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Panther girls fall 57-29 to Tigers

Going nearly 11 minutes without scoring in the first half was too much for the Concordia Panthers to overcome in a 57-29 North Central Kansas League loss to the Clay Center Tigers Tuesday night in the Concordia Junior-Senior High School gymnasium.
Concordia, playing its first game since returning from semester break, led eighth-ranked Clay Center 7-6 midway through the first quarter.
The Panthers would go scoreless over the next 10:57.
Clay Center pumped in 25 points during that stretch to grab a 31-7 advantage.
Concordia got no closer than 19 points the rest of the way in falling to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in league play.
“Not being in the right position. Not reading their defense,” Concordia coach Michael Wahlmeier said of the lengthy scoring drought, “We have to do a better job of adjusting. Knowing where the holes are in that extended zone they run.”
Trailing 6-3 early, the Panthers got consecutive baskets by junior Terin Rundus to go up 7-6.
Rundus led Concordia with 11 points and pulled down five rebounds.
Clay Center, 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the league, scored the final six points of the first quarter, and led 12-7.
A three-point basket by Clara Edwards gave the Tigers a 15-7 lead early in the second period.
Clay Center then went nearly three minutes without scoring before Lexi Liby knocked down a three that started a run of 16 points in a span of 3:39 that made it a 31-7 game.
Edwards, a 6-0 junior, scored six of those points and finished with 26.
“She is probably, if not the best player in our league, one of the top two,” Wahlmeier said of Edwards.
Concordia ended its scoring drought when Zoe Bechard made a three-point shot with 56 seconds to play in the first half.
A basket by Kendall Reynolds left the Panthers trailing 31-12 at halftime.
Sandwiching a pair of three-point baskets around two free throws, Edwards scored the first eight points of the second half to extend Clay Center's lead to 39-12.
Concordia went the first 3:32 of the third quarter without scoring before Reynolds connected on a three that made it 39-15.
The Panthers were down 51-21 going into the final period.
Concordia got a three by Genna Strait and four points by Rundus early in the fourth quarter.
With a running clock, the Panthers would tack on just one more point.
“We knew we were going to have to play really well to hang with them, and we just made a few too many mistakes. We need to keep working hard to get better,” Wahlmeier said.
Reynolds and Bechard scored six points each for Concordia.
Liby finished with 12 points on four three-point baskets for Clay Center.
Concordia plays a league game at Wamego on Friday night.

CLAY CENTER (57)
Siebold 1-2-3 4, Bent 0-0-1 0, Liby 4-0-2 12, Crimmins 1-1-0 3, Henry 2-1-2 5, Bloomdahl 0-0-1 0, Hammel 3-0-4 7, Edwards 9-5-2 26, Lane 0-0-2 0. Totals: 20-9-17 57.
CONCORDIA (29)
Bechard 2-0-2 6, Wilson 0-0-1 0, Loeffler 0-0-1 0, Reynolds 2-1-3 6, Strait 1-0-0 3, Wahlmeier 1-1-2 3, Rundus 4-3-3 11. Totals: 10-5-12 29.

 

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510 Washington St.
Concordia, KS 66901