On the back of Hays junior forward Jackson Deutsch’s 18 points, and with highly effective play from a deep bench rotation, the Rebels cruised to a 61-35 win over the Regents Knights last Saturday at Bales Gym.
“At the end of the day I was pleased that we got a little something from everyone,” Hays head basketball coach Matthew Sandoval said. “We got the win, now 4-1.”
Deutsch, standing at six-feet and six-inches, scored in a variety of ways to get to 18 points while also contributing four rebounds, and one block and one steal. Deutsch’s 10 points in the third quarter sparked the Rebels second half effort that outscored the Knights 31-15 in the final two frames.
“I think Jackson Deutsch had a hell of a game,” said Sandoval. “He’s going to keep getting better. He’s coming along very, very well. He moves well, and he does all the things that coaches ask. He has a very positive attitude and he wants to get better. I think you are starting to see him flourish.”
Hays extended its 30-20 halftime lead to 49-29 by the end of the third quarter thanks to a 16-6 run that was jump started by a lineup change at the start of the half. Sandoval’s experiment with different lineups provided a shot of energy each time new players came on to the court.
“That kind of lethargic attitude we’ve got to learn how to have a killer instinct from the onset,” Sandoval said regarding the first half. “That’s why I mixed it up in the second half with the starting lineup, because it gives a chance to some guys that normally don’t get out there to start. They did a great job at the start of the third quarter.”
As a team the Rebels bench outscored the Knights bench 26-0 for the game, with 13 points coming in the second half. Coming off the bench Hays junior guard Connor Cox had eight points and six rebounds, while junior forward Mikey Boudoin contributed six points, three blocks, two steals and one rebound and assist. Junior guard William Agnew led the team with four assists off the bench, while also contributing two points and two rebounds.
“We are pretty deep, and I think that our bench can outscore anybody’s bench,” Sandoval said. “I think that is going to be the difference in a lot of our games this year. Our bench can come in and score the same amount or more than our starters can.”
In addition to their dominating bench play, the Rebels had their way with the Knights in both team assists and rebounds. With a clear size advantage, Hays controlled the boards with 33 rebounds to Regents’ 12. The Rebels also did a good job moving the ball with 18 total assists compared to only four by the Knights.
“Regents they played zone (defense) so you’ve got to move the ball more so, I thought we did an OK job at that,” Sandoval mentioned. “As the game kind of wore on they kind of got deflated a little bit and the passes became a little bit easier. Our group of guys — they are pretty unselfish.”
With a 4-1 record the Rebels move on to a Tuesday matchup versus the Canyon Cougars, then they head to the South San Antonio Tournament this upcoming weekend to play their final non-district games before starting district play versus Bowie on Dec. 10.
