The Great Bend Panthers played their best football of the season for three quarters against state-ranked Class 5A powerhouse Salina South.Great Bend coach Tony Crough knew the only way the Panthers would qualify for the Class 5A playoffs was to beat the Cougars by 14 points due to the 21-point tiebreaker.The Panthers built a 21-14 lead by scoring on the final play of the first half and adding two third-quarter touchdowns. The Panthers were able to keep the pressure on defensively for three periods.At that point, the Panthers had outplayed and outcoached the Cougars from Salina.But the third-ranked Salina South Cougars outscored the Panthers 21-0 in the fourth period to pull away for a 35-21 playoff-clinching victory over Great Bend at Memorial Stadium. "That's as well as we've played football all season.