BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
EMPORIA — The Emporia Spartans swung the early momentum with full-court pressure. The Spartan girls finished off the pesky Great Bend Panthers 57-32 fueled by eight 3-pointers.
Emporia (2-2) held a 13-6 lead after one quarter, and secured a 31-11 halftime lead keyed by a 15-0 first-half advantage on 3-pointers. Emporia's Grace Gilpin converted a trio of 3-pointers and scored 15 first-half points. Macey Adams converted a pair of first-half 3-pointers.
The Spartans took charge with a 15-0 scoring run for a 21-6 lead. The Panthers missed all six 3-pointers and committed 13 first-half turnovers. Candice Smith scored six first-half points and Taryn Warren and Sydney Unruh contributed assists.
Great Bend (3-2) adjusted its perimeter defense after halftime, well after the game was decided. The Spartans converted 3 of 7 3-pointers after halftime.
"They were getting open shots and they have good shooters," said Great Bend coach Cindy Beck. "We have to adjust. We have to get a hand in their faces."
The Spartans gained extra possessions by forcing 21 Panther turnovers that led to a few easy transition baskets. Gilpin scored 20 points and Rebecca Snyder worked inside for 10 points.
Beck saw the Panthers improve individually on defensive concepts, but the team concept of defense was lacking. The Panthers were slow to react to shooters and didn't show enough ball pressure.
"We've talked a lot on our individual defense, but we need to continue to grow," Beck said. "We need to have help-side defense and we have to work on better ball awareness."
As usual, sparkplug Sydney Unruh led a better second half with 10 points after halftime, including a pair of 3-pointers. Halle Latham continued to show flashes of brilliance with four free throws after drawing four shooting fouls. The Panthers worked hard to earn quality shots, but the 21 turnovers were too much to overcome.
The Panthers play Garden City Jan. 8 in a Western Athletic Conference opener to start a three-game homestand.
EMPORIA GIRLS 57, GREAT BEND 32
Great Bend 6 7 8 13 — 32
Emporia 13 18 19 7 — 57
GREAT BEND (3-2)—Sydney Unruh 4-11 0-1 10, Sadie Spray 2-3 1-3 5, Taryn Warren 0-2 2-2 2, Ashlyn Harbaugh 0-0 2-2 2, Halle Latham 0-2 4-8 4, Allyson Kaiser 1-2 0-0 3, Candice Smith 3-5 0-0 6, Totals 10-25 9-16 32
EMPORIA (2-2)—Gilpin 5-10 2-2 15, Kirmer 2-5 1-1 5, Christensen 1-1 0-0 3, Adams 2-7 0-0 6, Peak 3-3 0-0 6, Stewart 2-3 0-0 5, Baker 0-2 2-2 2, Snyder 5-9 0-7 10, Garcia 0-2 0-0 0, Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 22-48 5-12 57
3-pointers—GB 3-11 (Unruh 2-6, Kaiser 1-1, Latham 0-2, Warren 0-1, Smith 0-1), E 8-19 (Gilpin 4-8, Adams 2-6, Christensen 1-1, Stewart 1-2, Baker 0-2)
