BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
LARNED — Great Bend's pressure defense set the tone for the Panthers' dominating 46-21 basketball victory over Larned's girls.
The 5A Panthers sprinted to a 13-2 lead behind several early steals and never looked back, the start Great Bend coach Cindy Beck wanted to see. Larned converted 7 of 28 field goals, 25% to go with 23 turnovers.
"We talked about wanting to have a high-energy start," Beck said. "We came out quick and got our hands on a lot of basketballs. Our press is our best offense at times. Defensively, we played well. I'm excited for the girls."
As usual, Washburn signee Sadie Spray was in the middle of the defensive pressure with a team leading 16 points and six free throws by attacking the basket.
It was also Emilee Hall's night to shine as she chipped in 10 points off 5-of-6 shooting to go with a trio of steals.
"Emilee is an unselfish player who works hard for her team," Beck said. "Emilee has a nice inside game and jump shot."
Jillian Reimer chipped in seven points. Defensive wizard Makenzie Premer ignited the quick start with two of her three steals.
Larned (1-4) continues to show steady progress. The Indians kept the basketball moving and rarely dribbled into trouble. On offense, the Indians showed off crisp ball movement. Akielah Collins scored seven points and Brooks Simmons added four points. The Indians need to convert their offensive progress into points.
"Great Bend's zone bothered us and their pressure bothered us," said Larned coach Jerrod Smith. "Our girls play looking down too much and don't keep their eyes up. We're not real good at one-on-one play yet, but we will get there."
Larned's half-court defense held solid, making the Panthers work at the offensive end.
Coach Smith liked what he saw.
"I was pleased with our defensive effort," Smith said. "We held Great Bend under their scoring average but we again, didn't shoot it well."
Great Bend (4-1) travels to Emporia (3-1) Friday.
Great Bend 16 10 10 10 — 46
Larned 7 4 3 7 — 21
GREAT BEND (4-1)—Spray 5-12 6-10 16, Hall 5-6 0-0 10, Reimer 2-3 3-4 7, McCauley 2-7 0-0 5, Thexton 1-4 2-2 4, Bryant 1-6 2-2 4, Premer 0-3 0-0 0, Totals 46.
LARNED (1-4)— Collins 3-8 1-2 7, Simmons 1-2 2-4 4, Wachs 1-1 1-2 3, Pinkston 1-2 0-0 3, Crosby 1-5 1-1 3, Reynolds 0-5 0-0 0, Reinert 0-2 0-0 0, Holt 0-1 1-2 1, Hagerman 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 7-28 6-11 21.
3-pointers—GB 1-9 (McCaul1y 1-5, Spray 0-4), L 1-8 (Pinkston 1-2, Holt 0-1, Hagerman 0-1, Reinert 0-1, Crosby 0-2)
