Plainsmen Open 2026 with win to Sandhills Valley, fall to St. Patrick’s
BY EMMALEE PARSLEY STEVENS
GRANT TRIBUNE SENTINEL
The Perkins County Plainsmen boys basketball team opened the new year with a strong road performance on January 6, traveling to take on Sandhills Valley. Perkins County controlled the game from start to finish, defeating the Mavericks 57–14.
Sophomore Cade Kroeker led the Plainsmen offensively with 14 points, followed closely by Colton Kroeker, who added 12 points. Senior Myles Bishop was dominant on the boards, leading the team with 11 rebounds. Junior Alex Cole contributed with assists to help move the offense, while junior Ethan Swesey made an impact defensively with three steals.
Head coach Corey Potts noted the challenges of returning from the holiday break, but was pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
“It’s always tough to play a game on the first day back to school after a long holiday break, especially when it’s over an hour bus ride away,” Potts said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well but our defense made it really tough for them to score. It was nice because all 15 kids suited up for varsity got to play.”
St. Patricks
The Plainsmen were back on the road again on January 9, facing a tough North Platte St. Patrick’s squad. The Irish jumped out to a narrow lead in the first quarter, scoring 15 points to Perkins County’s 13. Perkins County responded in the second quarter, outscoring St. Patrick’s 14–16, but trailed by just four points at halftime.
St. Patrick’s pulled away in the second half, scoring 25 points in the third quarter to Perkins County’s 14. The Irish added 17 more points in the fourth, while the Plainsmen scored 11, resulting in a 73–52 final score.
Junior Ethan Swesey led Perkins County with 14 points, while senior Rylee Schrotberger followed with 11 points. Myles Bishop continued his strong rebounding play, finishing with eight rebounds, and Colton Kroeker dished out seven assists in the loss.
Coach Potts reflected on the competitive first half and the lessons learned from the game.
“You always know what you are going to get against St. Pat’s: in your face defense, aggressive rebounding, and fluid offense,” Potts said. “The boys played really hard and hung right with them in the first half. As the coach, I did not substitute well in this game and it led to our kids running out of gas in the end. It’s one I would like to run back.”
Next Action
The Plainsmen will return to action on January 15 when they host Chase County at Perkins County High School. The junior varsity game is scheduled to begin at 4 pm, with the varsity boys tipping off at 7 pm.