BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
LIBERAL — Thanks to the wizardry of Peyton Duvall and Alex Schremmer, the Great Bend Panthers are poised for the most important home basketball game in 10 years.
Duvall contributed 13 points with two charges drawn and Schemmer scored 19 points to spark the Panthers past Liberal 59-45 to set a showdown Tuesday against Hays High for a share of the Western Athletic Conference lead.
Great Bend (11-4, 3-1 WAC) lost a last-second 64-62 heartbreaker Jan. 14 to Hays High in their first meeting. The Indians (9-5, 4-0 WAC) defeated Dodge City Friday. The Panthers' record (11-4) ranks sixth in the 5A West, and the top four teams are guaranteed a home substate tournament.
The Panthers shot 53 percent on 19 of 36 field goals to offset 11 turnovers against aggressive Liberal defense. Great Bend converted 11 of 22 3-pointers to outscore the Redskins 33-21 from long range.
"It was tough because Liberal played well defensively," said Great Bend coach Tim Brooks. "It was physical. They did a lot of traps."
The Panthers converted 7 of 15 first-half 3-pointers for a 22-18 halftime lead, but it proved to be Fool's Gold. Great Bend missed three 2-point attempts the first-half.
"That first-half we stood around offensively and played 'Horse,' Brooks said. "We made shots, but we didn't get into our offense."
The red-hot Schremmer got the Panthers' offense smoking with 16 second-half points and accurate passing. Schremmer and Duvall each hit four 3-pointers. The Panthers rounded out the offense with 12 points on 3-pointers, 16 points on 2-pointers and nine free throws.
"We earned some layups against their pressure," Brooks said.
Great Bend continued its trend of stifling defense, holding Liberal to 28 percent 3-point shooting and 36 percent shooting. Lee Hatcher scored 18 points and Hunter Hatcher added 13 points for Liberal (7-8, 2-3 WAC).
"We did a pretty good rebounding," Brooks said. "We've gotten pretty consistent at it."
Great Bend 13 9 17 20 — 59
Liberal 8 10 12 15 — 45
GREAT BEND (11-4, 3-1) — Schremmer 5 5-6 19, Duvall 5 0-0 14, Kuhlman 4 0-0 9, Olivas 2 2-2 7, Miller 2 1-2 5, Ryan 1 0-0 3, Wondra 0 2-3 2, Totals 19-36 10-13 59.
LIBERAL (7-8, 2-3) —Lee Hatcher 6 4-4 18, Hunter Hatcher 4 2-2 13, Alex Lopez 2 0-0 5, Hyde 1 0-0 3, Ramirez 2 0-0 4, Wiltshire 1 0-0 2, Totals 16-45 6-6 45.
3-pointers—GB 11-22 (Schremmer 4, Duvall 4, Kuhlman 1, Olivas 1, Ryan 1). L 7-25 (H. Hatcher 3, L. Hatcher 2, A. Lopez 1, Hyde 1.)
LIBERAL GIRLS 45, GREAT BEND 38 — Underdog Great Bend hung tough all night before losing 45-38 to No. 2 state-ranked 6A Liberal in a hard-fought Western Athletic Conference basketball game. The Panthers played with toughness and discipline and kept the Redskins under control with solid defense and aggressive rebounding.
Great Bend's Sydney Unruh kept the Panthers (3-12, 0-4 WAC) close with a brilliant 20-point night. Smith added a season high nine points. Great Bend's Unruh masterfully controlled the game's pace and held outscore the Redskins 27-26 from the field. But the Redskins' superior athletes attacked the basket for a 19-11 advantage at the free throw line.
"We went toe-to-toe with them and fought to the very end," said Great Bend coach Carrie Minton. "We wanted to slow the game down."
Candice Smith converted a 3-point play for a stunning 26-26 tie. But Audrey Gilmore's 3-pointer sparked Liberal's 6-0 run for a 32-26 lead that the Redskins never lost. Liberal converting several of 18 Panther turnovers into transition points in the key scoring burst.
"We turned it over and they got the game sped up for a minute," Minton said.
Unbeaten Liberal (14-0, 4-0 WAC) held off the Panthers behind Machia Mullins' 15 points and WAC Player of the Year Katie Hornya's 12 points.
Great Bend 9 8 12 9 — 38
Liberal 12 7 14 12 — 45
GREAT BEND (3-12, 0-4) — Sydney Unruh 7 3-4 20, Smith 3 3-5 9, Mauler 2 2-4 2, Schroeder 1 0-0 2, Warren 1 0-2 2, Harbaugh 0 1-2 1, Herter 0 1-2 1, Totals 12-26 11-19 38.
LIBERAL (14-0, 5-0) — Mullins 3 9-11 15, Katie Hornya 4 4-6 12, Warden 1 6-7 8, Payton 2 0-0 5, Carrillo 1 0-0 2, Gilmore 1 0-0 3, Totals 12-43 19-24 45.
3-pointers—GB 3-9 (Unruh 3), L 2 (Gilmore 1, Payton 1)
