On Dec. 2-4 2011, the De Soto High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both took part in the 29th Annual Hays City Shootout.

 The boys’ basketball placed second in the tourney after falling to a tough team from Kearney, Neb.

 One of the major challenges that the boys’ basketball team faced was the fact that they were playing teams that they have never previously encountered.

 “We played with a lot of inexperience, so we didn’t know what we were going to get out of it,” Rice said.

 In spite of the challenges, Rice was pleased with his team’s performance and specifically with how senior Mason Wedel stepped up his game in the first action of the season.

 “He (Wedel) averaged 23.5 points a game. And in the three games that we played he had two turnovers. He also averaged five rebounds,”Rice said.

 Wedel, along with fellow seniors T.J. Crow and Joey Johnson were named to the all-tournament team. Crow was also the winner of the Hot-Shot contest for the boys.

 The girls’ team lost its first game against Thomas Moore Prep-Marian, but turned it around and won its next two games against Great Bend High School and Colby High School to finish the tournament in fifth place.

 “Thomas More Prep-Marian was the State champion two years ago and took fourth in State last year. Great Bend is a 5A school, and Colby had a very good group of scorers,” head coach Jim Bonar said.

 Freshman Meghan Bonar was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 6.0 blocks per game.