Lady Demons Handed 6th Consecutive Loss by Hays in Season-Worst Offensive Outing

HAYS, Kan. – Dodge City scored just four points in the second half and didn’t have a single made field goal after halftime as they were rolled 45-15 by the Hays Lady Indians on the road.

The Lady Demons (5-14, 1-6) entered the game without a win in the month of February. Their last win came on Jan. 30 against Garden City and they had lost five straight entering Tuesday’s game. Hays (14-5, 7-0) was headed in the exact opposite direction, having won seven straight heading into their second matchup of the season with Dodge City. The first game was a convincing 48-29 Lady Indian victory back on Feb. 2.

Hays established control very early in the game, opening up a 17-4 lead after the first quarter. Senior forward Easha Potts did all the scoring in the opening quarter for the Lady Demons and that trend continued throughout the game as she finished with 12 of Dodge City’s 15 total points in the game.

Dodge’s best eight minutes came in the second quarter as they briefly got the game back to single digits, cutting the deficit to 17-9 after a Potts three pointer. Hays restored their advantage quickly though, taking a 25-11 lead into halftime.

The game fell away from Dodge early in the second half though as Hays went on a big run to start the third quarter quickly pushing the lead over 20 points. The Lady Demons managed just four points in the quarter, all of which came at the free throw line. 

The offensive woes for Dodge didn’t stop in the fourth quarter as they were shutout, while Hays added six more, getting the lead up to 30 and triggering a running clock for most of the final frame. The main moment in the fourth that will be remembered was when Hays took out their lone senior, Brygette Ross, who received a standing ovation on her way off the floor in Hays’ final regular season home game.

The 15-point offensive performance was Dodge’s worst of the season, having scored at least 20 in every other game this season. They took only seven shots in the second half and finished the game shooting a paltry 5 of 23 from the floor.

Hays won the game on the boards where they dominated Dodge 38 to 17. They hauled in 21 offensive rebounds which they turned into 18 points. Turnovers were also a factor in the win for the Lady Indians, as they forced 21 which they converted into 12 points.

The Lady Indians were led in scoring by Kenlee Winter who poured in 14 while Katie Linenberger added nine. The win for Hays clinched them a solo WAC title, their first since 2012. They entered them game knowing they had won at least a share of the title with Great Bend sitting 6-2, but officially celebrated the conference championship following the win as they sit at 7-0 with one game remaining. 

Even with the WAC decided, Hays still has something to play for in their final game against Great Bend as they can pass the Panthers in the 5A west overall standings with a win, getting them a higher seed in the sub-state playoffs.

Dodge City has one game remaining as well, as they will celebrate their senior day on Thursday when they take on Liberal at The Fieldhouse. The loss extended Dodge’s losing streak to six games and puts them at risk of falling farther down the standings in 6A West. They currently sit in 11th but will fall to 12th with a loss to the Lady Red. 

The Lady Demons’ matchup with Liberal will begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Z98 with pregame coverage beginning at 5:40.