S U N D AY, M A R C H 6 , 2 0 1 6

2C

L&T

Sports

sports@hpleader.com

Epic comeback
sends Redskins to
state tournament
Redskins give up 7 3s
in the first half, hold
Maize to 2 in 2nd half
By EARL WATT
Leader &Times
The Redskins couldnt have slowed
down if they wanted to after coming
back from 12 points down and tying
Maize with 5:04 to play in the SubState Championship in The Big
House friday.
The Redskins continued to push to
the basket, and after some late
drama, the Redskins didnt put the
game out of reach until the final 16
seconds, and a frenzied Big House
erupted when the final seconds
ticked off the clock, and Liberal
advanced to the Class 5A State
Tournament with a 61-55 win.
Comebacks have been the cornerstone of the Redskins season, having
to get an overtime win in Garden
City, a double overtime win against
Guymon and a triple overtime win
against Hays earlier this season.
Liberal had to come from behind
in Dodge City to earn the Western
Athletic Conference championship,
and Wednesday, they had to come
from behind after a slow start against
Ark City to advance to the Sub-State
title game against Maize.
Why would this game be any
different?
Austin Oehmis hit a three-pointer
for Maize with 3:31 to lay in the
third quarter, the eighth three
pointer in the game for the Eagles,
and Liberal trailed 43-31.

THE COMEBACK

Kylan Thomas challenges a Maize defender in the first quarter Friday in the Sub-State championship.Thomas
scored 15 points, and the Redskins came back from 12 down to earn a 61-55 win and advanced to the Class 5A
State Tournament that begins Wednesday in Topeka. L&T photo/Earl Watt

But the Redskins clawed their way

back, starting with a basket from
Deladris Green.
After a defensive stop, Green
again took a shot but was fouled, and
he made one of two free throws.
Liberals defense continued to
deny Maize from making a basket,

Hinkle: I forgot how

much fun this can be
By EARL WATT
Leader &Times
For coaches, winning is more of a
relief than a moment of joy.
Coach Scott Hinkle, who jokingly
asked throughout the year if his team
liked him after having to win three
overtime games and having to come
from behind in several others has
certainly felt the pressure.
But for a few moments Friday
night in The Big House, Hinkle was
able to smile, hug players and fans
and enjoy a special moment after the

Redskins rallied from a 12-point

second half deficit to knock off
Maize for the Sub-State championship and get a chance to compete
in the Class 5A State Tournament
Wednesday in Topeka.
I forgot how good this felt,
Hinkle said. The kids are resilient.
We were down big and could have
folded our tent. I couldnt be more
proud. Ive sen these kids mature
and grow and get tough and strong
when I didnt think they would at
I See REDSKINS/Page 4C

Liberal coach Scott Hinkle celebrates with Deladris Green after the
Redskins came from behind to defeat Maize 61-55 and advance to the
Class 5A State Tournament. For Hinkle, it was one of a few moments
that coaches get to enjoy. L&T photo/Earl Watt

and for two minutes, neither team

scored until Timothy Fitzgerald hit a
runner down the baseline and was
fouled. He missed the free throw,
but the 12-point lead was down to
seven.
Another defensive stop gave the
Redskins the ball, and Liberal coach
Scott Hinkle opted to go for the final
shot of the period. The ball ended up
in the hands of Fitzgerald in the
corner, and he drained a threepointer at the buzzer to complete an
8-0 Redskin run and cut the Maize
lead to four, 43-39.
Jacob Schultz made two free
throws for the Eagle to push the lead
back to six early in the fourth
quarter, but Fitzgerald stroked
another three-point shot with 6:52 to
play, and the Redskins cut the lead to
three.
Drake Spence made a shot for the
Eagles before Cole Evans made a
strong move to the basket for a shot
and was fouled. The basket was
good, and Evans made the free
throw to cut Maizes lead to two, 4745.
The Eagles tried to move the ball
around on their next possession, and
after a minute ran off the clock,
Maize attempted a pass in the lane
that went straight to Kylan Thomas
who dribbled the length of the court
and put in a lay-up to tie the game
47-47 with 5:04 to play, and The Big
House erupted.
A quick defensive stop gave the
Redskins another scoring opportunity, and after Thomas missed the
shot, Green collected the rebound
and put the ball back in the rim, and
the Redskins had a 49-47 lead, their
first since the first three minutes of
the game.
Spence tied the game with a
I See REDSKINS/Page 3C

CLASS 5A
STATE
QUALIFIERS
Goddard Eisenhower
(21-1)
Bonner Springs
(20-2)
Liberal
(17-5)
Highland Park
(16-6)
Mill Valley
(16-6)
Salina Central
(16-6)
Kapaun
(14-8)
KC Washington
(13-8)