Dustin Armbruster
In the second of back-to-back Thursday and Friday games, the Hays High Indians hosted Liberal for winter homecoming. It was a pivotal game for both schools in the Western Athletic Conference race as the Hays and Liberal boys entered the night in a three way tie for first with Garden City. The Hays girls started the night one game behind Liberal and two behind Great Bend. The Liberal boys entered the game #4 in 5A and Hays High boys #8 in 4A-I.
Girls
Hays 38 – Liberal 42
Hays and Liberal swapped the lead three times in the first quarter and were tied once as Liberal took a 15-12 lead. Hays closed the gap to one point on two different occasions in the second quarter but could not score to take the lead on seven different possessions. The Indians defense though held and tied the game at 18 a piece with two minutes to go before half. Hays though again couldn’t grab the lead over the final two minutes and Liberal hit a three pointer to take a 21-18 lead into the locker room
Highlights
Hays tied the game at 21 to open the third quarter on a Talyn Kleweno three pointer. Liberal responded back with a 9-3 run to build their biggest lead at six on two different occasions including the end of the third quarter at 33-27. Hays fell behind by seven in the fourth quarter at 36-29. That is when Hays caught fire beyond arc with three consecutive three pointers, two of them from Brooke Denning and the go ahead shot from Kleweno. The three straight made baskets put Hays up 38-36 with 3:50 remaining in the game. Hays would not score again. Liberal scored just six points in the final five minutes but it was enough for a 42-38 victory.
Coach Kirk Maska
Talyn Kleweno scored 12 to lead the Indians. Liberal got a season high 19 from Ali Lucero who averages six points per game. The Indians fall to 9-7 and have dropped three in a row. Hays also drops to 2-3 in conference play. Liberal improves to 12-4 and 4-1 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Boys
Hays 42 – Liberal 43
Neither Hays or Liberal could gain any real separation in the first quarter. The Indians used an 8-2 run, taking a lead at 10-6. Hays still led at the end of the first quarter at 13-12 but Liberal closed the quarter on 6-3 spurt that turned into a 20-5 run lasting five minutes into the second quarter. Hays did not hit a field goal in the second quarter and were outscored 14-4, with the Indians points come from the free throw line. Liberal built their lead as high as eleven and led 26-17 at half time.
Highlights
Liberal twice more took an eleven point lead before Hays took off on a 12-3 run getting themselves back within two. Hays missed two free throws to tie the game and Liberal made two of their own to take 35-31 lead to the fourth quarter. Hays fell behind by five before scoring five straight on baskets from Tyrese Hill and Claiborne Kyles. Liberal broke the 39 all tie with a basket just over a minute later going up 41-39. Hays had several opportunities to tie, but missed a pair of free throws and a field goal in the final 10 seconds following an intentional foul called against Liberal. The Redskins buried a pair of free throws with one second remaining and Hays nailed three a the buzzer for the 43-42 victory in favor of Liberal.
Coach Rick Keltner
Hays was led by a game high 16 points from Claiborne Kyles, as the Indians fall to 10-5 and 3-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. Liberal put two in double figures and improves to 14-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
Hays heads on the road Tuesday to play in Abilene.