Buffs’ girls beat Junction City; boys fall on Friday night

The Garden City High School girls and boys basketball teams opened the 2020 calendar year on Friday, Jan. 3, at The Garden against Junction City. The girls won in convincing fashion while the boys overcame a large deficit but lost by eight.

Girls

The Garden City High School Lady Buffaloes never trailed against a winless Junction City team on Friday night at home and forced 29 turnovers on their way to a 68-23 over the Blue Jays.

Garden City got the scoring started with a scoop layup by freshman Amaya Gallegos in the first 15 seconds of the first quarter. Junction City’s Lucy Rivera answered with bucket to see the game’s only tie at 2-2 a minute and a half into the ball game. Nateara Beasley finished an and-one opportunity, Gallegos followed with a three-pointer and a two and Beasley hit the first of her three triples to cap off an 11-0 run in the first quarter. Garden City would lead 17-5 after one.

It was all Buffaloes in the second quarter. Garden City started the quarter on a 7-0 run in part thanks to five points by junior Symone Simmons. After a Blue Jay free throw by Madison Escobar, the Lady Buffs finished the half on a 19-0 run to take a 43-6 halftime lead.

Garden City went on to outscore Junction City 25-17 in the second half to get the 68-23 victory, a season high in points scored for the Lady Buffs.

Beasley was the top scorer for Garden City finishing with 12 points including 3-4 from three. Simmons finished with nine points. Keyhana Turner loaded the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds, six assists and five steals. Felicity Rodriguez was a force defensively finishing with six deflections to go with her four steals and four points.

Garden City improves to 4-2 on the year and will open up Western Athletic Conference play on Friday, January 10th at home against Great Bend.

Matt Pfeifer Post-game Interview

Boys

The Garden City High School Buffaloes never led against Junction City on Friday night at home and shot only 39% from the field and 7% from beyond the arc to drop to 4-2 on the year with a 49-41 loss to the Blue Jays.

Junction City opened up the game on a 5-1 run after a three by Qua’vez Humphreys and two by Terrance Tedder in the opening two and a half minutes. A free throw and two by Isaiah Reyes and a bucket by Aaron Guevara kept Garden City withing six at the end of the first quarter.

Junction City opened up the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 17-5 lead with 4:10 remaining before half. Azavier Williams put an end to the drought with a bucket at the 3:55 mark to cut the lead to 10, but Garden City would not get another basket until the 1:07 when freshman Caleb Wiese made at shot at the rim. The Buffs trailed 22-9 at half.

It was all Blue Jays in the third quarter, outscoring Garden City 19-6 in part thanks to two back-to-back threes by Humphreys and Darren Battiste.

Garden City did not go down easily in the fourth, starting the final period with a 13-2 run capped off by Isaac Flores’ six of his nine fourth quarter points. Garden City would extend the run to 18-4 to cut the lead to 10 with 41 seconds left, but the Buffs ran out of time and fell 49-41 despite outscoring the Blue Jays 26-8 in the final quarter.

Garden City was led in scoring by Flores who had nine points. Wiese and Guevara each finished with eight points.

Garden City falls to 4-2 on the year and will open up Western Athletic Conference play next Friday, January 10th at home against Great Bend