By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
It was high-level basketball on both ends of the floor Saturday between No. 2 Fort Hays State and No. 22 Missouri Western in the first half.
The teams went blow-for-blow and the Griffons gave the Tigers all they could handle in the first two quarters.
Missouri Western (12-3, 6-3 MIAA) trailed by just one point at halftime after six ties and four lead changes, but a 16-2 run to open the second half lifted Fort Hays State to a 74-61 win on Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
"Super disappointed in the third quarter start," Missouri Western coach Candi Whitaker said. "On defense, absolute zero communication, which is controllable. The difference is, they don't have me in their ear. They have to do it themselves in the third quarter, and they didn't."
The Griffons regathered themselves somewhat, scoring 13 points over the final 5:41 of the third quarter after just two points in the first 4:19 after halftime.
Still, Fort Hays State (15-1, 9-1 MIAA) led 55-43 entering the fourth, behind a 10-of-13 shooting effort in the third, and the Tigers eventually led 67-47 with 5:19 to go.
The Griffons did not quit, reeling off a 14-3 run to get to within 70-61 with 49 seconds left. Missouri Western, however, missed a number of free throws, and ran out of time down the stretch.
The Griffons were just 6-of-13 at the free throw line in the second half and 12-of-21 for the game. Missouri Western was also just 6-of-24 on two-point field goals in the second half.
"There's so much opportunity there," Whitaker said. "You have to make layups and you have to make free throws. You hope you shoot it better from the arc, but those two things have to be there consistently."
Freshman Josie Weishaar led the way for Western, tying her career-high with 16 points to go with five rebounds and two steals.
Connie Clarke and Brionna Budgets each had nine points for the Griffons. Jaelyn Haggard made a pair of second half threes and finished with seven points. Clarke and Corbyn Cunningham, two starters and two of the top scorers, spent a lot of time on the bench Saturday, as they each picked up a couple of early fouls.
Mound City native Kameron Freemyer played a season-high 20 minutes, scoring two points and collecting two rebounds.
"(Josie and Kameron), I thought, were just fantastic today," Whitaker said. "It speaks to their character. They haven't had that much opportunity this year and they just took advantage of it. Played with such heart and determination."
Hays was led by freshman Katie Wagner, who logged her sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Whitney Randall scored 15 points to go with four steals, while Olivia Hollenbeck scored 14.
Western will begin a three-game road trip on Thursday when they go to Wichita to play Newman (2-14, 0-10 MIAA). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.