BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HAYS – As usual, Great Bend sparkplug Alex Schremmer led the way with a dazzling 31-point outburst in a 80-68 non-league basketball victory over Hays-Thomas More Prep.
The newly-state ranked Panthers (14-4) kept on target for a top 4 Western substate seeding with the hard-earned victory. The Panthers close out the regular season Friday at Dodge City and home against Liberal. Two wins and the Panthers lock up a homecourt postseason edge.
Few teams press a fast pace against the Panthers because of Schremmer's ballhandling and 3-point shooting accuracy. Schremmer converted a trio of 3-pointers and 11 field goals off drives to the basket. The Monarchs (13-4) had no one to defend Schremmer let alone match up against the stylish Dalton Miller.
The Panthers converted 28 of 42 field goals and 9 of 18 from 3-point range. Miller scored 15 points, Peyton Duvall 10 and Alex Olivas chipped in eight points.
The fast pace agreed with the Panthers, who rarely see that style in the Western Athletic Conference except for Dodge City. The Panthers outscored TMP 27-15 from 3-point range.
"We wanted to play fast pace with them. We played very well offensively," said Great Bend coach Tim Brooks. "We found the open man tonight. We scored a number of ways tonight. We scored in transition. We got that offensive balance. We have four to six guys who can score."
Miller enjoyed one of his finest games with a solid 15-point night and a 3-pointer.
"Dalton was in attack mode," Brooks said. "He went back door and scored. We took our lumps the past few years. Now, we've got seniors and Our experience is paying off."
It wasn't vintage Panther defense as the state-ranked 3A Monarchs (13-4) scored 68 points in the wide-open affair. Jackson Schulte (14), Lucas Lang (13), Ryan Stoecklein (13) and Carson Jacobs (13) scored in double figures.
But the Monarchs simply had no defensive answer for Great Bend's high-powered offense.
Great Bend 19 18 18 25 – 80
Hays-TMP 11 16 12 29 – 68
GREAT BEND (14-4)–Schremmer 11 6-9 31, Miller 4 6-8 15, Duvall 4 0-0 10, Brown 3 1-1 7, Dunekack 1 0-0 3, Kuhlman 2 0-0 4, Olivas 2 2-2 8, Wondra 1 0-2 2, Totals 28-42 15-22 80.
TMP (13-4)–Schulte 4 6-6 14, Lang 4 5-6 13, Stoecklein 4 2-2 13, Jacobs 3 7-8 13, Robbins 3 1-1 8, Kreutzer 2 2-3 7, Totals 20 23-26 68.
3-pointers–GB 9 (Schremmer 3, Duvall 2, Olivas 2, Dunekack 1, Miller 1); TMP 5 (Stoecklein 3, Robbins 1, Kreutzer 1)
