San Marcos — It’s always nice to have size inside.

It’s even better when a big, bruising post player pours in baskets when a team’s outside shooters are off the mark.

Such was the scenario Tuesday night at The Snake Pit, as junior post D.J. Gardner’s 24-point performance lifted the Rattlers to a 64-52 District 17-4A win over the Hays Rebels.

Gardner, who stands 6-5 and weighs in at 280-plus pounds, was on when the Rattlers needed him most. His 10 points in the first quarter kept the Rattlers (11-10, 2-0 17-4A) in the thick of the game when the team missed its first six 3-point attempts, as Hays hit its first three to jump out to a 21-14 lead after the first quarter.

Gardner continued to make things happen inside and out. When the Rebel defense collapsed, Gardner did a good job finding an open outside shooter. It was Gardner’s second straight 24-point showing, but SMHS head coach Rob Shivers credited the junior post’s selfless play was a big key to the Rattlers’ win.

“We always need to get him his touches because the thing about D.J. is that he’s an unselfish kid and he’ll kick the ball out when he’s doubled,” Shivers said. “He’s not going to force a shot. He understands it doesn’t matter who shoots, but what kind of shot we get. So the ball needs to go to him because he makes the game easy for everyone else by giving us quality possessions.”

Hays freshman Caleb Kimbro hit the Rebels’ first two 3-pointers, as junior Brandon Alvarado hit Hays’ third trey with 1:40 left in the first. Forrest Miller then opened the second quarter with an 8-footer, giving the Rebels their biggest lead of game at 23-14.

“Kimbro and Alvarado were extremely good shooters. We knew that going in, and those are the two guys we kept giving open looks,” Shivers said. “So there was a little defensive lapse at the beginning of the game getting out to cover them. Our defensive focus wasn’t very good early and Hays a did a great job moving the ball around and getting easy shots too.”

The Rattlers finally canned a 3-pointer when Hunter Burttschell drained a deep shot two minutes into the second quarter.

“We just had poor shot selection in the first half,” Shivers said. “We got caught up in shooting a shot just to shoot a shot, and not worrying whether or not it was a good or bad shot.”

But Gardner’s hard work inside continued to pay off, pushing his way into the paint for another pair of inside baskets that trimmed the Rebels’ lead to 25-21.

SMHS senior Chris Threadgill’s aggressive play paid off when he slashed through the paint for an easy lay-up, followed by a steal and a fast-break lay-up that evened the score at 25-all.

But thanks in part to another 3-pointer from Alvarado, Hays was able to take a 32-30 lead into the half.

San Marcos’ shot selection and shooting improved after half-time, as the Snakes opened the third with a 12-3 run that gave them a 42-35 lead and put the team in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.

“I think they picked up the intensity and defense in the third quarter,” Hays head coach Kris Fuller said. “We missed a couple of shots and made a couple of turnovers and in a competitive game like this, those are the things that will cost you.”

SMHS upped its lead to 15 points when sophomore guard Colin Hart ripped a 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:20 left in the game.

The Rebels displayed determination by cutting San Marcos’ lead to nine with a 6-0 run, but Threadgill dashed any hopes of a comeback when he maneuvered his way through the paint and scooped in a shot with 1:45 remaining. The Rattlers closed out the game with a 6-0 run, thanks in part to a pair of steals from senior Josh Juarez.

“Chris played aggressively throughout the game and I think Josh really gave us a boost with his energy off the bench,” Shivers said.

For Gardner, it was his second 24-point showing after scoring the same last weekend at Elgin, while Threadgill was good for 14 points and Hart came through with 10 points. Burttschell finished with nine, Juarez scored four.

Kimbro led the Rebels with 15 points, while Miller was the second Rebel in double figures with 13.

Hays head coach Kris Fuller said he was pleased with his team’s showing, realizing his starting line-up is one of the youngest in the district with a freshman, two sophomores and a pair of juniors.

“We’re really young, but they’re getting better,” Fuller said. “They still need to learn how to pick up their intensity when it’s needed. You better step up at those times of the game when it counts.”

The Rattlers are back in action Friday night with a 7 p.m. game against Lockhart, while the Rebels will host district favorite Del Valle, which is currently ranked No. 14 in Class 4A with a 15-5 record.



Rattler JV wins close one

In sub-varsity action, the SMHS junior-varsity held off the Rebels for a 43-42 win, upping their record to 4-11 on the season. Pena led the Rattlers with 12 points, while Machado threw in eight.

The freshman A team scored a 49-34 win over Hays, while the freshman B team suffered a 56-51 loss to the Rebels.



District 17-4A Varsity Boys

Hays (4-16, 0-2) 21 11 9 11 — 52

SMHS (11-10, 2-0) 14 16 18 16 — 64

Hays: Caleb Kimbro 15, Forrest Miller 13, John Efflom 9, Brandon Alvarado 9, Greg Cadenhead 4, Granger Studdard 2.

San Marcos: D.J. Gardner 24, Chris Threadgill 14, Colin Hart 10, Hunter Burttschell 9, Josh Juarez 4, Allex Austin 3.

Next — San Marcos at Lockhart, Friday, 7 p.m.; Del Valle at Hays, Friday, 7 p.m.