Boys basketball team wins Hays City Shootout

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Hays High mens basketball team accepts first place trophy from the Hays City Shootout.

 

The boys basketball team came into the Hays City Shootout with one starter from last year’s team, senior Shane Berens, and multiple players with little varsity playing time.

Regardless, the mens team kicked off the tournament with a win against Garden City.

The first half started out close, neither team gained more than a four-point lead. The teams headed to the locker room with a score of 28-27 Garden City leading at the end of the first half.

Hays started the second half strong going on a 19-8 run, but Garden battled back with a 15-4 run to make the score 62-58. Now moving into the 4th quarter, with 35 seconds left in the game, junior Ethan Nunnery and Senior Claiborne Kyles finished off the game with a pair of free throws to finish the game at 68-66. Kyles had 16 points, with Nunnery and Berens following both with 12 points.

In the second round of the tournament Hays High played their cross-town rivals Thomas-More Prep for the first time since the year 2000. The game started out close. At the end of the first quarter Hays High lead 12-10. TMP took their largest lead of the half in the second quarter leading 20-17 but was answered with a 11-3 run, ending the half with a score of 28-23 in favor of Hays High.

Hays High came out in the second half and struggled at first, but picked it up and scored 10 points to take a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Hays High didn’t stop there, at the end of the game Hays led 67-48 to win the second round of the tournament.

Kyles led Hays with 17 points, followed by Nunnery and senior Tyrese Hill both with 12 points, along with Berens scoring 10 points.

In the third-round Hays High and Manhattan High School squared off to battle for the championship.

Hays struggled at the beginning of the game trailing 12-0 but found some fire with a three pointer from Nunnery for Hays’ first points of the game. At the end of the first quarter Manhattan led 14-9.

Hays came out in the second quarter and went on a 11-4 run going up 22-18, and extended the lead with a last second put back by sophomore Trey McCrae. Hays led at the end of the half with a score of 27-26.

Manhattan started the second half by going on a 10-2 run to make the score 36-29, giving them the lead. Hays fought back with some late three pointers from junior Peyton Kieffer and senior Collyn Kreutzer.

Starting the fourth quarter down by three, Hays took the lead after going on a 9-3 run. Manhattan tied the game up at 49-49 with less than one minute to play. Kyles took the ball out, drove to the corner and kicked the ball to Hill at the wing. Hill then made a cross court pass to Berens, where he pump faked and shot a three pointer that hit the front of the rim. Berens grabbed his own rebound and took a dribble to the base line and threw up a floater, making the last second shot to win the game and the championship.

19jmaska@usd489.com