by MOSES LEOS III
Despite an up-and-down year in 27-4A district play, the Hays High boys basketball team fought tooth and nail to win three of their last five games to keep pace in the district playoff race. Hays closed the regular season on a two-game winning streak, pulling even with fourth place Boerne Champion to force a one-game tiebreaker for the district’s last playoff spot.
The premise was simple in the Feb 15 district tiebreaker game between Hays and Boerne Champion: Win and get in the playoffs. Lose, and your season ends.
Hays had a top-notch performance, but early shooting woes, along with a late Champion surge, ultimately allowed Boerne Champion to win 53-46, ending the Rebels’ season one game shy of reaching the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Rebels began the contest ice cold from the floor, taking nearly six minutes to gain their one and only bucket of the first quarter. The Rebels’ struggles stemmed from two issues – an inability to knock down easy buckets early in the contest and Champion’s defensive presence.
“We got the shots we wanted. (Champion) hit their shots, while we did not. We got some good looks, but it took us a while to get going,” said Hays head coach Dean McMullen, who saw his Rebels trail 12-2 after a quarter of play.
Also plaguing the Rebels was the interior presence of Champion on defense. Hays’ offense had been predicated on strong post play from sophomore Heath Agnew and senior Stephen Jass. However, the Champion defense clamped down on the Rebel’s offense in the paint, creating problems and shutting down any movement inside.
On the opposite side, Hays’ defense struggled to cease the productive Charger offense, a problem that plagued the Rebels all evening. Led by senior guard Drew Birdsong, who finished with a game high 12 points, the Charger offense consistently hit their shots, primarily from the perimeter. The Rebel defense tried to find ways to hold down the Charger offense, but the speed and movement of Champion proved too much for Hays.
“Champion spread the floor well on offense, taking more shots and maintaining possession longer than we could,” McMullen said.
Hays’ offense would finally emerge in the second quarter, but the Rebels could do little to cut into the Champion lead, which at one point swelled to 16. Hays would trail 27-13 at the half.
“At halftime, we just kept telling ourselves that we could not give up. We knew that this was our last game. We had to play hard,” said junior guard Jacob Rodriguez, who scored a team-high 11 points on the evening.
The Rebs would take that mantra to heart. The Rebels started the second half on a roll, concocting a 5-1 run in the initial four minutes of play. The team’s ability to utilize their speedy guards to drive the lane was the key to opening up Hays’ chances to score.
“(In the second half), we were able to set up a different offense, which allowed us to find more open looks at the bucket,” Rodriguez said.
However, the Rebels could not find a way to stop the Champion offense. The Chargers held a 39-29 lead after three quarters, and would continue to hold a big lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
Just when it seemed that the Rebels were down and out, the team would mount one final attempt to save their season. It began with a “pressure, trapping defense,” as described by Rodriguez, which forced the Chargers into giving up the ball in key moments.
Strong three-point shooting also helped the Rebels concoct a rally. The precise shooting of Rodriguez and sophomore wing Nathaniel Alvarado, who also finished with 11 points, would whittle the Champion lead to only four with two minutes to play.
“We felt that we could make this sort of rally. Last game (against Tivy), we only scored eight points in the first quarter, but we continued to fight back,” said Jass.
But Champion’s offense could not be halted. With a big effort from senior guard Austin Turner, who finished with 11 points, the Chargers closed out the game on a 5-2 run, drawing fouls and sinking their free throws in the waning moments.
“We did not come out as sharp as we usually do. Even so, our kids did not stop battling, no matter the score. I’m proud of their effort; their effort was great,” said McMullen, who would go on to laud his seniors. “We have a fantastic group of senior leaders. They are all a big part of our team.”
Jass understood how much his senior class has helped revamp the Hays basketball program. “(The seniors) feel that this is only the beginning for this program. Our sophomores and juniors are playing well. The future looks bright for Rebel basketball.”
Hays’ season concludes with an overall record of 16-15, 8-6 in 27-4A play.
