Taking a break from Western Athletic Conference play, Great Bend High School’s girls basketball teams make the short trip to Larned tonight.
Great Bend’s Lady Panthers, still searching for their first win at 0-9, will take on Larned at 8. The “C” team game starts at 4:30, followed by the “B” game and then the varsity tilt.
Great Bend’s boys (2-7) are idle tonight before traveling to El Dorado for the three-day El Dorado tournament, which begins on Thursday. The Panthers (2-7) take on Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel (4-4) in an opening-round game on Thursday afternoon, tipping off at 4.
Brunson still suspended
As of presstime Monday night, Barton Community College sophomore basketball forward Dwayne Brunson remains suspended for the Cougars.
Perhaps the key word is suspended — not suspended indefinitely.
“It’s a little bit of everything, both on and off the floor,” Barton head coach Craig Fletchall said of Brunson, who has missed the last two games — both wins for the Cougars. He served a mandatory one-game suspension last Wednesday, a Barton home win over Garden City, and didn’t make the trip to El Dorado for Saturday’s game, a 71-62 win over Butler, serving a team-related suspension.
The Cougars, 16-2 overall, are in third place in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division with a 2-2 record.
But the road is only going to get tougher.
“I’m obviously pleased that we’re playing without him,” said Fletchall, who didn’t rule out the possibility of Brunson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Queens, N.Y., returning to the team on Wednesday, when Barton hosts West rival and 12th-ranked Hutchinson (14-3, 1-2).
“I’m not going to say that (he won’t be in uniform against Hutch). He’s suspended.”
Barton’s women, 12-6, 2-2, coming off a 55-39 win at Butler, play third-ranked and unbeaten Hutchinson (16-0, 3-0) at 6 on Wednesday night at Kirkman Activity Center, preceding the men’s game at 8.
Hutch was idle last Saturday, and Barton will be idle this coming Saturday.
On the opposing team’s bench Wednesday night will be Hutch assistant women’s coach Keith Ferguson, who was formerly Barton’s women’s head coach for two seasons before resigning late in the summer. He was replaced by Darin Spence, who celebrated his 300th Jayhawk Conference victory in the win over Butler.
The new NJCAA Division-I national rankings are set to be released today.