Plainsmen finish fourth at SPVA

The Perkins County boys’ basketball team got its SPVA tournament started off on the right foot Jan. 18, but finished it with a fourth place finish Saturday in North Platte.
Sutherland
The Plainsmen were shorthanded in their opening round matchup with Sutherland, but still cruised to a 57-38 win.
Playing without Triston Hite and Casey Hanson, PCS got off to a huge start in the first quarter behind 11 points by Hunter Garner and six points from Hayden Foster. With a strong defensive effort as well, the Plainsmen jumped out to a 22-9 lead.
PCS Head Coach Coy Gager played 12 players in the second quarter and seven contribute points to help Perkins County to a 43-22 halftime advantage.
With the big lead PCS was able to take its foot off the gas in the second quarter and the starters were able to take a break.
H. Garner finished the game with 13 points. Foster was also in double figures with 10 points.
Blake Garner and Foster tied for a team-high with seven rebounds.
PCS boys 57,
Sutherland 38
    2 PT.    3 PT.    FT/
    FG    FG    FTA    F    TP
Hunter Garner    2    2    3-4    0    13
Jeb Kohl    0    1    0-0    0    3
Nolan Foster    2    0    1-2    1    5
Blake Garner    1    2    0-0    0    8
Hayden Foster    5    0    0-2    2    10
Ryder Potts    0    0    0-0    2    0
Erik Snyder    1    0    0-0    0    2
Jackson Wykert    1    1    0-0    0    5
Oscar Boldt    1    0    0-0    1    2
Dawson Tjaden    1    1    0-2    3    5
Landon Noyes    1    0    0-0    1    2
Ethan Sihm    0    0    2-2    2    2
PCS TOTALS    15    7    6-12    12    57
SUTHERLAND TOTALS    7    5    9-13    11    38
PCS    22    20    11    4—57
Sutherland    9    13    3    13—38
Bridgeport
PCS traveled to North Platte Friday night for its semifinal matchup with Bridgeport.
Defense was the name of the game in the first quarter. PCS only made one field goal, a three pointer by Jackson Wykert, over the game’s first eight minutes. Paired with two free throws by Foster, the Plainsmen trailed 5-12.
Both teams came to life in the second quarter. Foster scored nine points and was joined in the scoring column by Hite, Hanson and Blake Garner. Behind the four, PCS scored 22 points in the quarter. Unfortunately Bridgeport found its rhythm from the floor as well. The Plainsmen trailed 27-35 at halftime.
Perkins County couldn’t close the gap in the second half. H. Garner, Hite, B. Garner and Foster carried the offensive load for PCS, scoring all 28 of the Plainsmen’s second half points in the 55-69 loss.
Foster finished with a team-high 17 points. B. Garner also finished in double figures with 14 points.
PCS boys 55,
Bridgeport 69
    2 PT.    3 PT.    FT/
    FG    FG    FTA    F    TP
Hunter Garner    1    2    0-0    1    8
Jeb Kohl    0    0    0-2    1    0
Triston Hite    3    0    3-4    2    9
Nolan Foster    0    0    0-0    1    0
Blake Garner    5    1    1-1    1    14
Hayden Foster    6    0    5-6    3    17
Jackson Wykert    0    1    0-0    1    3
Casey Hanson    1    0    2-4    1    4
PCS TOTALS    16    4    11-17    11    55
BHS TOTALS    14    11    10-12    8    69
Points by quarters:
PCS    5    22    15    13—55
Bridgeport    12    23    18    16—69
Chase County
After beating Chase County just nine days prior, the teams squared off once more in the consolation game of the tournament.
The Longhorns played without two of their top six players and showed PCS several new faces.
Perkins County made just three first quarter field goals, but behind 3-4 shooting from the charity stripe, led 9-8 at the end of the first quarter.
PCS outshot the Longhorns from the floor in the second quarter, but sent CCS to the free throw line nine times. CCS converted seven of those shots and jumped ahead on the scoreboard. PCS trailed 18-21 at halftime.
It looked like the Plainsmen would take the game over in the third quarter. H. Garner hit two three pointers and Hite and Nolan Foster each knocked in 3s. Behind their efforts, PCS grabbed a 37-31 lead entering the final stanza.
But foul troubles that started in the third quarter caught up to Perkins County in the fourth. H. Garner and H. Foster headed to the bench with five fouls, as did two for CCS. As PCS shooters went cold, the Longhorns heated up and the Plainsmen lost the game 46-58.
Gager thought his team played hard and with effort, but just got cold as the tournament went on.
Gager complimented the coaches from Bridgeport and CCS and said he has to do a better job for his team.
“I have to get better seeing things and switching things early. We will get back to playing Perkins County basketball,” he said.
PCS boys 46, CCS 58
    2 PT.    3 PT.    FT/
    FG    FG    FTA    F    TP
Hunter Garner    3    0    0-0    5    6
Jeb Kohl    1    0    1-2    1    3
Triston Hite    1    1    4-6    3    9
Nolan Foster    1    1    0-1    1    5
Blake Garner    2    0    2-7    3    6
Hayden Foster    5    0    2-2    5    12
Jackson Wykert    0    0    0-0    1    0
Casey Hanson    1    0    0-0    3    2
Landon Noyes    1    0    1-2    1    3
PCS TOTALS    15    2    10-20    23    46
CCS TOTALS    16    4    14-23    20    58
Points by quarters:
PCS    9    9    19    9—46
CCS    8    13    10    27—58
Up next
PCS will head out of state this week for games against Colorado’s Holyoke and Sedgwick County.
Those games on Tuesday and Thursday “will show a lot of who we are and how we can over come slow starts,” Gager said.