Hays is 10-0 against Liberal since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Hays Indians will head out on the road to take on the Liberal Redskins at 8:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
After a string of five wins, Hays' good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 56-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of McPherson. Hays has not had much luck with McPherson recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Meanwhile, Liberal's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight defeat. They fell 60-47 to Garden City.
Liberal's defeat came about despite a quality game from Zayden Martinez, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds. Martinez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of J. Brooks Kappelmann, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Hays' loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-6. As for Liberal, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.
Everything came up roses for Hays against Liberal when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 61-26 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hays since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
