Panthers pick up 53-41 league win over Irish

CHAPMAN —  Surging into the lead in the second quarter, and then navigating their way through a foul-plagued second half, the Concordia Panthers picked up a 53-41 North Central Kansas League road win over the Chapman Irish on Friday night.
Concordia used a 15-4 run in the second period to go from behind by three points to ahead by eight.
The Panthers led 27-19 at halftime.
There were 29 fouls called and 40 free throws shot in the second half.
Concordia would extend its lead to 15 points, 38-23, in the third quarter.
Chapman got as close as seven points in the final stanza, but the Panthers connected on 11 of 16 free throws over the final 6:56 of the game to lock up the victory.
“It was a good, solid team win on the road,” Concordia coach Derek Holmes said.
Chapman, playing just its second game of the season because of COVID-19 related issues, had a 7-6 lead in the first five minutes of the game.
Concordia, now 4-2 overall and 2-2 in league play, went up 8-7 on a basket by Cav Carlgren.
Trevor Mead made one of two free throws for the Irish, and the game was tied at 8-8 heading into the second period.
A three-point play by Jon Jenkins gave Chapman, 0-2 overall and 0-2 in league play, its biggest lead of the game at 11-8.
In a span of 2:13, the Panthers got a bucket by Nick Vignery, back-to-back baskets by Wyatt Trost and a three-point shot by Vignery to go on top to stay, 17-11.
“A pair of free throws by Cam Liebau got Chapman within four points, 17-13.
Chase Parker and Aceyn Cash each scored inside the paint, and Concordia led 21-13.
Chapman would get as close as six points on two occasions.
The Panthers led 27-17 on a basket by Vignery with 36 seconds remaining in the first half.
Jenkins made two free throws 18 seconds later to make it a 27-19 game.
“We missed some easy shots to start the game, but then in the second quarter we got into a rhythm and got an eight-point lead at half and never looked back,” Holmes said.
The foul issues started early in the second half with four fouls being called in the first two minutes.
Chapman had a chance to close the gap but Mead missed on four free throw attempts in a span of 10 seconds.
Two free throws by Carlgren and a layup by Cash gave Concordia a 31-19 cushion.
Eli Riegel hit a three for Chapman to make it a 31-22 game.
The Panthers answered with consecutive threes by Vignery to go on top 37-22.
Vignery, a 5-6 senior guard, led Concordia with a career-high 16 points. He was five of six from the field, including three of four from three-point range.
“I am really proud of him (Vignery). He stepped up big. He has been shooting the ball better lately, and he also took good care of the ball,” Holmes said. “He made some big plays when we needed them. Those back-to-back threes were huge.”
The two teams would exchange free throws, and it was a 38-23 game.
Torin Cavanaugh scored the final three points of the third quarter, and Chapman trailed 38-26.
The Irish forced two Panther turnovers and scored five points in the first 54 seconds of the final period to get within seven points, 38-31.
Concordia turned the ball over just eight times in the game.
Connecting on 8 of 10 free throw attempts, the Panthers went on a 10-3 spurt to extend their lead back to double digits at 48-34 when Parker scored inside with 2:23 to play in the game.
Chapman would then get no closer than the final margin of 12 points.
Trost joined Vignery in double figures with 11 points. He also had six rebounds.
Carlgren, who made 7 of 10 free throws, finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Parker also scored nine points. He had six rebounds, five blocked shots and three assists.
The Panthers were 16 of 42 from the field for 40 percent and 16 of 26 free throws for 62 percent.
Liebau led Chapman with 11 points. Riegel and Trey Adams added nine points each.
Concordia will play in the Salina Invitational Tournament this week.
The Panthers are seeded fifth and play fourth-seeded and league rival Abilene at 3 p.m. Thursday at Salina Central High School.
The winner of the game will face the winner of the game between top-seeded Salina South and eighth-seeded Liberal in the semifinals on Friday. The two losers of the first-round games will meet up in the consolation bracket.
The championship and consolation games will be played on Saturday.
“That is a challenge every year, playing three games in three days. We are not as deep as we want to be yet, but we are developing depth,” Holmes said. “We just need to have a good week of practice. We are looking forward to the tournament. It is one of the toughest tournaments in the state.”

CONCORDIA (53)
Vignery 5-3-3 16, Trost 4-3-5 11, Cash 2-0-3 4, Carlgren 1-7-3 9, Hobrock 2-0-5 4, Parker 3-3-4 9. Totals: 17-16-23 53.
CHAPMAN (41)
Riegel 4-0-4 9, Adams 25-5 9, Erickson 0-1-3 1, Jenkins 1-5-2 7, Cavanaugh 1-2-3 4, Liebau 3-4-5 11. Totals: 11-17-22 41.