McPHERSON, Kan. – An early run by Hays proved to be too much for McPherson to overcome, despite giving their best efforts in the second half, falling 51-29 on Think Pink night against Hays.
McPherson struck first against Hays (17-1), who entered as the No. 5 team in 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association. However, Hays went on a 13-2 run to end the first quarter, eventually taking a 27-7 lead at halftime. McPherson shot just 3/15 in the first half, while Hays shot 9/18, including 5/11 on three-pointers.
The Bullpups turned it out in the second half however, being outscored just 24-22 in the final two quarters, but the first half deficit would be the story to give Hays the 51-29 win.
McPherson head coach Clint Kinnamon praised the effort of the team in the second half despite the lengthy deficit. “We could have just lied down at the half and turned [the deficit] into 40 [points],” Kinnamon said. “We talked about at halftime to be aggressive offensively. In the second half, we attacked the rim better and got to the free-throw line. The team in the second half is a really good basketball team.”
The effort that McPherson had was especially highlighted to begin the 3rd quarter. McPherson had not gone to the free-throw line in the first half, but senior Brooke Doile drew a shooting foul in their first possession of the second half. The Bullpups ended up shooting 6/10 at the charity stripe.
Doile led all scorers with 15 pionts and a team-high 6 rebounds. Hays’ leading scorer was sophomore standout Jenna Schmeidler, who finished with 22 points plus a team-high 7 rebounds and 5 steals.
McPherson falls to 8-10 on the season. League play will resume on Friday, Feb. 13 as they will host Buhler for Winter Homecoming. McPherson will enter Friday tied with Mulvane for the top spot in AVCTL-3 play at 4-1.
