Buffs win at Liberal, evens WAC record to 1-1
Story Credit – Brett Marshall/GCHS Athletics
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Garden City High School’s boys’ basketball team might well be nicknamed the “Cardiac Kids,” considering they have provided numerous late comebacks to win some games this season, while also squandering big leads to either lose a close one or hang on for a narrow victory.
Such was the case again Tuesday night in Liberal at the “Big House” when the Buffs nearly saw all of a 17-point lead in the second quarter disappear, but managed to hang on for a 74-71 heart-stopping win over the Redskins.
The victory enabled the Buffs to win their seventh game of the year against four losses and are now 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. The win total already exceeds the 6 from the previous season.
Liberal was trying to snap a 34-game WAC losing streak and also an eight-game losing streak against the Buffs. The last Liberal win came in the 2021 season in an overtime decision in Liberal.
But it was seniors Daniel Monarrez and Jalen Jagels, along with junior forward Drew Strecker, who carried the freight all night for the Buffs as the trio combined for 61 of the Buffs’ 74 points.
Monarrez was the ringleader, dropping in a career-high 28 points that included a variety of shots, but was ice in the veins at the end of the game when he cooly sank a pair of free throws with 0:13 left to give the Buffs the 3-point lead.
Liberal’s Juan Diego missed a desperation well-guarded three at 0:02 but it didn’t come close and the Buffs picked off the final rebound of the night to celebrate the victory.
The elder Jagels finished with a career-high 17 points and Strecker was right behind with 16.
“I’m just happy for the kids,” third-year coach Luke Swedberg said afterward. “They’ve worked hard. They’re still a young team overall and they were able to make enough plays to get the win.”
At times during the game, it looked more like a 3-point NBA shooting contest as the Buffs finished with 8 long-distance buckets only to be outdone by the Redskins, who drained 10 of the bombs.
“It felt like 20 (3’s),” Swedberg said. “They’re a better team than their record, and they’ve got some good shooters.”
The best of the Redskins were senior James Fieser, who has been a thorn in the side of the Buffs since he dropped more than 30 as a freshman. This time, he dumped in 24 points while sidekick Ethan Hernandez followed with 18.
Between those two, they threw in six of them and Juan Diego hit for another two and finished with 8 points. Adrian Gonzales contributed 11 points for the Redskins.
“If you’re a fan, this was a fun game to watch with a lot of great plays,” Swedberg said. “If you’re a coach, your heart stops a few times.”
Swedberg had high praise for Monarrez, who just continues to demonstrate how much he has improved since being a spot player as a freshman and sophomore.
“He’s worked his tail off and shows a lot of maturity and leadership on the floor,” Swedberg said of his 6-1 senior guard. “It was great to see him go to the line and make those two (free throws) when we needed them.”
The Buffs had taken control of the game early, hitting four treys in the first quarter en route to a 20-11 advantage. Midway through the second period, they were in the driver’s seat at 35-18 and held a 39-25 halftime advantage.
Liberal hit three early 3-pointers to start the third quarter and pulled to within 49-42 and eventually found themselves back in the game at 54-46 heading to the fourth quarter.
The furious rally by the Redskins really took hold with about 3:30 left in the game and down 65-56. Another pair of threes and several steals for easy baskets and Liberal had drawn within two at 71-69 in the final seconds at 0:15. That’s when Monarrez was fouled and cashed in the two critical charities, his only trip to the charity stripe all night.
“This should be a good confidence boost for the kids,” Swedberg said after having his team swamped by Great Bend last week, 74-56, at home. “We’ll get back to work and get ready for Hays, which is always a tough game. But we’re gonna show up and see what happens.”
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Western Athletic Conference
Game-2
At Liberal
GARDEN CITY 74, LIBERAL 71
Garden City (74) — Rosales 1 4-6 6, Walter 1 0-0 3, Monarrez 10 2-2 28, B. Jagels 1 0-0 2, Walker 1 0-0 2, J. Jagels 8 1-1 17, Strecker 6 3-6 16. Totals 28 10-15 74.
Liberal (71) — Olvera 1 0-0 3, Fieser 9 3-6 24, Collins 0 1-2 1, Hernandez 7 1-2 18, Diego 3 0-0 8, Alvarado 3 0-0 6, Moreno-Gonzales 4 2-2 11. Totals 27 7-12 71.
Garden City (7-4/1-1)…20…19…15…20…–…74
Liberal (1-8/0-2)…11…14…21…25…–…71
3-point goals—Garden City: 8 (Walter 1, Monarrez 6, Strecker 1); Liberal: 10 (Olvera 1, Fieser 3, Hernandez 3, Diego 2, Moreno 1). Fouls—Garden City: 9; Liberal 18. Fouled out–None.