Buffs dropped by SE on buzzer-beater
Image courtesy of GCHS Sports Information/Brad Nading/The Garden City Telegram
Story courtesy of Garden City High School Sports Information Department. Photo Courtesy Brad Nading/The Garden City Telegram.
GCHS boys fall in Wichita, 66-64
When the Garden City Buffaloes’ boys’ basketball team steps on the floor Wednesday for the Class 6A sub-state semifinal, they will certainly be in familiar surroundings.
That’s because they will return to Wichita Southeast for a 6 p.m. battle with Wichita Southeast after enduring a dramatic, and heart-breaking, 66-64 loss on Friday night to the Golden Buffaloes in Wichita.
The game was certainly a barnburner as the teams combined for 17 field goals from 3-point range, with the Buffs holding a 9-8 edge. Eleven different players combined to make at least 1 trey during the battle.
The outcome came down to the last 0:05.1 seconds on the clock, when officials added 1.3 seconds after Mackoy Hemmert’s 3-pointer from the top of the key swished through to knot the score at 64.
When the extra 1.3 seconds were added, that gave Southeast just enough time for Jayden Araujo to weave his way through the Buffs’ defenders for a 12-foot floater that swished through just before the buzzer sounded.
“It had a real feel of a playoff game,” GCHS head coach Luke Swedberg said. “The teams are similar in that they like to play fast and get shots up, so it’s definitely entertaining from a spectator viewpoint.”
The loss dropped the Buffs to 11-12 overall while Southeast improved to 11-10. The Buffs end up in the No. 10 seed position while Southeast is No. 7. They join the No. 2 sub-state bracket teams of No. 2 Wichita Heights (17-5) and Wichita South (6-14), which also play Wednesday night at Heights.
The 6 p.m. game at Southeast on Wednesday will determine which team moves to the sub-state championship on Saturday (March 7) at the higher-seeded team’s home.
The game was tied at 47 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Buffs took an early 54-41 lead midway through before Southeast went on a 10-1 run to take a 61-55 advantage with 1:02 remaining.
Jalen Jagels connected on a driving layup only to have Southeast’s Arauso cash in a pair of free throws to make it 63-57 with the clock showing 0:27.5. Jayvyn Morales knocked down a pair of charities for the Buffs with 0:19.7 left and then Koby Rosales got a steal and a layup with 0:13.9 remaining to cut the deficit to 63-61. Southeast’s Jessie McCoy then hit 1-of-2 freebies to make it 64-61.
That set the stage for Hemmert’s deep three with the clock reading 0:03.8. The extra 1.3 seconds likely made all the difference at the end.
“They said that the clock didn’t stop exactly at the time the ball went through the basket, so they have the ability to add time back on,” Swedberg said of the added time. “They made the play and we (defense) didn’t quite get there to make a stop.”
With such an evenly played game, Swedberg said he is excited to make the return trip and take on the Golden Buffaloes again.
“In a game like that there are so many possessions where if it goes the other way, the outcome is different,” Swedberg said. “We need to be able to do a better job of finishing at the basket. We missed some great opportunities.”
Rosales, Hemmert and Jalen Jagels led the balanced scoring with 16, 15 and 11 points, respectively. Rosales made 7-of-9 field goals, Hemmert was 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Jagels added 10 rebounds for a double-double and Drew Strecker just missed a double-double with 9 points and 10 boards. Southeast got a game-high 19 points from Cayden Williams with support from McCoy (15) and Treg Hardeman (10).
The Buffs had one of their best shooting nights, going 25-of-54 (46.3 percent) and were 9-of-21 from 3-point range (42.9 percent). They had 36 rebounds but committed 21 turnovers to only 12 assists. Southeast, meanwhile, shot 40.3 percent from the field (25-of-62) and were 8-of-20 from behind the arc (40.0 percent) and had 29 rebounds, 12 assists and 13 turnovers.
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Friday, Feb. 27
At Wichita Southeast HS
WICHITA SE 66, GARDEN CITY 64
Garden City (64) — Rosales 7 0-0 16, Morales 1 3-4 6, Monarrez 2 0-0 5, B. Jagels 1 0-0 2, J. Jagels 5 1-2 11, Hemmert 5 1-2 15, Strecker 4 0-0 9. Totals 25 5-8 64.
Wichita SE (66) — Johnson 1 0-0 3, Hardeman 6 3-6 15, Mboya 1 0-0 3, McCoy 6 3-6 15, Arauso 2 3-7 8, C. Williams 8 1-2 19, D. Williams 1 0-0 2, Francis 2 1-1 6. Totals 25 8-16 66.
Garden City (11-12)…11…23…13…17…–…64
Wichita SE (11-11)…14…19…14…19…–…66
3-point goals—Garden City 9 (Rosales 2, Morales 1, Monarrez 1, Hemmert 4, Strecker 1); Wichita SE 8 (Johnson 1, Hardeman 2, Mboya 1, Arauso 1, C. Williams 2, Francis 1). Fouls—Garden City 17, Wichita SE 13. Fouled Out—Garden City (Strecker).
