Dodge City Girls Win, Boys Lose Season Openers

Dodge City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) The Dodge City High School basketball teams started off the season at home and unfortunately had mixed results in splitting their doubleheader with Junction City.  The defending WAC champion Lady Red Demons won 67-35, while the boys pulled to within four points at the two minute mark left in the game only to fall 51-44.

Girls Highlights

In the girls game, Jessie Harshbarger started out on fire scoring the team’s first eight points in jumping out to a 12-2 lead, let the lead slipped down to one at 15-14, but regained control closing out the half on a 16-2 run and cruised to a 32 point win.

The Lady Blue Jays had trouble with turnovers, coughing up to ball 44 times and being limited to just 32 shots for the game compared to Dodge City’s 66 attempted shots.  Harshberger finished with 22 points.  Tia Bradshaw and Brianna Bradshaw scored 12 each.  Brianna Bradshaw led Dodge City with eight rebounds finishing two boards shy of a double-double.  

Both A’kia Fain and Alana Kramer led Junction City with six points each.  Dodge City had  a 43-25 rebounding advantage and seven different players scored.  Five had at least seven points.

DCHS Girls Coach Kelley Snodgrass Post-game

Boys Highlights

Over to the boys game and Dodge City could not figure out how to effectively implement their zone to stop Junction City’s offense. Junction City went 50% at 9-18 in the first half and 10-16 for 62% in the second half.  The Demons started to slow down the Blue Jays a little more at the end of the game by switching to man.

Ricardo Earns led the Blue Jays attack with 16 points (6 -7FG), 7 points in the first eight minutes.  Xavier Cason had eight points and 5 rebounds, while Blue Jays Guard Tyrone Poole also chipped in with eight.

Dodge City trailed 21-8 in the second quarter, but were able to rattle off a 9-0 run to end the half down 21-17.  The Red Demons just could not match the hot shooting of the Blue Jays. 

For the game, Dodge City went 16-47 from the field at 34%.  Dayton McGroarty led all Red Demon players with 16 points, Caden Walters had nine and Matt Karns hit a key three with two minutes left to get Dodge City with four at 48-44.  The Red Demons did not another point over the final two minutes.  Karns led Dodge City with eight boards.

The Red Demons have a tough week ahead of them.   Thursday they will travel to Woodward, Oklahoma for a pair of games with the Boomers.  Saturday, Dodge City returns home to face Manhattan.   

DCHS Boys Coach Dennis Hamilton’s Post-game Comments

Note: The catchitkansas.com poll has given Dodge City respect voting them fifth in the latest 6A girls basketball poll.