Buffs bumped in 6A sub-state final by Wichita Heights, 83-30

Story Credit: GCHS Athletics

It wasn’t the Cinderella ending that Luke Swedberg, his Garden City Buffaloes and GCHS fans had hoped for when they faced off with one of the legendary high school basketball programs in Kansas on Saturday night.

The Class 6A sub-state championship presented the Buffs with another upset opportunity on the road against Wichita Heights to determine who would move on to the 6A state tournament on March 11.

Even when the first quarter ended with the Buffs trailing 22-16, things didn’t look bleak.

But for the remaining 24 minutes, it will be a game Swedberg and his team will want to put in the file 13 folder as they fell to the powerhouse Falcons, 83-30.

It was the largest margin for a loss in Swedberg’s three years at the Buffs’ helm and kept them from finishing above .500 as they finished the season with a 12-13 record, doubling the number of wins from the 2024-25 season.

“Obviously, everybody’s disappointed, but I’m more disappointed for these kids because they fought hard all season,” Swedberg said. “When the first quarter was over, I thought they had done a nice job of moving the ball around, we got some good looks and hit some shots.”

From the moment the second quarter began, there was not much Swedberg will want to remember.

“Everything just went cold,” Swedberg said. “It certainly felt like there was a lid on the basket. And Heights isn’t a team that you can struggle with and expect to win. They’re athletic, they’re long and they’re really good.”

The domination was simply explained in the final three-quarter scores – 6-20, 3-23 and 5-18.

The puzzle as much as anything was this came on the heels, three days after in fact, of the Buffs’ biggest win of the season – a 94-86 double-overtime triumph against Wichita Southeast in the sub-state semifinal (Wednesday night).

The Buffs hit just 12-of-62 shots for 19 percent while Heights blistered the nets on 34-of-57 (59.6 percent). From 3-point range, the Buffs were 4-of-29 (13.8 percent) and Heights was 7-of-18 (38.9 percent). The Buffs were outrebounded by the taller Falcons, 44-29.

Heights had advantages in assists (15-5), turnovers (10-15), steals (9-7) and blocks (3-0). Koby Rosales had 9 points and Mackoy Hemmert 8 to lead the Buffs. Heights had four players in double figures, led by Jalihn Timmons with 20, Tyson Phillips followed with 13 and Jordan Timmons and Jamari Merriweather added 10 each.

“That game is not indicative of the season the boys had,” Swedberg said. “Our wins were against teams we were expected to beat, and we made big improvements throughout the season. I’m happy that our seniors did some things successfully that many people didn’t think possible.”

Playing their final game were Jalen Jagels, Daniel Monarrez, Adriel Chairez, and Jesse Longa. The Buffs finished 4-4 in the Western Athletic Conference with sweeps of Dodge City and Liberal.

The Buffs will return four players who started at one time or another for the 2026-27 season – sophomore guards Koby Rosales and Mackoy Hemmert, sophomore forward Braden Jagels, and current junior forward Drew Strecker. Also returning will be freshman Brayden Walter, and junior Braylon Walker.

“We have a lot of positives as we look to next year, but for now I’m happy for the boys and the effort they put out all season,” Swedberg said.

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KSHSAA Class 6A
Sub-State Championship
At Wichita Heights
Saturday, March 7

WICHITA HEIGHTS 83, GARDEN CITY 30
Garden City (30) — Rosales 4 0-0 9, Chairez 1 0-0 3, Monarrez 0 1-2 1, B. Jagels 1 0-0 2, J. Jagels 3 1-2 7, Hemmert 3 0-0 8. Totals 12 2-4 30.
Wichita Heights (83) — Gilkey 2 0-2 4, Phillips 6 1-2 13, Jordan Timmons 5 0-0 10, A. Hall 3 1-2 7, Rodney 1 0-0 2, Jalihn Timmons 7 2-2 20, Merriweather 4 0-0 10, Walker 3 2-2 9, M. Hall 3 2-2 8. Totals 34 8-12 83.

Garden City (12-13)…16…6…3…5…–…30
Wichita Heights (19-5)…22…20…23…18…–…83

3-point goals—Garden City 4 (Rosales 1, Chairez 1, Hemmert 2); Heights 7 (Jalihn Timmons 3, Merriweather 3, Walker 1. Fouls—Garden City 13, Wichita Heights 7. Fouled out—None.