BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Class 5A Great Bend (1-8) inherits the underdog role in Thursday’s Bluestem Classic against No. 1 ranked Wichita Collegiate (8-0), the defending Class 4A-Division 2 state champion. Game time is 3 p.m. at El Dorado High School.
The game will be aired on video at https://youtu.be/JW3rCR9PUXU from the Wichita Collegiate broadcast.
Great Bend’s Tim Brooks coached three games at the McPherson Tournament against the Spartans at Manhattan from 2005 to 2007, winning twice. He also saw the Spartans when he was an assistant coach at Dodge City High School.
The Spartans average 72 points per game keyed by a full-court pressure defense featuring two units that alternate during the game. Cody McNerney (20 ppg), 6-5 Riley Dick (11 ppg) and 6-5 Gabe Fisher (11 ppg) average in double figures.
“They’ve played the same style since Mitch Fiegel has coached,” said Great Bend coach Tim Brooks. “Their goal is to wear you down. They like it when you shoot quick shots that are not necessarily good shots.”
Brooks said his team has prepared to work against pressure defense whenever the Spartans score.
“They play pressure defense for an extended period of time, which most teams cannot do,” Brooks said. “It will be a challenge to play smart and disciplined with the basketball. You’d like to take advantage and attack their pressure from time-to-time. Their players attack the basket and shoot it decent.”
Brooks said he’s always more concerned about focusing on how the Panthers perform rather than spending time on the opponent.
The Panthers had chances to beat Dodge City and Garden City in back-to-back games.
“We’ll work on some tendencies, but a lot of what we do is what we do,” Brooks said. “I know we’ll continue to play hard. We need to find ways to get stops and score baskets at critical times.”
Cody Crosby (16 ppg) will join Konner Ireland (7 ppg), Jacob Murray (5 ppg), Logan Perry (3 ppg) and Koy Brack (3 ppg) in the starting lineup. Brayden Smith (10 ppg) has been sidelined with an ankle injury.
Great Bend will also play Friday and Saturday at El Dorado High School.
BLUESTEM CLASSIC
3 p.m.—Wichita Collegiate 8-0 vs. Great Bend 1-8
6:30 p.m.—Gardner-Edgerton 5-2 vs. Circle 5-4
4:45 p.m.—Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 8-1 vs. Campus 2-6
8:15 p.m.—Wichita Trinity 7-1 vs. El Dorado 4-5
