GARDEN CITY — Jake Curran had a big old goose egg at halftime on Friday night at The Garden.
But the Garden City High School senior guard came up big in the second half against stubborn Great Bend in Western Athletic Conference action — especially in overtime.
Panthers junior swingman Ethan Henderson’s basket at the buzzer at the end of regulation, after GBHS head coach Chris Battin set up an inbounds play with 2.1 seconds left, knotted the score at 45 and sent it into overtime.
“We fought hard and we got a good look at the end and Ethan stepped up and knocked it down,” Battin said. “The turning point was that we had the momentum, got an easy layup in overtime and we really had the momentum.
“But then we turned it over four times in a row, and you can’t do that in overtime. It came back to bite us.”
Curran, who scored all 19 of his points after intermission, answered in a big way in the four-minute OT period. He hit a critical 3-pointer and made 6 of 8 free throws during that stretch to lift the Buffaloes to a 57-54 victory.
“We’re playing better,” Battin said. “We’ve just got to get over this hump. We made too many mistakes offensively, but overall, 13 turnovers will get you beat and that’s something that’s got to turn around.
“We also can’t struggle from the free-throw line anymore. Those are gamebreakers right there.”
Keyed by the inside-outside play of junior forward Chad Touslee and senior triggerman Jace Bowman, the Panthers built a 13-8 lead after one quarter and held a 16-12 edge with 5:35 remaining before halftime after Bowman’s second of four 3-pointers.
Garden answered with a 7-0 spurt, capped by Bo Banner’s 3 and post player Braden Taylor’s turnaround jump shot in the lane to go ahead 21-18 with 1:14 remaining in the half.
Touslee’s three-point play on the other end knotted the score at 21 before the Buffs held a 23-21 lead at intermission.
Trailing 25-21 halfway through the third quarter, three straight 3-pointers — by Blaise Cain, Bowman and Connor Sell — helped the Panthers seize a 30-26 lead at the 3:11 mark.
After a Garden bucket, Bowman hit a jumper from the left wing and then Touslee scored off a baseline drive for a 34-28 Great Bend advantage with 57.3 seconds remaining in the period.
But Curran answered with a 3-pointer and then converted a pair of foul shots to give the lead back to Garden at 35-34 after three quarters.
In the fourth, Austin Terpstra had a bucket in the paint and two free throws to give the Buffs a 39-34 edge, but Henderson and Matt Marshall made consecutive baskets to make it a one-point game.
After Garden City led 42-38, Bowman hit a one-handed teardrop from near the foul line with 1:31 left in regulation. It was 45-43 Buffs after Henderson made the first of two free throws, and then Curran missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 17.5 seconds left, giving the Panthers a final chance.
Getting the ball with 9.8 seconds left and having to drive the length of the floor, Battin called timeout with 2.1 seconds left to set up an inbounds play. Junior guard Matt Marshall took the pass and threaded a high pass to Henderson near the lane.
“I think, No. 1, Matt (Marshall) made a great pass to him and Ethan went up and caught it and had sense of mind to not panic and just throw something up,” Battin said. “He brought it down and went back up with it strong and finished it.”
After Henderson’s steal and layup gave GBHS a 47-45 with 3:11 left in OT, the Panthers proceeded to make four straight costly turnovers and Curran took over from there.
“Defensively, I thought we defended him pretty well,” Battin said of Curran. “Eight of his 19 came at the free-throw line, when we’re trying to get back in it.”
Garden City ups its record 7-10 overall, 2-3 in conference play.
Great Bend, led by a game-high 20 points from Bowman and a career-high 13 from Touslee, falls to 5-12, 1-4.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Western Athletic Conference
At Garden City
The Garden
Friday
BOYS
Garden City 57, Great Bend 54, OT
GREAT BEND (5-12, 1-4)
Connor Sell 2 0-0 5, Matt Marshall 1 0-0 2, Chad Touslee 6 1-1 13, Bryce Beck 0 0-0 0, Jace Bowman 7 2-4 20, Ethan Henderson 3 1-5 7, Blaise Cain 2 0-0 6, Wyatt Bayless 0 1-2 1. Totals 21 5-12 54.
GARDEN CITY (7-10, 2-3)
Evan Riggs 0 0-0 0, Gerardo Holguin 1 0-0 3, Tristin Nanninga 2 0-0 4, Cameron Coyle 0 0-0 0, Bo Banner 4 0-0 10, Denton Keller 0 0-0 0, Austin Terpstra 3 4-6 10, Emilio Parr 1 0-0 2, Jake Curran 3 10-15 19, Braden Taylor 1 1-2 3, Jeremy Ensz 3 0-0 6. Totals 18 15-23 57.
GBHS 13 8 13 11 9 — 54
Garden 8 15 12 10 12 — 57
Three-point goals — Great Bend 7 (Bowman 4, Cain 2, Sell); Garden City 6 (Curran 3, Banner 2, Holguin). Fouled out — Henderson, Sell.
