BY TRISTAN SASSE
After coming away with a thrilling double overtime victory against the Northeastern State RiverHawks last Thursday, the FHSU men’s basketball team took on NSU for the second time in the past week. This time around, Fort Hays survived a late run by the RiverHawks and held on for an 81-74 victory. With the win, the Tigers improved to 12-2 at home on the season.
Fort Hays had the advantage for the entire first half and went into halftime with a 43-30 lead. The Tigers led by as many as 17 points early in the second half, but the RiverHawks came storming back and cut the deficit to single digits. The late run wasn’t enough though, as FHSU led for the whole game and held on for the 81-74 win.
Both teams shot well, as the Tigers finished at 55.1% and Northeastern State was close behind at 53.1%. FHSU was out-rebounded 25-24, but the Tigers forced 22 turnovers and had 17 assists.
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Fort Hays’ leading scoring Hadley Gillum led the Tigers with 20 points and seven rebounds. Trey O’Neil had 17 points and five assists, while Brady Werth finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Additionally, Marcus Cooper had 12 points and six rebounds, while Kyler Kinnamon added seven assists and five steals.
For Northeastern State, Jamir Andrews had a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Trent Cantrell added 16 points, while Montre’ Williams followed with 13 points and three rebounds. Tanner Mouse rounded out those in double figures with 12 points and five assists.
Up next, the Tigers (15-10 overall, 8-8 MIAA) will look to continue their success at home on Saturday when they host Central Oklahoma (17-8, 10-6). FHSU suffered an 81-57 defeat at Central Oklahoma earlier this month. On the other side, Northeastern State (7-18, 3-13) will take on the Lopers (12-13, 8-8) from Kearney, Nebraska.