The Lady Panthers’ basketball team (5-1) bounced back from a first round upset loss in the KCI Tournament by winning the consolation side of the bracket.
North Platte junior Lonee French scores a fastbreak layup against West Platte in the opening round of the KCI Tournament on Dec. 6.
North Platte had high hopes for a potential championship when it entered the tournament with three wins and no losses. The Panthers were the No. 2 seed but were stunned in the opening round when they fell to seventh seeded West Platte (5-1) 44-42 on Dec. 6.
North Platte was a bit cold offensively, shooting 27.5 percent from the field and only converting on one of its 12 attempts from downtown. Jaylin Burgess was the only Panther to knock down a trey en route to finishing the contest with a game-high 15 points and six steals.
It was a tight contest all night long with the Blue Jays leading 11-10 after the first quarter and the Panthers leading 18-15 at the break. Both teams scored 11 points in the third quarter and a pair of free throws late in regulation by West Platte was the deciding factor.
North Platte hadn’t lost in the opening game of the KCI Tournament since 2016 and responded well. The Panthers throttled their next two opponents by an average of 34 points.
North Platte decimated East Buchanan (1-3) 51-20 on Dec. 8 and didn’t hold back against Plattsburg (2-4) in the Consolation Championship on Dec. 10, winning 69-32. The Panthers have a tough pair of games coming up when they host Bishop LeBlond (6-0) on Dec. 14 and Mid-Buchanan (5-1) on Dec. 17.