Dustin Armbruster
Hays traveled to Garden City on Friday night to resume Western Athletic Conference play with the Buffaloes. It was the third match-up of the season between the two teams. Both the Hays girls and boys teams had previously beaten Garden City in the first game of the season at the Hays City Shootout and in their Western Athletic Conference showdown in Hays during the month January.
Girls
Hays 51 – Garden City 42
Hays used a 12-0 first quarter run to grab control of the game, getting seven of those points from Tasaiah Nunnery. That run allowed Hays to push their lead up to 18-7 with a minute to go in the first quarter. Hays lead by nine after the first quarter and more than midway through the second quarter when Garden City made three straight baskets to pull within one at 24-23. Hays answered with six straight points building a seven point lead. Garden City scored just before half time leaving the Indian lead at 30-25.
Highlights
Hays never let their lead slip below four points in the second half. Hays had the ball up by seven in the third quarter, but turned it over on four straight possessions. The Indians defense though held allowing Hays to push their lead back to nine right before Garden City beat the buzzer with a basket at 41-33. Hays built their lead to a game high 12 before Garden scored six straight points with two minutes left in the game. Hays made four of their final eight free throws and one field goal to keep Garden City behind them, winning 51-42.
Coach Kirk Maska
Savannah Schneider led the Indians in scoring with a game high 12. Mattie Hutchison added 10 and came within a rebound of a double-double. The Indians had six players score five more points in the game. Hays improves to 10-8 on the season, breaking a four game losing streak, and are now 3-3 in the WAC. Garden City is now 5-14 and 1-6.
Boys
Hays 63 – Garden City 57
Hays trailed just once in the first quarter after taking a 14-9 lead on a Peyton Kieffer three pointer, Garden City scored the games next six points to lead 15-14. Tyrese Hill scored the final four points of the first quarter to give the Indians a 18-15 lead. Garden city again scored six consecutive points in the second quarter to retake the lead at 23-21. The Indians responded with a 8-2 run to close out the first half on a pair of Shane Berens field goals and the second three pointer of the quarter from Claiborne Kyles. Hays took a 29-25 lead into the locker room at half time.
Highlights
The Indians opened the second half with a 15-4 run jumped started by back to back three pointers in the first fifty seconds of the quarter. Hays built their lead to 12 after three quarter at 44-32. The Indian lead surged to 20 at 57-37 with 4:10 remaining in the game. Garden City caught fire in the final three minutes hitting five three pointers and making eight of eleven shots to pull the final score back to single digits in the end at 63-57 in favor of Hays High.
Coach Rick Keltner
Four Indians scored in double figures, led by the 17 of Shane Berens. Claiborne Kyles scored 13, Tyrese Hill and Cole Murphy each scored 10. Hays shot 57% in the game and made ten three pointers. Garden City shot 48% from the field and put three in double figures, led by the 16 of Garret Doll, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. Hays improves to 11-6 and 4-2 in the WAC. Garden City drops to 9-10 and 5-2 in conference play.
The Hays High boys will be in Colby Saturday for a make-up game. The girls are off until Tuesday.