By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post Sports
WICHITA - Hays High never trailed in their semifinal victory over Shawnee Heights Friday afternoon as the Indians head to their second ever girls' state title game.
Hays (25-1) jumped out early with the first nine points of the game. Jenna Schmeidler scored seven of those points on her way to a career high 33. She scored 12 of the Indians 18 first quarter points. Zoe Winter added four and Molly Buckles two in the first frame.
Hays held three different double-digit leads in the first eight minutes and took an 18-7 lead to the second.
Annie Humphrey, Morgan Armbruster, and Zoe Winter combined for an 8-0 burst to start the second quarter as the Indians grabbed a 26-7 lead two minutes into the quarter. Shawnee Heights (22-5) stopped the run briefly with their first points at the 4:35 mark. Hays scored the games next seven points to take a 33-9 lead with 1:20 to go in the half.
The Thunderbirds scored on back-to-back possessions for the first time with a pair of field goals to close the first half at a 33-13 Hays lead.
Highlights
Hays didn't have any let down at the beginning of the third quarter. Humphrey swished a three, Winter added a basket and Buckles completed a three point play for a 41-13 edge three minutes into the second half.
Heights put together their best run shortly after on a 9-1 spurt that cur the game down to 41-22. Schmeidler, Buckles and Winter made sure that was all the closer the Thunderbirds got, as the trio finished the quarter on a 7-2 run that ended the quarter with Hays leading 49-24.
Heights never got closer than 20 in the fourth quarter. Brynlee Rupp started a string of four straight three pointers for the Indians. Schmeidler supplied the other three which gave her seven made on the day.
Hays closed out the 66-41 victory to advance to the state title game.
Coach Len Melvin
Eight players scored and nine grabbed at least one rebound. Hays will face St. James Academy in the title game. Earlier in the day (5) St. James (23-4) beat (1) Andover (24-2) 61-44 to advance to the championship game at 4:30 on Saturday.
Rupp 3, Schmeidler 33, Humphrey 5, LaBarge 1, Koerner 0, Cunningham 0, Armbruster 2, Turner 0, Newell 0, Harrington 1, Buckles 9, Winter 12.