BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

DODGE CITY – It was payback time for the Great Bend Panther boys basketball team.

Great Bend avenged a midseason loss to Dodge City with a dominating 70-60 Western Athletic Conference basketball victory Friday. The Panthers shot 42 free throws, a complete reversal when Dodge City shot 52 free throws in a 64-61 victory at Great Bend.

This time, the Panthers attacked Dodge City’s fullcourt pressure and were prepared to take the fight to the Red Demons with confident drives to the basket along with 14 second-chance points.

Supersub Peyton Duvall was the Panthers’ sparkplug with a career high 19 points and a trio of 3-pointers to build a 63-49 lead. Duvall converted a 4-point possession on a hustling rebound basket after a Marcus Schmeidler basket for a 49-39 lead.

“Peyton Duvall is capable of that. He shoots it well and knocks down free throws,” said Great Bend coach Tim Brooks. “We did a lot of good things. It started with our defense. We got to the free throw line. We played much stronger the second half. To work for 18 offensive boards is incredible.”

Great Bend (4-14, 2-4 WAC) swung the momentum with a 19-3 scoring run for a 39-31 lead. Ty Esfeld and Sam Ryan hit 3-pointers and the Panthers’ forced eight Dodge City turnovers. The Panthers outscored the Red Demons 26-14 on free throws and 24-18 on 3-pointers.

“The guys played well. said Brooks. “It’s a huge win. We showed good perseverance. They’ll fight and scrap. It’s a good thing we play a lot of guys. We’ve got a of experience to handle things.”

Brooks said Dodge City’s wild defensive style creates a hectic game. The Panthers committed 29 turnovers. The Panthers scored 22 points off 27 Dodge City turnovers. The teams combined for more than 10 offensive fouls.

“The way Dodge City plays creates turnovers,” Brooks said. “It’s a crazy helter- skelter trap. You don’t know where their defense is coming from. At times, we did a nice job finding open areas and meeting passes. We wanted to play strong with the basketball.”

Noah Sowers led Dodge City (9-9, 2-4 WAC) with 19 points and Adrian Mendoza added 12 points on four first-quarter 3-pointers.

GB 12 14 23 21 – 70

DC 22 9 10 19 – 60

GREAT BEND (4-14)—Duvall 5-10 6-7 19, Esfeld 2-6 10-14 15, Schremmer 4-10 3-6 14, Wondra 0-2 0-0 0, Sam Ryan 1-5 1-2 4, Blessing 1-3 2-4 4, Stueder 2-3 0-1 4, Brack 1-1 0-0 2, Penka 0-7 4-7 4, Schmeidler 2-3 0-1 4, Totals 18-50 26-42 70.

DODGE CITY (9-9)—Sowers 6-13 5-8 19, Mendoza 4-8 0-2 12, Gleason 1-7 3-4 5, Riekenberg 1-7 2-2 4, Ibarra 0-2 2-4 2, Heath 4-5 0-1 8, Foster 1-3 0-0 2, Mead 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 2-5 0-1 4, Friess 0-1 0-0 0, Vela 1-1 0-0 2, Knedler 0-0 2-2 2, Totals 20-53 14-23 60.

3-pointers—GB 8-21 (Duvall 3-7, Schremmer 3-6, Esfeld 1-2, Ryan 1-3, Penka 0-1, Wondra 0-1, Blessing 0-1), DC 6-28 (Mendoza 4-8, Sowers 2-4, Gleason 0-6, Riekenberg 0-5, Ibarra 0-2, Johnson 0-1, Foster 0-2). Rebounds—GB 45 (Esfeld 15), DC 34 (Heath 5). Assists—GB 15 (Esfeld 5), DC 13 (Gleason 6). Steals—GB 14 (Schremmer 5), DC 17 (Gleason 5). TO—GB 29, DC 27.

 WESTERN ATHLETIC BOYS
Hays High 6-0 12-6
Garden City 5-2 11-8
Dodge City 2-4 9-9
Great Bend 2-5 4-15
Liberal 1-5 8-10
FRIDAY
Hays High 52, Garden City 50
Great Bend 70, Dodge City 60
SATURDAY
Liberal 57, Great Bend 46
TUESDAY
Hays High at Dodge City
Garden City at Liberal