Buffalo boys squeak by Newton; girls blown out
Listen to the complete game in our archives section
Hays, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-After rushing his way into the record books during football season, Jared Koster traded his cleats in for tennis shoes.
And despite a poor shooting game, the senior proved once again to be his team’s most vital asset down the stretch on Thursday.
No big surprise there.
Koster scored 14 points, sophomore Garrett Doll added eight, and Garden City hit 15 of their 19 free throw attempts as they held on to beat Newton 49-41 in the opening round of the 2015 Hays Shootout at Hays Middle School.
“I wanted us to play faster,” Head Coach Jacy Holloway said afterwards. “We kind of got back into that methodical type of play. We need to speed things up.”
Garden City never could get out and run, mainly because they misfired on 30 of their 44 shot attempts, which helped them dig an early 8-2 hole. But Doll hit two 3-pointers, and Koster buried two from the line, fueling a 10-0 run that gave the Buffaloes a 12-8 lead after the first quarter.
“Garrett was very steady for us,” Holloway said. “We needed that. He hit some big shots for us early in the game.”
That lead swelled to as many as six early in the second before Newton’s Tevin Berry took over. The senior scored nine of his team’s 11 points in the period, including a jumper from the elbow over Doll that gave the Railers a 19-18 edge with 30 seconds to play in the half.
“He (Berry) was tough to stop,” Holloway said. “But we did a good job of taking away their other options.”
Koster had the last laugh though connecting on a 3-pointer from the right wing, putting Garden City up two at the break.
“Jared will find his shot,” Holloway said. “He got the looks that he wanted; they just didn’t fall.”
He finished the game just 3-of-13 from the field.
After Garden City (1-0) built a five-point cushion early in the third, it was Berry singlehandedly keeping Newton (0-1) in the game. He sparked a 7-0 run with a put back and two free throws tying the game at 28.
But the senior senior saved his best work for the fourth quarter.
Berry scored 10 of his game-high 31 points in the frame and his two charity shots gave the Railers a 33-32 edge with 6:57 to play.
Cue Doll and Koster.
Last year as a freshman, Doll showed his potential in his first varsity game against Liberal. Coming off the bench on opening night this year, the sophomore seized the moment when his team desperately needed a spark.
Doll’s trey put Garden City in front for good 37-34 with 5:10 remaining. Then he got help from Edgar Aguilar, who buried a 3-pointer from the left corner following a timeout. Leal hit Koster for an open layup underneath; Koster hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch; Erwin Leal split a pair, and the Buffaloes put Newton away by scoring the game’s final seven points.
“There’s a lot of guys that played really well that won’t get recognition because of their stats,” Holloway said. “Griff Brunson was one of those guys. He made some key defensive plays. Parker Tanner is another one.”
The win puts Garden City in the semifinals today vs. No. 3 Manhattan at 4:45 p.m. The loss drops the Railers into the consolation bracket against TMP, who lost to the Indians 69-53.
Tip ins: Garden City won the game despite shooting just 32 percent from the floor (14-of-44); they were just 3-of-12 from downtown over the final two quarters…The Buffaloes won their third straight opening round game at the Hays Shootout since returning to the tournament in 2013-2014 (It’s only their fourth opening-round win since 1989)…A win Friday over the Indians would put Garden City in the championship game for the second time in three years…This was Garden City’s 17th all-time appearance in the Hays Shootout now in its 33rd year
Next up: Garden City vs. No. 3 Manhattan (semifinals)-Friday, December 4 4:30 p.m. pregame; 4:45 p.m. tip on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr; mobile app: KWKR and tuneinradio: KWKR
Women
Listen to the complete game in our archives section
Hays, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-When Jaymie Bernbeck, Jessica Carillo, Breece Dreiling and Alexis Elliot were on the floor last season, it was rare to see a team outmuscle the Buffaloes on the glass.
Head Coach David Upton isn’t afforded that luxury in 2015.
Payton Roberts, who’s already landed a track scholarship from Kansas State, scored 10 points and Newton hammered the Buffaloes on the boards 34-19 as they cruised to a 50-31 victory in the opening round of the 2015 Hays Shootout Thursday afternoon at Hays Middle School.
And the startling part was this: The Buffaloes surrendered as many offensive rebounds in the first five minutes (six) as they did the rest of the game.
Eventually it caught up to them.
With the score tied at 10 midway through the second, the Buffaloes unraveled, and Abbie Dart’s four turnovers in a span of 60 seconds spearheaded Newton’s 11-0 run that blew the game open. The Lady Rails took a 26-13 lead into the locker room.
In the fourth period Newton (1-0) built the lead to as many as 20 following Abby Schmidt’s 3-point play that put them up 41-21 with 6:15 to go.
But Garden City (0-1) did not go quietly, and 12 second-half miscues by the Lady Rails allowed the Buffaloes to get back in the game.
Dart’s layup and Jayme Flower’s two free throws pulled the brown and white to within 11 with 3:20 to go. They even had a chance to slice the deficit to single digits 10 seconds later, but Josie Calzoneti missed two free throws, and Newton closed the game on a 9-1 run.
Dart led the Buffaloes with eight points but was just 2-of-10 from the floor. Flowers added five.
Akers scored 10 points for Newton, who entered the tournament as the defending champions. Freshman DesiRay Kernal chipped in nine points and four rebounds. Taylor Antonowich scored seven and pulled own nine boards.
The Buffaloes had two first-quarter leads following buckets by Isabel Longoria (2-0) and Kensi Peitz (4-2). But Garden City missed six of their first eight shots; Newton misfired on 12 of their first 13 and the game was tied 4-4 after one.
The win moves the Lady Rails into the semifinals today vs. Manhattan.
Tip ins: Newton’s careless play could have cost them early, but they were helped out by Garden City’s poor shooting (24 percent for the game)-something that was their Achilles heel last season (11 times last season the Buffaloes shot less than 40 percent)…Garden City was just 2-of-10 from 3-point land in the second half…Jessica Carillo, who was questionable for the tournament with a quadriceps injury, did not start but entered the game late in the first quarter-she finished with four points and four rebounds (she started the second half)…Newton won the game despite missing 14 3-pointers (3-of-17)
Next up: Garden City vs. TMP (Consolation semifinals)-Friday, December 4 3 p.m. (No Radio)
