Hays Daily News
The Hays High School boys' basketball team set a record when they faced Chapman last season. For the first time in Rick Keltner's 22 seasons at head coach, the Indians didn't score in a quarter.
They shot 0-for-11 in the second quarter but still pulled off a 45-37 victory at Hays High and started a seven game winning streak.
A year later, especially after last weekend, the chances of repeating that scoreless quarter aren't likely. The same result, though, certainly is.
Hays High, 8-4 this season, will face the Fighting Irish (6-6) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Chapman High School. The Indians are coming off a second place finish in the Dodge City Tournament of Champions on Saturday, a tourney that features several ranked teams.
The Indians bumped their winning streak to five games with victories against Hutchinson and Wichita Heights, ranked No. 6 in 6A in the Kansas Coaches rankings. In the finals, they lost to Wichita East, also ranked in 6A, 67-51.
Overall, Hays High made 18 3-pointers in the tournament and shot over 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first two contests.
"They were hot," Wichita Heights head coach Joe Auer said. "They hit about any shot they wanted."
Senior Jason Ball continued his impressive shooting with 10 3s in the tournament, including a 4-for-5 performance against Wichita Heights in the semifinals.
Ball and senior Jordan Juenemann each made the all-tournament team. Juenemann scored 52 points in the tournament and led all scorers with 15 points in the championship game.
Senior Austin Dreiling, who played well in all three games, also played an instrumental role.
"I thought Austin Dreiling had a great tournament," Keltner said after the final.
The trio, along with seniors Reid O'Brien and Evan Charles, have contributed in the Indians' turnaround. After they started the season 3-3, Keltner started all five seniors against rival Great Bend. They beat the Panthers by five and didn't lose before the championship game.
Both Juenemann and Ball have significantly improved their shooting percentages in the winning streak. After shooting 36 percent from the field, Juenemann averaged 57 percent shooting in the five victories.
Ball went 12-for-26 (48 percent) on 3-pointers in the five game winning streak.
"I think that we are getting better," Keltner said during the TOC. "I am real proud of our basketball team."
Sports Reporter Conor Nicholl
can be reached at (785) 628-1081 Ext. 127 or at