EL DORADO — Add Wichita Trinity Academy’s Ryan Miller to the growing list of opposing standout players to flourish against the Great Bend Panthers.
Miller torched GBHS for 18 of his game-high 31 points in the second half during a 50-47 victory over the Panthers on Friday afternoon at the 2012 Bluestem Classic.
“We didn’t deserve to win this game,” Great Bend head coach Chris Battin said. “They outplayed us for four quarters, and you can’t do that.”
The losers’ bracket setback plunged Great Bend (2-9) into Saturday’s seventh-place game. It was the second straight year that the Panthers were relegated to playing for seventh in the El Dorado tournament, two years removed from winning the Blue Stem Classic championship.
“We just didn’t take care of business, and that’s frustrating,” Battin said.
Miller’s scoring output was the most points allowed to a single player by the Panthers all season. He punctuated his performance by coming up on a game-tying 3-point attempt from the top of the circle by Jace Bowman to preserve the win.
Ethan Henderson corralled a missed free throw by Miller, the second of two foul shots with 11.1 seconds left, giving Great Bend a final crack after it advanced the ball to their end of the floor and called a timeout to set up a final play with 6.5 seconds remaining. But Miller came up with the block to end it.
Miller’s scoring explosion was the latest in a string of standout individual performances against the Panthers this season.
Earlier in the season Pratt’s Micah Swank lit up GBHS for 21 points during  a 59-20 road loss. The Panthers also yielded 16 points to Jake Curran in a 42-39 overtime loss to Garden City at home earlier in the month, and in their most recent home game, a 63-37 loss to Dodge City, Trey Hallman had his way in scoring a game-high 17 points.
Battin said his team didn’t consider trying a gimmick defense to contain Miller, even though they were well-aware of his offensive prowess. Miller continually got himself to open lanes for wide-open jump shots, along with easily getting to the rim.
“It was in the scouting report,” Battin said
In a game where leading scorer Bowman was limited to five points, junior guard Matt Marshall had three 3-point hits and finished with 11 points and Henderson, a junior forward, also totaled 11 points.
Marshall hit a pair of 3s during the last minute of the third quarter to pull the Panthers within 34-30 entering the final period.
Gabe Joiner, who finished with five points, had a pair of slick passes for assists during the third quarter.
“Gabe stepped up and did some nice things for us,” Battin said.
Junior forward Chad Touslee, who added seven points, scored in the lane late in the fourth quarter, pulling GBHS within 49-47 with 40.1 seconds left.
After a missed jumper, Great Bend turned the ball over on its next two possessions before it sent Miller to the foul line.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
2012 Bluestem Classic

At El Dorado
El Dorado High School

BOYS

Friday
Losers’ bracket

Wichita Trinity Academy 50,
Great Bend 47
GREAT BEND (2-9)
     Connor Sell 2 0-1 4, Matt Marshall 4 0-0 11, Chad Touslee 3 1-1 7, Brock Ibarra 0 0-0 0, Bryce Beck 1 0-0 2, Gabe Joiner 2 0-0 5, Jace Bowman 1 2-2 5, Ethan Henderson 4 3-4 11, Blaise Cain 0 2-2 2, Wyatt Bayless 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-10 47.
TRINITY ACADEMY (5-5)
     Mark Brewer 0 0-0 0, Ryan Miller 13 2-4 31, Carson Miller 0 0-0 0, DJ Green 1 2-4 4, Tom Weisner 1 0-0 2, Zach Cryer 0 0-0 0, Alex Kessinger 3 1-4 7, Wilson Alexander 1 4-4 6. Totals 19 9-16 50. 
Great Bend     4   10  16  17  —  47
Trinity              7   13  14  16  —  50
    Three-point goals — Great Bend 5 (Marshall 3, Bowman, Joiner); Trinity 3 (R. Miller). Total fouls — Great Bend 16, Trinity 10.