Panthers Sweep Chapman for First Wins of 2026

The Concordia Panther boys and girls basketball teams got their first victories of the new calendar year after sweeping the Chapman Fighting Irish on Friday, January 9th, inside of "The Jungle". In the varsity girls contest, Concordia held on to upset the #9 team in 4A 45-43, and in the varsity boys game, Concordia won with a 73-24 running clock victory.

In the varsity girls' contest, the game started back and forth and would finish that way. Junior Graceyn Weaver hit a 3 at the buzzer to end the first quarter and give Concordia a 13-12 lead. Weaver finished the contest with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and a game-high 7 steals!

The second quarter continued to bounce back and forth, with the first half featuring 2 ties and 6 lead changes. The Lady Panthers led 19-17 at the halftime break. Concordia on Tuesday at Rock Creek led the Mustangs 16-13 at halftime but had a tough second half, losing by double digits at the final. In this game, Concordia was able to hold the lead throughout the entire second half. Head Coach Trey Kuhlman joined KNCK Radio in the Panther Postgame Show and shared how proud he was of his team for hanging on this time.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Concordia was able to push their lead out to a 35-28 advantage thanks to their defense. Concordia held Chapman to shooting just 29% from the floor and forcing 28 turnovers. The H&R Block of the Game belonged to Jaylin Roush, who finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Charlize Cash gave Concordia its largest lead of the night, 43-34, after a left-hand layup with 2:39 to go in the ballgame, but the #9 team in the state wasn't done. With 1:29 to go in the game, Chapman Junior Josie Baer hit a three from the left corner to make it a 6-point game. After a Lady Panther miss, Avery Baer was fouled on a 3 by Weaver. Baer made two free throws, but after missing the 3rd, Abigail Gaston grabbed the rebound for the Irish and put it back in, a 4-point possession for Chapman and a two-point game with 52 seconds left. Chapman fouled Senior Rylie Jessup with 36 seconds left, but Jessup, who had only been to the line 3 times all season, missed both, and Chapman found themself with an opportunity to tie or take the lead on the ensuing possession.

After a timeout, Adelynn Kirkpatrick was fouled and made both free throws to tie the game with 20 seconds left. Chapman had completed the comeback with a 9-0 run in less than 90 seconds to tie the game at 43. Trey Kuhlman took a timeout and drew up the play for his Senior. Charlize Cash did the rest. Here's how the game ended on KNCK Radio.

Cash was named the Swenson Jeardoe Family Farms Player of the Game, leading the team with 13 points, the game winner, a team high 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 steals, and 2 assists. Here's what Kuhlman shared about the game-winning play and defensive stand to win.

Concordia improves to 4-3 overall and now 2-1 in NCKL play after upsetting #9 Chapman at home. The Lady Panthers now welcome #2 Wamego to the Jungle on Tuesday, January 13th.

In the varsity boys contest, it was all Panthers. Chapman's Benson Smiley hit a 3 to give the Irish a 3-0 lead. Concordia responded with a 3 from Ayden Krier to tie it and eventually turned that game-tying three into a 20-0 run to give Concordia the 20-3 lead with 14 seconds left in the quarter. Jacob Gfeller would hit another three to stop the run, and the first quarter came to an end with Concordia having that 20-6 lead.

A theme coming into the game revolved around "letdown" or "trap game". After Concordia dropped a close game to the undefeated Rock Creek Mustangs, how mentally tough would they be against a winless Irish team in the very next game, and not "play down" to their opponent? After the first quarter, those thoughts were immediately gone. Head Coach Shane Traughber joined KNCK Radio in the Panther Postgame Show to share how proud he was of that fact.

Concordia relied on its intense defense to prevent Chapman from getting anything going on the offensive end. Concordia held Chapman to an unreal 7-27 from the floor and forced 36 turnovers, leading to 26 points. Sophomore Brandon Vignery came off the bench to lead the defensive charge with 6 points, 5 rebounds, a charge, 2 steals, and two blocks. Vignery joined KNCK Radio in the Panther Postgame Show and shared about the defensive work tonight.

The Panthers continued to be effective offensively. Concordia had 11 guys score points tonight. Sophomore Ayden Krier was named the Swenson Jeardoe Family Farms Player of the Game, leading the team with 24 points, 17 of those in the first half, while grabbing 3 steals and a block. Krier shared what worked for him offensively and how much fun it was to see his bench teammates get to play some fun basketball.

The Panthers cruised, resting their starters halfway through the 3rd quarter and using a running clock in the fourth quarter to get their first win in 2026. Head Coach Traughber shared how he hopes they build off the victory.

Concordia improves to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in NCKL play. The Panthers will host Wamego on Tuesday, January 13th.