Dustin Armbruster

Hays and Ulysses met in semi-final round of the girls sub-state tournament in Buhler on Friday night. For both teams it was a season of improvement. Both entered at 11-9 after single digit wins the prior season. Hays won seven last year and Ulysses won just three.

Ulysses scored the first four points of the game to take their only first and only lead of the game at 4-0. Hays responded in an eight minute 18-2 run that sandwiched a 8-0 run and 10-0 run around a two point field goal from Ulysses. That stretch pushed Hays High to a double digit lead at 18-6. The Indians would push that lead up to fifteen two different times, the last at 25-10. Ulysses scored the final five points of the second quarter including a three pointer at the buzzer from over 25 feet away to trim the Indian lead down to 25-15.

Highlights

Hays pushed the lead back to 13 at 30-17 when Ulysses started 7-0 run that would cut the Indian lead down to six with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Maddie Keller and Tasaiah Nunner combined to outscore Ulysses 7-3 on the remainder of quarter to rebuild the Hays lead to 10. Ulysses again trimmed the lead down to single figures getting the difference down to seven 37-30. The lead never dwindled below that. Hays pushed the lead as high as 16 and won 51-38.

Coach Kirk Maska

Savannah Schneider scored a game high 16 while Maddie Keller scored 11. Hays improves to 12-9 on the year and moves to the sub-state championship to face the winner of McPherson and Buhler. It will be the first sub-state title game for the Indians since 2012. Ulysses ends their season at 11-10. Hays held Ulysses to just 26% shooting while hitting 43% themselves.