Braydn Kemper knows a thing or two about beating East Buchanan on courtwarming.
North Platte Head Coach Braydn Kemper, above, defeated East Buchanan on courtwarming for the fourth time in his career - counting three victories when he was a member of the Mid-Buchanan boys’ basketball team while he was in high school - as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 63-47 on Feb. 11.
Years before the Panthers’ first year head coach gave the North Platte boys’ basketball team (9-15) its first win over East Buchanan since 2009 - with a 63-47 victory on Feb. 11 - Kemper had won three total courtwarming games against the Bulldogs when he was a player. Coincidentally, the last time Kemper faced off against East Buchanan in his high school career, it was courtwarming. The year was 2016, he was a senior at Mid-Buchanan and he helped the Dragons defeat a talented Bulldogs’ team on their home court, 53-51.
“I forgot that it was courtwarming the last time I played them, but I do remember that game,” North Platte head coach Braydn Kemper said. “It has always been fun when I go up against East Buchanan.”
Fast forward six years to North Platte’s courtwarming, and Kemper saw a familiar face on the opposite bench that made for even more nostalgia on the night. Zac Johnson – who was a 2016 graduate from East Buchanan and a 3-year starter – is a childhood friend of Kemper’s and is now one of the assistants on the Bulldogs coaching staff in his first year there.
“It was a weird feeling sharing a basketball court again on opposing sides, but it was fun to see a friend really doing what he enjoys to do,” East Buchanan C-Team Coach Zac Johnson said. “It felt so surreal because it was not that long ago that we were playing each other, and now we are sitting on the benches opposite each other as coaches.”
East Buchanan was a common opponent and big rival for Kemper during his high school career with nine total matchups from his freshman to senior seasons’ when he was a 4-year starter. The Dragons and Bulldogs had numerous memorable battles in Kemper’s tenure as a player with the future North Platte coach winning five and losing four.
Since 2014, the last four times Kemper matched up with East Buchanan in a non-tournament contest, it was a courtwarming game and his team came out as the victor. Most recently as North Platte’s head coach, the Panthers entered the night with a 15-game losing skid against the Bulldogs, but like numerous other times, Kemper found a way to beat East Buchanan (9-13).
“When I looked after that Hamilton win earlier this season and saw KCI wins, we had some people reach out and say how long since each conference foe has been beaten by us. East Buchanan was one of the longest ones, so it was cool to get that snapped and to do it against a team that I have history with,” Kemper said.
North Platte senior Kruise Patch had an incredible performance to help the Panthers outscore the Bulldogs in each of the four quarters when he scored a career-high 29 points. Patch let it rain from deep, pouring out six made 3-pointers on nine attempts, while also being a perfect seven of seven from the charity stripe.
Panther point guard Landon Bartlett had a solid all-around night, along with winning Courtwarming King, as the senior ended with 11 points, four boards and dished out eight dimes. North Platte progressively added to its lead throughout the night to secure its second conference win of the season.
“It was pretty fun to coach against my high school rival. East Buchanan has been so good in boys’ sport lately that it kind of fueled the fire and got the boys amped,” Kemper said.
The 16-point triumph over the Bulldogs was the first double-digit victory North Platte has had over any KCI team since Jan. 27, 2016. The last time the Panthers finished the season with more than one win in conference play was in 2014, which was when Kemper was a sophomore in high school.