It was a familiar script for the Great Bend Panther boys basketball team.
The Panthers sliced a 17-point deficit to six points before losing to Liberal High 53-45 in Friday’s Western Athletic Conference basketball game.
Liberal dominated to lead 36-19 in the third quarter.
The Panthers scored 20 fourth-quarter points to nearly double their first three quarters. Brayden Smith, Cody Crosby, Shade Wondra and Blake Sullivan hit 3-pointers in the fourth period.
Crosby led the Panthers with 15 points and Sullivan scored 10 second-half points.
The Panthers sliced Liberal’s lead to 51-45 with less than a minute left. The Redskins converted 9 of 24 free throws to keep the Panthers within range.
Both teams were hungry for a league victory after starting 0-3 in WAC play. Liberal (8-6, 1-3 WAC) was led by Mershek Wilthsire with 16 points and Deladris Green scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
The Redskins’ athletes dominated the first half with a 24-11 lead. Liberal led 12-4 after one period and never looked back. In the first half, Crosby scored seven points and Brayden Smith added four points for the Panthers’ 11 points. Leading scorers Trey Ibarra and Shade Wondra were held scoreless.

LIBERAL 53, GREAT BEND 45
Liberal 12 12 12 17 – 53
Great Bend 4 7 14 20 – 45
LIBERAL—Wiltshire 16; Green 10; Hinkle 6; Coker 6; Baird 4; Fitzgerald 6; Thomas 5.
GREAT BEND—Crosby 15; Sullivan 10;
Smith 8; Ibarra 4; Wondra 3; Bryant 3.
WAC BOYS
Garden City  4-0  10-6
Hays High     3-1  10-4
Dodge City    2-2  6-8
Liberal           1-3 8-6
Great Bend     0-4 2-12
Friday’s scores
Garden City 60, Guymon, Okla. 51
McPherson 66, Dodge City 52
Liberal 53, Great Bend 45