DODGE CITY — The GBMS 8th-grade girls girls basketball team traveled to Dodge City with heavy hearts over the unexpected passing of Taryn Warren’s grandpa.
The girls took the court dedicating the game to the unofficial team grandpa and family. Stepping up to fill Taryn’s shoes for the A team was Allyson Kaiser in a position most players cannot physically handle.
“She was “the 1” in a box-and-one defense,” said Great Bend coach Kyle Jeffrey. “Not to mention, I was encouraging her every defensive possession. To say she had a high stress level job is an understatement. It is a selfless job that we needed her to do in order to get a team victory. We were all excited about her outstanding job.”
The girls, determined to win accepted the challenges and led by Steele Brack and Melyne Fletchall with six points each secured the beat Dodge City Middle School 20-16. The Lady Panthers (8-4) are 5-1 in the league.
The Lady Panthers also played without shooting guard Makenna Tinkler, who injured an ankle and was unable play the rest of the night.
“The girls go out every game and play to win, but this game held special meaning,” Jeffrey said. “We had a great defensive team effort and we played smart basketball being patient on offense and doing what we needed to.”
The Great Bend girls B team (9-1) rolled to a 29-4 victory over Dodge City. The girls played aggressive and were determined to avenge their first loss of the season last week. The Panther girls established a winning tone after losing their first game last week.
GBMS A team—Steele Brack 6 points, Melyne Fletchall 6, Alayna Irwin 4, Hannah Loomis 3, Emma Loomis 1.
GBMS B team—Jordan Turner 10, Yulisa Valdez 8, Arely Reyes 7, Joselin Pando 2, Emma Loomis 2.