BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
On a night filled with spectacular offensive highlights, Great Bend's defense saved the day by forcing a trio of turnovers that Ian Premer converted into the go-ahead rebound basket and an insurance free throw in a wild 54-51 substate basketball victory over pesky Wichita Carroll.
Carroll's John Hauserman forced a 51-51 tie on his fifth 3-pointer. There were five turnovers in the final 71 seconds. Jacob Hall tipped a loose ball that Daxton Minton recovered, then Minton stripped Hauserman at half-court when he swung the basketball over his head.
"When I watching from the bench, I saw he played loose with the basketball," Minton said. "I figured I'd go for it."
Minton missed the ensuing layup, but Premer converted the follow shot for a 53-51 lead. Carroll's feisty Mikey Brand posted up Hall with eight seconds, but was whistled for an offensive foul after a collision.
"Jacob is super strong," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh. "He took a charge for the team."
Premer's free throw made it 54-51.
Carroll's red-hot Hauserman, with 27 points, was smartly defended by Panthers Cooper Ohnmacht and Parker Dicks on a final tying attempt that bounced off the rim.
Premer (18), Hall (16) and Maddox Spray (11) scored in double figures. Carroll's 2-man wrecking crew featured Hauserman (27) and Brand (16) who combined for 34 of Carroll's 44 shots. Kriegh assigned a trio of defenders on both Carroll standouts.
An appreciative Panther crowd was treated to an instant classic with eight ties and six lead changes.
Carter Coombs played to rave reviews when he spun a behind-the-back assist to Hall for a basket for an 8-8 tie.
"That was awesome, an unbelievable pass by Carter," Kriegh said.
Premer enjoyed his usual highlight show with a pair of first-half slam dunks, the second for a 23-23 tie. Hall converted a pair of clutch 3-pointers plus his typical reliable inside offense.
The Panthers shut out Brand after a 16-point first half. Hauserman scored 23 second-half points.
"Hauserman got hot, but we held Brand to zero after halftime," Kriegh said.
The Eagles (7-14) showed poise and confidence after competing in the rugged Wichita City League.
"That was awesome, a lot of fun," said Kriegh. "It helped us that we've played a lot of close games like that. I was proud of our guys because it was a challenge and we fought through a lot tonight."
The Panthers (16-5) will meet Hutchinson High (15-6) at 7 p.m. Friday for the Panthers' first state berth since 2011. The Salthawks beat the Panthers 71-61 Jan. 12. Hutchinson's Julian Smith scored 19 points and Jax Heneha added 18 points.
Wichita Carroll 15 11 11 14 — 51
Great Bend 11 17 12 14 — 54
WICHITA CARROLL (7-14)—Hauserman 11-22 0-0 27, Brand 6-12 1-3 16, Stevens 1-5 2-2 4, Muth 1-1 2-2 4, Peterson 0-2 0-0 0, Martin 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 19-44 5-7 51.
GREAT BEND (16-5)—Premer 7-15 4-6 18, Hall 5-7 4-5 16, Spray 3-6 5-6 11, Coombs 2-6 2-2 6, Dicks 1-4 0-0 3, Minton 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 18-39 15-19 54.
3-pointers—WC 8-19 (Hauserman 5-8, Brand 3-7, Stevens 0-4); GB 3-12 (Hall 2-3, Dicks 1-3, Premer 0-3, Coombs 0-3).
GREAT BEND—3-1—Great Bend 16-5 vs. Hutchinson 15-6; Great Bend 54, Wichita Carroll 51; Hutchinson 69, Goddard Eisenhower 63
