By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post Sports
Hays High opened a new era of basketball with the first games held in the Maroon gym of the new high school. It was a community event as the Indians hosted the TMP Monarchs in the first round of the 43rd Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout
Girls: Hays 57, TMP-Marian 22
Hays High never trailed in a 57-22 victory of TMP. The Indians' Morgan Armbruster hit a three ten seconds into the new season. The Monarchs' Hannah Rose answered at a pair of free throws to make the score 3-2. It was the closest TMP would be all night.
Hays built a seven point first quarter lead at 11-4 on a Jenna Schmeidler three point play with 1:55 remaining. TMP responded with a Paige Koenigsman three pointer to pull back within four.
Schmeidler scored back-to-back field goals to surge ahead by ten at 19-9. The Indians led by nine with a minute to go in the first half. They extended their lead to 16 by halftime on a Brynlee Rupp three point play, Haley LaBarge free throw and Armbruster three to beat the buzzer.
Rose hit a three for the Monarchs to open the second half. It was their only points of the quarter. The Monarchs' defense kept the Indians scoreless for the first two plus minutes of the second half. Once the Indians scored they didn't stop, ending the quarter on a 17-0 run for a 50-17 lead. Zoe Winter scored six straight at one point in that run.
A continuous clock fourth quarter saw the Indians outscore TMP 7 to 5 for the final of 57-22.
Nine of the eleven that play for Hays High scored. Six players scored for TMP. Hays will face Hugoton in the semifinals at 6:30. TMP will take on Salina Central at Hays Middle School at 6:30.
Hays - Rupp 3, Schmeidler 15, Humphrey 5, LaBarge 5, Koerner 0, Cunningham 0, Armbruster 9, Turner 2, Newell 2, Buckles 3, Winter 13.
TMP - Schoepf 0, Schippers 2, Rebel 5, Koenigsman 5, Gottschalk 1, Balthazor 0, Flynn 0, Simpson 2, Windholz 0, Allen 0, Hipp 0.
Boys: Hays 60, TMP-Marian 41
Hays High took the lead in a back and forth first quarter with three minutes left and never trailed rest the way in a 60-41 victory.
The two teams swapped the lead five times in the first quarter. Hays went up 10-8 with just over three minutes left in the frame. TMP tied the game with a Jacob Seib free throw at the 2:02 mark. A pair of Andre Pfeifer free throws pushed the Indians back on top at 14-12 and they never trailed again.
A Trey Oakley basket capped a 9-0 run for Hays giving the Indians a 21-12 lead early in the second quarter. A three point play from Izaac Fox put the Indians up by double digits for the firs time in the game at 24-13. Each time that Hays tried to pull away, the Monarchs answered back by getting to the free throw line. Grant Nehls knocked down four free throws and Carson Liles two, which kept the Monarchs in touch at halftime 32-19.
An early third quarter spurt gave Hays an 18 point lead at 37-19. TMP slowly chipped away at that advantage and had it down to 12 with 3:21 left in the third. A buzzer beating three pointer by Jacob Seib pulled the Monarchs within 13 again at 47-34. William Eck scored six points in the quarter to help keep TMP hopes going.
Oakley converted a three point play to open the fourth quarter and Hays never looked back on their way to a 60-41 win.
There were 50 combined free throws in the game. Hays was 14 of 20. TMP made 18 of 30 tries. Izaac Fox recorded a double-double to open the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs.
Hays will face Salina Central in the semifinals. TMP takes on Hugoton at Hays Middle School.
Hays - Pfeifer 6, Burkholder 0, Homeier 0, Owens 0, Oakley 12, Harmoney 0, Fox 21, Smalley 0, Day 0, Otte 0, Ruder 18, Loving 3.
TMP - I. Nehls 0, Breit 1, Eck 6, Dinkel 5, Schmeidler 8, Liles 3, Seib 6, Krannawitter 1, G. Nehls 11, Fabrizius 0, Baalman 0.