Men's Basketball Win Over Garden City

Fort Hays Tech Northwest Men's Basketball secured its fifth conference win Wednesday evening with a hard-fought 87-82 victory over the Garden City Broncbusters.

The Tigers set the tone early, jumping out to a 16-8 lead by the 13-minute mark. They effectively controlled the paint on both ends, capitalizing on inside opportunities when their perimeter shots weren't falling. Garden City, however, battled back, trimming the deficit to just two points at 30-32 with two minutes left in the half. Fort Hays Tech then responded with a 9-2 run, heading into the break with a 41-32 advantage. Sophomore Chase Harris led all scorers at the half with an impressive 20 points.

The second half saw a shift in momentum, as the Broncbusters found their rhythm offensively. Their three-point shooting improved significantly, jumping from 15.4% in the first half to 41.2% in the second. Meanwhile, the Tigers continued to struggle from beyond the arc. Garden continued to slowly chip away at the lead, closing the gap to 60-57 with 12 minutes remaining. Fort Hays Tech took a timeout to regroup, but the Broncbusters pressed on, pulling within two at 64-62 just past the 10-minute mark. However, a thunderous two-handed dunk from Marquintez Dixon halted Garden City's momentum, forcing them to call a timeout of their own. The rest of the game would be a tight back-and-forth exchange, with the Tigers just narrowly holding on to the lead to come away with the victory, 87-82.

Chase Harris would lead the way in scoring, with a dominant 34-point, 10-rebound double-double. Marquintez Dixon would also have a big game, contributing a 13-point, 10-rebound performance, showcasing his athleticism on both ends of the floor.

Fort Hays Tech will be back in action on Saturday, taking on Cloud County Community College.