Nets scorched; hot shooting costs Buster women in Liberal
Liberal, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-There’s a certain trend that continues for the Garden City women: when they’re good; they’re really good. When they’re off; they’re really off. Monday night, the ladder once again derailed any plans for an upset bid.
Kyndal Davis and Brooklyn Artis scored 15 points each to lead four Seward players in double figures as the sixth-ranked Saints shot lights out on their way to a 71-57 victory over the Busters at the Green House.
“This team is missing something,” Garden City Head Coach Nick Salazar said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I know we’re missing something.”
In the early going, no one was missing anything, and the Busters, who came in dead last in the Jayhawk Conference in assists, were sharing the ball beautifully. But every Garden City (12-11, 3-6) basket was answered with a 3-point counter by Seward County, who built their lead to eight at the break.
“We didn’t come out planning on shooting so many threes in the first half,” Salazar said. “We made an emphasis in the second half to drive the ball.”
That might have been the case, but the only reason the Busters were still in the game at the intermission was because of the 3-point assault. Garden City buried 7-of-19 from downtown in the first 20 minutes. They also assisted on seven of their 10 made baskets. But the hot shooting simmered considerably in the second half with the Busters missing seven of their final eight trey attempts while assisting on only two of their 10 made field goals in the final period.
“Their (Seward’s) players get it,” Salazar said. “Apparently mine don’t yet. Are their girls more talented than ours? I don’t know if would say that. But they understand things so much better. And it’s frustrating.”
Garden City jumped out of the gates red hot and held a 15-12 lead with 12:13 left in the first half. But Seward County (20-2, 8-1) answered with a 25-14 run over the final 10:30 and led 37-29 at half. That lead swelled to as many as 18 in the second half with the Saints connecting on 4-of-8 from downtown.
“We’ve got to find a third person to give us offense,” Salazar explained. “This is another game where Loysha and Bianca came out and played well. But where is our third option? That’s what has to change. It all comes down to consistency.”
Morris had 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Cage chipped in with 14 but was just 4-of-15 from the field. The rest of the team scored 25 points on a combined 9-of-33.
Rebekah Hatchard drained a game-high four triples and finished with 14 points for the Lady Saints. Axelle Bernard notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Tip ins: After holding five straight opponents under 45 percent shooting, Garden City has allowed their last two opponents to surpass that (Butler-50; Seward-48)…The win for Seward County snapped a two-game, home-court losing streak to the Busters…Seward County has won 13 out of their last 14 games on their home floor and 74 out of their last 86 overall…It’s the eighth time this season the Saints have shot 45 percent or better…There were five lead changes and six ties
Next up: at No. 1 Hutchinson-Wednesday, February 4-5:15 p.m. pregame; 5:30 p.m. tip on AM 1030 KBUF; westernkansasnews.com; mobile app: KBUF and tuneinradio app: KBUF
