BY JIM MISUNAS
EMPORIA – The Great Bend Panther girls were one play away from upsetting the Emporia Spartans at the 44th Glacier’s Edge Tournament.
But for the second time this season, the Panthers were hard-luck losers 41-37 in double overtime.
Panther Carley Brack forced overtime at 33 with a clutch basket. Emporia’s Drue Davis missed the final field goal in regulation. Brack’s free throws forced a 35-35 tie, but she missed two free throws in the first overtime. Emporia’s Mya Tover missed the final field goal in the first overtime.
Emporia’s Rayanna Beshears and Allie Christensen each converted three free throws in the second overtime. Both players scored 10 points. The Panthers committed a turnover and missed several field goals in the second overtime.
Panther Camryn Dunekack scored 18 points, as she scored 14 of 16 first-half points for Great Bend. Brack added 11 points. Both teams worked the ball patiently, but struggled to convert field goals at times.
The Panthers played hard-nosed defense and limited Emporia’s inside offense and perimeter game.
“We left it all on the line. They battled really hard and we did a lot of good things,” said Great Bend coach Carrie Minton. “We did a tremendous job defending them inside. We’re not used to playing against two big girls. We made a lot of adjustments.”
The only negative was 18 Great Bend turnovers. The Panthers started the game with four turnovers.
“We had turnovers to start the game. We wish we could do some of those over,” Minton said.
The Panthers (3-7) play Topeka Shawnee Heights in Friday’s consolation game.
Great Bend 10 6 9 8 2 2 – 37
Emporia 11 4 8 10 2 6 – 41
GREAT BEND (3-7)—Dunekack 8 0-1 18, Brack 3 5-8 11, Clark 3 0-0 6, Mauler 0 1-2 1, Mills 0 1-2 1, Totals 14 7-15 37.
EMPORIA (6-5)—Breshears 3 3-4 10, Christensen 3 4-6 10, Milleson 4 0-1 8, Tovar 3 0-2 6, Cooper 2 1-2 5, Davis 1 0-0 2, Totals 16 8-15 41.
EMPORIA TOURNAMENT
THURSDAY—Olathe East 59, SM North 22; Wichita Southeast 46, Blue Valley SW 45; Hutchinson 51, Shawnee Heights 20; Emporia 41, Great Bend 37 (2 OT)
FRIDAY—Consolation—SM North (2-9) vs. Blue Valley SW (5-7), 3:15; Great Bend (3-7) vs. Shawnee Heights (3-8), 4:45; Semifinals—Olathe East (10-0) vs. Wichita SE ((5-6), 6:15; Emporia (6-5) vs. Hutchinson (7-3), 7;45
SATURDAY—7th—11 a.m.; 5th—11; 3rd—12:30; 1st—21-27—5th—1; 3rd—4; 1st—8
