BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Jacob Hall delivered a career high 29 points off 10 of 12 shooting with 10 rebounds as No. 4 ranked Great Bend clinched a share of the Western Athletic Conference with a 72-56 basketball victory over Dodge City.
Point guard Daxton Minton dished out 10 assists with accurate passing that set up Hall to score inside the paint.
Ben Nicholson contributed 19 points and a slam dunk as a tribute for all-state teammate Ian Premer, who missed the game recovering from an ankle injury. The Panthers converted 22 of 34 shots from 2-point range (65%).
Hall achieved a career best 23 points by halftime to spark the Panthers to a 45-29 halftime lead. The Panthers' defense improved in the third quarter for a 63-38 lead after three quarters.
Great Bend (17-1, 7-0 WAC) plays Hesston Tuesday and travel to Hays Feb. 27.
Dodge City 16 13 9 18 — 56
Great Bend 21 24 18 9 — 72
DODGE CITY (5-13, 2-5) (FG 3 FT TP)—Lembright 6-10 (4-8) 0-1 16, Scheck 3-13 (1-10) 5-6 12, Unzueta 3-5 (1-2) 1-2 8, Schukte 2-5 1-2 5, Smith 2-3 0-0 4, Quinones (1-1) 0-0 3, Williams 1-6 (0-2) 3, Presley 0-1 2-2 2, Muhammad 0-1 0-0 0, Castro (1-1) 0-0 3, Totals 19-46 (8-24) 10-16 56
GREAT BEND (17-1, 7-0) (FG 3 FT TP)—Jacob Hall 10-12 (2-3) 7-7 29, Nicholson 8-12 (2-2) 1-1 19, Ohnmacht 4-6 (1-2) 1-1 10, Minton 2-9 (0-4) 2-2 6, Reed 0-0 2-2 2, Stroup 1-3 0-1 2, Wondra 2-3 0-0 4, Ethan Somers (0-1) 0-0 0, Totals 27-46 (5-12) 13-14 72
PANTHER GIRLS 56, DODGE CITY 42 — Great Bend's Cassie Ellegood scored a career high 19 points to spark the Panthers to a sweep of Dodge City 56-42 in Friday's Western Athletic Conference basketball showdown. Ellegood converted 9 of 14 field goals with efficient shooting thanks to crisp passing.
Ellegood achieved a rare play starting the fourth quarter when her soft jumper remained stationary on the rim, forcing an alternate possession.
Scrappy Dodge City (1-18, 0-7) stayed within 38-33 keyed by eight 3-pointers.
Panther Alyssa McCauley broke the game open with back-to-back 3-pointers that sparked a 10-0 scoring run. Ellegood converted a lob pass by McCauley and scored on a Katherine Mazouch pass for a 48-33 lead.
McCauley scored eight points with several assists. DeShawnna Bryant and Meredith McCauley each scored six points.
Dodge City 10 8 13 11 — 42
Great Bend 15 13 9 19 — 56
DODGE CITY (1-18, 0-7) (FG 3 FT TP)—Gutierrez 5-15 (4-13) 2-2 16, Torrez 13 (1-2) 5-6 8, Taylor 3-9 (2-5) 0-2 8, Colwell 2-5 (1-2) 1-2 6, Bell 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 0-3 (0-2) 0-2 0, Mellinger 0-1 2-4 2, Durler 1-4 0-0 2, Totals 12-41 (8-24) 10-18 42
GREAT BEND (6-12, 2-5) (FG 3 FT TP)—Ellegood 9-14 1-2 19, McCauley 3-9 (2-6) 2-6 10, Bryant 4-6 0-0 8, Meredith Mazouch 2-7 (2-5) 0-0 6, Prendergast 2-3 2-6 6, Harbaugh 1-1 1-2 3, Mayers 1-2 (0-1) 0-0 2, Katherine Mazouch 1-2 (0-1) 0-0 2, Reimer 1-3 0-0 2, Minton (0-1) 0-0 0, Totals 24-48 (4-14) 6-16 56
