BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

KINGMAN — Defending 2A state basketball champion Sterling played with the poise of a champion as the Black Bears downed Great Bend 74-62 to capture Saturday's Kingman Basketball Classic title.

Sterling's all-tournament Boston Ekart outperformed Great Bend's all-tournament Ian Premer with a 25-point night. Ekart's best move was jumping over defending Cooper Ohnmacht. Premer worked hard for a 17-point night with 5 of 15 shooting against multiple Sterling defenders.

The Black Bears beat the Panthers off the dribble consistently and converted 26 of 39 free throws by attacking in the paint. Most hard drives to the basket were awarded with free throws. 

Sterling's double figure scorers Jacob Lewis (14), Zane Farney (13) and Wyatt Newberry (13) delivered perfect offensive balance. After trailing 43-29, the Panthers never got closer than eight points.

Panther Jacob Hall kept the Panthers within striking range with a solid 19-point night off 9 of 14 shooting. Point guard Daxton Minton scored six points, but was off balance after drawing two early fouls. Minton achieved the rare feat of six assessed fouls by drawing a technical foul after departing with his fifth foul. 

"Our guys showed determination and grit," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "We kept fighting until the end. I have great respect for Sterling's basketball team."

The Panthers made 50% (24-48) on guarded field goals, and 36% on unguarded free throws (12 of 33). It was a team effort as Cooper Ohnmacht's 57% (4-7) led the Panthers' uncharitable performance from the line. Great Bend converted 2 of 11 on 3-pointers (18%). 

The story of the night was Great Bend's erratic free throw shooting. 

"We had a chance to win, but we had to shoot a higher free throw percentage," said Kriegh. "This is the type of game that'll make us better. We've got to execute better offensively. It was tough defensively. Both teams had to battle foul trouble."

Sterling's 7-turnover night kept Great Bend's dangerous transition game under wraps. The Panthers gave away 15 possessions with turnovers.

Sterling and Great Bend played hard-nosed man-to-man defense, but it was rare when that defense was rewarded for two aggressive physically talented defensive teams.

Give the 3-man officiating crew credit for consistency. More than 10 fouls were called in all four quarters in a game featuring 72 free throws and 55 fouls. 

Because Sterling has shown efficient 3-point shooting, the Panthers played man defense without a pressure scheme until the final minutes.

The first half was officiated tightly with 22 fouls and 28 free throws. Eight players were tagged with at least two first-half fouls.

PANTHERS 78, HAVEN 44 — Kriegh learned his lesson well. 

One year after getting shackled by Haven's 1-3-1 zone defense in a 53-41 loss, the Panthers created a fast tempo with an aggressive defensive game plan that keyed a dominating 78-44 rout over the Wildcats in Thursday's Kingman Basketball Classic.

The Panthers' trapping defense and quick transition game led to 12 of 15 shooting and a 30-11 lead after one quarter. By halftime, Great Bend led 47-24. The Panthers shot 72% inside the 3-point stripe (23 of 32).

"We didn't take them lightly," Kriegh said. "It was nice to see our guys play like that."

As usual, all-stater Ian Premer set the offensive tone with four slam dunks and 29 points off 12 of 14 shooting. Haven's fouling strategy was effective  when Premer converted 4 of 10 foul shots. Premer scored 15 first-quarter points.

Kid brother Alec Premer continues to stand tall next to his 6-6 brother with 10 points and 4-of-5 shooting. Point guard Daxton Minton continued his recent hot streak with solid ballhandling and 11 points off a perfect shooting night.

"Alec has to pave his own way," Kriegh said. "He plays more athletic every day."

A slow tempo was the Panthers' Kryptonite twice last year. Hesston shocked the Panthers 53-41 in a similar low possession game.

The Panthers defense delivered two signature plays. Jumping jack Cooper Ohnmacht soared into the air to reject a 3-point attempt by Zade Turner. Defensive standout Minton coaxed Haven's pesky Daelon Mahaney into a charging foul.

The Panthers' defense shut out Haven's Brogan Wray after he converted four 3-pointers for a 13-point first half.

Great Bend's bench produced 21 points with an effective attacking style.

Sterling 16 17 17 24 — 74

Great Bend 12 14 13 23 — 62 

STERLING (FG/3/FT/TP)—Ekart 9-16 (1-1) 6-11 25; Farney 3-5 7-12 13; Newberry 4-8 (1-3) 4-6 13; Lewis 4-6 6-6 14; Smith 3-9 (0-1) 3-4 9; Totals 23-44 (2-4) 26-39 74

GREAT BEND (FG/3/FT/TP)—Hall 9-14 (1-3) 0-3 19; Ian Premer 5-15 (1-4) 6-13 17; Ohnmacht 4-8 4-7 12; Minton 3-5 (0-1) 0-0 6; Stroup 2-3 (0-1) 1-4 5; Alec Premer 1-3 (0-2) 1-4 3; Totals 24-48 (2-11) 12-33 62

Technicals—Minton, Ekart

KINGMAN BOYS CLASSIC—1ST—Sterling 74, Great Bend 62; 3RD—Meade 65, Haven 54; 5TH—Clearwater 55, Kingman 49; SECOND ROUND—Great Bend 78, Haven 44; Sterling 76, Kingman 34; FIRST ROUND—Great Bend 77, Clearwater 37; Meade 57, Kingman 35; Sterling 73, Meade 44; Haven 48, Clearwater 34

ALL TOURNAMENT—Sterling (Boston Ekart, Blake Smith, Zane Farney); Great Bend (Ian Premer, Daxton Minton); Haven (Brogan Wray); Meade (Samuel Lynn); Kingman (Dawson Wood)

Haven 11 13 12 8 — 44

Great Bend 30 17 21 10 — 78

HAVEN (FG/3/FT/TP)—Wray (4-5) 1-2 13; Martin 3-8 (1-5) 1-2 8; Jacques 2-6 (1-4) 1-3 6; Turner 3-8 (0-2) 0-2 6; Altvater 2-4 (0-1) 1-3 5; Brawner 0-0 4-4 4; Mahaney 0-0 2-4 2; Bontrager 0-4 0-0 0; Boice 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 14-36 (6-17) 10-20 44

GREAT BEND (FG/3/FT/TP)—Ian Premer 12-14 (1-2) 4-10 29; Minton 3-3 5-5 11; Alec Premer 4-5 (1-2) 1-2 10; Jacob Hall 3-8 (0-1) 3-4 9; Ohnmacht 2-3 (0-1) 1-2 5; Unruh 2-2 (1-1) 0-0 5; Stroup 1-2 (1-1) 0-0 3; Brown 1-2 (1-1) 0-0 3; Mazouch 1-1 0-0 2; Wondra 0-1 1-2 1; Prilling 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 29-42 (5-9) 15-25 78