Men’s basketball sweeps weekend with win over Bearcats

Story by MAYAN PAZ Photos by PARKER NISBETH and RORY MOORE

Tiger Media Network

The Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team completed a sweep over Missouri Western State and Northwest Missouri State this weekend. After defeating the Griffons 61-50 on Thursday, the Tigers knocked off the NWMSU Bearcats 72-65 on Saturday in a tough and physical game.

Riley gets sandwiched between barricading Bearcat defense while dribbling.
Riley scored 15 points with six field goals made in 25 minutes.
Guard Kaleb Hammeke scored 16 points with five field goals made and three 3-pointers in 40 minutes played.
Hammeke and Riley tangle with Bearcat defense over a live ball.
Guard Muhamed Kante protects the ball from Trey Moala.
Guard Kyle Grill squeezes past Padraig Gallagher and Trey Moala.
Grill scored 10 points with four field goals made in 24 minutes played.
Hammeke scores under the basket as Riley looks on.
The Tigers pay their respects to the Bearcats after a tight 72-65 victory.
Forward Shaun Riley formulates a path to score.

Kaleb Hammeke and Shaun Riley started the game strong for the Tigers (12-4, 5-2), leading the team to an early 12-2 lead after four minutes. The Bearcats responded with a timeout and some substitutions and went on a run of their own, taking a 17-16 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. Even though the game was close until the end, 17-16 was the only Bearcat lead in the game. With Riley dominating in the paint and Hammeke thriving as a playmaker, the Tigers got the lead back and finished the half with a 33-29 lead.

“I thought we ran good offense tonight. We played fairly well. Traejon (Davis) was big tonight. Shaun was really good on the glass and gave us a double-double,” FHSU Head Coach Mark Johnson said. “Kaleb continues to be Kaleb, but we did a good job.

In the second half, Davis stood out as he scored a few mid-range jumpers and a couple of three-pointers in addition to his usual contribution in the paint. The Tigers opened up a game-high 13-point lead with six minutes to go, and with a 62-50 lead with four minutes on the game clock, it looked like the win was guaranteed.

Then, a drama developed in the Coliseum. Marcus Glock, the Bearcats sharp-shooter, scored two consecutive three-pointers to cut down the Tiger lead to six points, and with the help of two successful free-throws by Emorie Knox, it was only a four-point Tiger lead, 65-61 with two and a half minutes left. Davies responded with another three-pointer from the right corner.

However, Kyle Grill extended the lead back to nine with an assertive dunk, as only 27 seconds were left on the clock. Glock converted a four-point play to cut the lead back to five with 22 seconds to go, but it was a little too late, and Davis (18 points) closed the game with two free throws to set the final score, 72-65.

Johnson spoke about how the Bearcats were able to stay in the game.

“We gave up too many threes, and that was the difference,” he said. “We gave up 10 threes, and that’s why it was a hard-fought game through the end. But this week, we took care of what we had to do. We had to find a way to get two home ones, and we did.”

Riley, who scored 15 points and added 15 rebounds, spoke about the thrilling last minutes and the importance of the win.

“Defense, executing, and playing hard are our main responsibilities as a team, and that’s our motto. So we go with those keys, and then we always win,” he said. “I feel pretty good about these two wins that we got. Coach emphasized that we had to get a sweep this weekend, especially at home. We can’t be losing at home too many times, especially in the MIAA. So these wins were very huge for us.”

FHSU is currently in second place in the MIAA standings, behind unbeaten Washburn. The Tigers will play Rogers State on Thursday to start a four-game road trip.