HAYS — Losing seven seniors to graduation from last season, Great Bend High School’s inexperienced Lady Panthers had to go up against a Class 5A state-tournament-tested Newton basketball team to open their season Thursday evening.
Newton, which finished 19-3 last season, showed their wares during a 76-26 romp past the Lady Panthers in an opening-round game of the Hays City Shoot-Out at Felten Middle School.
“All 14 of our girls got to play at least a few minutes,” Great Bend head coach Jason Tatkenhorst said. “So they need to self-reflect and wake up (today) and get after it.
“It’s one loss, no matter how many points you lost by. Let’s wake up and battle and get ourselves a win.”
While Newton advances to the semifinals, the Lady Panthers drop into the losers’ bracket at 4 today against DeSoto.
The fast-breaking ways of Newton’s Kelsi Langley and her teammates made for a long night for the Lady Panthers. Langley scored a game-high 28 points on a variety of drives to the basket. She also had three of the Railers’ four 3-pointers.
Before the game was even three minutes old, Great Bend found itself with a 14-0 deficit, due in large part by a trio of three-point plays by post player Kendra Scott, who scored all nine of her points during that stretch.
The Railers stretched their lead to 23-0 after the first-quarter buzzer and led 25-0 near the five-minute mark. Great Bend’s drought finally ended when Olivia Basye knocked down her first of four 3-pointers on the night to make it 25-3.
“She makes that first shot,” Tatkenhorst said of Basye, who finished with 12 points. “The next time downcourt, I thought she was open and we passed it to someone else.
“We’ve got to recognize, hey, when a girl makes a 3, you get her the ball again, especially if she’s open. Give credit to Olivia for stepping up. That’s what we thought she could bring to our team, her outside shooting.”
Newton led 43-7 at halftime and never looked back in the second half, where Tatkenhorst started funneling his players in-and-out of the lineup. Post players Hannah Hildebrand and Morgan Harwood added some spark to the Lady Panthers in the second half, scoring three and six points, respectively.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” Tatkenhorst said he told his team. “What is this mop-up duty or something? Heck no.
“Get out there and show us what you’ve got.”
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Hays City Shootout
At Hays
Felten Middle School
GIRLS
Thursday
Opening round
Newton 76, Great Bend 26
NEWTON (1-0)
Jacque Anderson 0 1-2 1, Alyssa Tolle 0 1-2 1, Maddie Pendry 6 3-3 16, Emily Heibert 5 0-0 10, Abbie Lehman 1 2-2 4, Kelsi Langley 12 1-2 28, Jocelyn Cochran 1 0-3 2, Kendra Scott 3 3-3 9, Hannah Carlgren 2 0-0 4. Totals 31 10-15 76.
GREAT BEND (0-1)
Brandi Schneider 0 0-0 0, Emily Cruse 0 0-0 0, Olivia Basye 4 0-0 12, Katelyn Henning 1 0-0 2, Hannah Hildebrand 1 1-5 3, Kelsie Doll 0 0-0 0, Liz Kutina 0 0-2 0, Regan Unruh 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Doll 0 0-0 0, McKenna Mauler 0 0-0 0, Tarynn Stueder 1 1-2 3, Morgan Harwood 3 0-0 6, Kelsey Crosby 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 2-9 26.
Newton 23 20 19 14 — 76
Great Bend 0 7 10 9 — 26
Three-point goals — Newton 4 (Langley 3, Pendry); Great Bend 4 (Basye 4).
Hays City Shoot-Out
Thursday’s opening round
BOYS
Riley County 63, Colby 46
Great Bend 44, Newton 36
DeSoto 57, TMP-Marian 34
Kearney, Neb. 73, Hays 55
GIRLS
Riley County 42, Colby 37
Newton 76, Great Bend 26
Hays 38, Kearney, Neb. 30
TMP-Marian 47, DeSoto 37
