DCHS Sports

Red Demons host Manhattan Saturday

December 12, 2015 By DCHS Sports

After winning both games on Thursday down in Woodward, Oklahoma, the Dodge City High School boys and girls basketball teams will host Manhattan High School on Saturday night.

The girls team used a strong fourth quarter performance on Thursday to move to 2-0 on the season with a 48-38 win over the Boomers.

“We got in some foul trouble and it was a close game going in (to the fourth quarter),” girls head coach Kelley Snodgrass said. “We were more aggressive overall. It was great team basketball.”

Through their first two games, Dodge City’s depth and experience has been on display. Senior Jessica Harshberger, last year’s leading scorer, is averaging 14 points a game to lead the Demons. Tia Bradshaw is just behind her, averaging 13 points per game.

As the Lady Demons get ready to face off with Manhattan, Snodgrass likes where her team is at after the first week of the season.

“We’ve got everybody back so we are ahead of the game that way,” Snodgrass said. “We’re still making some unforced turnovers but that will (improve) when we get more used to each other. We’re taking it one game at a time but I have high hopes for this group.”

The Manhattan Indians, a squad that faced nearly the opposite situation as the Red Demons coming into the season, graduated a majority of their team that made it to the 6A state tournament last season.

“They lost a lot but they are always a great team,” Snodgrass said. “They reload, they are very well coached and it will be a very tough test for us.”

A 53-42 win over Woodward gave the boys team their first win of the season on Thursday. In their season opener against Junction City, the Red Demons struggled to score, shooting just 16-of-48 from the field and 9-of-17 from the free throw line. Against Woodward, Dodge City had more success shooting the ball, finishing 17-of-40 from the field and 15-of-19 from the line.

Dodge City head coach Dennis Hamilton was pleased with the way his team bounced back, especially from the free throw line.

“Hopefully it’s contagious,” Hamilton said. “We had some kids who missed them in the first game step up and hit them against Woodward. That’s kind of an avalanche area. When it’s going good, it’s good but when it’s going the other way it’s bad. Hopefully that’s a step in the right direction.”

The Red Demons will face one of their toughest tests on the season when they square off with Manhattan. After winning the Centennial League title last season, the Indians are off to a 3-0 start this year.

“Manhattan is extremely talented again,” Hamilton said. “They bring in a lot of size, guards, shooters. They are all fine basketball players.”

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe

Red Demons take both games at Woodward

December 11, 2015 By DCHS Sports

The Dodge City High School girls basketball team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 48-38 win over Woodward High School in Oklahoma on Thursday. The Lady Demons used a strong fourth quarter performance to secure their second win of the season. After leading the Boomers 34-32 heading into the final eight-minutes, Dodge City outscored Woodward 14-6 in the fourth quarter.

The Red Demon boys basketball team won their first game of the season with a 53-42 win over Woodward in the second game of the evening. An 8-0 run to start the second quarter gave Dodge City a double-digit lead that Woodward was unable to overcome.

The Red Demons will be back in action on Saturday when Dodge City hosts the Manhattan High School Indians. The girls (2-0) are scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m. and the boys (1-1) scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe

Kirby commits to play in Golf Invitational

December 10, 2015 By DCHS Sports

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. (Dec. 7, 2015) – The Patriot All-America, a top amateur event attracting 84 nationallyrecognized, elite collegiate PING All-America Golfers, is pleased to announce Zach Kirby from Dodge City, Kansas will be competing in the 5th annual tournament from December 27th – 31st in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

“The Patriot All-America is a three-day, 54-hole stroke play golf tournament honoring the military and acknowledging their sacrifices on The Wigwam’s iconic Gold Course,” said Ed Gowan, Executive Director of the Arizona Golf Association. “It’s the only bowl-like experience for golfers that allows players from all divisions to compete against one another. Each American golfer will carry a commemorative red, white and blue PING golf bag bearing the name, rank and service of a fallen soldier from the community in which they live or attend school, while the special International players will carry white bags with their heroes honored.”

Zach Kirby is from Dodge City, Kansas and attends the University of Kansas. Kirby was named to the NJCAA Division I PING All-District Team and to the NJCAA Division I PING All-American Team. He was also the recipient of the Jimmy Russell Award. He will be playing in honor of Master Sergeant Bernard L. Deghand.

Master Sergeant Deghand was killed in action on September 15, 2006 in Spira, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to the 35th Division Artillery, Kansas National Guard. Aside from his military career he coached his children’s sport teams. Master Sergeant Deghand is survived by his wife and their three children.

The Patriot donates its proceeds to the Folds of Honor Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing post-secondary educational scholarships and assistance for children and spouses of military service men and women lost or wounded in battle. Following the championship the PING bags are auctioned off to the players’ respective schools and the proceeds are donated to the Folds of Honor.

The Patriot All-America was created in partnership with the Arizona Golf Association (AGA), JDM Partners, The Wigwam and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). The field is highlighted by more than 45 golfers from Division I schools with several from the top-100. Notables are 2014 Patriot All-America champion Kyle Kochevar of University of Virginia playing in his fourth Patriot, Kyle Mueller of University of Michigan and Sean Crocker of University of Southern California to name a few.

Special to the Globe

Demons look to bounce back at Woodward

December 10, 2015 By DCHS Sports

After starting the season with a tough loss to Junction City on Saturday, the Dodge City High School boys basketball team will looks to win their first game of the season when they travel to Woodward, Oklahoma on Thursday.

With both the Red Demons (0-1) and Woodward (0-2) looking to win their first game of the season, Dodge City head coach Dennis Hamilton said that Thursdays game will be a matchup between two hungry teams.

“We’ve got a competitive, cohesive group,” Hamilton said on Wednesday. “But getting it done in the games is as important as doing it in practice. We’re a pretty good practicing team right now but we just want to jump that hurdle called winning a basketball game.”

In Dodge City’s 52-44 loss to Junction City, the Red Demons struggled to score. Dodge City made 16-of-48 shots from the floor and capitalized on just 9-of-17 trips to the free throw line. Senior Dayton McGroarty finished with a team-high 16 points.

“We came out a little bit rusty, a little bit slower than we should’ve,” McGroarty said. “We all struggled, we turned the ball over too many times but we got our feet and we’re ready to go now.”

Hamilton emphasized Woodward’s size when talking about the Boomers. Senior Noah Williams, the Red Demons’ 6-foot-6 center, will not matchup against many players taller than him this season. He will on Thursday when he will have to defend Woodward’s 6-foot-8 center.

“It really depends,” Williams said. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter if they’re tall and sometimes it makes a lot of difference.”

Prior to the boys game, the Dodge City girls basketball team will look for a 2-0 start to their season with a win against Woodward. Last Saturday, the Lady Demons beat Junction City 67-35. Senior Jessica Harshberger led last year’s WAC champions with 21 points. Brianna and Tia Bradshaw also added 12 points each for the Red Demons.

The girls are scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m. on Thursday night with the boys following them at 7:30 p.m.

By John Zetmeir

Dodge City Daily Globe

Red Demon Basketball Splits Season Opener

December 8, 2015 By DCHS Sports

The Dodge City High School girls basketball team started their season with a 67-35 win over Junction City on Saturday. Dodge City began to find a rhythm offensively in the second quarter that carried them through the rest of the game. After tallying 12 points in the first quarter, the Red Demons averaged over 18 points a quarter for the remainder of the game.

“I thought we did some good things defensively,” girls head coach Kelley Snodgrass said. “We forced quite a few turnovers so I was pleased with their effort on that end and they did a great job on the boards as well.”

In the second game of the night, the Dodge City boys team fell to Junction City 52-44. After struggling out of the gate, the Red Demons scored 27 of their 44 points in the second half.

“We didn’t get off to a very good start and kind of put ourselves behind the eightball there,” boys head coach Dennis Hamilton said. “We continued to battle and dug ourselves out of a hole but we could never get over the hump. I would like to think that what we took from the game was constructive.”

Senior Dayton McGroarty scored a team-high 16 points. Dodge City was 16-of-48 from the field and 9-of-17 from the free throw line. Junction City was 19-of-34 from the field on Saturday.

“We obviously can’t turn the ball over 18 times and shoot 52 percent from the free throw line and expect to win a lot of games,” Hamilton said. “Those are some areas that, in my opinion, are very correctable.”

Both teams will travel to Woodward, Oklahoma on Thursday before returning home to host Manhattan on Saturday.

By John Zetmeir
Dodge City Daily Globe