The teams went head-to-head with the windchill falling to 13 degrees.

Senior Caleb Grill said the team has never played in an environment with such harsh weather conditions in his time at Maize.

“We had to play our game,” Grill said. “It is freezing. Nobody was really ready for that because we’ve never faced an environment like this. That was the challenging part.”

The Eagles will face undefeated Northwest next Friday at Northwest. Northwest defeated Bishop Carroll 84-67 Friday. The winner of next week’s game will play for a state title.

“We are going to have to score a lot of points against them [Northwest] because they are a high-powered offense team,” Grill said. “I think it will be a shoot-out.”

Junior KJ Hampton said the Eagles have some work to do before they face the Grizzlies.

“Northwest is a good team,” Hampton said. “They have some good players. If we play like we have in the past, we can win.”

Hampton scored on an long pass from Grill in the first quarter and a three-yard reception in the third.

Maize and Great Bend were tied 7-7 after the first quarter.

At the half, the Eagles trailed 14-13. After an Eagles fumble to start the second half, Great Bend went up 21-13.

The game ended with Great Bend inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line as time expired.

“It was extra, extra crazy,” Hampton said. “The energy was amazing. We came out here super hype and everything. I’m just glad we got through it.”