Men's Basketball Advances to Region VI Quarterfinals

Fort Hays Tech Northwest Men's Basketball defeated Independence Community College on Saturday, 76–74, in the opening round of the Region VI Tournament.

Both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm early, with Independence striking first nearly a minute and a half into the game. Defense dominated the opening minutes, as the Pirates held a narrow 9–6 lead at the 15-minute mark. Independence slowly extended its advantage and briefly pushed the margin into double digits around the nine-minute mark before Tech began to respond. The Tigers closed the half strong, using an 8–2 run over the final two minutes to cut the deficit to 31–28, prompting the Pirates to call a timeout with 21 seconds remaining before going into halftime.

Tech carried that momentum into the second half, as Marquintez Dixon scored a dunk to give the Tigers their first lead of the game, 32–31. Independence answered two minutes later with a three-pointer, and the game remained tightly contested throughout the early portion of the half. The Tigers held a slim 43–40 advantage at the 15-minute mark before the Pirates trimmed the lead to one.

Tech responded with a 7–0 run to stretch its lead to 50–42 with 12:24 remaining. The Tigers continued to maintain control for much of the second half and extended their lead to 66–57 after back-to-back layups. Independence quickly halted Tech’s momentum, however, as a foul on a three-point attempt led to three free throws before the Pirates connected on a three-pointer on the following possession to cut the deficit to 66–63 with four minutes to play.

The Tigers remained unfazed, with Jasiah Shields immediately knocking down a three-pointer to quiet the crowd. Independence answered again at the free-throw line after Tech committed another foul from beyond the arc, trimming the score to 70–68 with 2:42 remaining. Dixon kept the Tigers in front with an and-one layup, but a turnover in the backcourt allowed the Pirates to close the gap once more, with Indy calling a timeout with 1:23 remaining.

Tech called another timeout shortly after to avoid another turnover before Independence fouled, sending Shields to the free-throw line. He converted both attempts to push the lead to 74–70 with one minute remaining. The Pirates responded with a quick layup and then fouled again, where the Tigers split a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left.

Independence scored another layup to cut the lead to 75–74 with 20 seconds left. Tech missed two free throws on the following possession, giving the Pirates a chance to take the lead. However, Independence came up empty on its opportunity, with Da’King Smith securing the rebound before being fouled. Smith made one of two free throws with 3.8 seconds left to extend the lead to two. The Pirates managed one final shot from beyond the arc, but it would glance off the backboard as time expired.

The Tigers would have four players in double figures, with Marquintez Dixon leading the way with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jasiah Shields added 17 points, Matija Otasevic scored 16, and Da’King Smith finished with 13.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the Region VI Tournament quarterfinals, where they will face the No. 2 seed Butler Community College. Tipoff is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10th, at 6:30 p.m. MT.