Plainsmen second in tournament

Shawn Cole’s Plainsmen basketball team had to settle for second place in their own holiday tournament Tuesday, falling to Wallace in the finals 41-53.

That gave the Plainsmen a 2-2 run over the last six days before the Christmas break and put their overall mark at 3-4.

The Plainsmen opened the four-game span at home against Garden County on Thursday. They dominated the game from the outset, outscoring GC 22-6 in the first quarter en route to a 66-33 win. 

Hunter Garner and Triston Hite paced the Plainsmen with 22 and 15 respectively. 

On Saturday, they traveled to Benkelman to face Dundy County Stratton. 

Cole said he likes the way his team is playing right now. They executed the press well and turned steals into layups.

After the first eight minutes, the Plainsmen led 21-18.

DCS went on a run in the second quarter and took a 10-point lead into halftime. 

The Plainsmen cut that lead down to seven going into the final quarter.

Inside the final 30 seconds, Hayden Foster made the second of two free throws to pull the Plainsmen with four, 64-60.

DCS got by the Plainsmen press for an easy basket and a 66-60. 

The Plainsmen got off one more three-point shot, which would proved to be their final shot of the game, falling 67-60.

Garner led the team, pouring in 32 points, with Hite adding 14.

On Monday, the Plainsmen rolled to a 61-38 win over Hyannis in the first round of the Booster Club tournament.

The Plainsmen’s press and defensive pressure gave Hyannis fits, with the Plainsmen going up 23-11 after one period.

They added six more to their lead in the second, going in at half up 36-18.

Cole said his kids lost some intensity and appeared to be in cruise control as the second half opened.

 The Plainsmen scored just one bucket in the first four minutes of the third quarter while Hyannis narrowed the lead to 13.

That’s when Cole called time-out to get his team back on track.

They rallied back and built their lead back up to 20, 47-27, going into the final quarter.

The lead enabled Cole to get is younger players some playing experience down the stretch in the 61-38 win.

Garner and Foster shared scoring honors with 20 points each.

Overall, Cole said he’s seen some good progress over this last four game stretch. 

He said they are building some depth and are able to execute the press deeper into the game. 

On Tuesday, the Plainsmen fell to Wallace after falling behind early. They were never able to get themselves out of the hole.

Wallace went up early, getting easy buckets while breaking the Plainsmen’s press. 

Perkins County rallied in the fourth quarter and got the margin down to nine, twice before Wallace put the game away. 

Due to deadlines, watch for coverage of that game in a later issue.