jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Western Athletic Conference champion Great Bend learned a harsh lesson about postseason basketball last year.

No. 1 West seed Great Bend (18-3, 8-0 WAC) was shocked 62-60 by No. 16 seed Goddard Eisenhower to spoil the opportunity for back-to-back state tournament trips. In 2024, the Panthers (17-6, 6-2 WAC) qualified for the 5A state tournament for the first time since 2010.

The Panthers (53%) broke the school record field goal mark (50%, 2024) and set a new defensive mark (36.1%) that snapped the 2013 record (38.8%).

Three-time first team All-WAC Ian Premer (21 ppg, 9 rpg) is the odds-on favorite to repeat as WAC Player of the Year. Second team All-WAC Jacob Hall joins veterans Daxton Minton and Cooper Ohnmacht.

"Our team is capable of competing at the highest

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