2/1/2012

By BOB DAVIDSON

Salina Journal

HAYS -- The 100-mile distance between Salina and Hays sometimes makes for a long trip.

Doing that in a bus, then going out and playing a basketball game is another matter.

The long jaunt west didn't seem to faze the Salina South Cougars. In fact, coach Matt Renk would gladly make the trip everytime if the results were the same as they were Tuesday night.

South hit 20 of 32 shots from the field -- a sizzling 62.5 percent -- en route to a 53-42 non-league victory over a scrappy Hays team.

"I'm very proud of the guys coming out on the road after a long bus trip and knocking shots down," Renk said of the victory that raises South's record to 5-9. "Our offense is really good when we do that."

Most offenses are, but South hadn't exactly been an offensive juggernaut this season -- until Tuesday. The Cougars were 10 of 16 in the first half and led 27-16 at intermission. They also were clicking at the defensive end, holding the Indians to two points in the second quarter on 1 of 12 shooting.

South took a 36-27 lead into the fourth quarter and withstood a furious Hays' comeback that was fueled by some uncany 3-point shooting. The Indians made five 3-pointers during the quarter, including four in a row, that shaved South's lead to four, 46-42, with 1:42 left.

But the Cougars regained their composure and made 7 of 10 free throws the rest of way -- five by Justin Stonebraker -- while Hays failed to score again. The Indians had three turnovers, missed two free throws and a field goal attempt the rest of the way.

"Very proud of us for not panicking there in that fourth quarter," Renk said. "We knocked down the (free throws) when we needed to.

"The key tonight was our intensity level on the offensive and defensive end. We weren't sluggish, we got after it."

Stonebraker led South with 14 points while Ethan Mitchell had 13 and a game-best nine rebounds. Ryan Fox added 10 points.

Jordan Windholz led Hays (4-9) with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, but was the only Indian to reach double figures.

South managed just 32 shots and Hays stayed within striking distance thanks to 21 Cougar turnovers -- 12 in the second half. Hays had 13 turnovers.

Hays coach Rick Keltner was pleased with his team's work on defense that forced the 21 turnovers, the Cougars' hot shooting not withstanding.

"I truly am proud of our effort on defense," he said. "I give South some credit. We're young (no seniors on the roster), but we played our tails off defensivley. Our kids are playing their (tails) off on defense. The kids are as frustrated as I am, but we're going to get better."

Hays shot 32 percent from the field (16 of 50) and made just 2 of 9 free throws for the game.

South travels to Haysville on Friday to play Campus in an Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League I game.

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Hays girls 46, Salina South 44

Paige Lunsford snuffed out South's frantic, fourth-quarter comeback, but it wasn't too surprising.

Lunsford, Hays' leading scorer and a Fort Hays State signee, hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left and the Indians hung on as South's Megan Holloway missed a running 12-footer at the buzzer.

Lunsford gave Hays a 44-42 lead with 55 seconds left on a layup, but South tied it again at 44 on two Janae Mitchell free throws with 36.8 seconds remaining.

After a couple of Hays time outs, Lunsford got the ball on the right side and drove to the basket. Her shot missed, but a blocking foul was called on Mitchell, sending Lunsford to the line where she calmly sank both shots after a South time out.

Lunsford led Hays (9-4) with 14 points.

Holloway took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court, but her shot bounced off the back of the rim.

Hays coach Kirk Maska was pleased with the victory, but not with his team's play.

"I'm not sure the best team on the court won that game tonight," he said. "I thought they outplayed us in about every phase of the game. They outhustled us for loose balls, they probably won the battle of the boards big-time (29-22). I don't know if it was from three games last week (in the McPherson tournament) or what, but we were pretty flat.

"But we hit some free throws at the end and didn't do anything stupid. We gave them as a good a look (at the basket) as possible (at the end)."

South coach Jason Hooper saw the same thing as Maska, but from a different perspective.

"There's one aspect where we got our rear ends kicked and that was hustle plays, 50-50 balls," he said. "They got the majority of their points the first half and the early part of the third quarter off junk stuff, put-backs. We talked about it repeatedly, but just didn't lock in until the fourth quarter. You give a good team a chance, it's up for grabs ... they made a play at the end and we didn't."

South (7-7) trailed 36-29 after three quarters, but came storming back with a 13-4 run, led by Cassity Cook, who scored six -- her basket with 2:45 left tying it 42-42.

Hays regained the lead on a basket by Taylor Herman with 2:30 left and South answered with consecutive turnovers.

"I thought defensively we played excellently all night long," Hooper said. "They didn't get much out of their offense, everything was on loose balls, sticking it in on offensive rebounds ... it was frustrating. When you bust your butt on the defensive end and then they get junk stuff like that ...

"We've just got to pick ourselves up and get a win on Friday."

Megan Holloway led South with 15 points while Mitchell had 12 and nine rebounds, and Cook 11 points.

Hays closed the first half on a 10-0 run and led that erased a 17-13 South lead and was up 23 -17 at intermission.

South was just 1 of 8 from 3-point in the first half, 0 of 4 the second quarter.

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