Plainsmen win in OT to open subdistricts

Shawn Cole’s Perkins County Plainsmen went into overtime to secure their first win in the C2-11 subdistricts at Cozad Monday night. 

The Plainsmen defeated the Sutherland Sailors 56-53 in overtime to face top-seeded 17-4 South Loup (Callaway/Arnold) Tuesday afternoon.

The games were moved up Tuesday to stay ahead of an expected storm.

The win gave the Plainsmen a 12-11 record going into Tuesday’s game. 

Monday’s game with Sutherland marked the third time the two teams have faced each other this season.

After falling to the Sailors in the regular season, they won their matchup at the SPVA and finished with the OT win Monday. 

The Plainsmen fell behind 10-4 after won and trailed 24-17 at halftime. 

In the third, the Plainsmen fell behind by 10, 31-21, before going on a 17-5 run to take a 38-36 lead into the final quarter. 

With the game tied 49-49, Sutherland controlled the ball with just more than a minute left. After Sutherland’s attempt to score failed, the Plainsmen got the ball back with about seven seconds left but couldn’t convert either. 

For the Plainsmen, it turned into a free-throw shooting contest. All of their points in the overtime came from the line, with the Plainsmen going 7-10 to secure the 6-53 win.

Cole said they got the same kind of shots in the third quarter as they did in the first half, except they started falling. 

That triggered the defense as well, he said.

Spencer Ross led the Plainsmen with 22 followed by Aaron Fay with 18 and Alex Patrick with 11. 

The Plainsmen were scheduled to travel to Bridgeport Friday to close out the regular season but the game was cancelled due to weather.