The Hays High School boys basketball team entered the sub-state playoffs as the No. 6 seed with a 12-8 record. The Indians started the postseason with a hard-fought win over the Hutchinson Salthawks but fell in the sub-state championship against the Andover Trojans.
Semifinals: Hays 48 – Hutchinson 43
Hays High got the first lead of the game at 5-2, but Hutchinson followed that with a 7-0 run to take the lead. The Indians had one more shot fall in the first quarter, as Hutchinson took 9-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Salthawks led by seven multiple times in the second quarter, but Hays High scored five points in a row to get the game back to a single possession. Hutchinson ended the first half by hitting a three pointer before the buzzer sounded to extend their lead before halftime to 24-19.
The Indians came out for the second half and responded with another five-point run before Hutchinson started to pull away again with a run of their own to make the score, 35-29. This ended up flipping a switch for the Indians, who outscored the Salthawks 16-3 in an 11-minute stretch to go up, 45-38.
Hutchinson started fouling later in the game, as they inched closer to taking the lead back, but Hays High hit eight free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the five-point victory in their final game ever in the current Hays High gym.
It was a big game for the Indian starters, who scored 46 of the team’s 48 points with junior Dawson Ruder and senior Johnny Cano both leading the way with 13 points each.
Finals: Andover 62 – Hays 40
The early part of the championship was very close, as both teams were looking for a trip to Emporia. There was a three-point tie early, but Hays High took a 6-5 lead, which ended up being their only lead of the game. After the game got tied again at eight each, Andover went on a 15-2 run to take a 27-13 lead.
Although Hays High shot 47 percent from the field in the first half, they could not slow down Andover’s offense, which shot 60 percent from the field and gave them a 32-18 lead at the halftime break.
The Indians tried to fight back for the remainder of the game, but 12 points was the closest they could get. Andover led, 42-27, at the end of the third quarter and ended up winning the game by a final score of 62-40 to advance to state for the third year in a row.
Hays High finished their season at 13-9 and 6-2 in conference play. They graduate five seniors, including starters Johnny Cano and Tiger Johnson, who finished his career second all-time in three pointers made in a season with 50.
Despite the seniors leaving, the Indians will bring back a good group of juniors, including Trey Oakley and Izaac Fox, who both finished in double figures in the game against Andover, and all-WAC selection Dawson Ruder will be returning as well. The Indians will also be in a new home next year at the new Hays High School, and they will be looking for a strong showing next season under head coach Sean Dreiling.
