BY JIM MISUNAS
HUTCHINSON – When Great Bend’s defensive stopper Konner Ireland departed with a leg issue with 5:44 left, the Panthers’ upset basketball hopes quickly vanished.
Ireland’s tenacity against Hutchinson High’s leading scorer Kolby Holmberg kept the Panthers within 48-44 Friday night at the Salthawk Activity Center.
Holmberg scored nine fourth-quarter points and the Salthawks converted three consecutive 3-pointers to ignite a 64-49 victory that was sparked by a game-ending 16-5 run.
“Konner did a fantastic job defensively on Holmberg,” said Great Bend coach Tim Brooks. “We definitely miss him when he’s not on the court. He does a lot of things offensively for us too. He’s our point guard who gets us in our offense.”
DeAndre Baugh started the Salthawks’ long-range accuracy followed by 3-pointers by Holmberg and Davian Vigil for a 57-46 lead with 1:40 left.
The Salthawks (2-2) matched their win total from last year while the Panthers dropped to 1-4 with a trip to Dodge City Jan. 3.
The Salthawks converted 9 of 19 3-pointers to outscore the Panthers 27-15 from long range. Six Hutchinson players hit 3-pointers.
Holmberg scored 15 points, just six against Ireland, and Tre’Vaughn Jones (11) and DeAndre Baugh (10) scored in double figures. Jones scored 11 points in an eight-minute stretch.
“Our defense got lost a couple of times on Jones,” said Brooks. “Give them credit. They knocked down some outside shots.”
Great Bend’s leading scorer Kody Crosby won his matchup against Canyon Maldonado with a 19-point effort. Koy Brack sparked the Panthers with 10 points, which was matched by Brayden Smith’s strong inside presence with 10 points. Ireland scored off a steal and dished to Crosby for another score to inspire the Panthers’ third period spark.
The Panthers rallied from a 12-point deficit keyed by aggressive defense to outscore Hutchinson 13-3 to climb within 41-38 when Jones drilled another 3-pointer.
“We did a lot of good things to get back into the ballgame,” Brooks said. “We executed some offensive plays better than we have earlier in the season. That was good to see. We played better defensively at points.”
The Panthers’ rally fizzled when they committed several unforced turnovers in the fourth quarter.
SALTHAWKS 64, PANTHERS 49
GB 14 7 13 15 – 49
HHS 17 13 9 25 – 64
GB—Kody Crosby 8-14 1-2 19; Brayden Smith 4-10 2-2 10; Koy Brack 4-9 0-0 10; Konner Ireland 1-3 2-2 5; Logan Perry 2-4 0-1 4; Jacob Murray 0-6 1-2 1; Woods 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 19 6-9 49.
HHS—Jones 4-7 0-0 11; Holmberg 4-11 6-7 15; Baugh 4-12 0-0 10; Ontjes 1-4 0-0 3; Akins 2-2 0-0 5; Maldonado 2-4 1-1 5; Heitschmidt 3-9 0-0 6; Vigil 3-9 2-3 9; Totals 23-58 9-11 64.
3-point goals—GB 5-19 (Crosby 2-6, Brack 2-5, Ireland 1-3, Woods 0-1, Murray 0-4), HH 9-19 (Jones 3-5, Baugh 2-3, Ontjes 1-3, Akins 1-1, Vigil 1-3, Holmberg 1-4).
WESTERN ATHLETIC BOYS
Hays High 0-0 5-0
Liberal 0-0 5-0
Great Bend 0-0 1-4
Dodge City 0-0 0-4
Garden 0-0 0-6
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Goddard Eisenhower 60, Dodge City 31
Hutchinson High 64, Great Bend 49
Liberal 63, Perryton, Texas 45
