Analysis: Red Demons take on Liberal, Guymon over weekend
By Shelton Burch
Dodge City Globe Sports Editor
The Dodge City Red Demons boys and girls basketball teams both moved to 5-3 this weekend after a pair of stops in Liberal, Kansas and Guymon, Oklahoma on Friday and Saturday respectively.
The girls split the weekend, falling to Liberal after being outscored 14-3 the third quarter, falling by a final score of 47-27. They then avenged an earlier loss this season, beating the Guymon Tigers 32-29.
The boys team had an even more successful trip, outscoring Liberal 25-16 in the final quarter to win 76-68 Friday before beating the Guymon Tigers 70-59 on Saturday.
Here are some stats and some possible story lines from the teams’ games this weekend.
As always, this is not by any means an all-inclusive list, and these are ordered in order of player number, which is how they are listed on stat-sheets.
I went with the boys team first last week, so I’ll start with the girls this week.
Notes on the girls games:
Against Guymon, junior Madison Armstrong had six total rebounds, all defensive, which was good for second among Red Demons in the game, behind only sophomore Chidera Okoro. Junior Hayden Sanchez also had six, but not all came on offense or defense. For Armstrong, Saturday’s rebounding numbers were a season- high,both in defensive and in total rebounds.
Junior Caroline Williams had her second and third straight games with a pair of rebounds,recording two offensive ones Friday night against Liberal and two defensive ones Saturday against Guymon. In the later, she also got a season-high three points, and her first since a pair in the season-opener against Junction City.
Junior Payton Magouirk had very strong pair of games Friday and Saturday, and there are a lot of stats that illustrate that.
In the games prior to this weekend’s, she had recorded a total of 14 points this season. She had a team high 10 against Liberal alone, and followed it up with five against Guymon.
She saw over 25 minutes of action for just the second time this season against Guymon,but since the winter break has played at least 24 minutes in each of the three games. Prior to winter, she had recorded five or more rebounds only once this season, against Hugoton. Friday and Saturday,she had five in each game, bringing her season-totalto29.Lastly,in addition to playing more minutes since the break, she has also started all three games since it.
Junior Ezinne Okoro had a team high six rebounds against Liberal Friday night.
Sophomore Chidera Okoro had a team-high 10 rebounds in Saturday’s game against Guymon, including seven on the defensive glass.
Junior Rachel Garcia matched her season-high three rebounds with three against Guymon Saturday. She also earned her second assist of the season, and her second block.
Junior Hayden Sachez tied for second on the team in the game against Guymon with six total rebounds. It was the second time both this season, and in the last three games, that she’s had six. That last time she did it was in the game against Cimarron. In both cases, she has had exactly three offensive and three defensive rebounds.
The girls team takes on Great Bend on the road tonight at 6p.m.
Notes on the boys games:
In the first game of the weekend, senior Luke Gleason matched his season-high three rebounds, getting three against Liberal. He then bested that, getting a fourth against Guymon Saturday. He also had his second game in the last three with three assists.
Friday against Liberal, senior Kaden Riekenberg had five assists, a new season-best for him this season. His previous best had been four, which he had done twice.
For the second time in the last four games, junior Cody Ibarra had nine points, matching a season- best for him. He didn’t play against Liberal, but aside from that, he has had at least five points in the last three games he’s seen action in.
Senior Hunter Heath had his second double-double in the last three games in the game against Guymon Saturday. He had previously had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Cimarron. Saturday he had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Red Demons had entered the weekend with Heath’s double- double against Cimarron being the team’s only this season. In Saturday’s game though, they actually had two players that did it, in Heath and sophomore John Johnson, who had 15 points and 10 assists.
Junior Noah Sowers had four steals in each game this weekend, going along with six he had against Cimarron. Before the Cimarron game, he had previously had a total of six through the first five games combined.
Johnson’s 15 points were six more than his next-best game this season, but in the last three games he has gotten 10 rebounds twice now. Against Guymon he had a block and two three steals, each of which tied his previous single game bests this season.
Senior Dawson Williams had himself a game Friday night, recording a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds against Liberal. It was his best game of season points-wise, as his previous-best in a game had been his 11 against Eisenhower.
The Red Demons boys basketball team is next in action against Maize in the 2018 Tournament of Champions.
That game takes place at 7p.m. Thursday night, and is in United Wireless Arena.
