GARDEN CITY – Great Bend’s boys were primed for a titanic Western Athletic Conference basketball victory over state-ranked Garden City.
The Panthers led 37-36 after Ian Premer blocked a shot following two Tyler Stuhlsatz free throws. For nearly three quarters, the Panthers played the Buffaloes even.
But Garden City swung the momentum for a crucial 56-47 victory with a lightning quick 9-0 scoring burst. Emilio Zundt drilled a 3-pointer and created a turnover that Iziah Salinas converted into a 55-foot 3-pointer to end the third quarter for a 42-37 Buffalo lead.
“We want to take that last shot at the end of third quarter,” said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. “They hit a buzzer-beater and hit a half-court shot. If we take that last shot, maybe we take away 5-to-7 points off their scoreboard.”
The Panthers committed their third turnover in five possessions to start the fourth quarter. Salinas hit his second back-breaking 3-pointer for a 45-37 lead.
“They went bang, bang, bang, back-to-back, and it’s tough to bounce back from that,” Premer said. “Their zone is tough to pass around.”
Jacob Hall scored a basket and passed to Maddox Spray to get the Panthers within 49-45, but the Buffaloes finished with a 7-2 game-ending run.
Panther Stuhlsatz played superbly with a hustling 12-point game, six off second-chance effort. Premer (10), Carter Coombs (8) and Maddox Spray (8) contributed to the offensive effort.
The Panthers (9-7, 3-2 WAC) are tied for eighth seed in the 5A West with Hays High (9-7) and Goddard Eisenhower (9-7). The 8, 9 seeds are projected to compete in the 5A Hutchinson High substate. Great Bend is 21/2 games behind Emporia (12-5) and Topeka West (12-5).
Garden City (16-1, 5-0 WAC) earns a 2-game league lead to continue a historic basketball season that’s the greatest in the Buffaloes’ school history.
Steinmetz led the Buffaloes with 21 points, 17 in the first half. Caleb Wiese muscled for 13 points and Salinas added 12 points. Garden City outscored the Panthers 18-6 on 3-pointers.
Great Bend scored eight second-chance points to trail 31-30 at halftime fueled by 13 of 24 shooting. Premer scored seven points and Coombs and Stuhlsatz scored six in the high intensity battle.
“We attacked them, rebounded and shot the ball well,” Kriegh said.
The Panthers never solved Garden City’s defensive zone riddle with 6 of 20 shooting after halftime. Battling Garden City’s height and quickness was a challenge. The Panthers managed 2 of 11 shooting from long range.
“It’s frustrating because we played passive. As much as we talk about attacking, we didn’t do that,” Kriegh said. “We lost some confidence. We’ve got to bounce back and get better. The sun is going to shine tomorrow.”
Great Bend plays Hays-Thomas More Prep and Dodge City at home next week.
Great Bend 16 14 7 10 – 47
Garden City 14 17 11 14 – 56
GREAT BEND (9-7, 3-2)—Stuhlsatz 4-9 4-4 12, Premer 4-11 0-0 10, Coombs 3-7 2-2 8, Hall 3-6 1-1 7, Council 1-2 0-0 2, Scheuerman 0-3 0-0 0, Totals 19-44 7-8 47
GARDEN CITY (16-1, 5-0)—Steinmetz 7-12 4-5 21, Wiese 6-9 1-4 13, Salinas 5-8 0-1 12, Zundt 2-5 0-0 5, Underwood 2-7 1-2 5, Davis 0-2 0-0 0, Burns 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 22-44 6-12 56
3-pointers—GB 2-11 (Premer 2-4, Spray 0-1, Scheuerman 0-2, Coombs 0-4); GC 6-14 (Steinmetz 3-5, Salinas 2-3, Zundt 1-4, Davis 0-1, Burns 0-1)
