EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
After a hard hit in Woodward, Okla., left the Lady Redskins shorthanded without Shamari Lewis for most of the game, the Lady Redskins returned to The Big House, and Lewis returned to the line-up in a key Western Athletic Conference game against Garden City Tuesday, and the Lady Redskins came away with a 59-54 win.
The defenses dominated early, and the Lady Redskins were able to establish a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Mia Hannagan kept the Lady Buffaloes close in the second quarter by draining three threes while Kiley Rhine used a pair of drives to the basket and a three to answer for the Lady Redskins. Devaney Carter came off the bench to drain a three for Liberal, and by halftime the Buffaloes trimmed Liberal’s lead to 26-25 at half.
The Lady Buffaloes started hot in the third quarter and drained a pair of shots including another three from Hannagan to take a four-point lead before the Lady Redskins answered with three straight threes, two from Madysen Hammond and another from Rhine, and the Lady Redskins erased the Garden City advantage by taking a 35-30 lead and forcing a Garden City time out.
Hannagan added her fifth three of the game for Garden City in the third quarter, and by the end of the period the Lady Redskins had a 42-39 lead.
Hannagan drained her final three of the night in the fourth quarter, her sixth of the game, but Rhine connected on a three for the Lady Redskins to protect the Liberal lead.
Freshman Tegan Snodgrass tried to rally the Lady Buffaloes by driving to the basket and getting fouled, and she made four of eight free throws in the quarter as part of her 12 points on the night.
But Rhine and Lewis took over in the fourth quarter and combined to score 13 of Liberal’s 17 points in the period, and the Lady Redskins earned the 59-54 win.
Rhine led the Lady Redskins with 19 points. Lewis had 18.
Hannagan’s six threes led Garden City with 18 points.
Snodgrass and Myah Korf each had 12 for the Lady Buffaloes.
The win pushed Liberal to 7-2 on the season 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference.
“It was a hard fought game by both teams,” Liberal coach Brandi Fowler said. “There’s no love lost between us and Garden City no matter who their coach is. They are just an hour away. It’s a somewhat friendly rivalry, but you definitely want to come away with a win.”
Fowler referred to Kelley Snodgrass, who coached Dodge City for several years and is now coaching Garden City. And the Lady Buffaloes came out after half and took a lead, albeit short lived.
“We told the girls after we hit three threes in a row and they called a time out, ‘That’s what you call an answer.’” Fowler said. “You never want to let the other team shoot wide open threes and hit them right after halftime, and to have the poise to answer right back, that’s pretty special.”
Hannigan’s six threes also got the attention of Fowler.
“We know a lot about Hannigan,” she said. “She is a deep, deep threat, and she is not afraid to let them rip. We added up how many threes she shot a couple games ago, and it was close to100. We know she is not afraid to shoot it. We will have to guard her a lot better next time around.”
Even though the Lady Redskins had a late lead, they continued to shoot even though there was time on the shot clock.
“It’s hard when you want to run offense and get an open shot, work the clock, and score with 10 seconds left,” Fowler said. “But if it’s the best team shot, it’s the best team shot. So let them rip.”
The Lady Redskins (7-2, 1-1) will return to the court Friday when they host the Dodge City Lady Red Demons (5-6, 0-0) at 5 p.m. Friday in The Big House.
