BUFFS ROUNDUP: Wednesday, January 22, 2020
BOYS SWIMMING
For the fifth time in six meets, the Garden City High School boys swimming team brought home the first-place trophy, this time on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the Hays Invitational.
It was a big and impressive victory for the Buffaloes, rolling up 569 points while winning 9 of the 11 events. Junction City was a distant second with 387 points while WAC opponents Dodge City (371), Hays (334) and Liberal (204) rounded out the team scoring.
First, the Buffs swept all three relays, capturing the 200-yard medley relay with Kobe Otero, Jeremiah Bunce, Connor Cupp and Nate Morren clocking a time of 1:52.68. The 200-yard freestyle relay unit of Bunce, Cupp, Joel Contrarez and Morren won the event with a time of 1:40.64 while the 400-yard freestyle squad topped the event in 3:45.94 behind the effort of Devin Chappel, Otero, Contrarez and Esai Morales.
Individually, Chappel captured the 200-yard freestyle in 2:00.45 and then clocked a state consideration time of 5:32.48 in the 500-yard freestyle. Otero earned a state automatic qualifying time in the 100-yard backstroke when he finished with a time of 59.50 seconds.
“We have been working on those two events pretty hard in practice and it felt good to reach them with a few meets left to focus on other areas,” head coach Brian Watkins said.
Bunce captured a pair of gold medals in the 100-yard butterfly in 57.52 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle in 53.44 seconds. Following Otero in the 100-yard backstroke in second and third for a clean sweep were Esai Morales (1:03.55) and Peter Hall (1:10.44). In all, the Buffs had 15 top three placings in the relay and individual events.
The Buffs will travel Saturday, Jan. 25, to the Wichita Heights Invitational. The meet begins at 10 a.m.
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at Hays
Team Scores: 1. Garden City, 569; 2. Junction City, 387; 3. Dodge City, 371; 4. Hays, 334; 5. Liberal, 204.
Individual: 200y medley relay: 1. (Otero, Bunce, Cupp, Morren), 1:52.68; 200y free: 1. Chappel, 2:00.45; 3. Contrarez, 2:08.11; 50y free: 3. Bunce, 24.37; 100y butterfly: 1. Cupp, 57.52; 100y free: 1. Bunce, 53.44; 500y free: 1. Chappel, 5:32.48; 3. Hoff, 6:21.57; 200y free relay: 1. (Bunce, Cupp, Contrarez, Morren), 1:40.64; 100y back: 1. Otero, 59.50; 2. Morales, 1:03.55; 3. Hall, 1:10.44; 100y breast: 2. Cupp, 1:10.21; 3. Durst, 1:16.63; 400y free relay: 1. (Chappel, Otero, Contrarez, Morales), 3:45.94.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Playing their final game before heading to the Newton Invitational on Jan. 30-31 and Feb. 1, the Garden City Lady Buffaloes basketball team topped the Ulysses Lady Tigers, 54-40, in a non-league game on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at The Garden.
The Buffs got off to a sluggish start, leading just 10-8 after one quarter and 21-16 at halftime. It was a 17-8 third period that gave the Buffs some breathing room, as they were able to take 38-24 lead into the final eight minutes. Both teams notched 16 points in that stanza for the final 14-point margin.
Nateara Beasley led the Lady Buffs scoring with 13 points, including a stellar 8-of-8 effort at the free throw line. Amaya Gallegos added 11 to the winning cause.
Tuesday’s victory improved the Lady Buffs season record to 7-3 and they stand 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. It also marked the second straight game for the final score to be the same, having duplicated that score last Friday in a home win over Hays High.
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Ulysses 8 8 8 16 — 40
Garden City 10 11 17 16 — 54
Garden City (7-3/2-1) — Beasley 2 8-8 13, Becerril 1 0-0 2, Franco 1 5-9 7, Gallegos 5 1-4 11, Simmons 2 2-2 6, Meng 3 2-2 8, Turner 2 2-2 7. Totals 16 20-27 54.
3-point goals: Beasley 1, Turner 1.
Garden City High School 