BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Junction City’s basketball team had an answer to every Great Bend defensive plan.
The Blue Jays drilled nine 3-pointers against the Panthers’ zone and dominated the paint in the final quarter when the Panthers played man-to-man defense in a 67-54 victory Friday night.
The Blue Jays shot the 3-pointer with accuracy, making 9 of 18 attempts from long range. A.J. Dickerson led the way with 23 points and Aaron Hamilton converted a trio of 3-pointers for 14 points.
The Blue Jays led 12-0 with a flawless opening minutes. But the Panthers kept hustling, slicing the lead within three points five times.
Kody Crosby battled against exceptional defense by Eli Gardner, who hounded his every move. Crosby managed 15 points, just off his 17-point average. Brayden Smith scored 13 points and supersub Koy Brack contributed 10 first-half points to lead the Panthers’ charge.
BLUE JAYS 67, PANTHERS 54
JC 12 15 14 26 — 67
GB 5 16 18 15 — 54
JC—A.J. Dickerson 7-15 5-6 23; Aaron Hamilton 5-6 1-2 14; Lonnie Autry 2-8 4-4 10; Eaves 1-2 0-0 2; Range 4-8 1-2 9; Gardner 2-3 4-6 8; Magee 0-0 1-2 1; Totals 21-42 16-22 67.
GB—Kody Crosby 6-16 2-3 15; Brayden Smith 6-13 1-5 13; Koy Brack 3-4 2-2 10; Eric Woods 0-0 0-2 0; Konner Ireland 1-3 0-0 2; Logan Perry 3-6 2-3 8; Jacob Murray 1-5 3-4 6; Totals 20-47 10-18 54.
3-point goals—JC 9-18 (Hamilton 3-3, Dickerson 4-10, Autry 2-5); GB 4-8 (Brack 2-2, Murray 1-1, Crosby 1-4, Ireland 0-1).