Story by KYLER ROWDEN-STUM Photos by ELI BLANKINSHIP
Tiger Media Network
The energy inside the brand-new Hays High gym carried straight into the boys’ matchup, where the Indians opened their season with a strong 60-41 win over rival TMP-Marian in the first round of the Hays City Shootout on Thursday night.
Behind a breakout 21-point performance from junior forward Isaac Fox and a dominant second half on both ends of the floor, Hays High moved on to the upper side of the tournament bracket, while TMP drops into consolation play.
Fox shines in new gym debut: “My adrenaline was through the roof.”
For Fox, the performance was both a personal milestone and a statement for the team’s season opener.
“My adrenaline was through the roof. I couldn’t even think straight at the start,” Fox said. “But once everything settled down and we started making plays, my basketball game just took off from there.”
Hays High’s offensive rhythm built as the night went on, but Fox said there’s still plenty to refine before tomorrow’s game.
“Our offense was a little rushed,” he said. “When we move the ball around the floor—inside, outside—that’s when our real plays come out. And we’ve got to finish layups. I missed a few myself. We’ve got to clean that up before tomorrow.”
Even with the strong start, Fox said the mindset now is simple: recover, reset, repeat.
“We’re glad we got the win,” he said. “But now we’ve got to turn around and get the win tomorrow.”
Senior Alex Loving embraces emotional ‘last first home game.’
Senior post Alex Loving played his final first home game—and did so in front of a packed student section that he said changed the energy of the night.
“It kind of gets emotional,” Loving said. “Playing football this year, I understand how fast it can all end. So this was a big deal.”
He said the crowd played a major role in the team’s confidence and momentum.
“We have one of the best student sections in the state,” Loving said. “They get rowdy and go crazy for us. It gives us a huge home court advantage and gets us all fired up.”
As one of the team’s leaders, Loving said the adjustment heading into the rest of the tournament is clear.
“We just need to go to the basket more confidently and finish,” he said. “We were getting good shots—we just have to finish plays and get the ball through the hoop.”
Loving kept his message for the weekend simple:
“We’re not done yet. We’re going to keep winning games, hopefully.”
TMP head coach Bill Meier: “Rebounding difference was the story.”
On the TMP sideline, eighth-year head coach Bill Meier said the Monarchs opened strong but lost control of the game as Hays High heated up in the second quarter.
“We had success early, but the second quarter is where they spread us,” Meier said. “The rebounding difference was so big. We can’t win any games this year if we let the rebounding spread be like that.”
Meier said the atmosphere added intensity—not pressure.
“I think our guys loved that atmosphere,” he said. “The crowd was unbelievable tonight. It was a great opportunity.”
The challenge now becomes responding quickly, with games on Friday and Saturday.
“This time of year is not a lot different than substate or state—you’ve got to win back-to-back games,” Meier said. “Can we make a mental adjustment and show up ready tomorrow to go just as hard, if not harder?”
Despite the loss, Meier said this group has the potential to become something special.
“We’ve been to the state tournament four times with different teams, and this group feels very much like one of those teams,” he said. “They’re frustrated tonight, but they’re not as far away as they think if they commit to working.”