For the better part of two quarters Tuesday, the Hays Rebel boys basketball team had the state-ranked Judson Rockets sweating an early playoff exit.
But inconsistent Rebel rebounding, paired with a sluggish second half offense, gave an explosive Judson lineup enough fuel to speed away with a 78-66 win Tuesday, ending Hays’ upset bid and its 2020 campaign.
Hays (21-11) clung to a 48-46 advantage late in the third frame before Judson slammed on the throttle and used a 14-4 run to build a 60-52 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
After a 6-2 Rebel rally cut Judson’s lead to 62-58, the Rockets put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run that boosted its advantage to double digits.
Rebel head coach Matt Sandoval said his team’s struggles in knocking down layups, as well as boxing out Judson’s taller lineup on rebounds, is what “it really came down to.” However, Sandoval also credited an athletic Judson team with making key plays in the clutch.
Keeping 6-foot, 6-inch Judson post Arthur Celestin in check equally hindered Hays down the stretch. Celestin scored 10 of his 14 total points in the final quarter; eight of Celestin's points came via slam dunks. All told, four Judson players scored in double figures with sophomore guard Anariss Brandon accumulating 25 points.
“He (Celestin) was getting the ball in the middle and getting dunks,” said Rebel senior guard Luke Watson. “It’s hard to defend people if you don’t have anyone to contest. I thought we did an overall good job, but he got the better of us.”
Hays’ second half woes was a 180-degree shift from the team’s torrid first two frames.
Led by Watson, senior guard Caden Doyle and senior guard Will Agnew, Hays quickly sped out to a 19-8 lead, which then grew to 25-13 at the end of the first quarter. While Judson woke up and fought back in the second frame, Hays held serve and led 40-37 at halftime.
First half success was predicated on having the hot hand, Watson said. As a team, Hays knocked down seven three pointers; Watson, Doyle and senior forward Carlos Rocha each finished with two three pointers apiece. Three Rebel players scored in double figures with Watson tallying 17 total points.
On the defensive end, Hays kept up with Judson’s high energy, up tempo attack, flummoxing Judson’s guards and catching the Rockets off guard, Sandoval said.
That all changed early in the third frame as fatigue crept in, giving Judson the chance to stage its comeback.
“We did a good job in the first half with the uptempo game, but in the second half, we got sloppy and tired,” Rocha said. “We weren’t thinking much about the game. We just had to score.”
While their playoff run ended sooner than they hoped, Watson said it felt great to take the program back to the postseason for the first time in five seasons. Sandoval lauded his senior class who “did a heck of a job staying with it” and trusting the system.
“We wish we had more time with them,” Sandoval said. “They did a heck of a job laying the foundation for what’s to come.”
