Plainsmen girls earn three wins in busy week of action
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune Sentinel
The Perkins County Plainsmen girls basketball team turned in a strong week of play, earning three wins over Maxwell, Southwest, and Sutherland while showing resilience, depth, and late-game composure.
MAxwell
Perkins County opened the week on February 3 with a road contest against the Maxwell Wildcats at Maxwell High School, earning a 46–42 win in a defensive-minded matchup.
The Plainsmen took an early 11–5 lead in the first quarter, but Maxwell stayed within striking distance through the middle quarters. Perkins County scored five points in the second quarter to Maxwell’s nine and added ten points in the third while the Wildcats scored fifteen. The Plainsmen closed the game with a decisive fourth quarter, outscoring Maxwell 20–13 to secure the victory.
Madison Potts led all scorers with 20 points. Addison York pulled down 12 rebounds, Ella Homan dished out four assists, and Macey Cole added three steals.
Head coach Deanne Bishop pointed to free throw shooting as a key difference.
“Baskets were at a premium in this game. That made our free throws (+15/21, including going +10/11 in the fourth quarter alone) that much bigger a factor. Winning a ‘half-court battle’ was very gratifying,” Bishop said.
Southwest
The Plainsmen returned home on February 5 to face the Southwest Roughriders at Perkins County High School, earning a hard-fought 48–44 victory.
Perkins County led 16–13 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 26–19 at halftime. Southwest surged in the third quarter, outscoring the Plainsmen 19–6, but Perkins County responded with a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter, holding the Roughriders to six points while scoring sixteen of their own.
Potts once again led the Plainsmen with 22 points. Potts and Jacqueline Gloy each grabbed six rebounds, while freshman Cole led the team with seven rebounds.
Coach Bishop credited her team’s adjustments and stamina.
“We knew Billiter (#10) and Nelms (#15) would be a handful. In the first half, we got a feel for how they planned to get those players open for shots. Southwest did an excellent job setting up special screens, and those two girls capitalized on things. We came out flat in the third quarter, so we made a defensive adjustment to try to keep those two in check. Once we settled in to the different rotations and how to run things, we outscored them 16–6 in the fourth quarter. It’s been a long week, so I was extra-pleased with the grit and stamina the team showed down the stretch,” Bishop said.
Sutherland
The Plainsmen wrapped up the week on February 7 with a home matchup against the Sutherland Sailors, earning a 50–30 win.
Perkins County jumped out early, scoring 16 points in the first quarter to Sutherland’s 10 and matching that output in the second quarter while holding the Sailors to eight. The Plainsmen extended the lead in the third quarter with a 10–2 advantage and closed out the game in the fourth.
Ella Homan led the Plainsmen with 19 points. Hannah Bishop, Lauren Bishop, and Gloy each collected seven rebounds.
Despite struggling to find a consistent shooting rhythm, Coach Bishop praised her team’s effort and depth.
“On a night when we struggled more than usual to hit shots, the girls made up for it with offensive rebounds (28) and steals (19) for additional scoring opportunities. The girls took control of the game early, and it was good to get the entire bench in for quality varsity minutes,” Bishop said. “Saturday also marked the end of our JV and Reserve games. Our JV team finished the year 12–3, and the Reserve went 2–2. Congrats to the coaches and players on an outstanding season!”
NEXT ACTION
The Plainsmen are scheduled to travel to Bayard High School on February 10 before facing Valentine on February 13 at North Platte Community College.
Results from those contests will appear in the next edition of the Grant Tribune-Sentinel.