Tonight, the Hays High School boys basketball team will begin post-season play in the Kansas State High School Activities Association 5A West Sub-State Basketball Tournament. With a 12-8 record in the regular season, the Indians secured the No. 6 seed, and they will face the No. 11-seeded Hutchinson Salthawks.
Hays will be looking to rebound tonight after falling in their regular season finale to rival Great Bend. Despite the outcome of that game, Hays High has been successful this season with some big wins and strong performances by their upperclassmen. The Indians started slow, going 7-7 after playing five KSHSAA-ranked opponents, plus Sunrise Christian. But the Indians pulled through, winning five of their last six games and securing a home game to start sub-state for the sixth year in a row.
Hutchinson enters the game with a 10-10 record, and they will also be trying to bounce back from a loss after they finished the regular season on a two-game losing streak, with losses against Maize and Andover. But, just like the Indians, the Salthawks have had to play tough competition, as nine of their losses have been against teams with winning records, and they are also led by some key players, such as Terrell King, who was a 5A All-State selection, and Taishaun Govain, who is averaging 9.9 points per game. Hutchinson will also have a chip on their shoulders as they have not finished with a losing record in four years, with their last losing record being in their first season under fifth-year head coach Bryan Miller, when the team went 7-14.
The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at Hays High. People who are unable to attend the game can tune in to Dustin Armbruster on 96.9 KFIX, with the pregame show starting at 5:40, or they can watch the game on www.hayspost.com with a subscription. Tribe Broadcasting will also be providing coverage of the game with Hank Corsair on the call, starting at 5:50 on YouTube.
The winner between Hays and Hutchinson will face off against the winner of Andover and Salina Central for the opportunity to go to the 5A state tournament in Emporia.
