BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
When all-stater Ian Premer (23 ppg) was sidelined for the season with a foot injury, it's easy to see why someone would've written a season-ending script for Great Bend's boys basketball team.
But Jacob Hall and his Panther teammates continue to show why they're alive for a share of the Western Athletic Conference basketball championship.
Hall followed up a school record 42-point game with a 32-point scoring burst in an 83-61 victory over Liberal Monday. One again, the Panthers thrived with a fast-paced offensive style.
The victory opens the door for the Panthers (13-8, 6-1 WAC) to share the WAC title when the Hays Indians (16-4, 6-0 WAC) visit Friday, which always guarantees a wild atmosphere.
The undersized 6-foot-2 Hall used his patience to work the paint flawlessly against a variety of shifting defenses. Time-after-time Hall used a crafty left-handed shot for 12 of 15 field goals to beat Liberal's defense.
"Jacob is a tough, hard-nosed player," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "He comes to work every day. He always seems to fly under the radar."
Liberal (2-18, 0-6 WAC) played an efficient offensive first half with 14 of 33 shooting and four turnovers. Liberal's best player James Fieser scored 20 points and surprising Eathan Hernandez scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half.
Hall countered with a 13-point half. Jaxon Wondra split the gaps for an 11-point first half for a 38-31 Panther halftime lead.
The usual defensive thieves, Daxton Minton and Cooper Ohnmacht sparked a 26-point third quarter with several steals that broke the game open.
"It started on the defensive end." Kriegh said. "Daxton's a defensive stud."
Great Bend converted 10 of 12 field goals to start the third quarter keyed by flawless teamwork and passing. Hall scored 10 points in the quarter. Minton and Tavon Stroup combined for 12 points. Great Bend scored 45 second-half points keyed by 17 of 24 second-half shooting (71%).
"We moved the ball and passed the ball better after halftime," Kriegh said.
The super subs took over late. Cole Fanshier and Eli Contreras converted late-game baskets. Freshman point guard Gavin Wondra showed his moxie with a confidence that's proved he's capable of contributing.
Liberal 17 14 12 18 — 61
Great Bend 15 23 26 19 — 83
LIBERAL (2-18, 0-6)—Fieser 10-17 0-0 20; Hernandez 6-11 (3-7) 2-2 17; Collins 3-7 (2-3) 1-2 9; Moreno Gonzalez 3-8 (0-1) 1-2 7; Castillo (1-1) 1-2 4; Diego Martin 1-5 (0-4) 0-0 2; Olvera 0-5 (0-3) 0-0 0; Olmstead 1-2 0-0 0; Contreras (0-1) 0-0 0; Cardenas 0-3 (0-1) 0-0 0; Totals 25-60 (6-22) 5-8 61
GREAT BEND (13-8, 6-1)—Jacob Hal 12-15 (1-1) 7-9 32; Ohnmacht 3-10 (1-1) 4-4 11; Jaxon Wondra 4-7 (1-2) 2-2 11; Minton 4-6 (1-1) 0-0 9; Stroup 3-4 (2-2) 0-0 8; Alec :Premer 1-3 (0-2) 1-2 3; Price 2-2 0-0 4 Fanshier 1-1 0-0 2; Gavin Wondra 0-0 1-2 1, Kaiser 0-1 0-0 0; Prilling (0-1) 0-0 0; Contreras 1-1 0-o 2; Totals 31-51 (6-11) 15-19 83
LIBERAL GIRLS 49, GREAT BEND 31 — Great Bend's 5-foot-3 Meredith Mazouch set the tone with her fearless drives to the basket, seven points and pesky offensive rebounding.
"Meredith is great because she's really competitive," said Great Bend coach Jade Winter. "Meredith is a great rebounder because teams don't box her out."
The Panthers' most confident rebounder was even tagged with a 3-second violation despite the fact the Redskins didn't consider her a threat.
The Panthers showed heart and fight despite being overmatched physically and depth wise in a 49-31 loss Monday. Great Bend showed a 16-point improvement from a 74-40 loss to Liberal. The Redskins led 26-0 the first time the teams played.
Alex Mayers repeated her game-winning magic with a pair of 3-pointers and nine points. Denver Ringo converted an amazing left-handed field goal en route to eight points.
Great Bend (4-17, 1-6 WAC) is ending its season with a competitive fire despite no postseason play.
The Panthers made Liberal standouts Shamari Lewis (7 of 18) and Kylie Rhine (3 of 14) work for a combined 10 of 32 shooting night. Lewis scored 16 points, but her frustration showed after a missed shot led to a 'hard foul' against the Panthers.
Liberal pressed full-court the entire game, which forced 37 Panther turnovers. Liberal showed the depth required to overcome multiple fouls by the Redskins. The Panthers converted 9 of 17 free throws.
"I was proud of the way the girls fought," said Great Bend coach Jade Winter. "We knew we had to be the aggressor. I was proud of how aggressive the girls played on offense. When the girls got pushed down, they pushed back. When Liberal applied pressure, our girls made sure the fouls were obvious."
The Redskins' height and strength advantage led to multiple field goals tries. Liberal gained a 31-shot advantage, converting 19 of 72 field goals, compared to 10 of 41 shooting by the Panthers.
"Liberal likes to press and not let you get back in the game," Winter said. "They like to get you down and not let you back up. The girls know they have to take care of the basketball as well as they could."
Winter said the Panthers kept working together against a challenging schedule. The Panthers have improved by 13 points per game in their second WAC meeting.
"We challenged the girls to be energetic and be excited. They show up every day," Winter said. "It's showed up on the court for us. The girls are working hard and want to win."
Liberal 10 13 15 11 — 49
Great Bend 7 11 6 7 — 31
LIBERAL (14-3, 4-2)—Lewis 7-18 (0-1); Rhine 3-14 (1-10) 0-0 7; Alvarez 2-9 (2-5) 1-2 7; Mullens 3-10 1-2 7; Short 2-3 2-4 6; Hammond 1-4 (0-2) 0-2 2; Olvera 1-7 (0-3) 2-3 4; Carter (0-5) 0-0 0; Heredia 0-1 0-0 0; Cadena 0-1 0-0 0; Totals 19-72 (3-26) 8-15 49
GREAT BEND (3-17, 1-6)—Alex Mayers 2-8 (2-5) 3-3 9; Ringo 3-6 (0-1) 2-4 8; Meredith Mazouch 2-7 3-4 7; McCauley 2-4 (0-1) 0-2 4; Baze Hogan 1-5 1-4 3; Chayla Prendergast 0-5 0-0 0; Katherine Mazouch 0-4 (0-1) 0-0 0; Stevie Mayers 0-2 (0-1) 0-0 0; Totals 10-41 (2-9) 9-17 31
