By KLINT SPILLER
The Hays Daily News
VICTORIA -- Even though his team didn't pull off the upset, Victoria prep boys' basketball coach Stuart Moeckel said Friday's 65-58 loss to Macksville showed that his team can play with the top teams in Class 1A.
The Knights (7-9), who have lost five straight, led for a majority of the game, and Macksville (13-3), ranked No. 5 in 1A, needed a fiery fourth-quarter performance.
Victoria's loss came only three days after a narrow loss to another top 1A program -- Bushton-Quivira Heights, which is ranked No. 2 in 1A.
"The one thing we can take away is that we played the No. 4 team in the state, and we played them really, really well," Moeckel said. "We have been struggling with confidence, and we've been telling our kids that our record isn't indicative of how good we are."
Macksville coach Jeff Kuckelman said he was not surprised at all by Victoria's performance.
"I knew they were better than their record indicated," Kuckelman said. "I knew that they've got some talent. They haven't quite put it together, but they certainly put it together tonight."
Victoria exploded offensively, shooting 51 percent from the field.
The Knights had a six-point lead with 6:13 remaining, but a Victoria cold streak and a Macksville hot streak made the Knights' lead evaporate as Victoria was outscored 22-11 in the fourth quarter.
"We always try to start with a little fire, and we certainly did that tonight," Moeckel said. "We are just going to have to get better at finishing games off."
Victoria senior center Garrett Dreiling fought through double- and triple-teams throughout the game as he posted a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
"I'm used to that," Dreiling said.
"Everyone we play tries to double- or triple-team me. It gives some of my teammates a chance to make some shots."
Three of Dreiling's teammates also reached double-digit scoring.
Senior forward Austin Roth, who also won homecoming king at halftime, made 6-of-8 shots and scored 14 points.
"I thought it was one of my better performances of the year, but I know I can improve still, and we can improve as a team," Roth said.
Junior forward Kameron Dinkel and junior guard Colin Schmidtberger added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Victoria's defense stifled Macksville throughout the game, and the Mustangs were held to 38 percent shooting.
However, Macksville's full-court press forced multiple Victoria mistakes as the Knights committed 22 turnovers to the Mustangs' 10.
"The press was causing them fits just to even get it up the court," Kuckelman said. "I thought they rushed a little bit in their offense, and they took some shots they didn't want to take."
Victoria started the game hot, making 13-of-23 field goals in the first half and went into the locker room with a 35-28 lead.
The Mustangs turned the ball over only twice in the second half and narrowed the Knights' lead to 47-43 going into the fourth quarter.
Macksville senior forward Garrett Aves made two consecutive baskets midway through the fourth quarter to boost the Mustangs over the Knights for the first time since the second quarter, and sophomore guard Adam Oak made 5-of-6 free throws with a minute remaining to hold off a Victoria comeback.
Senior guard Marc Renfro led the Mustangs in scoring with 19 points, while junior forward Kyle Bunker added 14 points.
"It is still big," Dreiling said. "We are all happy about our performance. We didn't get the 'W,' but we almost did."
