By Dustin Armbruster
Hays Post Sports
Hays - The Hays High Indians opened the month of February by hosting Sunrise Christian Academy on Tuesday evening.
Girls
#4 Hays 59 - Sunrise Christian 45
Hays High scored the first thirteen points of the game then hold a strong second half run by Sunrise Christian in a 59-45 victory.
Jenna Schmeidler and Zoe Winter combined to score the first thirteen points of the game and force a Sunrise Christian (16-3) timeout. The Buffaloes cut it down to a single digit game on three occasions before Annie Humphrey's pair of free throws made it 20-10 after one quarter.
The first four minutes of the second quarter started slow for both teams. Hays (15-1) scored the only four points in that stretch. A Morgan Armbruster contested layup sparked a 10-3 run to close out the first half for a 36-16 lead.
Highlights
Schmeidler and Molly Buckles scored the first four points of the second game to give Hays a game high 24 point lead at 40-16. That's when Sunrise started to hit shots. The Buffaloes made 7 of 12 field goal attempts, including the only two three pointers they attempted in that time, to close the gap down to 47-34 after the third quarter.
A 6-2 start to the fourth quarter for Sunrise got the Buffaloes within a nine point game at 49-40. That was the closest Hays would let the game get. Schmeidler and Winter scored the next seven points for Hays and then freshman Ramiyah Turner completed a 10-0 run with a three pointer.
Sunrise scored five points over the final two minutes leaving Hays with a 59-45 victory.
Coach Len Melvin
Schmeidler tied a career high 32 points to lead the Indians. Winter recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Schmeidler 32, Humphrey 2, LaBarge 2, Cunningham 0, Armbruster 4, Turner 3, Newell 0, Harrington 0, Buckles 2, Winter 14.
Boys
#6 Hays 60 - Sunrise Christian 58
Hays High both led and trailed by double figures in the second half before securing a 60-58 victory over Sunrise Christian.
Hays (13-3) trailed just once in the first half. The Indians grabbed a hand full of small leads in the first five minutes. Back-to-back field goals for Sunrise gave the Buffaloes their only first half lead at 10-9. That advantage lasted for just thirty seconds before consecutive Dawson Ruder field goals gave the Indians a 13-10 lead after the first quarter.
Izaac Fox and Trey Oakley scored the first four points of the second quarter to give Hays the first of three lead at seven points before halftime. The third seven point edge came right before halftime when Dalton Schmidtberger knocked down a three to beat the halftime buzzer at 30-23.
Highlights
Hays quickly pushed the lead out to a game high eleven points in the first minute of the second half 34-23. The remainder of the quarter belonged to Sunrise. A 21-4 Buffaloes' took the lead away from Hays. The first eleven points from Sunrise came without response from the Indians to tie the game at 34 midway through the quarter. Oakley and Ruder restored order to the game for a short period with two points each and a 38-34 Hays lead.
Sunrise went scored the next ten points to grab a 44-38 edge right before Oakley beat the third quarter buzzer at 44-40.
The outcome looked bleak less than two minutes into the fourth quarter as Sunrise surged ahead 53-43. The Buffaloes still led by nine with 5:04 remaining as Hays mounted their comeback.
Ruder scored 12 of his career high 35 points in the final 4:52. Fox added the other two points the Indians scored in that stretch. Those two points tied the game at 58 with less than a minute remaining. Ruder found the basket for two of his 18 fourth quarter points for a 60-58 Hays lead with 30 second remaining.
Sunrise missed a pair of threes on the same possession followed by two missed free throws by the Indians. The Buffaloes had one last chance but missed a floater from the mid-lane.
Coach Sean Dreiling
Hays made 18 of 27 free throws, 10 of 13 in the fourth quarter. Hays resumes Western Athletic Conference play in Dodge City on Friday.
Pfeifer 1, Burkholder 0, Homeier 0, Oakley 10, Harmoney 0, Schmidtberger 3, Fox 11, Smalley 0, Day 0, Ruder 35, Loving 0.