Harker's heroics lift Garden City into Second Round

Garden City, KS-Boston Harker to the rescue. 

The super sophomore poured in a season-high 29 points including the game-winning jumper with four seconds remaining in overtime, and Garden City escaped with a heart-stopping, 88-86 victory over Independence in the first round of the Region VI Tournament Saturday night at Conestoga Arena. 

Harker's dramatics helped the Broncbusters erase a six-point overtime deficit pushing Isaiah Tisdale's team into the second round Tuesday night at Coffeyville. 

Chris Dockery finished with 27 points for Independence, which closed the season 12-19 overall. 

Things looked bleak for Garden City late in regulation. Leading by five with just over a minute to go, Antonio Chol committed his fifth foul hitting the shooting hand of Trashaun Combs-Pierce as he drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key. He hit the ensuing free throw to pull the Pirates to within one. 

After Caleb Smith's two free throws gave the Broncbusters a 78-75 lead with 16 seconds left, the Pirates answered in resounding fashion. Dockery curled down the left baseline; then kicked out for Combs-Pierce, who drained the game-tying triple from the top of the arc. 

Garden City then escaped disaster after Emmanuel Manyuon turned the ball over, giving Independence a chance to win it in regulation. But Combs-Pierce's 27-footer at the buzzer sailed wide right sending the game into overtime. 

This is where Independence will be kicking themselves all offseason. 

The Pirates built an 86-80 lead after Dockery hit two free throws with 2:24 left. But the Broncbusters responded with a Smith layup and two Manyuon free throws to pull them within two. After Tyland Holdman missed two shots from the line, Harker grabbed the rebound and went coast-to-coast banking home a twisting right hander that knotted the score at 86. 

With a second extra session looming, the Pirates had a chance to go back on top in the waning seconds, but Jahmari Hamilton-Brown missed a four-footer in the paint. 

That gave Garden City one last crack, and Harker delivered with a fallaway 17-footer from the right slot with 4.6 seconds on the clock. 

Manyuon finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists for Garden City, which improved to 18-13 overall. Chol had 17 points in 38 minutes, and Josiah Sabino chipped in 10 off the bench. Smith tallied nine points and 11 boards. 

This game definitely had that postseason feel. There were 12 lead changes and 10 ties with the Broncbusters going up by as many 11 when Harker hit a reverse layup to make it 58-47 with 12:07 remaining in the second half. 

It was nearly two years ago to the day when Independence's Kam Parker hit a game-tying 3-pointer from the wing to force overtime in the opening round of the 2022-23 Region VI Tournament. The Pirates eventually won 82-78 in overtime.