Buffalo boys take down No. 6 Liberal in overtime; girls fall
Liberal, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-Liberal entered the 2016-2017 season with championship aspirations. And anyone in Southwest Kansas with an opinion will tell you that this was the most loaded Redskin squad of a generation.
But if there is one takeaway from Tuesday night’s game it is this: Garden City remains Liberal’s kryptonite, no matter who is on the floor.
Garrett Doll scored 10 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, Demarcus Elliott poured in a career-best 12 points including the go-ahead basket in overtime, and the Buffaloes stunned the sixth-ranked Redskins 57-52 at the Big House.
“We were very patient on offense,” Garden City Head Coach Jacy Holloway said afterwards. “I thought we executed very well.”
Of course Holloway was describing the first three quarters and overtime. The fourth was a totally different story.
Leading by nine with 6:28 remaining in regulation, the Buffaloes appeared to be rolling to the finish line. But Liberal (7-1, 1-1) had the last laugh.
The Redskins used a 16-7 run to get back in the game, and Cade Hinkle’s fall away, contested 3-pointer over Griff Brunson from the right corner tied the contest at 49 with 17 seconds to play.
“I just told them to keep playing,” Holloway said. “They made their run, and we had to keep going.”
Interestingly enough, the only reason the Redskins even had a look to tie the game was because Hinkle stole Zac Karlin’s inbounds pass on the previous possession. It was one of seven, fourth-quarter turnovers for the Buffaloes.
“That was not a good stretch of basketball,” Holloway said shaking his head. “But we rebounded after that.”
Brunson, who sunk Great Bend Friday night with the go-ahead layup in overtime, had a chance to do the same at the end of the fourth. But his driving layup was short. Alex Carillo missed a jumper at the buzzer for Liberal, and the game was headed to overtime.
“I’m proud of how the guys kept fighting,” Holloway explained.
Liberal struck first in the extra frame when Kylan Thomas connected on a short jumper in the lane, giving the Redskins their first lead since the 4:00 mark of the second. The senior added a free throw 10 seconds later, and Liberal had a three-point lead.
That’s when Garden City, bloodied and battered from a physical seven-minute stretch, picked themselves up off the canvas.
Karlin hit two free throws before Elliott’s layup from the right block dropped in for a 53-52 Buffalo edge. Then Karlin and Brunson put the game away at the line; Liberal went the final 3:37 scoreless, and the brown and white won their fifth straight game at the Big House.
“It’s a great win,” Holloway said. “These kids worked so hard; they deserved it.”
Jarrod Springston was the spark early for Garden City, scoring the Buffaloes first seven points. He finished with 10 on 4-of-5 from the field. Karlin added five points and six boards and Brunson chipped in four.
Cade Hinkle tallied 19 for the Redskins, who lost for only the second time at home in their last 17 games. Thomas finished with 13, as did Deladris Green, who played despite a sore foot.
Next up: Garden City at Hays-Friday, January 13-7:30 p.m. on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr and mobile app: KWKR
Girls Game
Liberal, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-The Garden City girls have given fans glimpses of a team that could make a serious run this season. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, they haven’t been able to sustain it for an entire game.
Tuesday night’s showdown with Liberal epitomized that.
Freshman post Machia Mullens scored 13 points, Jaden Mickens added 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the Redskins beat Garden City 56-36 at the Big House.
“We just could not make shots,” said Buffalo Coach Matt Pfeifer, whose team was just 32 percent from the field. “But we didn’t run our offense. I thought we rushed things.”
It was just the opposite on the brown and white’s first two possessions of the game, which resulted in buckets by Alyssa Long and Lexi Hogan. The rest of the night after that remains mostly a blur.
Liberal (7-1, 2-0) stormed back with six straight points to take their first lead 6-4. But it was in the second quarter where the Buffaloes fell apart.
Mullens and Laci Rush combined to score 11 of the Redskins 15 points in the frame, which included Rush’s buzzer-beating jumper on a scramble drill that gave Liberal a 25-16 lead at the half. Garden City (3-6, 0-2), which lost their 10th straight Western Athletic Conference game, went the final 3:46 of the first half without a field goal.
“We play well in stretches,” Pfeifer admitted. “But that’s not enough. These girls know what they need to do. It’s just a matter of doing it.”
The Redskins domination carried over into the third quarter, where Liberal used a 9-0 spurt to take full command 32-16. They led 42-25 at the end of the period.
“Our staff has told them what they have to do,” Pfeifer said. “But until they execute it, nothing will change.”
Aerianna Stinemetz was the lone bright spot for the Buffaloes, pouring in 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Calzonetti added 11 as well but missed 11 of her 13 shots. Long tallied seven.
Rush scored eight of her 11 in the second period for Liberal, who is off to their best start since 2008-2009. Katie Hornya had six.
Next up: Garden City at Hays-Friday, January 13-5:45 p.m. pregame; 6 p.m. tip on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr and mobile app: KWKR
