Lady Demons shock undefeated Liberal, boys dominate in WAC opener
DODGE CITY–Alex Gere stole a pass and sprinted down for a layup with under 20 seconds remaining, and Dodge City’s girls pulled off a stunner against undefeated No. 3 Liberal 32-29 Friday, while the boys cruised to a 73-47 win.
In the girls game, Gere’s game-winning bucket unlocked a 29-29 tie and counted for her first points of the game. Her only other point came on a free throw in the final three seconds, but none were more important than her decisive three.
The two teams played a back-and-forth low-scoring affair the whole way, complete with six ties and eight lead changes in a game that only featured 61 total points. Neither team led by more than six points.
The Lady Demons took advantage of 18 Liberal turnovers and converted those into 19 points. That was more than half of their total offense in the contest. While Dodge City committed 15 turnovers themselves, only one came in the fourth quarter.
Easha Potts scored a game-high 13 points with five rebounds and was the only player for either team that reached double figures.
The Lady Demons improve to 4-5 and 1-0 in WAC play with the win and return to action Tuesday when they host Great Bend. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
In the boys game, Dodge City forced 28 Liberal turnovers and turned those into 30 points. Nine of those came in the first quarter, and that set the tone the rest of the way. The turnover discrepancy is perhaps best showcased by the fact that the Demons attempted 31 more shots in the game.
Dodge also shared the ball tremendously well and registered 23 assists on 30 made field goals. They made a season-high 12 threes, too.
This game came on the heels of an ugly loss at Guymon where Dodge City shot well under 30% and committed 26 turnovers.
Four Demons tallied double figures, led by Anthony Perez with 14 on 4-of-10 from distance. Tristen Buller and Daelyn Unzueta each had 12, and Jaidyn Springer tied a career-high with 11.
Deiondre Hardyway played in the first game of his varsity career Friday and scored seven points on 3-for-7 shooting from the field.
The Red Demons improve to 4-5 and 1-0 in WAC play with the win and return to action Thursday when they take on Derby in the opening round of the Tournament of Champions at United Wireless Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
