By Dustin Armbruster
Hays Post Sports
GARDEN CITY - Hays High returned to the hardwood after a week off with a road trip to Garden City on Friday night. It was the first Western Athletic Conference game for the Indians since December 9, 2025.
Girls
#3 Hays 69 - Garden City 41
Hays never trailed Garden City in a 69-41 road victory over the Buffaloes.
Zoe Winter scored the first points of the game for what would be a career night for her and a season high in points for the Indians. Garden City (7-5, 1-2) was never closer than three the entire game. Three separate times the Buffaloes were within three points during the first quarter. Leading 11-8, Hays (10-1, 2-0) went on a 8-2 run to go up by nine. Garden City hit two free throws to get within a 19-12 score after one quarter.
Garden City closed two five points at 21-16 when the Indians went on another spurt. This time an 8-1 run put Hays up 29-17 with a little over two minutes before halftime. The Indians would settle for a ten point halftime lead 31-21.
Highlights
Hays secured firm control of the game in the third quarter. The Indians opened the second half on a 17-5 run that covered a little more than six minutes. Hays went four for five beyond the arc in the third quarter and made all six of their free throws. They would make 13 of 14 attempts from the stripe in the game.
Hays led 51-28 heading to the fourth quarter. The Buffaloes scored the first six points of the game and then Hays went on another run. A 13-3 run added up to a 27 point lead at 64-37. The biggest lead Hays built was at the buzzer, 69-41.
Coach Len Melvin
Hays has won 21 consecutive conference games. Zoe Winter scored a career high 23 to lead three Indians in double figures.
Shmeidler 19, Humphrey 3, LaBarge 0, Koerner 0, Cunningham 0, Armbruster 3, Turner 2, Newell 1, Harrington 5, Buckles 11, Winter 23.
Boys
#8 Hays 55 - Garden City 34
Garden City took a pair of early leads in the first two minutes of the game. Trailing 5-4, Hays went on a 9-3 run to build their biggest lead of the first quarter at 13-7 that led to the second quarter.
Garden City's best chance to regain the lead came in the second frame. The Hays lead was trimmed from 17-12 down to 17-16 with 4:35 left before halftime. The Buffaloes turned the ball over on their next six possessions. Hays High took advantage by scoring the next eight points of the game for a 25-16 advantage. A pair of Garden City free throws closed the first half scoring at 25-18.
Highlights
Garden City closed within four points at 25-21 by making three of four free throw attempts out of the locker room. The Hays defense the clamped down. Hays covered the next six minutes with an 11-3 run that saw the Indians take their first double-digit lead. The lead blossomed to 37-24 before Garden City scored right before the end of third quarter for a 37-26 difference.
Hays was never threatened in the fourth quarter. The lead was taken down to ten one time at 41-31. The Indians scored the next eight points and left Garden City with a 55-34 victory. Garden City's total was 24 points under their season average.
Coach Sean Dreiling
Izaac Fox recorded his third straight double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Hays High heads to Colby next week for the Orange & Black Classic.
Pfeifer 7, Burkholder 0, Homeier 2, Oakley 11, Harmoney 3, Schmidtberger 3, Fox 21, Smalley 0 Day 0, Otte 0, Ruder 6, Loving 2.