BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HUTCHINSON — After starting the Hutchinson High basketball game with nine turnovers in 12 possessions for a 14-2 deficit, the Great Bend Panthers were starved for a highlight play.
Stefan Spray delivered in a big way with a slam dunk off a nifty assist by Paco Hernandez for a 25-16 score.
Everything collapsed after that as Hutchinson sealed Friday's non-league victory with a clinching 19-2 scoring run for a 49-22 lead. The Salthawk boys rolled past the Panthers 64-37 after triggering a running clock with a 30-point lead.
The 6A Salthawks (3-5) swung the momentum early by forcing nine early turnovers. Their full-court pressure and half-court defense keyed by superior quickness was equally effective. Great Bend committed 21 turnovers and didn't handle the Salthawks' pressure.
"I'll take the blame for this loss," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "They're as quick as Junction City and play with more discipline. They're really fast. We took too many dribbles and didn't share the basketball as well as we needed."
Hutchinson's pressure defense proved too much to handle. From time-to-time, the Panthers got distracted when the officials failed to call a foul when play became physical.
"When teams play full-court, you've got to attack and get to the free-throw line and share the basketball," Kriegh said. "When teams are physical, you've got to step it up."
The Salthawks (3-5) showed ability well beyond their record. The 6-5 Nic Lange muscled inside for 18 points. Garrett Robertson contributed 11 points. Nine Salthawks scored points. The Salthawks are a year from being a powerhouse and feature one senior who plays quality minutes.
Stefan Spray enjoyed a strong night with 13 points and solid inside defense. Carter Coombs and Sage Koelsch each contributed six points, but they combined for three of 18 field goal shooting. The Panthers converted 2 of 16 shots from 3-point range. The Panthers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to provide additional scoring chances.
Great Bend plays El Dorado Thursday at the El Dorado Bluestem Classic.
Great Bend 6 12 12 7 – 37
Hutchinson 18 12 28 6 – 64
GREAT BEND (3-6)—Stefan Spray 5-9 2-3 13, Coombs 1-8 4-4 6, Koelsch 2-10 1-1 6, Maddox Spray 1-2 2-4 4, Joseph Moeder 2-5 0-0 4, Hernandez 1-3 0-0 2, Stuhlsatz 1-2 0-0 2, Mathew Moeder 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 13-40 9-12 37.
HUTCHINSON (3-5)—Lange 8-11 2-4 18, Robertson 4-6 0-0 11, Newquist 2-3 2-2 8, King 2-4 3-3 7, Mendoza 2-3 2-4 6, Titan Henaha 3-4 0-0 6, Witt 2-3 0-0 4, Rodriguez 1-1 0-0 2, Tai Clark 0-2 2-2 2, Spiller 0-0 0-1 0, Terrell King 0-1 0-0 0, Jax Henaha 0-0 0-1 0, Totals 24-38 11-16 64.
3-pointers—GB 2-16 (Koelsch 1-4, S. Spray 1-4, Hernandez 0-1, Stuhlsatz 0-1, M. Spray 0-1, Coombs 0-5); H 5-11 (Robertson 3-4, Newqusit 2-3, Dauntay King 0-1, Clark 0-1, T. Henaha 0-1)
