By Spencer Spilman.
The Hays Lady Rebels basketball team took care of business on senior night against the Champion Chargers at Bales gym Friday night.
In their final home game, seniors Jill Borreson and Jordyne Dugger dominated the post, combining for 21 points and 17 rebounds as the Lady Rebs led from start to finish, earning a 34-23 win.
Champion came out with a plan to slow Hays down, but the Lady Rebels were prepared to move the ball and look for the open shots.
Head Coach Danny Preuss was impressed with how his team handled the tempo.
“Sometimes I would rather play slow, especially when we have a height advantage inside,” said Preuss.
Even with Champion’s slow pace, Hays jumped out to a 10-4 lead after the first quarter.
In the second, Hays’ offense became stagnant, prompting a timeout from Preuss. While the offense worked through their problems, the defense stepped up in their absence.
Madison Zapata, coming off the bench, was a defensive factor with four steals and four rebounds. As a team, the Lady Rebels forced 15 Charger turnovers, totaling 13 steals. Hays only committed ten turnovers, with just three in the second half.
With Dugger dominating in the paint, Hays closed the second on a 7-0 run, taking an 18-8 lead at halftime.
While the Lady Rebels defense contained the Champion three-point shooters, Chargers’ Jamee Jorgenson found the open shots and crashed the boards; Jorgenson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The game began heating up and the fans from both sides were getting loud and the officials were taking a verbal beating.
Dugger found herself in foul trouble in the third quarter, forcing the Rebel bench, along with Borreson, to step up. Borreson had two huge blocks, as the Chargers scored just eight points in the third quarter. Hays took a 26-16 lead into the fourth..
The Rebels continued to play at the pace the Chargers set. Hays guards Alexis Delgado and Courtney Lord worked the defense, finding Borreson and Dugger in the post for layups.
“We just kept up the momentum really well and we played great as a team,” said Dugger when talking about overcoming the offensive struggles.
The Chargers struggled from the three-point line as the Rebels defense made them play outside their comfort zone.
“I thought our defense was incredible tonight,” Preuss said. “I think Champion hit their first and only three with about a minute to go, so that’s very pleasing.”
The Lady Rebels maintained ball control, trading baskets with Champion. When the final buzzer sounded, Hays had a comfortable 34-23 win.
In the end, it was all about the seniors, as Courtney Lord, Jordyne Dugger, Caitlin Martin, Julia Widmer and Jill Borreson played their final home regular season game.
Dugger said it best without saying much at all.
“I just want to say…sorry I’m really emotional right now,” she said. “We just really wanted to beat this team more than we wanted to beat Lehman.”
