BY BUDDY TABLER
ST. JOHN -- Larned’s fourth-quarter rally from a double-digit deficit fell shy in a 61-59 consolation loss to Nickerson in Friday’s Mid-Winter Classic. Larned (2-10) plays Wichita West in Saturday’s 3 p.m. seventh-place game.
Larned’s Chance Sanger sank three free throws and Mason Perez drilled a 3-pointer in the final minute. Sanger led the Indians with 15 points and Jon Herter added 13 points.
With 2:20 left, Larned pulled within 54-53, but a turnover was followed by a 3-point play by Jared Petz. The Indians turned the ball on three consecutive possessions to seal their fate. Perez hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer for the final two-point margin.
Larned coach Jerrod Smith said, “We were not good defensively in the first half. We allowed Nickerson too many points in the paint and we weren’t patient with our own offense and shot selection. I was pleased with our effort, our comeback, but gosh, we turned it over three straight times after nearly drawing even. That killed us.”
Behind the inside play of 6-2 Petz and 6-4 Braden Stewart, the Panthers jumped ahead 23-18. Continued inside dominance allowed them to extend the margin to 38-30 at halftime.
Larned’s offense got rolling, but were down 51-44 after three periods.
A fourth quarter comeback was fueled by the inside play of Jon Herter, and Kody Mead for Larned. The Indians began solving the 2-3 zone employed by Nickerson and whittled the lead to that single point.
Nickerson got a big game from Jared Petz with 18 points, 12 in the first half. He was supported by Austin Engelland with 12 and Austin O’Toole with 10.
PANTHERS 61, LARNED 59
Nickerson 23 15 13 10 – 61
Larned 18 12 14 15 – 59
NICKERSON—Petz 8-13 2-5 18; Engelland 4-11 2-2 12; O’Toole 4-8 0-110; Schrag 3-4 1-1 7; Braden Stewart 2-6 1-2 6; Kuhns 1-2 2-2 4; Camron Stewart 0-2 0-0 0; Frederick 2-2 0-0 4; Jones 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 24-49 8-13 61.
LARNED—Sanger 3-12 8-10 15; Herter 5-11 3-4 13; Schartz 3-4 2-2 9; Smith 1-1 0-1 3; Bright 2-4 0-0 4; Perez 3-4 0-0 8; Barger 1-1 0-0 2; Mead 1-5 0-2 2; Orth 1-6 0-0 3; Totals 20-48 13-19 59.
3-point goals—N 5-11 (O’Toole 2-2, Engelland 2-7, Braden Stewart 1-2); L. 6-14 (Perez 2-3, Smith 1-1, Schartz 1-2, Sanger 1-4). Rebounds—N 28 (Petz 7); L 22 (Bright 5). Assists—N 12 (O’Toole 5); L 5 (Schartz 3). Steals—N 15 (O’Toole 3, Schrag 3); L 6 (Schartz 4). TO—N 15, L 14.
MID-WINTER CLASSIC
1st—St. John vs. Ness City, 8:15
3rd—Central Plains vs. Pratt, 6:30
5th—Macksville vs. Nickerson, 4:45
7th—Larned vs. Wichita West, 3
FRIDAY
St. John 51, Pratt 34
Ness City 52, Central Plains 46
Nickerson 61, Larned 59
THURSDSAY
Central Plains 60, Nickerson 37
Ness City 64, Larned 46
Macksville 79, Wichita West 56
TUESDAY
St. John 57, Wichita West 20
Pratt 50, Macksville 40
