BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Great Bend's Ian Premer had a chance for a memorable moment.
Like most of the Panthers' attempts from long range, Premer's potential game-winning and game-tying 3-pointers missed the mark in a 58-55 setback to unbeaten Garden City in Friday's Western Athletic Conference basketball opener.
Premer's first attempt from the corner was a quality open shot. His second try was a last-second desperation attempt that bounced off the rim. Great Bend elected to try quick shots when the Buffaloes had fouls to take in the final seconds.
The WAC showdown featured a high-energy matchup from start-to-finish. Great Bend converted 4 of 21 on 3-pointers to miss a golden opportunity to upset the 6A state-ranked Buffaloes.
Braylon Council hit a 3-pointer and Jacob Hall scored and fed an assist to Tyler Stuhlsatz to slice a 7-point deficit to 56-55. Jake Underwood's free throw gave the Buffaloes a 57-55 lead before Premer's final 3-point attempts.
The Panthers (3-4, 0-1 WAC) faced a challenge against the Buffaloes' imposing defense, which prevented Great Bend from attempting any free throws after halftime.
"I was proud of our guys. We got stops and scrapped," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "Ian had tears in his eyes. We converted a layup and Braylon Council hit a 3-pointer to give us a chance. We need to attack better to get to the free throw line."
No. 9 state ranked Garden City (8-0, 1-0) last started 8-0 in 1949-1950. A tall and aggressive frontline was keyed by Caleb Wiese (18 points) along with Kolten Davis (9) and Underwood (8). Leading scorer Jace Steinmetz (15) worked hard against superb denial defense by Council. The Buffaloes attempted 28 free throws to 11 by the Panthers.
"Braylon was outsized, but we did a tremendous defensive job on Steinmetz," Kriegh said.
The Panthers' Stuhlsatz hit a pair of 3-pointers and Council hit a 3-pointer for a 18-9 lead. Great Bend's 3-of-14 second-period shooting ended with a 30-30 halftime tie. The Buffaloes swung the momentum with nine second-chance points to start the third period. Wiese scored twice, Underwood scored and Steinmetz hit a second-chance 3-pointer for a 41-34 lead.
The Buffaloes' offensive rebounding keyed the second-half surge.
"We tried to box out, but Garden City had length that made a difference," Kriegh said.
The Panthers meet the WAC's defending champion Hays Indians (4-4, 1-0 WAC) at home Tuesday, trying to avoid losing two home games against the league co-favorites.
Garden City 12 18 16 12 — 58
Great Bend 18 12 11 14 — 55
GARDEN CITY (8-0, 1-0)—Wiese 7-13 4-8 18, Steinmetz 4-10 5-6 15, Davis 4-5 0-0 9, Underwood 3-6 2-6 8, Zundt 0-4 5-6 5, Salinas 1-2 1-2 3, Totals 19-40 17-28 58
GREAT BEND (3-4, 0-1)—Stuhlsatz 5-8 0-0 12, Premer 4-12 3-4 11, Hall 5-6 0-1 10, Council 2-6 2-2 8, Spray 3-10 0-0 7, Coombs 2-9 1-2 6, Scheuerman 0-2 1-2 1, Totals 21-53 7-11 55
3-pointers—GC 3-9 (Steinmetz 2-5, Davis 1-2, Zundt 0-2), GB 4-21 (Stuhlsatz 2-4, Council 1-3, Coombs 1-7, Scheuerman 0-1, Spray 0-2, Premer 0-4)
