Buffs fall apart late; GCHS girls ransack Denver South
Denver, CO (westernkansasnews.com)-Before last Saturday’s game with Holcomb, Garden City Coach Jacy Holloway had a premonition: “I woke up in a sweat and we were 3-4,” the fifth-year coach said.
While Holloway should not trade in his day job for the physic hotline, his team takes that exact mark into the Christmas break.
Charles Gavin scored a game-high 17 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and swatted three shots as Denver South pulled away from the Buffaloes for a 64-50 victory Friday night at Rebels Field House.
“We have to help each other more,” Holloway said afterwards. “We have to rebound better; plain and simple.”
Denver South (4-5) dominated the Buffaloes (3-4) on the glass 43-27 and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. They also shot 11 more free throws (31) to the Buffaloes (20).
“We have to be better basketball players,” Holloway said. “I know this was a long trip, but that’s no excuse. We had the energy early and lost it in the second half.”
More so in the fourth quarter, when the Buffaloes were outscored 22-11; reminiscent of the Holcomb game where Garden City mustered just 19 points over the game’s final 20 minutes.
“Offensively we’re struggling right now,” Holloway explained. “There’s no other way to describe it.”
And the two guys that Holloway relies on the most to make things go are stuck in a horrible funk. Jared Koster, who finished with a team-best 16 points, was just 5-of-17 from the field. He’s now missed 41 of his last 52 shots. Meantime Caleb Tramp was nearly invisible, netting just seven points. In fact, he had just one shot attempt in the first half.
“We designed some things for Caleb that he didn’t take advantage of,” Holloway said. “He has to take advantage of those opportunities.”
The game saw 11 lead changes over the first 21 minutes; the last of those followed Koster’s triple from the left wing that gave the Buffaloes a 39-37 advantage with 2:55 to go in the third quarter. But in the blink of an eye it was gone after Turner Dumas Peterson’s miracle layup and Gavin’s alley-oop finish at the rim that put Denver South back on top 41-39. Garden City never regained control as the Rebels closed the game on a 23-11 run.
Garden City continued their struggles from beyond the arc, misfiring on 14 of their 17 trey attempts. Luis Rodriguez scored eight points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Jesus Reyes and Erwin Leal each chipped in six off the bench.
Devante Loggins, who was averaging nearly 12 assisters per game coming in, scored 10 points and dished out four dimes but was just 2-of-7 from the floor. Peterson scored nine, while Chudier Bile and Justin Warner tallied eight points apiece.
Tip ins: Garden City has shot under 40 percent in three straight games…The Buffaloes are just 5-of-45 from downtown in their last four games…The Buffaloes lost their third straight game; first time that’s happened since 2011…Entering the game shooting nearly 70 percent from the stripe, Garden City was just 9-of-20 from the line
Next up: Garden City vs. Dodge City-Tuesday, January 6-7:30 p.m. on 99.9 FM; kwkrmobile.com and mobile app: KWKR
Lady Buffs head into the Christmas break on a high note; destroy Denver South
Denver, CO (westernkansasnews.com)-For all those who jumped off the Lady Buffs’ bandwagon after a 1-2 start; welcome back.
Bri Elliot scored a season-best 13 points off the bench and Jessica Carrillo added 12 points and six rebounds as Garden City closed the first semester with a resounding 65-22 victory over Denver South Friday at Rebels Field House.
“I think we’re feeling pretty good,” Head Coach David Upton said afterwards. “Chemistry is really good. The girls are seeing each other. They’re working to become closer.”
That chemistry was on display from the jump, as Garden City raced out to a 27-2 lead early in the second quarter. Meantime the defense was nearly flawless, holding the Lady Rebels more than 11 minutes between field goals in the first half. In fact, the Buffaloes allowed just two buckets in the game’s first 16 minutes.
“We knew we were in control in the first few minutes,” Upton said. “They’re an extremely young team.”
The Lady Rebels deployed 11 underclassmen (six freshman and five sophomores). They never stood a chance.
Abbie Dart continued her strong play, canning three triples and finishing with 11 points. It was her third straight game in double figures.
The Buffaloes swarming defense forced 28 turnovers and held Denver South to just 38 shot attempts. Garden City had 58.
The Buffaloes outrebounded the Lady Rebels 39-24 and were 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
Kaitlyn Krieg and Centoria Roberts each scored seven points to pace Denver South, who shot just 16 percent from the floor.
Next up: Garden City vs. Dodge City-Tuesday, January 6-5:45 p.m. pregame; 6 pm tip on 99.9 FM; kwkrmobile.com and mobile app: KWKR
