Acquiring the first win of the season was a focus for first year Hays Rebel basketball head coach Matt Sandoval prior to the start of the Rebel Classic tournament.
Hays accomplished that feat by powering its way to a 2-2 mark and a fourth place overall finish out of the 16 team tournament field.
While there’s room for improvement, Sandoval said the tournament helped with giving many of his players experience on the varsity level.
“We were trying to get the first win, because it’s always the hardest one,” Sandoval said. “Finishing fourth out of 16 teams is pretty good. We still need to work on the defensive side of the ball.”
Hays began the tournament with a bang by notching a 65-64 win over the Crockett Cougars in dramatic fashion.
Trailing 64-63 in the waning moments, the Rebels powered past Crockett’s press defense and closed the game with a go-ahead and eventual game winning layup scored by junior Dre Green.
Sandoval said working with the “next man up” mentality helped Hays down the stretch. But the game also showed Hays had to shore up its defenses.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Sandoval said. “It wasn’t pretty. But it was pretty obvious what we needed to work on.”
Hays moved on to defeat New Braunfels Canyon 62-55 to start the second day of the tournament.
But the Rebels ran into a hot shooting Leander Rouse team that took an early lead and never looked back.
“We were always playing catchup,” Sandoval said.
The Rebels then closed tournament play by running into a San Antonio East Central offense that also shot well from the get-go.
While the Rebels look to improve on defense, Sandoval said giving his younger players experience is paramount.
“We’re trying to give as much experience as we can,” he said. “Other guys are stepping up too as they get acclimated to the varsity level. Nothing beats experience.”
