It was almost this time a month ago that the Great Bend High School Panthers appeared to be turning the corner.
Handing previously unbeaten Hays a 48-40 loss at home in the early part of January, the Panthers followed that up with a 49-43 road win over two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Dodge City.
But GBHS hasn't been able to recapture that mojo from early last month.
On Tuesday night, one-win Buhler came to Panther Fieldhouse and looked anything but a team that entered the non-conference game with a 1-13 record.
Ryan Norquist had four of the Crusaders' six 3-point hits and finished with a team-high 13 points, leading Buhler to a 48-39 victory over the Panthers.
"They hit some big 3s against us," GBHS head coach Chris Battin said. "We really weren't expecting that so much.
"We knew they had a couple guys that could shoot it, and we were hoping that we wouldn't let them get off to a good start. Norquist hit three in the first quarter, and they were big daggers. We just didn't get it done after that."
Great Bend's undersized post player, 6-foot senior Ethan Henderson, scored a game-high 17 points. Like always, he was sprinting up and down the floor, diving for loose balls and maximizing his energy underneath the backboards.
Trouble was, Henderson had very little help, especially on the offensive end, where the deliberate, cold-shooting Panthers (5-10) trailed 24-16 at halftime, after managing only four second-quarter points, and 34-25 after three periods.
Buhler seized the momentum during the opening quarter, building an 18-12 lead after Norquist buried his trio of 3s, and never let go.
"We've just got to get the right body language and we've got to get the right attitude back," Battin said. "Having Garden City and Scott City coming to town (on Friday and Saturday night, respectively), maybe that will help us out a little bit and help us get in the right direction.
"We definitely need to get some things turned around, that's for sure."
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Non-conference
BOYS
Tuesday
At Great Bend
Panther Fieldhouse
Buhler High School 48, Great Bend 39
BUHLER (2-13)
Bransyn Felty 2 2-7 7, Quentin Henricks 2 2-3 7, Sam Maldanado 0 0-0 0, Ryan Norquist 4 1-2 13, Luke Berblinger 0 0-0 0, Brandon Keeler 3 2-2 8, Jace Williams 5 1-3 11, Tyson Kuhn 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 8-17 48.
GREAT BEND (5-10)
Trey Ibarra 0 0-0 0, Chad Touslee 1 0-0 2, Brock Ibarra 0-0 0 0, Bryce Beck 2 0-0 4, Dillon Reiser 1 0-0 3, Ethan Henderson 6 5-6 17, Gabe Joiner 2 0-0 5, Shade Wondra 0 0-0 0, Wyatt Bayless 2 0-0 4, Josh Lutz 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 5-6 39
Buhler 18 6 10 14 — 48
GBHS 12 4 9 14 — 39
Three-point goals — Great Bend 2 (Reiser, Joiner); Buhler 6 (Norquist 4, Bransyn, Henricks). Total fouls — Great Bend 17, Buhler 8. Fouled out — None.
