The Larned High School girls’ basketball team played Great Bend close for a better part of the first quarter on Tuesday evening at Panther Fieldhouse.
The Lady Indians held a 12-10 lead five minutes into the non-conference game before the dam broke. The Lady Panthers unleashed six straight points to seize a 16-12 lead after one quarter, which spelled the beginning of the end for Larned on this night.
The Lady Panthers, who scored 18 unanswered points at one juncture in the first half, built a commanding 46-18 lead at intermission. Better yet, leading 50-20 in the third quarter, they went on a game-ending 27-0 run to record a 77-20 landslide victory, improving to 6-3 on the season.
“At halftime, we just really wanted to focus on maintaining intensity and still looking for our open shots and pushing the pace of the game,” Great Bend head coach Carrie Minton said. “The girls did a really good job of doing that in the  second half.”
A running clock went into effect near the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter. As it turned out, the last points for Larned came at the three-minute mark in the third.
Minton was able to clear her bench in this one. Fourteen Lady Panthers logged playing time.
“It was nice that you get a big lead like that and you can play some different combinations and get some people into the game,” she said. “You never know when situations are going to arise and people are going to have step up and play.
“They were able to get in and do some good things for us tonight.”
Great Bend nailed a season-high nine 3-pointers in the game, including two each by McKenna Mauler, Kaylie Doll, Kylee Spray and Kalee Maneth, along with one from Peyton Burkhart.
Morgan Harwood, Mauler and Kaylie Doll led the Lady Panthers with 12 points apiece. Hannah Hildebrand added 10 points — all in the first half — and Kelsie Doll finished with eight points.
Larned, led by Tiara Diaz’s eight points, falls to 2-9 on the season.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Non-Conference

At Great Bend
Panther Fieldhouse

GIRLS

Great Bend 77, Larned 20
LARNED (2-9)
     Catera Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Roxy Foster 0 1-2 1, Bailey Schartz 0 2-2 2, Reagan Quick 0 0-0 0, Kassandra Razo 0 0-0 0, Corrine Quick 0 0-0 0, Jansyn Van Horn 0 0-0 0, Aarika Bright 0 0-0 0, Maci Perez 1 0-0 2, Tylisha Calkins 1 0-0 2, Tiara Diaz 2 3-4 8, Shaylene Shepherd 0 1-2 1, Jessica Johnson 0 2-8 2, Alysa Byrum 0 0-0 0, Alexis Langdon 0 0-0 0, Rachael Herter 1 0-0 2. Totals 5 9-18 20.

GREAT BEND (6-3)
     Kacee Kasselman 0 0-0 0, Lauren Welsch 1 0-0 2, Hannah Hildebrand 3 4-6 10, Kelsie Doll 2 4-7 8, Peyton Burkhart 1 0-0 3, Kylee Spray 3 4-6 12, Mariah Stein 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Doll 3 4-7 12, Madeline Vesta 0 0-0 0, McKenna Mauler 4 2-3 12, Tarynn Stueder 0 0-0 0, Hannah Mauler 0 0-0 0, Kalee Maneth 2 0-0 6, Morgan Harwood 5 2-4 12. Totals 24 20-33 77.
LHS                        12    6    2    0  — 20
GB                         16  30  18  13 — 77
     Three-point goals — Great Bend 9 (Mauler 2, Kay. Doll  2, Spray 2, Maneth 2, Burkhart 1); Larned 1 (Diaz). Total fouls  —  Larned 23, Great Bend 14. Fouled out — None.