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Panthers down Crusader girls
spt deh gbhs bball v buhler girls scramble pic
Great Bend High School Panthers girls basketball team member Sydney Unruh (12) mixes it up with Buhler High Crusaders Haley Miller (1) and Libby Schultz (10) as she goes for a steal in the GBHS winter homecoming game Friday evening at GBHS. - photo by DALE HOGG Great Bend Tribune

 BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

 

GREAT BEND – Great Bend’s fullcourt defense and offensive balance overpowered the Buhler girls basketball team 52-38 Friday in a non-league game.

Great Bend (3-5) showed excellent balance with Sydney Unruh scoring a season high 10 points and Camryn Dunekack adding nine points. The Panthers had eight players score. Sydney Unruh and her sister Kaylee Unruh (six points) set the tone with hustling plays at both ends of the court.

The Panthers broke the game open with a 13-0 scoring run to start the second half for a 47-20 lead. Jenna Mauler dished out two assists and scored a basket. Carley Brack, Annie Mills and Alyssa Herter also scored baskets. The Panthers delivered excellent assists for teammates.

“We really moved and passed the basketball really well,” said Great Bend coach Carrie Minton. “Everyone we played performed with intensity and effort.”

The Panthers exhibited consistent energy and intensity from the outset for the first time all season. The Panthers forced 21 Buhler turnovers with effective fullcourt defense and outfought the Crusaders for loose balls.

Great Bend built on its best basketball of the season in a hard-fought 62-53 overtime loss to Hays High Tuesday.

“We played really well tonight,” Minton said. “We wanted to take all the positives and good things against Hays and build on that. We wanted to continue to play better as a basketball team. It was a team effort.”

Buhler (2-7) road the momentum of a two-game winning streak with solid minutes. Maggie Epp scored 13 points and athletic Alyvia Owens provided 10 rebounds and five points. Sparkplug Haley Miller and sharpshooter Alexis Marchione each added seven points.

The Panthers led 34-20 at halftime. Sydney Unruh made a pair of 3-pointers for 10 points. Dunekack added seven points. The Panthers play Dodge City at home Tuesday.

Buhler 9 11 6 12 – 38

GB 15 19 15 7 – 52

BUHLER (2-7) — Epp 4-15 5-6 13, Stutterheim 3-6 0-0 6, Miller 1-4 4-4 7, Schmidt 0-2 0-0 0, Marchione 3-8 0-0 7, Schultz 0-3 0-0 0, Owens 2-6 1-3 5, Totals 13-44 10-13 38.

GREAT BEND (3-5)— Sydney Unruh 3-6 2-2 10, Dunekack 4-6 0-0 9, Kaylee Unruh 2-3 1-2 6, Herter 2-4 0-0 5, Brack 2-5 0-0 4, Mauler 1-6 0-0 3, Schroeder 0-1 2-2 2, Mills 1-2 0-0 2, Urban 0-2 0-0 0, Keller 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 20-54 6-11 52.

3-point goals—Buhler 2-13 (Miller 1-3, Marchione 1-5, Owens 0-1, Epp 0-4), GB 6-24 (S. Unruh 2-4, Herter 1-2, Mauler 1-3, K. Unruh 1-3, Dunekack 1-5, Schroeder 0-1, Keller 0-1, Brack 0-5). TO—Buhler 21, GB 13. Rebounds—Buhler 31 (Owens 10), GB 31 (Dunekack 6).