Feeling it; GCHS boys scorch nets in win over Dodge
Final Highlights: GCHS vs. Dodge City
Garden City, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-Poor shooting has plagued Jacy Holloway’s team all season long. But on one night; against an arch rival, Garden City couldn’t miss; literally.
Jared Koster scored a career-high 20 points; was 7-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from three as the Buffs withstood a furious Dodge City rally in the end to claim a 60-51 win Tuesday night at the Garden.
“It’s sweet because it’s Dodge,” Holloway said afterwards. “But, it’s sweeter because of how we played.”
Garden City (11-7, 3-3) finished 23-of-34 from the field and drilled four 3-pointers on six attempts. Not bad for a team that was coming off two of its worst shooting games of the season.
But even while they were scorching the nets, the Red Demons still had a chance to pull off the season sweep. Down 48-36 with 4:19 to play, Dodge City (7-10, 3-2) made their move, and it was an error in judgement by Caleb Tramp that sparked the run.
Following Noah Williams missed dunk, the Buffs had a golden opportunity with numbers in transition. But Koster missed a layup, and as Tramp tried to tip it home, he hung on the rim with his left hand. The officials immediately called a technical foul-sending Austin Weiser to the line. The senior, who finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the stripe, connected on both. Then it was Jace Larson’s tripe from the right corner that completed a five-point possession and pulled the Demons within seven.
After a timeout and Koster’s circus shot, Larson came back and drilled another 3-pointer from the opposite side of the floor-making it 50-44 with 3:10 to play.
Dayton McGroarty’s three with under two minutes remaining pulled the Red Demons to within 54-51 with 58 seconds. But that’s as close as Dennis Hamilton’s team would get.
Garden City closed the game on a 6-0 run to even the season series at 1-1.
Tramp finished with eight points and one rebound. Weiser and Larson combined for 32 points on 8-of-22 shooting.
Next up: Garden City at Hays-Friday, February 21-7:30 p.m. on KWKR 99.9 and westernkansasnews.com
Final Stats: GCHS boys vs. Dodge
Dodge City girls 44, Garden City 43
There’s something about playing at the ‘New Garden’ that brings out the best in the Dodge City girls.
For the second time in 365 days, the Lady Demons pulled off the upset-knocking off No. 8 Garden City 44-43 Tuesday night in front a stunned home crowd. And it was the way that it ended that had fans filing for the exits in utter disbelief.
In a game that saw neither team lead by more than six, points were at a premium. So when Taryn Tempel blew by Katrina Roenfeldt for a left-handed layup-giving Garden the lead back with 17 seconds, things seemed promising. The nail in the coffin seemed to come moments later when the senior stole the ball at half court. Then Jacksenie Tornero was fouled.
So with a one-point lead and their best free-throw shooter at the line, Lady Buffs Head Coach David Upton had to be feeling pretty confident. But Tornero misfired the front end of a 1-and-1. Briana Bradshaw grabbed the rebound and started the Dodge City break the other way. The sophomore found her younger sister Tia (Bradshaw) cutting to the rim where she was fouled by Jamie Bernbeck.
The freshman, who was just 6-of-18 from the line on the season-coming into the game, hit both to give Dodge a one-point edge.
Trailing by one with no timeouts and having to go the length of the floor, Garden City (10-8, 3-3) put the ball in Tornero’s hands once again. The senior raced across the 10-second line; used a crossover dribble on (Briana) Bradshaw and found Abbie Dart open on the baseline. But the senior’s runner hit the back rim. Jessica Carillo was called for a three-second violation, and the upset was complete.
Tempel finished with a team-high 16 points; Berbeck added 10 points and six rebounds. Roenfeldt led the Lady Demons with 13 points.
Next up: Garden City at Hays-Friday, February 22-6 p.m. on KWKR 99.9 FM and westernkansasnews.com
Final Highlights: GCHS vs. Dodge City
