Red Demons hold off Eagles in 44-43 win
The Dodge City Red Demons girls basketball team fended off a second-half rally by the Hugoton Eagles Tuesday night, earning a 44-43 win.
Overall, the Red Demons girls basketball team is now 2-1 through its first three games.
Red Demon junior Ezinne Okoro had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. She was 4 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Dodge City freshman Kisa Unruh recorded a game-high 14 points. She also had seven rebounds and a team-high two blocks.
The Red Demons trailed 9-8 after the first quarter ended, but outscored the Eagles 19-9 in the second quarter to take a nine-point lead into halftime, with the score 27-18.
“I thought that we played well in the first half,” Red Demons head coach Kelley Snodgrass said. “I think our defense was key. We really shut them down, and then we found each other offensively, so (the) first half was good.”
Hugoton, however, was not about to go quietly. The Eagles outscored the Red Demons 10-8 in the third quarter and 15-9 in the fourth, falling just short of completing the comeback.
Snodgrass said it felt good to get the win.
“We need that confidence builder,” Snodgrass said. “Hugoton is a great program and they’re very well coached, so they’re battling injuries but we felt very fortunate in that tough atmosphere to come away with the win.”
A positive for the Red Demons was that they withstood the run the Eagles made in the end. The Demons also came through with key free throws at the end of the game.
Overall, Snodgrass said it was a total team-effort to get the win.
“I’m very pleased with how the girls played and the fact that we got away with the win,” Snodgrass said. “We’ll have to work a little bit harder on our turnovers and minimizing those, but part of that comes with youth and then hopefully when we get in better shape that will minimize that as well.”
The Red Demons return home for their next game, hosting Eisenhower at 6 p.m. Friday in the Dodge City High School Field House.
Red Demons boys basketball team prevails in overtime for first win of season
The Dodge City Red Demons boys basketball team earned its first win of the season Tuesday, beating the Hugoton Eagles in overtime 78-75 in Hugoton, Kansas.
The win moved the boys team to 1-2 overall this season.
The Red Demons shot 52 percent from the field in second half and held the Eagles to 30 percent shooting from the field in the same span to overcome a 42-35 halftime deficit, ultimately leading to a 70-70 score going into overtime.
From there, the Red Demons prevailed despite only shooting 1 of 3 from the field and 0 of 1 from beyond the arc. The Eagles, meanwhile, shot 2 of 7 from the field and also shot 0 of 1 from 3-point territory in the overtime period.
A key difference in the extra period, however, was free throws. The Eagles made 1 of 2 in overtime, but the Red Demons hit 6 of 9.
Hugoton’s Mitchell Hamlin had a game-high 28 points and game high eight rebounds.
The Red Demons were led by seniors Kaden Riekenberg and Hunter Heath who each had 12 points in the Red Demon win.
Junior Noah Sowers and sophomore John Johnson each had a team-high seven rebounds, with Sowers having a team-high eight assists. Sowers also finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points Tuesday night.
The Red Demons return home for their next game, hosting Eisenhower at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Dodge City High School Field House.
