Plainsmen open season 1-1

Despite a loss to Hershey Thursday to open the season, Head Coach Shawn Cole  was excited by how his team played. 

Cole likes a fast-paced style of ball that includes pressing the other team. However, it takes the right personnel to execute the press. 

What excites him is that he has the right personnel to make that happen this season. 

The Plainsmen used full court pressure at Hershey to keep the game tight before a shortage of personnel took its toll in the second half. 

Cole said that when his team was in the press, they were only minus eight point to Hershey. But when they went out of the press, that swing increased to a minus 20 point differential.

Cole was short three players who missed the game due to COVID circumstances, leaving him with a six-man rotation. 

The press kept the Plainsmen within one after the first quarter, 10-9. 

They dropped the presure off to half court in the second quarter and pulled themselves within four with three minutes left in the half, 19-15. 

Hershey went on a late run to open a 27-17 lead at hafltime.  

At halftime, Cole knew his guys were gassed. He said he asked them for three solid minutes in the press to open the second half. 

They forced Hershey into numerous turnovers and got it to within six in the first two minutes. 

That would be as close as the Plainsmen would get, falling to the Panthers 36-64.

Junior Hunter Garner was the only player in double figures with 13. He and Jeb Kohl each added seven rebounds. 

Potter Dix

Both teams opened up the press but it the Plainsmen who gained the upper hand, especially from the field. 

They went 4-6 inside the arc, 4-7 outside the arc and 3-4 at the line to build a 23-14 led after one quarter of play.

The Plainsmen added another three points to their lead by half, 39-27, going 6-9 inside the arc.

They led by 12-14 points most of the third quarter and bumped it to 18 at the buzzer. They held Potter-Dix to just seven in third for a 52-34 lead. 

Potter-Dix was unable to chip away at the lead as the Plainsmen chalked up their first win of the season, 68-48. 

Garner and junior Triston Hite lit it up, both finishing in double figures. 

Garner hit eight dueces, three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to finish with 27.

Hite added five dueces and three treys to finish with 19. 

Garner just missed a double-double, finishing with 9 rebounds. 

Just one game this week

The Plainsmen were scheduled to travel to Kimball Friday night but that game has been postponed due to COVID issues at Kimball.

Cole’s team will be a full strength when they play host to Gothenburg Saturday. 

How many quarter of boys jayvees will be determined later in the week.

Girls and Boys jayvee action begins at 1 p.m., followed by the girls and boys varsity games. 

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