Lady Plainsmen fall in first two games of the season

The Perkins County girls basketball team had their first two games of the season last week, against Hershey on Thursday, Dec. 2 and Bridgeport Friday.

The girls fell in both games, starting the season off 0-2.

Hershey

Perkins County won the tip Thursday in the home game against Hershey and gained possession of the ball first. They ran the ball and sophomore Kailee Potts took a three-point shot, but unfortunately missed.

A back-and-forth ensued, with both teams missing shots and rebounding the opponents missed baskets, and the first basket of the game came from Hershey’s Abby Hassett at the free throw line with 6:27 on the clock in the first quarter.

Perkins County’s girls put their first points on the board when junior Meredith Gloy sank a free throw, making the score 4-1 with Hershey ahead.

The Lady Plainsmen went on to score seven points by the end of the first quarter, while Hershey put 13 more points on the board, making the score 17-8.

Head coach Deanne Bishop said, “After getting down early, we clawed our way back to take a 21-20 lead mid-way through the second quarter. I was pleased with the composure and grit the girls showed in this stretch. From there on out, we struggled from the field, with 21.2% for the game compared to Hershey’s 37.9%, and Hershey was able to capitalize on our turnovers to score 21 points.”

Both teams scored 15 points in the second quarter, bringing the score to 32-23 at half with Hershey still in the lead.

Hershey held on to their lead through the second half, adding 32 more points to their score before the end of the game to Perkins County’s 16.

In the end, Hershey won 64-39.

Potts was the top scorer for the Lady Plainsmen Thursday with 22 points, with Gloy following at 10 points. Potts, Gloy and Libby Cole each had six rebounds throughout the game, and Potts had four steals.

Bridgeport

Friday, Dec. 3, the girls traveled to Bridgeport for their second game of the season and the week.

Bridgeport gained first possession of the ball, but was unable to score right away. The ball changed hands several times before a steal by Potts and a shot from Gloy gave the Lady Plainsmen the first two points of the game.

Bridgeport started scoring shortly after that, and gained a lead which they held on to throughout the first quarter. The score at the end of the first was 21-12 with Bridgeport ahead.

Perkins County’s opponents managed to hold on to their lead through the second quarter, scoring 18 more points to PC’s 10. The score at half was 39-22.

“In the first half, we did some good things defensively, forced early turnovers and came up with some key defensive rebounds to stay within striking distance,” Bishop said. “We were considerably shorter at nearly every position, so for us to out-rebound them 44-42 was a testament to the rebounding fundamentals we’ve been working on in practice.”

Bridgeport held the Lady Plainsmen to just six points in each of the final two quarters, scoring an additional 39 points in the second half.

Perkins County fell by 44 points, 78-34.

“Bridgeport clearly showed why they’re considered one of the premier C2 teams headed into the 2021-2022 season,” Bishop said. “Their inside-out game is solid, and both were clicking on all cylinders.”

Cole was the team’s top scorer Friday with 18 of the team’s 34 points. Gloy rebounded the ball eight times, contributing to the team’s excellent rebounding stats from the game, and Cole was just behind her with seven.

Next action

The next game on the schedule for Perkins County’s girls is Friday, Dec. 10, hosting Kimball. The jayvee game is set to begin at 3 p.m., with varsity following at 4:30.

Tuesday, Dec. 14 is yet another home game, this time against Paxton. Jayvee action begins at 4:15 p.m. with the varsity game at 5:45 p.m.