By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The last time the Great Bend High School boys' basketball team appeared at the state tournament in 2010, the Class 5A field included future Kansas City Chief Blake Bell and future Kansas City Royal Bubba Starling. The future, then, is wide open for the next group of players. With a 69-54 win against Hutchinson Friday night at GBHS, the Panthers are headed back to state for the first time in 14 years.
Since a loss to Hays on Jan. 26, the Panthers have rattled off eight straight wins, avenging losses to Garden City, the Indians, and Hutchinson. Great Bend takes a 17-5 record to Emporia next week.
"I just feel like we've came more prepared and we've been more locked in since the first time we played them," said Panther senior Maddox Spray.
The Salthawks rarely threatened in Friday's rematch. Great Bend led 12-7 after one quarter and 23-17 at the break. Spray and sophomore Ian Premer took over in the third quarter, combining for all 22 Great Bend points as the Panther lead grew to 45-31 with a quarter to play. After a scoreless first half, Spray scored all 21 of his points in the final two quarters.
"I was able to get to the rim and just do what I do best, which is finish and get to the free throw line," he said.
Hutchinson did make a run late. Senior Jax Heneha went scoreless in the first half but hit a pair of threes and scored 10 of his 16 points in the final quarter. Junior guard Terrell King did most of the scoring for the Salthawks early on. He added five points in the fourth to finish with 21 points before fouling out.
The Salthawks were able to cut a 19-point deficit to 11 points midway through the fourth on a Heneha three, but Panther senior Carter Coombs answered with a trey of his own for a 55-41 score with 3:46 remaining. Spray put in three baskets and went 6-of-7 from the line in the final quarter for 12 of his 21 points.
Premer went scoreless in the fourth quarter but still finished with a game-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds. Another highlight was a breakaway from Daxton Minton that led to a jam from Premer late in the third quarter to boost the Panther lead to 44-25. Sophomore Jacob Hall turned in another big performance with 13 points and six rebounds.