Second half decisive in loss to Swedes

Offensively, the Perkins County Plainsmen put 66 points on the board Saturday against the Gothenburg Swedes.

Defensively, they weren’t as successful, giving up 84 points at the other end of the court.

The 84-66 loss puts the Plainsmen at 1-2 as they approach the Christmas break. 

There’s still a lot of basketball to be played before the break with four games over a six-day stretch. 

The Plainsmen were scheduled to play at Paxton Tuesday but that game has been rescheduled for Jan. 12.

Thursday they play host to  Garden County and Saturday they travel south to face Dundy County Stratton.

The Plainsmen get two more games Monday and Tuesday as hosts of the Booster Club  holiday tournament.

Shore up depth, defense

Coach Shawn Cole said this five-game stretch will go a long ways to shoring up their bench depth and improving their half-court defense. 

The Plainsmen put 25 points up in the first quarter but gave up 20. Midway in the first quarter they held a 11-point, 16-5 lead, only to see the Swedes trim it to five by quarter’s end.

“We need to get better in the half court,” Cole said. “Defensively is where it’s at. If we’re scoring points like this, we’ve got to be able to win with 66 points.”

He noted his team is executing their press well and when the press is good, the defense is good. 

It’s when they drop back into their half-court defense that needs work.

Cole didn’t expect Gothenburg to hit from the outside like they did, either. They finished with seven 3-pointers, which is more than they had hit over their first three games combined.

Juniors Hunter Garner and Triston Hite paced the Plainsmen early. Garner hit three treys and a duece in the first quarter with Hite adding eight more points.

The Swedes went on an eight-point run to open the second quarter. A 3-pointer by Hite midway in the quarter gave the Plainsmen their final lead of the game, 31-28.

By the end of the half, Gothenburg had built a 43-36 lead.

That forced the Plainsmen to play catch-up, with Gothenburg pouring in 23 points in the third to Perkins County’s 16.

 The Plainsmen got it back to eight, 61-69, at the halfway point in the fourth but got outscored 15-5 in the final three and a half minutes.

Garner had the hot hand most of the game, hitting five 3-pointers, six dueces and three free throws to finish with 30. He added nine rebounds and three assists. 

Hite also finished in double figures with 12.

Cole feels confident this five-game stretch will give them the opportunity to get some things fixed. 

The effort’s there, he noted. A lot of things can be fixed if the effort’s there and the kids buy in, Cole concluded. 

Jayvee action against Garden County begins at 4 Thurday and 4:30 p.m. at Dundy County Stratton.