Hays allowed just two second quarter points in building at 28-16 lead at halftime over the Manhattan Indians Thursday afternoon at the Dodge City Tournament of Champions.  The two teams traded baskets over the first six minutes of the game leaving Manhattan with a 14-11 lead.  Hays would score in the final seconds of the first quarter when Ethan Nunnery picked up a loose ball and flung a shot up from just in front of half court to tie the game at 14.

That shot started a 10-0 Hays run that gave the Indians in maroon a 21-14 lead.  Manhattan would answer with their only two points of the second quarter to close the game to 21-16.  The Indians scored seven more unanswered points to the end half including a Tradgon McCrae three pointer with time expiring for a 28-16 half time lead.

Highlights

 

Hays hit a three pointer to build their lead to 15 but would not score for the next four minutes allowing Manhattan to close the gap.  A 10-0 run by Manhattan brought the Hays lead down to five before Peyton Kieffer and McCrae combined for five quick points to go up 36-26.  Manhattan scored the next six points to get with in four at 36-32 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.

Hays though would buckle down on defense and allow just 13 points for the rest of the game.  Hays pushed their lead back to nine to start the fourth quarter.  Hays led by as many as 20 in the fourth quarter and never by less than nine with the final buzzer showing Hays with a 63-45 victory.

Coach Rick Keltner

 

Tradgon McCrae scored a game high 17. Peyton Kieffer added 15 and Ethan Nunnery scored 13.  Nunnery led the team with eight rebounds and eight assists just missing out on a second consecutive triple-double.  Hays improves to 8-2 on the season while Manhattan falls to 5-4.

Hays will face the winner of the Wichita Heights and Leavenworth at 2:30 on Friday.