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Panthers wrap up regular season with win over Clay Center

CLAY CENTER — Concordia’s final regular season game against Clay Center was critical for a couple of reasons.
The Panthers were looking to build momentum heading into the postseason and lock up a number two seed in the Class 4A sub-state, and they accomplished both by thumping the Tigers 59-33 on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Panthers finished up the regular season 15-5 overall and 7-3 in the North Central Kansas League.
Concordia will be seeded second in the sub-state, hosted by Buhler, and will host Nickerson????, in the opening round next Tuesday night.
“We really emphasized the importance of this game. Not only to secure a number two seed in the sub-state, but also to give us some momentum going into Tuesday’s game,” Concordia coach Brandon Rice said, “We really came out with a lot of energy and were able to sustain that kind of play the entire game, which is critical this time of year.”
Clay Center is 6-14 overall and 3-7 in the league with the loss, but went into the game on a bit of a roll.
“Clay Center has won six games in the last three weeks. They are a team that has been playing hard, and they came in with some momentum, and we knew we had to get off to a good start to counter that,” Rice said.
The Panthers accomplished that when Grant Holmes followed up a long two-point basket with a three to give Concordia a quick 5-0 lead it would not relinquish.
Clay Center kept it close throughout the first half, and trailed just 12-9 when Cody Newell hit a three with 1:04 left in the period.
Alan Garcia answered with a three, and the Panthers led 15-9 heading into the second period.
The two teams traded baskets, and Concordia got a jumper by Drew Erkenbrack, a short bank shot by Joshua Pounds, a bucket by Derick Nordell and a free throw by Pounds to go up 24-11.
Kaden Anderson scored on a drive for Clay Center, but Pounds and Garcia combined to go four of four from the free throw line to make it 28-13.
Dalton Haist hit a pair of charity tosses for the Tigers.
Gabe Bergmann followed up a Concordia miss with two seconds left in the first half to give the Panthers a 30-15 advantage.
Erkenbrack and Bergmann each scored in the first 1:09 of the second half, and Concordia led 34-15.
Clay Center would trim the deficit to 13 points, 38-25, late in the third period.
Nathan Gieber knocked down a three and then completed a three-point play to push Concordia’s lead back to 19 points, 44-25.
The Panthers were up 44-27 heading into the final quarter.
A layup by Holmes and a free throw by Pounds pushed Concordia’s lead to 20 points, 47-27.
Clay Center got no closer than 18 points over the final six minutes.
“We are playing our best basketball right now. We have peaked at the right time,” Rice said.
Holmes scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Concordia. He was 8 of 14 from the field and one of two from the free throw line.
Pounds had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Garcia finished with eight points.
Bergmann had seven rebounds and four blocked shots to go with six points.
Anderson scored 12 points for Clay Center.

CONCORDIA (59)
Garcia 2-3-1 8, Pounds 2-6-2 10, Erkenbrack 3-0-3 6, Holmes 8-1-1 19, Gieber 2-1-1 6, Nordell 2-0-3 4, Bergmann 3-0-1 6. Totals: 22-11-12 59.
CLAY CENTER (33)
K. Anderson 6-0-2 12, J. Anderson 0-2-3 2, Haist 0-2-1 2, Newell 2-2-2 7, Bosch 10-3 2, Scott 1-0-1 2, Carson 3-0-3 6, Hamel 0-0-1 0, Ford 1-0-1 2. Totals: 14-4-17 33.

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