BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbribune.com
EL DORADO — Of course, defensive standout Joseph Moeder drew three charging fouls against Wichita Collegiate that helped foul out standout Jack Duarte.
But it was Moeder's last-minute free throw that enabled the Great Bend Panthers (1-1, 101 points yielded) to survive a 3-way tiebreaker with Collegiate (1-1, 103 points) and El Dorado (1-1, 113) to qualify for Saturday's El Dorado Bluestem Classic championship game.
The Spartans won Friday's showdown 49-40 after Moeder's free throw made it a 9-point game. The Spartans required a 3-pointer on the game's final possession to qualify for the championship game on the defensive tiebreaker, but Collegiate's Wes Fair attempted a 2-pointer as time expired.
Both teams benefited when the Spartans intentionally slowed the pace right before halftime, giving El Dorado no chance to qualify for the finals in a low-scoring contest. The Spartans outscored the Panthers 17-3 for a 43-35 lead that gave them the chance to gain a 12-point victory. Duarte scored nine points and Wes Fair added eight points during that stretch.
"We didn't work as a team that second half," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "It gave me a flashback. We didn't run our offense and keep our composure. We didn't trust our teammates."
The Panthers scratched out five points as Sage Koelsch converted two free throws and Stefan Spray scored a basket in the fourth quarter. The other key play was Duarte fouling out when Joseph Moeder drew a second offensive foul.
The Panthers outplayed and outworked the Spartans for nearly three quarters with a solid team effort at both ends. Stefan Spray netted 12 points and Carter Coombs added 11 first-half points. The Panthers converted 3 of 19 3-pointers for 15%. Collegiate's Duarte and Wes Fair each scored 16 points.
Great Bend (4-7) will be a heavy underdog against 5A state-ranked Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel (10-1), a talented and physical basketball team.
"We don't have any pressure, and it's an opportunity to get better," said Kriegh. "We're playing in the championship game."
Great Bend 12 14 9 5 — 40
Collegiate 12 10 15 12 — 49
GREAT BEND (4-7)—Stefan Spray 4-10 4-4 12, Coombs 2-8 5-6 11, Koelsch 1-11 3-5 5, Joseph Moeder 2-3 1-2 5, Council 1-7 0-0 2, Maddox Spray 1-1 0-0 3, Stuhlsatz 1-1 0-0 2, Totals 12-41 13-17 40.
COLLEGIATE (7-2)—Duarte 7-18 0-1 16, Wes Fair 4-9 8-8 16, Shackelford 0-3 3-6 3, Breown 0-4 2-3 2, Wetta 0-1 0-0 0, Quentin Fair 1-2 0-0 3, Ruffin 2-2 0-0 4, Dunne 2-3 1-1 5, Totals 16-42 14-19 49.
3-pointers—GB 3-19 (Coombs 2-7, M. Spray 1-1, S. Spray 0-1, Koelsch 0-5, Council 0-5); WC 3-15 (Duarte 2-9, Q. Fair 1-2, W. Fair 0-1, Wetta 0-1, Shackelford 0-1, Brown 0-1).
SATURDAY—1ST—Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 10-1 vs. Great Bend 4-7; 3RD—Wichita Trinity 6-5 vs. Collegiate 7-2; 5TH—Goddard 2-9 vs. El Dorado 4-7
FRIDAY—Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 68, Wichita Trinity 32; Wichita Collegiate 49, Great Bend 40; THURSDAY—Great Bend 63, El Dorado 52; Kapaun Mt. Carmel 57, Goddard 48l WEDNESDAY—Wichita Trinity 65, Goddard 43; El Dorado 63,
