Senior Savannah Schneider poured in 21 points and junior Brooke Denning added 16 to lead the girls basketball team to a decisive 79-44 victory over Great Bend in first-round action at the Hays City Shoot-Out on Nov. 29.

The Lady Indians opened up like a house on fire, taking a 25-9 first quarter lead, thanks in part to effective full-court pressure that led to a number of Great Bend turnovers and easy Indian buckets.

The Indians cooled off early in the second quarter, allowing the Panthers to go on an 18-12 run to cut the deficit to 10 points, 37-27, at the break. After the intermission, it was all Indians as they outscored the Panthers by a 21-11 margin in the third quarter, followed by a 21-6 blitz in the final stanza to finalize the 35-point victory.

Rounding out the Hays scoring attack were senior Mattie Hutchison with nine, followed by junior Tasiah Nunnery and sophomore Brooklyn Schafer with eight and seven points, respectively. Senior Madyson Flax tossed in five, followed by sophomore Maia Lummus with three. Seniors Jacie Dale and Kallie Leiker each chipped in two.

“I just hope that we can have the same energy as we did yesterday and come back just as strong,” Lummus said.

The Lady Indians are now 1-0, and scheduled to play at 5:15 on Friday against Manhattan.