Plainsmen split season’s opening games

by Becky Uehling

Grant tribune-sentinel

Perkins County Plainsmen opened its basketball season Thursday with a win over SPVA rival Hershey 63-42. However, on Friday the Plainsmen had a disappointing loss by two points, 52-54, to Bridgeport, another SPVA foe. 

The 1-1 start marked the inaugural season for Head Coach Todd Kraus. 

Kraus commented both games were high intensity, which is a good way to open the season, despite the loss to Bridgeport. 

“Overall, our players showed a lot of fight,” he said of the young team, with some starting in positions they were not accustomed to. 

 Hershey

Much of the Hershey game came down to offensive execution, getting defensive stops and being aggressive going to the rim, Kraus said. 

“Both teams started with energy and played with tremendous effort,” he said. “It was a physical game.”

Kraus said Hershey’s Coach Dustin Jorgenson used an attack strategy throughout the night, with the Plainsmen handling it well. 

“We were able to keep the ball in front of us,” Kraus said. “We made plays running our offense with decent ball movement.”

Starting for the first time as point guard was sophomore Jackson Wykert, who, Kraus said, handled the pressure. 

Kraus also praised junior Blake Garner, who led the Plainsmen with points for the evening with 22, followed closely by Wykert with 20.  

Defensively, Kraus credited his team with big plays.

“They responded and were positive in their roles,” he said. 

Defensively, the team was led by Garner and Wykert again, along with sophomore Ryder Potts.

Bridgeport

Although the Plainsmen led Bridgeport at halftime during Friday’s home game, their energy waned in the third quarter allowing the Bulldogs to out score them 15 to three, with the Plainsmen not able to recover. 

“Losing by two for our home opener, after seeing what we were capable of the night before, was a disappointment,” Kraus said. 

With flat energy, foul trouble and an injury, the Plainsmen struggled to keep the ball out of the middle, with Bridgeport capitalizing on it, Kraus said. 

“To their credit, Bridgeport made some tough shots in the last few possessions,” he said. “It is a good game to learn from in terms of how to focus when we are tired and do the important little things to be successful.”

Because of foul trouble, Kraus had to depend on his bench to handle some roles. He especially praised freshman Colton Kroeker for his performance. 

Kraus commended the fans during the home game, saying the “game atmosphere was tremendous.” 

Leading in points for the Plainsmen was Garner with 15 points, Potts with 10, and Kroeker with seven. 

Next Action 

Coming up next for the Plainsmen will be Haxtun, Colo., at home on Tuesday, Dec. 6, followed by another SPVA rival Kimball on Friday, Dec. 9 away. JV games start at 4 p.m. for both nights. 

PCS boys 63

2 PT. 3 PT. FT/

FG FG FTA F TP 

Blake Garner 10 0 2-5 4 22

Oscar Boldt 1 0 0-0 1 2

Nolan Foster 1 0 4-6 0 6

Jackson Wykert 5 1 7-10 4 20

Landon Noyes 1 0 2-6 5 4

Dawson Tjaden 0 0 0-0 4 0

Ryder Potts 1 0 1-2 2 3

Colton Kroeker 0 2 0-0 1 6

TOTALS 19 3 16-29 21 63

Hershey 42

George, 2; Zachry, 7; Hoelscher, 3; Spearman, 11; Hill, 14; Berntson, 5.

Hershey totals: 2 pt. FG—11; 3 pt. FG—3; FT/FTA—11å-19; Fouls—27; TP—42.

Points by quarters:

PCS 20 18 8 17—63

Hershey 10 12 7 13—42

PCS JV 24, Hershey JV 41

PCS JV—Boldt, 3; W. Long, 2; Schrotberger, 4; Tjaden, 2; Potts, 1; Kroeker, 4; Bishop, 5; Joh. Mireles, 1; Jos. Mireles, 2.

PCS JV totals: 2 pt. FG—8; 3 pt. FG—0; FT/FTA—8-29; Fouls—15; TP—37.

Points by quarters:

PCS JV 6 8 3 7—24

Hershey JV 3 6 15 17—41

PCS boys 52

2 PT. 3 PT. FT/

FG FG FTA F TP 

Blake Garner 7 0 0-0 4 14

Oscar Boldt 1 0 2-3 0 4

Nolan Foster 2 0 2-6 2 6

Jackson Wykert 2 0 0-0 5 4

Landon Noyes 2 0 0-2 2 4

Dawson Tjaden 0 0 3-4 0 3

Ryder Potts 3 0 4-5 4 10

Colton Kroeker 1 1 2-2 1 7

TOTALS 18 1 13-22 18 52

Bridgeport 54

Lussetto, 14; Loomis, 3; Dohse, 8; Metz, 4; Nein, 19; Weibert, 4; Carrier, 2.

Bridgeport totals: 2 pt. FG—13; 3 pt. FG—5; FT/FTA—13-20; Fouls—24; TP—54.

Points by quarters:

PCS 18 15 9 10—52

Bridgeport 17 12 15 10—54

PCS JV 35, Bridgeport JV 41

PCS JV—Boldt, 4; W. Long, 9; Schrotberger, 5; Potts, 2; Bishop, 5; R. Long, 2; Gaston, 7; Jos. Mireles, 1.

PCS JV totals: 2 pt. FG—12; 3 pt. FG—0; FT/FTA—11-17; Fouls—13; TP—35.

Points by quarters:

PCS JV 12 9 4 10—35

Bridgeport JV 10 5 14 12—41