BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Western Athletic Conference champion Great Bend learned a harsh lesson about postseason basketball last year.
No. 1 West seed Great Bend (18-3, 8-0 WAC) was shocked 62-60 by No. 16 seed Goddard Eisenhower to spoil the opportunity for back-to-back state tournament trips. In 2024, the Panthers (17-6, 6-2 WAC) qualified for the 5A state tournament for the first time since 2010.
The Panthers (53%) broke the school record field goal mark (50%, 2024) and set a new defensive mark (36.1%) that snapped the 2013 record (38.8%).
Three-time first team All-WAC Ian Premer (21 ppg, 9 rpg) is the odds-on favorite to repeat as WAC Player of the Year. Second team All-WAC Jacob Hall joins veterans Daxton Minton and Cooper Ohnmacht.
"Our team is capable of competing at the highest level with high expectations and goals," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "We're led by an experienced group of seniors who expect to win."
Premer is a generational talent who's dominated Western Athletic teams. Premer (24.4 ppg, 65.6 FG%) broke his own school records and edged Matt Simmons (10.9 rpg) with an 11.5 rebound average.
"Premer is bigger, faster, and determined," Kriegh said. "He's motivated to win every time he steps on the court and will lead by example. He's excited and blessed to play football at Notre Dame, but wants to leave his mark on this basketball season before he graduates."
First-team all-state Premer and Hall earned first-team All-WAC along with Ben Nicholson, who graduated.
"Jacob Hall is a talented player who can take over inside and score in a variety of ways," Kriegh said. "Hall will push the ball in transition and can be our outlet man.
"Daxton Minton is an excellent defender who competes on both ends of the court," Kriegh said. "His competitive nature and determination are top-notch. I have a great deal of respect for Daxton."
"Tavon Stroup will play inside and will rebound with the best. He runs in transition and brings 110% every day. He's dedicated to basketball, so he can make an impact. He'll make plays with passing from the post."
"Cooper Ohnmacht is an unbelievable athlete, leader, and basketball player. Cooper is going to be exciting to watch. He's the centerpiece of our defensive strategy and can defend all five positions."
Other contributors will be Jaxon Wondra, Cole Fanshier, Alec Premer and Jaden Prilling.
"Jaxon Wondra is a great passer, scorer, and ultimate team player who creates offensively. We're excited to watch Alec Premer excel this season. He's going to make a name for himself.
Kriegh wants to start the season strong, play for the Salina Invitational championship and pursue back-to-back WAC titles. The final goal is qualifying for the 5A state tournament at Wichita.
"We'll attack each day with intense focus," he said. "We'll respect our opponents and make sure we are prepared for success. We need to develop all the players to be competitive at varsity, JV and freshman levels."
PANTHER ROSTER
SENIORS—3—Brogan Unruh, 6-3; 12— Daxton Minton, 5-10; 13—Tavon Stroup, 6-4; 14—Ian Premer, 6-6; 15—Jacob Hall, 6-2; 32—Eli Contreras, 6-2
JUNIORS—2—Cooper Ohnmacht, 6-0; 5—Jaxon Wondra, 5-11; 22—Cole Fanshier, 6-1
SOPHOMORES—0—Spencer Brown, 5-9; 1—Noah Kaiser, 5-9; 4—Jaden Prilling, 5-10; 10—Sullivan Luttrell, 6-0; 11—Jacob Mazouch, 6-0; 23— Alec Premer, 6-1
NINTH-GRADERS—1—Gavin Wondra, 5-9; 2—Kade Thexton, 5-10; 3—Carter Dreiling, 6-0; 4—Carter Schmidt, 6-0; 10—Kellan Chansler, 5-5; 11—Luke Beck, 5-10; 12—Jakoby Council, 5-8; 20—Giovanni Cruz, 6-1; 24—Levi McCormick, 6-4
GREAT BEND SCHEDULE—12-5—Andover Central at Hutchinson; 12-6—Wichita Carroll at Hutchinson; 12-9—Kingman (Clearwater); 12-12—Kingman (Haven):; 12-13—at Kingman; 12-16—at Emporia; 12-19—Pratt; 1-6—at Salina South; 1-9—*at Garden City; 1-16—at Hutchinson; 1-22 to 1-24—at Salina Tournament; 1-27—Hays TMP; 1-30—*at Hays; 2-3—Manhattan; 2-5—*at Liberal; 2-10—*Dodge City; 2-13—*Garden City; 2-17—*Liberal; 2-20—*at Dodge City; 2-27—*Hays
