By Moses Leos III.
A barrage of threes helped the Hays High boys basketball team defeat Lehman 64-35 on Tuesday at the Lobo Den.
Early on, Lehman gained the upper hand, taking a 6-3 lead. Hays’ perimeter shooting took shape shortly thereafter.
Hays’ Jacob Rodriguez held the hot hand, finishing with a game-high 18 points; 12 from beyond the arc. All told, Rebel shooters scored 30 of their 64 points from three-point range.
Two three-pointers from Rodriguez late in the first quarter helped Hays build an 16-8 lead.
At top, Hays High senior point guard Jacob Rodriguez eyes the lane during the Hays/Lehman rivalry game on Tuesday night. A torrent of three-pointers, four from Rodriguez, guided the Rebels to a 64-35 victory. Above, Rebel junior post Ian Vossberg swats away a shot from Jamiah Windom. (Photos by Rafael Marquez) |
Rodriguez attributed the Rebels’ success to driving the lane and finding the open shooter. Head coach Robert Lucero focused on that to bypass the Lehman defense.
“Lehman was not going to let us run anything, as they jump trap in the full court,” Lucero said. “When we got organized, made the extra pass and found teammates, we had wide open shots.”
Hays’ lead grew to ten points before Lehman battled back. With the help of Ivan Melendez, who led the team with 11 points, the Lobos went on a 7-0 run to end the second, cutting Hays’ lead to 28-25 at halftime.
Lehman guard JR Torres said confidence helped them rally.
“I think it was us taking charges, getting turnovers and scoring got us going,” he said. “Our crowd also helped us.”
Everything changed in the second half, as the Rebels outscored Lehman 36-10. Guiding the cause was sixth man Chris Gonzalez, who scored 15 points – 11 in the second half.
Lucero said the offensive consistency paid off, as Hays found time to set up their defense. They went to work on the Lobos’ bigs in the paint.
“We knew their guards were not good as shooters,” Rodriguez said. “So we helped in the post.”
On the opposite side, Lehman was unable to keep pace.
“Our perimeter shooting is not good,” Acker said. “We’ve got to get our perimeter players to play more assertively.”
With the first game in the rivalry series in the books, both teams ready for the remainder of district.
Acker said the Lobos have the ability to play well, but must “put it all together,” to attain wins.
For Lucero and the Rebels, they’re looking forward.
“We just have to finish strong,” Rodriguez said. “We’re a good team, and we just have to execute what we do.”
