Broncbusters sweep double header against Fort Hays Tech Northwest
Image courtesy of Garden City Community College Athletics
Press releases by Garden City Community College Athletics for WBB and MBB and their Tuesday, November 26, 2024 basketball games.
Women’s basketball:
Garden City, KS (Garden City Community College Athletics) – Between prolific shooting and the continued stellar play of Sierra Driessen and Antonicia Moultrie, Garden City is in a pretty good spot.
Bruna Costa Da Silva and Jolie Mantz combined to hit 10 3s, Driessen posted a triple double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, and the Broncbusters beat Fort Hays Tech Northwest in a laugher, 87-47 Tuesday afternoon at Conestoga Arena.
Garden City, which improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, finished 12-of-32 (38 percent) from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Tigers, 44-19. They produced 25 assists on 34 made baskets and scored 19 points off 18 Fort Hays Tech Northwest turnovers.
“We’ve tried to brainwash Sierra,” Head Coach, Greg Franklin said with a smile. “We are trying to get her to care more about assists than points. And she’s doing it. When you have shooters on the perimeter, sharing the wealth is a big thing.”
It was the fourth time this season that the Broncbusters eclipsed 20 assists.
For a second straight game, Garden City was never challenged. They used a 15-0 run that spanned from late in the first quarter to early in the second that put them up 25-7 once Moultrie knocked down two free throws. Mantz then connected from deep off a nice setup pass by Driessen, Costa Da Silva drilled a triple the next time down the floor, and Garden City was up 35-11 with 5:58 left in the half.
They led 38-18 at the intermission.
“Sharing the ball actually made our shooting percentage go up,” Franklin explained. “They are making that extra pass; the hockey assist if you will. So, it’s been really good for us.”
Garden City proceeded to outscore the Tigers, 29-11 during a third-quarter stretch in which they knocked down 13-of-21 shots. Moultrie scored 10 points, all of which came in the first four minutes of the period.
The sophomore forward notched her fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 14 rebounds for Garden City. Costa Da Silva poured in 20, and Mantz finished with 17 on 5-of-13 shooting from long range.
Dekiera Clay scored 14 points for Fort Hays Tech Northwest, which lost their eighth straight game dating back to last season. They fell to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the Jayhawk.
Men’s basketball:
Garden City, KS (Garden City Community College Athletics) – Josiah Sabino scored a season-high 23 points, Boston Harker added 18 points and nine assists, and Garden City earned its first conference victory of the season with a 97-89 win over Fort Hays Tech Northwest Tuesday afternoon at Conestoga Arena.
“I haven’t eaten or slept all week,” interim coach, Isaiah Tisdale said afterwards. “It feels good to get a win. The team responded well. There are a lot of teams that would have just punted. But our guys stuck with it.”
Antonio Chol finished with 16 points and five rebounds, and Caleb Smith poured in 21 in 28 minutes off the bench for the Broncbusters, which improved to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the Jayhawk.
“Our guys did a good job of staying with the process,” Tisdale added. “They know that it’s a long season.”
Besides a few anxious moments down the stretch, Garden City did enough to keep the Tigers at bay for much of the second half. After building a 14-point advantage with 5:47 to play following two free throws by Harker, Fort Hays Tech Northwest answered with a 12-4 run capped off by Kalik Sharpe’s wing 3-pointer that pulled the Tigers to within six.
Garden City avoided disaster on their ensuing possession when Finn Eriksson saved a pass from going out of bounds on the near sideline. Moments later, Sabino banked home a two-footer, giving the Broncbusters an 89-81 advantage. The sophomore transfer added a pair of free throws, Harker knifed through the defense for a layup, and Smith and Eriksson hit a pair of clutch freebies late to extend to an 11-point cushion.
“That’s a pretty good team over there,” Tisdale said. “I mean, they lost to Hutchinson in overtime by two or three points, and they played a close game with Coffeyville. So, I was impressed with how locked in our guys were.”
The final tally was a bit deceiving considering that the Tigers used a 10-3 surge late in the first half to open up a 38-31 advantage. But Tisdale’s bunch responded nicely. Smith made a layup, Chol knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Garden City closed the period on an 18-5 run to take a 49-43 lead into the break.
Sabino added a career-best 15 rebounds for the Broncbusters, which shot a season-high 63 percent from the floor. They also got much-needed help from the bench as their second unit outscored the Tigers, 39-33.
Chase Harris finished with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting for Fort Hays Tech Northwest, which fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in league play. Sharpe added 21, and Marquintex Dixon had 19 points and eight rebounds.
