Hays High hosted Junction City for their final home games of 2024.
Girls
#8 Hays 79 - Junction City 20
Hays scored the first 18 points of the game on the way to a 79-20 win over the Blue Jays.
Junction City scored their first two points from the free throw line to make the score 18-2. The Indians scored the next 24 points before another Blue Jay free throw at 44-3.
Molly Buckles scored ten points consecutive points for the Indians during the second quarter, the final of those points made the score 46-3. Junction City made their lone first half field goal with a three pointer at 49-6 before the Indians scored the final seven points of the half, capped by a Jaysa Roa layup at the buzzer for a halftime score of 56-6.
Highlights
Junction City outscored Hays 11-9 in the third quarter making three field goals and five of ten free throw attempts. The Indians led 65-17 going to a continuous clock fourth quarter.
Hays added 14 more points in the fourth quarter to their total for a final of 79-20. The point total matches the 79 scored by the Indians in the opening round of the Hays City Shootout in 2018 against Great Bend.
Coach Len Melvin
Hays improves to 5-0 and will play in Manhattan next Friday to close out 2024. Junction City falls to 0-1. Jenna Schmeidler scored a game high 16. Lynsi Kanak and Molly Buckles added career highs of 12 points.
Jenna Schmeidler 12; Annie Humphrey 0; Katie Linenberger 8; Molly Martin 5; Kenlee Winter 2; Morgan Armbruster 9; Jays Roa 2; Kinslee Newell 0; Riley Dreher 0; Lynsi Kanak 12; Molly Buckles 12; Zoe Winter 8; Liz Cunningham 0; Rylen Harrington 5; Brynlee Rupp 0.
Boys
#10-6A Junction City 50 - Hays 32
A big third quarter by Junction City sunk the hopes of Hays on Friday night at Hays High School as the Blue Jays won 50-32.
Junction City led the entire game. The Indians had chances to take the lead or tie the game trailing 5-4 and 9-7 but couldn't score. Junction City led 12-9 when they opened up a ten point lead on a 9-2 run that covered the first two minutes of the second quarter.
Trailing 21-11 with 6:12 to go in the first half, Hays allowed just one more point for the rest of the second quarter. The Indians closed the deficit down to three by halftime using an 8-1 run. Trace Jacobs scored the last six points of the run.
Highlights
The third quarter belonged to Junction City. The Blue Jays outscored Hays 17-2 to build their lead to 39-21 entering the fourth quarter. The Blue Jays continued their run for the first two minutes of the fourth quarter with nine straight points. The 26-2 run covered 10 minutes and pushed the Junction City lead to 48-21.
The Indians could only close the gap down to 50-32 over the next six minutes for the final difference.
Coach Sean Dreiling
Dawson Ruder led Hays with 17 points. Jackson Autry, last year's Centennial League player of the year, led Junction City with 15.
Hays falls to 3-2 on the year, both losses coming to state ranked 6A teams. Junction City moves to 2-0. Hays travels to Manhattan next Friday to close out 2024.