BY JIM MISUNAS
KINGMAN – The Great Bend boys were one 3-pointer shy of rallying from a 17-point deficit at the Kingman Basketball Classic.
Wichita Sunrise Academy escaped the Panthers’ comeback effort for a wild 57-54 third-place victory at the Kingman Classic. Sunrise’s Dan Figueria converted two crucial free throws for a 57-54 lead with 2:16 left after the Panthers drew a technical foul for contesting an official’s foul.
Panthers Maddox Spray and Jacob Hall missed game-tying 3-pointers. Hall missed a shot and Ian Premer missed two free throws on the Panthers’ late-game attempts.
Great Bend (1-3) rallied behind aggressive defense and excellent passing by Braylon Council after trailing 35-18 right before halftime.
“We had good looks at the end. Had we played that way the whole game, we wouldn’t have been in that situation,” said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. “That second half was fun. That’s why you get into coaching.”
Panther Maddox Spray enjoyed his career best game with a 16-point night off 8 of 14 shooting. Jacob Hall scored 11 points and all-tournament choice Ian Premer added nine points.
Sunrise scored inside and outside as the Panthers were unable to make defensive stops. Sunrise converted 15 of 28 field goals, keyed by Figueria (17 points) and 6-foot-6 Marko Parlovic (10 points).
After trailing 35-21 at halftime with 2 of 8 shooting from 3-point range, the Panthers adjusted by attacking the basket and working the ball inside to Spray, Premer and Hall. Council’s superb passing led the second-half surge.
“There were a lot of positive things,” Kriegh said. “Our guys battled and it’s a good learning experience for us.”
The Panthers return home Tuesday against Larned and Friday against 5A powerhouse Emporia.
Sunrise 21 14 12 10 – 57
Great Bend 9 12 18 15 – 54
SUNRISE —Figueria 5-15 6-7 17; Parlovic 6-9 0-1 12, McElroy 2-2 0-0 6, Lopes 2-4 0-0 4, Kobari 1-1 0-0 2, Linsted 0-2 0-0 0, Laird 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 57
GREAT BEND (1-4)—Spray 8-14 0-0 16, Premer 4-13 1-2 9, Hall 5-11 1-3 11, Coombs 3-7 1-3 8, Scheuerman 3-5 0-0 7, Stuhlsatz 1-5 0-0 3, Council 0-4 0-0 0, Dicks 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 24-61 3-10 54
3-pointers—S 4-10 (McElroy 2-2, Hart 1-2, Figueria 1-5, Laird 0-1); GB 3-17 (Coombs 1-3, Stuhlsatz 1-3, Scheuerman 1-3, Dicks 0-1, Premer 0-2, Hall 0-2, Council 0-2, Spray 0-2)
KINGMAN BOYS—1ST—Haven def. Sterling; 3RD—Sunrise 57, Great Bend 54; 5TH—Kingman 70, Conway Springs 51; Great Bend 54, Sterling 21; Haven 53, Wichita Sunrise 37; Great Bend 73, Conway Springs 20; Sunrise 64, Kingman 48; Sterling 58, Conway Springs 42; Haven 69, Kingman 51
