

By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

The City of Great Bend is part of several national bike trails. With
bicyclists, from different parts of the country, riding through town, the city
tries to accommodate the visitors by providing clear instructions about the
route and also the locations of attractions.


A bike campground exists just north of the 10th Street and Harrison
Street intersection, behind the Central Baptist Church. Great Bend Convention
and Visitors Bureau Director Christina Hayes said the words “Bike Campground”
will be added to one of the city’s wayfinding signs along the side of the
street.


"There will be additional small signs that match the theme of our other wayfinding signs," said Hayes. "These will replace some of the yellow bicycle signs in the town. It will be very cohesive with all of our welcome signs."

The signs will help steer bicyclists to the campground that provides a charging
station, picnic tables, porta-potty and a water well.


"This was saved money from a bike share program," said Hayes. "It didn't come out of the CVB budget or city dollars. It was money we needed to find a good use for. We feel like it matches and looks great."

In partnership with the church and Be Well Barton County, the campground also
includes a bicycle repair area.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Signage to direct bicyclists to Great Bend campground

Earlier this year, the Barton County Commission approved a mowing services proposal  for the Golden Belt and Hillcrest Memorial Parks from James Bingaman with Mow-N. Bingaman's work drew wide praise after it was on full display at the county's Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 9. Tuesday morning, the commission and County Works Director Chris Schartz recognized Bingaman for his work.

"I'd just like to say since that time, Mr. Bingaman has actively contributed to the beautification of the cemeteries," Schartz said. "He's come up with great ideas of what we can do out there. He checks frequently with me to make sure he's doing a good job."

Commission Chair Barb Esfeld thanked Bingaman for his dedication to the work. Bingaman thanked everyone for allowing him the opportunity to work at the memorial parks.

"I'm a veteran," he said, "and I know there are a ton of veterans who are buried out there. They deserve the utmost respect, and their tombstones need to be seen to people can read them and honor them."

The county's Memorial Parks Advisory Committee recently made it clear it will be enforcing a county resolution that allows for decorations outside of vases seven days before and after a holiday like Veterans Day. Bingaman said he understands the resolution but also respects those who honor family members.

"I've been to my dad's gravesite twice in the last, say seven years, in Colorado because I live here," he said. "When I do go there, I leave something and I hope it stays there but I understand if it doesn't. But that's a lost tradition in our world today: people going and remembering the lost."

Bingaman was presented with a certification of appreciation by the board of commissioners, Schartz, and County Administrator Matt Patzner. 

Bingaman recognized by Barton County for grounds keeping work

The USD 428 Board of Education plans to wrap up the sale of all three of its surplus properties by Christmas. The board approved a bid on the former central kitchen building at 2201 Broadway Ave. in Great Bend during Wednesday's luncheon at Eisenhower Elementary. 

"We have an offer for $100,000 on the central kitchen," said Assistant Superintendent John Popp. "It was appraised at $230,000, but this is the only offer we've received. We feel like its a good offer from Parr Sound &amp; Lighting. They are interested in moving with this commercial real estate contract so I don't see any reason to not accept the contract at this point."

In September, the board approved the sale of the former district education office on Patton Road for $700,000. Earlier this month, a bid was accepted on the former maintenance building at 2019 12th Street for $211,111.

Popp said the Broadway property will be sold as-is, where-is with no warranties expressed or implied with the purchase, and Parr has accepted those conditions. Other parties have toured the facility but determined it was not a good fit.

"What they're really saying is it's a good building, but for their purposes it would take a lot of cost and renovation," Popp said. "If they were going to give an offer it would be less than $100,000."

The board voted 5-0 to approve the bid from Parr Sound &amp; Lighting. After the building failed to draw any bids in August, MPIRE Realty was hired to assist&nbsp; with the sale. Board Member Karen Lindberg, an MPIRE employee, abstained from Wednesday's conversation and vote.

USD 428 accepts bid on central kitchen building during festive luncheon

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has promised to provide more hospital beds for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3df19ed1b2db0247cff89f62c2020e1b">mentally ill criminal defendants</a>&nbsp;to settle a federal lawsuit filed over defendants waiting months for evaluations of whether they were fit for a trial.

The agreement between state officials and representatives of five defendants requires the state to “use its best efforts”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kdads.ks.gov/state-hospitals/south-central-regional-psychiatric-hospital">to open a new psychiatric hospital</a>&nbsp;by January 2027 in Wichita, the state's largest city. Officials also must seek funding from the Kansas Legislature to reopen a previously closed 30-bed unit at its psychiatric hospital in Larned in western Kansas, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Wichita.

The agreement was announced this week by the two groups pursuing the lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the National Police Accountability Project, based in the Seattle area. The groups sued in 2022 on behalf of attorneys for four defendants and the mother of a fifth. The accused were identified only by their initials.

The state operates two psychiatric hospitals, but only the one in Larned has a unit for evaluating whether mentally ill criminal defendants can understand their cases and participate in their own defense. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Larned State Hospital has had fewer than 80 beds for defendants awaiting evaluation.

The state Department for Aging and Disability Services, which runs the Larned facility, acknowledged before the lawsuit was filed that defendants were waiting an average of about 11 months to be evaluated. The lawsuit said defendants remained in county jails that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-mental-health-kansas-lawrence-d3ede575eff20302e7fc0b5ad4006c72">weren't providing adequate treatment</a>, making the inmates' conditions worse and violating their rights. The lawsuit also said the state was violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against people with mental health problems.

“This settlement is more than a legal agreement; it’s a lifeline for those who have been lost in the system, a promise that their dignity and humanity will no longer be ignored,” said Lauren Bonds, the police accountability group's executive director.

One of the five defendants covered by the lawsuit had been held in a county jail for 13 months facing criminal threat charges when the lawsuit was filed. That's longer than the maximum prison sentence for a conviction on that charge.

“Remaining in the jail environment is devastating and deeply harmful even for those whose mental health is not in question, and condemning Kansans to languish across the state in their county jails was contradictory to our values of justice," said Monica Bennett, the ACLU of Kansas' legal director.

State officials argued that they already had been addressing the long waits. The state began having Larned State Hospital officials operate a mobile evaluation unit in 2019; and in 2022, the Legislature passed a law to allow other qualified hospitals and organizations to examine criminal defendants.

The state and Wichita's home county hope to start construction early next year on a secure, $101.5 million psychiatric hospital with 104 beds, half of them set aside for the state. Federal COVID-19 relief dollars provided part of the funding.

KDADS spokesperson Cara Sloan-Ramos said the department and Gov. Laura Kelly are committed to reducing wait times.

Republican state Rep. Stephen Owens, chair of the House committee handling criminal justice issues, was pleased that the state could settle the lawsuit.

“We’ve certainly been aware of this issue and have been working on solutions," Owens said Tuesday.

Kansas agrees to increase hospital beds for mentally ill defendants

Hear last week's Cougar Pause show with Eagle Media's Steve Webster and Barton Community College Criminal Justice Department Coordinator Christian Rivas that aired Nov. 11, 2024.

The Cougar Pause program airs every Monday at 11:30 a.m. on 1590 KVGB &amp; 95.5 FM.

🎙Post Podcast: Barton CC Criminal Justice Coordinator Christian Rivas

While the City of Great Bend is still sorting through all the numbers
from this fall’s citywide cleanup, the cost to the city was down significantly
due to not accepting tires this year. The third consecutive cleanup spanned
over nine days in late October at Sunflower Diversified Services. 

Great Bend
City Administrator Logan Burns said after all the invoices, the total cost for
the dumpsters was $3,788.


"Comparing this to last year, I think we were in the $40,000 range when we were taking tires," said Burns. "Big decrease. This does not include any equipment or labor costs. We'll be working on getting some of those numbers."

Last year’s tire disposal fee was nearly $40,000. Last year’s cleanup saw
residents fill 76 dumpsters, with the majority of the items consisting of 160
tons of tires.


A quality-of-life feature, the citywide cleanup allows citizens to dump off
metal, mattresses, appliances and other items with city staff helping during
the drop-off.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Expense drops without tire disposal at Great Bend’s citywide cleanup

Barton County Sheriff’s
Office incident log (11/19)

At 1:21 a.m. breathing problems were reported at 5506 Oil
Center Road.

At 11:04 a.m. a driving complaint was reported at S. Main
&amp; W. Railroad in Hoisington.

At 4 p.m. an animal complaint was reported at 24 NW 25 Road.

At 5:19 p.m. an accident was reported in the 1100 block of
NW 40 Avenue in Hoisington.

At 5:55 p.m. an accident was reported at 767 N. US 281 Highway
in Hoisington.

At 7:32 p.m. a driving complaint was reported at 330 E. US
56 Highway.

At 8:58 p.m. a driving complaint was reported at 214 SW 40
Avenue.

At 9:09 p.m. the K-9 was called out to the 1900 block of
Williams.

Great Bend Police
Department incident log (11/19)

At 7:40 a.m. a stroke was reported at 3601 22nd
Street.

At 8:11 a.m. convulsions/seizures were reported at 2540 16th
Street.

At 8:32 a.m. an accident was reported at 3515 Broadway
Avenue.

At 11:59 a.m. a report of an ex-employee trespassing was
made at 3503 10th Street. Subject had not yet been advised of the
trespass order.

At 12:14 p.m. Crystal Fielder was reported on the property
at 5501 9th Street. The reporting party wanted her removed.

At 1:39 p.m. a report of subjects panhandling and wanted
them removed was made at 3503 10th Street.

At 2:32 p.m. an accident was reported at 19th
&amp; Main.

At 4:03 p.m. a subject acting suspicious in the parking lot
and wanting them removed was reported at 3503 10th Street. Kyle
Stroud-Magnett was contacted and left without incident.

At 5:38 p.m. EMS assistance was needed at 821 Adams.

At 7:32 p.m. BTSO handled the call at 330 E. US 56 Highway.

At 8:03 p.m. a vehicle driving with no headlights was reported
at 4209 10th Street.

At 8:58 p.m. John Debeau was arrested for interference,
possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug
paraphernalia at 19th &amp; Williams.

At 10:39 p.m. a request to remove a subject was reported at
1436 Lakin.

Cop Shop (11/19)

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Eagle Media in Great Bend produces the Great Bend Post Podcast, available wherever you consume your podcasts. Hear past shows, interviews and meetings from local guests in the Barton County area. Make sure to follow the Post Podcast to receive notifications of new episodes.

View Great Bend Post Podcast on Apple Podcasts <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/great-bend-post-podcast/id1693657426">HERE</a>. View Great Bend Post Podcast on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4E0Vv03Pfyf9n37kFV4n5b">HERE</a>.

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- Central Plains football coach J. D. Johnson joins us to preview Friday night's 8-Man DI semi-final game in Claflin between the Oilers and Clifton-Clyde.

- We'll tell you how the Barton Lady Cougar volleyball team did in their opener at the NJCAA National Volleyball Tournament Wednesday morning in Clarksville, Tennessee against Navarro, Texas.

- A preview of Wednesday night's Jayhawk Conference opener for the Barton Cougar basketball teams against Hutchinson.

- The "Voice of the Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock talks about everything Fort Hays State.

Wednesday on Sports Day(Watch)

The Cougar volleyball team is advancing on the winner's side of the bracket in Clarksville, Tenn. Wednesday morning at Austin Peay University, Barton defeated Navarro in straight sets to open the NJCAA Div. I National Tournament.

Playing as the No. 6 seed against Navarro (Texas), Barton made quick work of its opponent 25-19, 27-25, 25-12 to stay on the winner's side of the tournament. Anna Wierzbicki and Phoebe Reyes each put down 11 kills for the Cougars. Mina Kaneko led the defense with 10 digs, followed by nine apiece from Maurin Reyes and Kassidy Nixon.

Barton advances to round two against No. 14 Indians Hills Thursday at 4 p.m. Indian Hills, as the No. 14 seed, knocked off No. 3 New Mexico Military in straight sets.&nbsp;

Barton wins first-round match at national volleyball tournament

Kansas is certainly having an impact on the top of the Big 12 standings, just not as expected after being one of the preseason favorites in the expanded 16-team conference.

The Jayhawks may be to blame if the Big 12 ends up getting only one team in the new 12-team College Football Playoff, or potentially none in a worst-case scenario.

Instead of competing for a spot in the conference championship game, Kansas (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) is just trying to become bowl eligible, focusing on beating ranked contenders in November. After consecutive wins over Top 25 teams for first time in school history — Iowa State and then BYU,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-byu-score-top-25-b4defe085ed8458d8c7668735110f754">which was undefeated before last Saturday</a>&nbsp;— the Jayhawks now host league co-leader No. 16 Colorado.

“We know the kind of team we are, we know how good we can be, and coming into (BYU), people might label it an upset,” Kansas receiver Luke Grimm said. “But I don’t think anybody on the team labels it an upset based on how we know our team can play.”

BYU's home loss to the Jayhawks dropped the Big 12's highest-ranked team seven spots to No. 14 in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">latest AP Top 25</a>&nbsp;poll. The Cougars (9-1, 6-1) fell eight to 14th in the new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-playoff-rankings-bac3b15c23e86753ccf1a98e30d1448e">College Football Playoff rankings</a>&nbsp;released Tuesday night.

That has BYU below teams from the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Mountain West in both rankings. The Cougars and Colorado (8-2, 6-1), ranked 16th in both, still remain above undefeated American Athletic Conference leader Army, which jumped five spots to 19th on the CFP list.

The five highest-ranked conference champions in the final CFP rankings on Dec. 8 are automatically in the 12-team playoff field, with the top four getting first-round byes. Those rankings will then determine the seven at-large selections. The latest projections would have the Big 12 champion, if BYU or Colorado, as the No. 12 seed.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-state-sun-devils-kansas-state-wildcats-score-d568624894657c2ff9325b68ed7cba6c">League newcomer Arizona State</a>&nbsp;and Iowa State, both 8-2 overall, are tied for third place in the Big 12 with two league losses. The Cyclones made it to November undefeated for the first time since 1938 before dropping back-to-back games to Texas Tech and then the Jayhawks.

Arizona State is home Saturday against BYU. That is the only head-to-head game all season between the league’s current top four teams.

“Somebody was telling me if we win and somebody else loses and then like ranch dressing falls on a wing … I don’t really know,” Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham said. “I have no idea about the tiebreakers.”

Five other teams below them all have 4-3 records to remain mathematically eligible: Baylor, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia.

BYU and Colorado play at the same time Saturday and could claim both spots for the Dec. 7 championship game with wins and some help. But neither can clinch if the Cougars lose at Arizona State.

After 12 seasons playing as an independent before joining the Big 12 last year, BYU gets in the title game if it wins and Utah beats Iowa State. If that happens, Colorado is set to also clinch with a victory over the Jayhawks.

The Buffaloes appeared in four Big 12 championship games from 2001-05 while part of the league's original 12-team lineup. Now back after the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12, Colorado is in prime position to play in another one.

“Look at me, man — do I look like I subscribe to pressure or do I look like I apply it?” second-year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deion-sanders-colorado-b5ebed48c2c9387912bf97060e741ed3">Colorado coach Deion Sanders</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday. “We apply pressure. We don’t subscribe to it.”

Colorado won its Big 12 opener in overtime against Baylor two months ago after Shedeur Sanders completed a Hail Mary pass for a tying touchdown on the final play of regulation. The Buffs have a four-game winning streak since Kansas State scored with 2:14 left to win 31-28 in Boulder.

Kansas opened the season with a win over FCS team Lindenwood, then had a five-game losing streak. Four of the losses were by six points or fewer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-close-games-98562964c73a754070ac1e149a9e4542">all games they led in the fourth quarter</a>.

“Our team has always done a great job of being able to stay the course,” quarterback Jalon Daniels said. “The fact that we never wavered allowed us to keep going every week, keep going every day — that gave us the strength to keep going, especially when things weren’t going our way.”

Now the Jayhawks are making a late push to reach a bowl for the third consecutive season, which would be another program first.

Kansas is altering the Big 12's playoff status while finally impacting the standings

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

The 7th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team received the sixth seed for the NJCAA Division I National Tournament taking place November 20-23 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Compiling a 31-2 record on the season and making their 22nd National Tournament appearance, the Cougars get the event started with Wednesday's opening 10:00 a.m. match on Court 2 in the Dunn Center of Austin Peay University against 11th seeded Navarro College (21-11).

The victor advances to Thursday 4:00 p.m. match against the winner of 3rd seeded New Mexico Military Institute (31-2) and 14th seeded Indian Hills Community College (25-9) taking place simultaneously on Court 1. The losers of each match will again get the day started on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the double elimination format tournament.

Five of Barton's victories this season have come over ranked opponents, four of those being straight set sweeps including an August 24 sweep over then-6th ranked Navarro in the Garden City Tournament.

Now on an eight-match win streak, Barton started the season 13-0 until falling to then-13th ranked Odessa College in four sets on September 13 in Colorado before having a ten game unbeaten streak end October 16 on another 3-1 loss to then-6th ranked Colby. Both teams are also in the Tournament, Odessa going on to compile a 28-8 overall record earning the7th seed while Colby was awarded a 13th seed with a 26-4 record.

Barton's First Two Matches Schedule:Wednesday – 10:00 a.m. vs Navarro CollegeThursday: versus winner/loser of New Mexico Military Institute/Indian Hills- *If win, 10:00 a.m. in Quarterfinals- *If lose, 10:00 a.m. in Consolation bracket

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION Official NJCAA Championship website: <a href="https://www.njcaa.org/championships/sports/wvball/div1/index">njcaa.org/championships/sports/wvball/div1/index&nbsp;</a>

The entirety of the 2024 NJCAA DI Volleyball Championship will be broadcast live on the NJCAA Network (njcaa.org/network) and will be available to view on-demand at the conclusion of each contest.

The NJCAA Network is available through a variety of pay-per-view pricing options:

- Day Pass - $12 - Tournament Pass - $25 - All-Access Pass (all 2024-25 NJCAA Championship Events) - $100 *Note: All-Access Pass does not include any events that are on ESPNU or ESPN+

Barton Volleyball receives 6th seed, Cougars begin at 10 a.m. today

In 2021, the Kansas State High School Activities Association agreed to partner with Special Olympics Kansas to encourage and develop unified bowling in the state. In September 2023, the USD 428 Board of Education approved the sport at Great Bend High School. Tuesday in Topeka, the Panther bowlers collected their first state title.

Unified bowling combines athletes with and without intellectual disabilities. Athletes must have a recognized intellectual disability, and they are paired with partners who are classmates at the school. Teams have have up to five members with three designated as competitors and two substitutes. The three competing students must include two athletes and one partner. Competitions follow the Baker format with four frames, including the 10th, bowled by the partner, and six frames bowled by the two athletes.

Twenty teams competed in Tuesday's state championships at West Ridge Lanes in Topeka. Great Bend's team of Payton Edwards, Keaton Wahlmeier, Kanyen Parr, Zoey Mayberry, and Xander Orth was the only squad to break 1,000 pins with a total of 1,110. Hays finished second with 945 pins, Liberal placed third with 936 pins, and Garden City completed the top-four sweep with 857 pins. Most of the other schools in competition hailed from the northeast corner of the state.

The Panthers are coached by David Feldbauer, who has led the Lady Panthers to back-to-back Class 5A state championships.

Great Bend wins unified bowling state championship

One week after Bill Self became the winningest coach at Kansas, the Hall of Famer joined John Calipari and Rick Barnes as the only active Division I head coaches with 800 wins. The top-ranked Jayhawks led UNC Wilmington by five at halftime Tuesday night before using a big second-half run to pull away, eventually&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unc-wilmington-kansas-jayhawks-score-37d88916407d2a12e414170cde579c21">finishing off an 84-66 victory</a>&nbsp;that required their starters and main role players all the way to the finish. “We can play better,” Self said afterward, “but I thought tonight was a step in the right direction.” The milestone victory, which comes ahead of a showdown against No. 12 Duke on Tuesday night, moved Self into elite company. Among those with at least 800 wins are the likes of longtime Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/sports/mens-college-basketball-new-york-knicks-mike-krzyzewski-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-564b288ea3b176abd3564ef3d8d11ba3">the all-time winningest</a>, and luminaries such as retired Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and former Jayhawks and North Carolina coach Roy Williams.

BOSTON (AP) — This one wasn’t about their perfect season or a 15-game winning streak or even the NBA Cup. This was a chance for the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers to see where they stood against the defending champions. “This was a great test for us, and unfortunately we didn’t get the win,” said Donovan Mitchell, whose 35 points couldn’t prevent the Cavaliers from picking up their first loss of the season,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-boston-celtics-score-8814fe2a5231025fdb651a271a2353ab">120-117 to the Boston Celtics</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday night. The Celtics won an unprecedented 18th championship last spring -- rolling over the Cavaliers in five games in the Eastern Conference semis – and entered the season as the favorites to repeat, or at least make it back to the NBA Finals. Cleveland, which won a playoff series last year for the first time since LeBron James left the second time in 2018, wasn’t expected to be a contender.

First, Robert Saleh. Now, Joe Douglas. Woody Johnson is cleaning house for his woeful New York Jets in what has been a hugely disappointing season. Douglas was fired Tuesday as the Jets’ general manager, the latest shakeup for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-analysis-week-11-3624e2337f74574298ae810e71e4f312">limped to a 3-8 start</a>&nbsp;and appears likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year. The dismissal of Douglas, who was 30-64 and had no winning seasons in his tenure, came exactly six weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-jets-robert-saleh-fired-78884ffcd0fa98abf9eca4e597abc362">Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8</a>&nbsp;after the Jets were 2-3 to open the year. “Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/nyjets/status/1858932824155295976" target="_blank">Johnson said in a statement</a>&nbsp;issued by the team. “I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”

Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy and Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt had the unenviable task of taking over for successful and well-liked predecessors when they were named managers of their respective teams during the offseason. Both proved to be naturals. Murphy won National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after a stellar debut season with the Brewers, while Vogt took AL honors after leading the Guardians to 92 wins and a division title in his first year as a skipper at any level. The 40-year-old Vogt is the first to go from a major league player to Manager of the Year in just two years. The previous fastest was Joe Girardi from 2003 to 2006, when he won NL Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins.

TUESDAY SCORES NCAA MEN TOP 25 No. 1 Kansas 84, UNC Wilmington 66

No. 2 Connecticut 81, East Texas A&amp;M 46

No. 18 Cincinnati 76, Northern Kentucky 60

Wednesday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

Wednesday, November 20 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day 5:15PM B104 - Cougar Basketball - Hutchinson M&amp;W @ Barton Thursday, November 21 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day Friday, November 22 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day Saturday, November 23 10:30AM 1590/95.5FM - College Football - Indiana @ Ohio State 1:45PM B104 - Cougar Basketball - Barton M&amp;W @ Garden City 3:00PM 1590/95.5FM - College Football - Missouri @ South Carolina Sunday, November 24 11:00AM B104 - Chiefs Football - Kansas City @ Carolina 3:00PM 1590/95.5FM - NFL Football - Denver @ Las Vegas Monday, November 25 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day Tuesday, November 26 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day 5:45PM B104 - Cougar Basketball - Barton M&amp;W @ Cloud County 6:00PM 1590/95.5FM - NBA Basketball - Milwaukee @ Miami 7:30PM Hits 106.9 - Jayhawk Basketball - Kansas vs Duke (Las Vegas) Wednesday, November 27 12:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Sports Day

Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting PBP Schedule

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had 15 points and 15 rebounds, Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 16 points, and No. 1 Kansas shrugged off a sluggish start to beat UNC Wilmington 84-66 on Tuesday night and give&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-jayhawks-bill-self-800-wins-8ed4efedfb7d83b740c9b25d31767768">Jayhawks coach Bill Self his 800th career win.</a>

David Coit added 13 points and Zeke Mayo had 10 for the Jayhawks (5-0), who led 43-38 at halftime before going on a 12-2 run to start the second half. They stretched the lead to 20 and coasted to their 18th straight nonconference home win.

The Jayhawks next face No. 12 Duke in the Vegas Showdown on Tuesday.

Khamari McGriff had 18 points and Noah Ross had 10 with nine boards for UNC Wilmington (4-1), which was picked to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association after winning 21 games last season.

The Seahawks weren't intimidated by the 372nd straight sellout at Allen Fieldhouse. They beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena just last season. And while Kansas started the game with energy, UNC Wilmington matched it for the first 20 minutes. It wasn't until Harris led the Jayhawks' early second-half charge that they put the game away.

UNC Wilmington got just seven points from Donovan Newby. He had 20 in a recent win over USC Upstate.

Kansas lost freshman Flory Bidunga to an injury in the first half. He did not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped to the bench. He did not return. Bidunga's loss would be a big blow to the Jayhawks' interior depth.

Kansas roared out of halftime on the run that ultimately decided the game.

The Jayhawks won despite shooting 6 of 25 from 3-point range.

No. 1 Kansas overcomes sluggish start, beats UNC Wilmington 84-66

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Ugonna Onyenso came off the bench to score 16 points in 12 minutes and Kansas State shook off a poor first half to beat Mississippi Valley State 74-56 on Tuesday night.

On a night the Wildcats (3-1) shot just 36%, Onyenso was 6 of 7 from the floor and made all four of his free throws. C.J. Jones scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. David N’Guessan added 10 points while Coleman Hawkins, who was just 1-of-11 shooting with two points, grabbed 13 rebounds.

Arthur Tate scored 16 points and Antonio Sisk 15 for the Delta Devils (1-4).

The Wildcats led 25-23 at halftime, having been up by as many as 14, after shooting just 29% and 1 of 13 from 3-point range. They finished 3 of 23 from the arc but hit 25 of 27 free throws.

Brenden Hausen, averaging over 15 points a game for Kansas State, got his first points of the game and the Wildcats' first of the second half with a 3-pointer, and that started a 10-0 run. The lead reached 19 with seven minutes to go.

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