Lady Plainsmen take Potter-Dix; fall to Hershey

The Lady Plainsmen kicked off their season with a win over Potter-Dix and a loss to Hershey last week. They played games two days in a row: an away game versus Hershey on Thursday, Dec. 3 and a home game against Potter-Dix on Friday, Dec. 4.

The Lady Plainsmen were short several players due to illness, quarantines and injuries. Coach Deanne Bishop said they were “all hands on deck” during both the junior varsity and varsity games.  Covid quarantines in particular are going to be rough this season, Bishop said, because on any given night things may change, and the team has to be able to roll with the punches. “We’re just grateful to have the opportunity to practice and play,” she added.

Hershey

At Hershey, the Lady Plainsmen were short Hannah Kempf, Autumn Anderson and Kylie Tucker.

Hershey picked up a lead over Perkins County in the first quarter, kicking off the game with Hershey ahead 10-6. The Lady Plainsmen in turn fought back hard, gaining 13 points in the second quarter, with five points coming from freshman Kailee Potts’ two three-pointers and a free throw.

Hershey scored 10 points in the second quarter, bringing the score to 26-19 at halftime.

Perkins County continued to play hard, adding 11 points to their score in the third quarter, with Hershey putting just six points on the board.

Bishop said the girls were right where they wanted to be going into the fourth quarter, and she was pleased by the composure they showed to stay calm and claw their way back into the game. However, in the final quarter, Hershey gained 22 points, while the Lady Plainsmen scored four, making the final score 48-34.

“Hershey did a great job of taking turnovers and converting them into points,” Bishop said. She added she was pleased with the Lady Plainsmen’s ability to execute offensive sets and attack the basket against pressure.

Potts was the top scorer for Perkins County, putting 19 of PC’s 34 points on the board.

Potter-Dix

Kempf returned to the court for the home game versus Potter-Dix last Friday, giving the team one more player than they had the evening before.

Anderson and Tucker were both unable to participate at Friday’s game due to illness. Though fan seating was limited at this game, Bishop said it appeared that those who were allowed to be there made the effort to attend and support the team. The Lady Plainsmen came out strong against Potter-Dix, putting 11 points on the board in the first quarter of the game, while Potter-Dix scored just three points. Their lead only increased as they scored another 18 points in the second quarter to Potter-Dix’s four points, leaving the score 29-7 at halftime.

In the second half, scoring slowed back down, but not enough for Potter-Dix to take the lead.

Perkins County’s girls scored 12 points in the third quarter while Potter-Dix scored just two points, making the score 41-9 going into the final quarter of the game. The Lady Plainsmen kept their focus and finished out the game with 11 points in the final quarter. Potter-Dix put six points on the board, finishing the game 52-15.

“This game gave us a great opportunity to work on the zone part of our playbook,” Bishop said. “The girls showed patience and got some good looks within our set.”

“Compared to the night before, we nearly doubled our shots on goal and rebounds. Our tips and deflections led to steals and transition points. The girls looked to get others involved, offensively, and we had a better balance of scoring between the guards and posts compared to our game against Hershey,” she added.

Potts again was the top scorer of the game, this time contributing 21 of the Lady Plainsmen’s 52 points. She sank four two-point shots and three three-pointers throughout the game, along with two free throws.

Next Action

The games against Kimball set for Friday, Dec. 11 have been postponed due to illnesses in Kimball. The will be made up Monday, Feb. 1 in Kimball.

The next game for Perkins County will be a home game against Gothenburg on Saturday, Dec. 12. The jayvee game kicks off at 1 p.m. followed by the girls varsity game at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Lady Plainsmen will travel to Paxton for an away game. The junior varsity game begins at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity game following at 6 p.m.

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