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Thursday
March 28th, 2024

leehatchershotLee Hatcher goes up for a shot against Gruver, Texas, Tuesday in The Big House. Hatcher and the Redskins had a 19-15 halftime lead, but a 10-2 run by the Greyhounds in the fourth quarter led to a 44-35 loss. L&T photo/Earl WattBy EARL WATT

  • Leader & Times

Liberal’s defense continued to keep the Redskins close, but a short spurt by the Gruver Greyhounds early in the fourth quarter led to a 44-25 Liberal loss Tuesday in The Big House.

The Redskins struggled to find shots inside while Gruver standout Jalin Conyers roamed inside. Conyers has already committed to play football next season for the University of Oklahoma.

Conyers kept the lane guarded, and the Redskins had to look for outside shots.

But the Greyhounds weren’t able to score in the lane, either, and Gruver hit two threes in the first quarter while Liberal made one, and the score was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Alex Lopez and Hunter Hatcher added threes in the second quarter, and the Redskins built a 19-13 lead.

But late in the second quarter, Conyers was able to get an alley-oop pass for a dunk to cut Liberal’s lead to 19-15 at half.

Gruver started the third quarter with a basket from Conyers and a three from Carter Armes to erase Liberal’s lead and take a 20-19 advantage.

But the two teams played even the rest of the way, and by the end of the third quarter the score was tied 26-26.

With the game tied 28-28 early in the fourth, Gruver gave Conyers a rest, and it appeared to be the opportunity Liberal needed to find some shots inside.

Instead, Gruver took the opportunity to get shots from outside, knocking down back-to-back threes and adding another two-point basket, and by the time Conyers returned to the court, Gruver had built a 38-30 lead.

The Redskins had opportunities to trim the lead an cut it back to six, 33-39 with possession, but Hatcher put up a three-point shot that missed, and the Redskins had to foul late.

Gruver’s Conyers struggled at the free throw line, only making three of 12 attempts, but Armes and Matthew Felderhoff combined for six of seven free throws in the final minute to secure the 44-35 win for Gruver.

Conyers led the Greyhounds with 18 points.

Hunter Hatcher provided the offense for Liberal, scoring 17 points including three three-point shots.

Braxton Hyde was limited to five points after attempting to block a shot in the second half and flipping over a Gruver player and landing on his head. He did not return and was questionable for Friday’s Western Athletic Conference game against Hays.

“We could have had a bigger lead at halftime,” Liberal coach Ryan Petty said. “But we didn’t close the second quarter very well.”

Bur the game-changer came early in the fourth with the 10-2 Gruver run.

“That stretch was huge,” Petty said. “They hit back-to back-threes in a two possession game We hadn’t been behind most o the game, and then they hit us with that and we didn’t respond. We didn’t shoot the ball well at all.”

Liberal (4-3, 1-0 WAC) will travel to Hays (3-2, 0-0) Friday to face arguably one of the tallest teams in Kansas.

Hays defeated Pratt Tuesday, 62-42.

Special to the Leader & Times

 

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