By Kyle Lehnick
A 2-1 mark in the Rebel Classic tournament allowed the host Hays Rebels boys basketball team to clinch a third place finish over the weekend.
The Rebels began the tournament by beating Smithson Valley 77-67 in their opening game of pool play.
Hays then played as not-so-gracious hosts to Rio Grand City Thursday afternoon, thumping the Rattlers 67-40.
Rebel senior Jake Krafka, listed at 6’6”, led the team in scoring by racking up 24 points with four rebounds and two assists against Rio Grande City. Krafka made 11 of 12 shots from field goal range.
Hays out-sized and out-matched Rio Grand City for the most part, making it difficult for the visiting Rattlers to move the ball. The Rebels shot 53 percent from the field as a team, while taking significantly more shot attempts than Rio Grand City.
Head coach Sam Lunz said it was “nice” to open the tournament with the two wins, but that the team has “so much stuff we need to work on.”
“This game (Rio Grand City), we did a much better job talking defensively, moving and being active,” Lunz said. “We still need to understand the kind of things we’re trying to accomplish defensively and be able to execute them. Especially down the stretch.”
But Hays fell 65-58 to Pflugerville Connally Cougars in its game on Friday.
The Rebels fell to an early 21-9 deficit against Connally, but rallied back before halftime.
Hays trailed Connally 34-29 at intermission, but couldn’t catch up to the Cougars in the second half.
Hays attempted 10 fewer two-point shots in its game against Connally than its season average thus far.
The loss placed the Rebels into a third place game with Aggieland Homeschool on Saturday.
In the bronze medal game, the Rebels took a 35-26 lead into halftime and held on for a 63-56 win.
The early season tournament provided an opportunity for coaches to get many of their players some needed floor experience. Lunz said he opted to give his bench players the chance to play.
“We’ve used a lot of a guys off the bench early here in the season,” Lunz said. “The more experience for the younger guys and guys that didn’t see the court too much last year, the better off we’ll be further down the road.”
Plano West claimed the Rebel Classic championship by defeating Pflugerville Connally in the Gold Bracket championship game.
Hays starts district play Dec. 9 at Lehman.
