Putting a 19-point loss at Macksville back on February 9 behind them, Greensburg put together a 23-point third quarter Thursday to earn a tight 53-51 Sub State win over the Mustangs to advance to Saturday night’s finals against Moscow and a chance to advance to the State Tourney in Hays.
   Trailing by two at the half, the Rangers made seven of their ten shots in the third, including going five for five from beyond the arc, leaving them with an eight-point lead heading into the final period.
   Offensive production in the last eight minutes, however, dried up as quickly as it had bloomed moments earlier, GHS having only a pair of free throws to show for the first 4:32 of the final period when Eric White scored off a long, length-of-the-court inbounds play to boost the Rangers back to a 48-43 edge. 
   With White’s conversion off the set play the only field goal of the period, Greensburg had to rely on free throws to hold off the ‘Stangs, even after Jared Loomis knotted the score at 51 all with 2:04 remaining, the seventh tie of the game.
   Greensburg then proceeded to run the clock down to 34 seconds left when Macksville fouled Shane Engelken, the junior able to convert only the second of two free throws for a narrow one-point lead.  It may as well have been a 21-point lead, however, as Loomis missed a runner the other end, only to see Jarrett Schaef run down the rebound.  Schaef got the ball to White before Macksville could grab him to send him to the line with four seconds left.
   Usually money at the stripe, White missed the first, but dropped the second foul shot for a 53-51 lead.  Macksville emerged from their time out with a play that ran junior Kelon Parr up the right sideline from where he launched a 35-foot desperation shot that caromed off the heel at the buzzer.
   Coach Dave White had little doubt as to what made the difference in Thursday night’s rematch with the state football champs.
   “It was how hard and how we played on defense,” White said later.  “We played them man almost all the time and we played it with a focus.
   “Logan (Waters), Andrew (Seiler) and Jarrett (Schaef) were awesome on Loomis.  His perimeter penetration killed us last time at their place, but last night our guys closed him off.  We were straight up so he couldn’t jump into us, and he had to force some shots when he did get it off.”
   White also mentioned the difference in having 6-3 forward Shane Engelken available this time around, unlike three weeks ago when the junior was still out with a leg injury.
    “Having a second kid with size to go to when Dave (Cesmat) got in foul trouble was big,” White said.
   While Greensburg was less than stellar from the line, hitting 16 of 26 for 61.5 percent, the Mustangs were downright miserable, going 12 of 28 from the stripe for 42.9 percent.
   The win did more than avenge the February 9 debacle and prevent the state football champs from also claiming the title in roundball.  It sent GHS into Saturday night’s Sub State title game against a solid Moscow squad that downed Quivira Heights by two in the earlier game.
   “Boy, they’re really athletic,” White said of the lone team standing between him and a trip to Hays.
   “If we can handle their quickness we can play with them.  But to turn around and be as focused against them as we were against Macksville tonight won’t be easy.  If we can be anywhere nearly as focused against them as we were tonight we’re capable of beating them and moving on.  If not, it could be tough.”