by JASON GORDON
Maybe Hays head coach Kris Fuller should have told his Rebel boys basketball team they were in a do-or-die situation all season long.
With a chance to grab the district’s fourth and final playoff spot still within their grasp, the Rebels played one of their best games of the season in a 60-53 victory over Elgin Friday night at Bales Gym.
If Hays, which improved to 3-7 in District 17-4A action, wins its final two games at home next Friday against Lockhart and Feb. 16 at Lehman, the Rebels have a solid shot at grabbing a postseason spot.
A loss against Elgin, which beat the Rebels by 20 points less than a month ago, would have ended those playoff dreams.
“We were fighting for our lives,” said Hays freshman guard Caleb Kimbro, who led the Rebels with 19 points. “Coach told us it was a do-or-die game and we took that to heart.”
Hays point guard Brandon Alvarado, who finished with 17 points and 10 assists, played one of his best games of the season.
Alvarado got Hays out of the gates quickly in the first quarter by three times penetrating the lane for a short jumper or layup. He also found Forrest Miller and Kimbro twice each on assists.
“Tonight, Brandon Alvarado played the game of his life,” Kimbro said. “When he’s on like that it makes our team so much better.”
Hays led 29-27 at the break, and extended that advantage in the third quarter as Alvarado hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and then found Isaiah Williams with a pass he converted into an 8-foot jumper. Alvarado then assisted on a Kimbro 3-pointer from the top of the key, and the Rebs led 43-37 headed to the fourth quarter.
“Brandon and Caleb really fed off each other tonight,” Fuller said. “They created a lot of scoring opportunities for each other.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Williams and Kimbro hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Rebels up 51-40.
Late in the fourth period, Hays fought for every rebound and dove for every loose ball, even as the final seconds ticked away when the Rebs had the game already in hand.
“We gave everything we had tonight,” Alvarado said. “If we play like we did against Elgin, with the same intensity and passion, we have a real good chance to win our final two games and make the playoffs.”
Fuller agreed the Hays boys basketball team has turned a corner.
“I think our players are finally starting to figure out we’re a pretty good team,” Fuller said. “It’s an awesome feeling to see these guys really believing in themselves and what they can accomplish.”
Tipoff Friday night against Lockhart in scheduled for 7 p.m.
