The Hays Highway
If anything good can come from missing the playoffs, at least the Hays High School boys basketball team can say it ended this season with a win, rallying to break-even finishes overall (16-16) and within District 26-4A (7-7).
The Rebels went on the road to beat playoff-bound Cibolo Steele, 90-83 in overtime Tuesday night.
Hays trailed by six deep into the fourth quarter, but Taylor Iberg hit a basket in the final seconds of regulation time to tie the game. Some controversy ensued as to whether Iberg's basket actually was a three-pointer that would have won the game, but the two-point ruling stood and the game went into overtime.
The Rebels subsequently dominated the overtime to end their season on a winning note. Iberg led the Rebels with 21 points.
Ryan Hacker scored 18, making 10 of 11 from the free-throw line as he picked up fouls driving to the basket. Vince Sorrells scored 11 points with five rebounds for Hays, while Patrick Pena added nine points with 11 rebounds.
Head Coach Doug Agnew’s fourth season may be his best so far. In his first two years, the Rebels finished 16-16 and 17-16 playing in Class 5A against strong programs like Westlake and Bowie. The Rebels were down last year and finished 8-23.
Agnew instituted a running style of play to encourage more participation and get more from his players this season. The improvement showed during the second pass through the district schedule, when the Rebels won five of seven games and beat three teams – New Braunfels, New Braunfels Canyon and Steele – that beat Hays on the first pass.
Now, the Rebels return six players next year who were quite active with the team this year, and the up-tempo style is a draw for athletes. Next year, the Rebels will play in District 17-4A, which, as presently constituted, contains six schools. With four teams going to the playoffs, Hays should make it past the regular season for the first time since 2000.
