🔊 Garden City basketball splits in Dodge City (Postgame audio + highlights)
Dodge City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com) – It was rivalry night in Dodge City on Tuesday with the Garden City Buffaloes coming into town to resume Western Athletic Conference play for both the Buffalo girls and boys. The girls fought hard but fell 52-38 on the road. The boys gutted through an ugly game and escaped with a 57-42 win.
GIRLS: Dodge City 52, Garden City 38
The Buffaloes kept it close in the first quarter, tying the game at 4-4 with 2:22 to go in the opening period. After three free throws by the Lady Red Demons, Garden City’s Amaya Gallegos pulled her team within one with 37 seconds left in the period. A late field goal in the first by Dodge City gave the Red Demons a three-point advantage going into the second quarter. Dodge City opened up the second on an 11-4 run to take a 20-10 lead with 2:40 left in the half. Garden City junior Symone Simmons scored all 10 of her points and 10 of the 12 points for her team in the second quarter and kept the Buffs within 10 points at halftime 28-18. An 11-6 run by Dodge City to start the third pushed the Red Demon lead to 17. Garden City was outscored in the third 16-10 and trailed 44-28 to start the final period. Despite outscoring Dodge City 10-8 in the fourth, it was not enough for the Lady Buffs who lost 52-38.
Garden City’s top scorer and rebounder was Simmons with 10 points on 4-5 shooting and five rebounds. Gallegos finished with nine points. Dodge City’s Camree Johnson and Chidera Okoro led all scorers with 13 points each. Garden City shot 40% from the field despite being 0-12 from three-point territory. The Buffaloes were out-rebounded 35-20 and were out-scored in second chance points 12-0.
Garden City is now 8-6 overall and 2-2 in WAC play. The Buffaloes are back home on Friday against Guymon starting at 6pm on 99.9 FM, the KWKR App/TuneIn App (KWKR)/Apple Music (KWKR) and on westernkansasnews.com/kwkr.
Matt Pfeifer Postgame Interview
BOYS: Garden City 57, Dodge City 42
It was a fast-paced, back and forth first period for Garden City and Dodge City in the Tuesday night finale. Dodge City found themselves up 5-1 to start the game but a 7-0 run by Garden City gave them the 8-5 early lead. Dodge City grabbed the 13-10 lead on an Aiden Sowers three-pointer at the 2:00 mark in the first, the Buffs answered with a 6-2 run and held a one-point lead, 16-15, to end the first. After Dodge City tied it up 17-17 on a free throw a minute into the second, Garden City went on their biggest run of the game scoring nine straight points to take the 26-17 lead with 4:45 to go in the half. Garden City outscored Dodge City 15-9 in the second period to take a 31-24 lead going into the half.
Dodge City opened up the second half with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 31-31 with 5:30 to go in the third. Garden City’s lone basket of the third period came on a Luke Tolbert triple at the 2:23 mark. Neither team would score the rest of the quarter and Garden City would go into the final frame with a three-point lead. Sowers started the scoring in the fourth with a bucket in the opening minute to get the Red Demons back within one. Isaac Flores nailed a three to answer for the Buffaloes to extend the lead to 37-33. Garden City would go on to make 15 of their 20 free throws in the final five minutes including senior Azavier Williams going 6-6 from the line in the fourth on his way to 17 total points. Garden City grabbed their first Western Athletic Conference win of the season with the 57-42 win.
Dodge City’s John Johnson led all scorers with 18 points including 17 total rebounds (12 offensive). Williams finished with 17 points for Garden City including 2-4 from behind the arc and two steals followed by Flores’ 11 points. Luke Tolbert and Christian Reyes both finished with 10 points. Garden City held the Red Demons to 19.7% shooting from the field and forced 23 turnovers. The Buffaloes, who came into the game averaging just 59% from the free throw line, shot 31-40 (77.5%) in the game.
The Buffs are now 6-7 overall and 1-3 in WAC. The Buffaloes are back home on Friday against Guymon starting at 6pm on 99.9 FM, the KWKR App/TuneIn App (KWKR)/Apple Music (KWKR) and on westernkansasnews.com/kwkr.
