Plainsmen close out Sutherland in final seconds

Shawn Cole’s Plainsmen basketball team finally got a close game go their way Saturday against Sutherland. 

The game was going down to the wire after the two teams battled back and forth the entire game, with neither team leading by more than eight. 

With 1:06 left in the game, Triston Hite hit a bucket to give the Plainsmen a 54-51 lead. 

But Sutherland’s Tayton Schuster wasn’t done either, knocking down a trey from downtown to tie the score 54-54.

On the ensuing possession, Carson Thelander, who finished the night with 13, couldn’t get a shot to fall from just outside the lane. Sutherland grabbed the rebound and put the ball in Schuster’s hands. 

With 22 seconds left, he drew a foul and went to the line for a one-and-one. He short-armed it and Thelander grabbed the crucial rebound. 

With the score still tied, Cole called timeout with 13.5 seconds left to set up the final play—which was sophomore Hunter Garner taking it to the hoop for either a shot or to draw a foul. 

With :06.6 on the clock, Garner made his move. He split a pair of Sutherland defenders in the middle of the lane, soft-touched a floater and watched it go in for the 56-54 lead.

Sutherland called time-out but only 1 second remained. They tried a baseball pass to their end, but couldn’t grab hold, allowing time to run out 

“I don’t remember a time when we came out on top of one of those close games,” Cole said this week. “It was really good for the kids.”

Cole was proud of how his kids worked hard throughout the game and did the right things to come out on top.

He said the team continues to make strides, even in a 75-41 home loss to North Platte St. Pat’s the night before.

For two quarters, the Plainsmen played right with the Irish and even held the lead in the second quarter before St. Pat’s went on a run to close out the first half, 28-42.

Cole said the Plainsmen played well in the second half but just couldn’t get the ball to fall, scoring just seven in the third and six in the fourth. 

That’s not nearly enough to stay up with a St. Pat’s team that is five deep with shooters, Cole said. 

Against Sutherland, the Plainsmen shot 49% compared to 54% for Sutherland. Inside the arc, the Plainsmen hit 57% of their shots along with 38% from three-point range. 

That compared to just 38% the night before, going 42% inside the arc and 31% outside. 

Hunter Garner led the Plainsmen against Sutherland with 23. Thelander added 13 and Hite 12.

Against the Irish, Garner finished with 14 with Hayden Foster in double figures with 11.

NEXT ACTION

The Plainsmen play host to the Longhorns of Chase County Thursday night in the annual FFA Pink-Out game to raise money for cancer-related activities. Jayvees tip off at 5 p.m. On Friday, Perkins County travels to Wauneta-Palisade with jayvee girls action beginning at 3 p.m.