By JAYCEE DALE
The Hays High School girls’ basketball team had a rough start to WAC play in Saturday’s opener against Liberal.
But on Tuesday night at the HHS gym, the Indians rebounded with an important 37-36 victory over rival Great Bend in conference play.
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair for both teams. Hays High played solid defense, only allowing the Panthers to score 3 points in the waning seconds of the quarter. That defense allowed HHS to build a 7-3 advantage.
The Panthers came out fast in the second quarter, though, gaining the lead with a pair of 3-pointers in the first minute of the quarter. In fact, the Panthers were deadly from deep in the quarter, hitting six 3-pointers in the frame to take a 23-14 lead at halftime.
Hays High battled back in the third quarter, getting within five points and entering the final period trailing 31-26.
Aleyia Ruder played a big role in the fourth quarter, helping the Indians get within three points of Great Bend. The Indians got within two of the Panthers at the two-minute mark before free throws by Ruder tied the game with about a minute remaining.
Great Bend took advantage of an HHS foul, making two free throws by Jenna Mauler and putting the Panthers up by two with 51 seconds to go. Isabel Robben was fouled with eight seconds left in the game and an opportunity to tie it. Robben missed her last free throw, but HHS’s Tasiah Nunnery gave Robben a second chance at the line for two more free throws. The free throws were off the mark, allowing Great Bend to maintain the 36-35 advantage with 3.5 seconds left.
Great Bend’s Cassidy Smith was fouled, but she missed both free throws.
Tasiah Nunnery was fouled after the misses by Smith, putting her at the line for two free throws to close out the game. Nunnery hit both, giving HHS the 37-36 win.
Ruder led the Indians with 16 points, and Robben followed with nine.
Hays High will be on the road for a WAC contest Friday in Garden City.
