Plainsmen roll past Holyoke, edge Sedgwick County on the road
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune Sentinel
The Perkins County Plainsmen boys basketball team put together a strong week of play, picking up two wins against Holyoke and Sedgwick County to continue building momentum late in the season.
HOLYOKE
Perkins County hosted the Holyoke Dragons on Monday, January 27, at Perkins County High School and came away with a convincing 62–36 victory.
The Plainsmen came out firing in the opening quarter, scoring twenty one points while holding Holyoke to just seven. Perkins County continued to control the tempo in the second quarter, out-scoring the Dragons 15–12 to take a commanding lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Plainsmen stayed steady on both ends of the floor, scoring twelve points while allowing nine. Perkins County closed the game with a 14-point fourth quarter to seal the 26-point win.
Alex Cole led the Plainsmen offensively, scoring 16 points in the game. Myles Bishop dominated the boards with 15 rebounds, giving Perkins County numerous second-chance opportunities. Colton Kroeker was a defensive standout, recording five steals throughout the contest.
Head coach Corey Potts was pleased with his team’s energy and execution.
“The boys came out fast with their shooting to open this game up,” Potts said. “We got up and down the floor very quickly and didn’t really look back. The boys needed a night like this because the ball didn’t want to go in the hoop during SPVA.”
Sedgewick County
The Plainsmen followed up their home win by traveling to Sedgwick County High School in Colorado on Thursday, January 29, where they earned a hard-fought 53–44 victory.
Colton Kroeker led Perkins County with 19 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double performance. The Plainsmen faced a tough match-up inside against Sedgwick County’s size but responded with strong shooting and relentless defense.
“Going into this game we didn’t really seem to know how this one would go,” Potts said. “Two guys 6’5” or more make for a tough match-up for any high school team. Once again, the boys came shot really well in this game. Then, we just sort of wore them down with our defense and shooting.”
Despite not scoring after the 6:40 mark in the fourth quarter, Perkins County’s defensive effort secured the win.
“We didn’t score after the 6:40 mark left in the fourth quarter but had an 18-point lead,” Potts added. “We got looks—they just wouldn’t fall. That is the true testament to how hard the boys were playing defense and rebounding.”
Next Action
The Plainsmen will next travel to Maxwell High School to take on the Maxwell Wildcats on Tuesday, February 3. Results from that contest will appear in the next edition of the Grant Tribune-Sentinel. Perkins County will then return home to host Southwest Public Schools at Perkins County High School at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 5.