Plainsmen boys build momentum with Holiday split, home win over Hemingford
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune Sentinel
The Perkins County Plainsmen boys basketball team turned in a strong stretch of play over the holiday break and into the new year, splitting games at their home holiday tournament before rolling to a convincing win over Hemmingford on January 3.
Holiday Tournament
Perkins County hosted its holiday tournament December 22–23 at Perkins County High School, opening play with a dominant performance against Crawford on Monday. The Plainsmen controlled the game from the opening tip, cruising to a 76–42 victory. Perkins County’s offense was firing on all cylinders, using crisp ball movement to create quality scoring opportunities while a strong rebounding presence limited Crawford’s second-chance points. Defensively, the Plainsmen frustrated the Rams throughout the contest, building a comfortable lead and never looking back.
The win carried the Plainsmen into day two of the tournament with confidence, but they faced a tougher challenge on Tuesday against Mitchell. In a physical, tightly contested matchup, Perkins County came up just short, falling 48–44. The Plainsmen battled down the stretch, closing the gap late in the fourth quarter and forcing several contested possessions, but were unable to complete the comeback.
Hemingford
Perkins County returned to action on January 3, hosting the Hemingford Bobcats at home. Following a slow start, the Plainsmen took control and pulled away for a 68–40 victory.
Hemingford held an early edge after the first quarter, outscoring Perkins County 15–11. The Plainsmen responded in the second quarter with a surge on both ends of the floor, holding the Bobcats to seven points while scoring 21 to take the lead into halftime. Perkins County continued to widen the gap in the second half, winning the third quarter 23–10 and the fourth quarter 13–8 to seal the win.
Colton Kroeker led the Plainsmen offensively with 16 points. Myles Bishop was a force on the boards, pulling down 11 rebounds, while Ethan Swesey dished out seven assists in the balanced team effort.
Head coach Corey Potts said the week of practice leading up to the game played a key role in the win.“We got a week of practice going into this game and it was a week of practice we needed,” Potts said. “When the game started, we had a little bit of rust we needed to knock off in the first quarter. Cade Kroeker came off the bench and really ignited us on the offensive end of the floor in the second quarter. From there, we didn’t really look back and won the scoring battle in the next three quarters.”Potts also praised the leadership of his senior group.“It was a great team effort on defense,” he said. “It’s always nice when your seniors — Colton Kroeker, Myles Bishop and Rylee Schrotberger — show their leadership on the floor at the defensive end, then lead the way scoring on offense.”
Next Action
The Plainsmen will look to keep their momentum going when they face Sandhills Valley on January 6. Perkins County will then travel to North Platte on January 9 to take on North Platte St. Patrick’s.