Plainsmen take fifth at SPVA

SPVA competition last week saw Shawn Cole and his Plainsmen team finish fifth. 

A first-round loss against North Platte sent the boys to game three where they fought for the chance to play for fifth place against the Kimball Longhorns.

A double-overtime win earned the boys the chance at fifth and they faced off against the Sutherland Sailors. 

Another win set the fate of a fifth-place finish overall for the Plainsmen in the 2019 SPVA tournament. 

Bridgeport took home the championship, defeating Hershey in the final game 58-48.

Chase County took third after a win over NPSP, 69-48.

Kimball

In Thursday’s game against Kimball, the Plainsmen took the lead in the first with 13 points, allowing Kimball just seven. Aaron Fay shot three 3-pointers for the Plainsmen in the first, contributing nine of their 13 for the quarter. 

Again in the second period, the Plainsmen outscored the Longhorns, 14-9, giving the Plainsmen an 11-point lead at halftime, 27-16.

A back and forth competition ensued in the third and the Longhorns added 12 points to their side of the board and held the Plainsmen to 10. 

Eight of the Plainsmen points of the third came from junior Alex Patrick. 

It was the fourth quarter that the Longhorns kicked it into high gear and took the deficit down to none and managed to even get the lead,  turning up the intensity of the game with just over a minute on the clock. 

Ultimately, at the buzzer, both teams sat 45-45, sending the game into overtime. 

The Longhorns hit the net first but the Plainsmen answered with a foul drawn by Patrick resulting in two good free shots.

Another basket went up for Kimball and it was Patrick at the line for the answer once again. 

After a bit of a battle from the free-throw line, it was Patrick with a bucket with .12 left on the clock that tied the game 52-52, for double over time. 

Shots by Spencer Ross despite a few in for Kimball was enough to earn the Plainsmen the W, 60-59, sending them into the final round on Saturday, where they would play the Sutherland Sailors for fifth place. 

Patrick was the top scorer of the game with 19, followed closely by Ross with 15, and Aaron Fay with 14. Fay and Ross also led the team with 12 rebounds a piece. 

Triston Hite contributed seven points and Alex Poppe added five. 

Sutherland

A 17-8 Plainsmen lead at the end of the first quarter was a good way to start out the final round SPVA competition against Sutherland. 

The Plainsmen defense continued into the second, taking their score to 28, and holding the Sailors to just six for a 14-point lead at halftime. 

A lull came over the game in the third when both defenses managed to hold the other team to just eight.

After adding nine to the board in the fourth, PC took the win, 45-30 over Sutherland, earning them fifth place in the SPVA competition. 

Topping out at six steals, Ross was also the top scorer of the game with 14 points, followed closely by Patrick with 13. Fay was the leader in rebounds with nine in the Sutherland game

Next action

Tuesday night saw the Plainsmen host the 2-8 Holyoke Dragons and results of the game will be featured in next week’s issue. 

Thursday night, the Plainsmen will host the 8-3 Sedgwick County Cougars, and  Tuesday, Jan. 29, Maxwell Wildcats, who are 7-8, will come to Perkins County for a 7 p.m. game.