By Dustin Armbruster
Hays Post Sports
Hays High swept their way to the championship games of both the girls' and boys' tournament with a pair of electric victories.
Girls
Hays 59 - Hugoton 46
Hays High used a 17-0 first half run to take a lead they would never relinquish in a 59-46 victory over Hugoton.
Hays High scored the first four points of the game before Hugoton grabbed control with a 9-0 burst. The Indians were on a nearly four minute scoring drought when Ramiyah Turner put the ball through the hoop. Haley LaBarge followed with four straight points that gave the Indians a 10-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Jenna Schmeidler hit three of her career high 26 points to open the second quarter and continue the 17-0 run. It took Hugoton nearly seven minutes to score and by the time they did, their three pointer made it a 21-12 score with 3:58 left before halftime.
The Eagles did pull back within six at 24-18 with two minutes to go in the second quarter. Hays though finished the half strong with a three pointer from Turner and a basket from Zoe Winter for a 29-18 halftime lead.
Highlights
The Indians never led by less than nine points in the second half. Hays pushed their advantage to 38-23 with a 9-5 run to start the third quarter. Hugoton though refused to go away. The Eagles refused to go away and trimmed a 17 point lead down to 13 by then end of the third quarter at 40-27.
Schmeidler matched the 13 points she had through the first three quarter with 13 more in the fourth. She hit the first two baskets for the Indians in the fourth quarter followed by Annie Humphrey's pull up jumper to put Hays up 47-30.
Hays led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter before settling for the 59-46 victory.
Coach Len Melvin
Molly Buckles was a rebound shy of her first career double-double, finishing the game with 10 points and 9 rebounds. The Indians outrebounded 33-22.
Hays High will take on Manhattan in the tournament finals at 5:00 on Saturday.
Rupp 2, Schmeidler 26, Humphrey 2, LaBarge 4, Cunningham 0, Armbruster 3, Turner 5, Newell 2, Buckles 10, Winter 5.
Boys
Hays 55 - Salina Central 46
Hays High overcame a rough start in a 55-46 victory over Salina Central.
It took five minutes for Hays to score their first field goal of the game. Alex Loving finally broke the seal with a basket at the 2:55 mark. Salina Central though could only put a six point game on Hays during that stretch at 7-1.
The Indians first basket ignited a 10-0 run that resulted in their first lead of the night at 11-7 after Dawson Ruder and Izaac Fox three point plays. Hays entered the second quarter with an 11-9 lead. The score was tied five times through the second quarter. A Brody Harmoney three pointer in the final minute of the half put the Indians ahead 25-22 at halftime.
Highlights
Hays would never trail again. The Indians scored on their first three possessions of the second half. A 13-6 start to the third quarter for Hays gave them their first double digit lead at 38-28 at the midway point.
Ruder scored 13 of his game and season high 24 in the third quarter and Hays entered the fourth quarter up 42-32.
Andre Pfeifer scored on a layup to open the fourth quarter which gave the Indians the first of two, twelve point leads in the fourth quarter. Leading 52-40 with less than three minutes to go the Indians wouldn't score another field goal. The Mustangs scored off of back-to-back turnovers to cut the gap down to eight.
Hays missed a pair of free throws with 30 seconds remaining and Salina Central scored with :19.3 on the clock for a 52-46 game. Ruder made three of four free throws in the final seconds of the game for the 55-46 victory.
Coach Sean Dreiling
Fox joined Ruder in double figures at 16 points. The two have combined for 79 points over the first two games.
Hays will take on Life Prep in the championship tomorrow at 7:00.
Pfeifer 4, Homeier 2, Oakley 0, Harmoney 7, Fox 16, Smalley 0, Otte 0, Ruder 24, Loving 2.