The Panthers returned from a long hiatus with a dominant win Tuesday, Dec. 13 in Dearborn, Mo.
Corbin Green (14 points) and Austin Snook (13 points) combined for five of North Platte’s six 3-pointers. The Panthers led after every quarter with Green scoring half of his points in the opening 8 minutes and Ben French scoring six of his 10 in the second quarter.
North Platte was up 27-14 at halftime and extended that advantage out of the break on a 3 each from Hunter Hendricks and Snook. The Panthers were coming off an 0-2 showing in the KCI Conference Tournament, leading to seven straight off days.
On Friday, Dec. 16, the KCI openers for North Platte and East Buchanan were postponed to Tuesday, Dec. 20. The results were not available at The Citizen’s deadline.
West Platte’s league openers with Plattsburg were also postponed to a date to be announced.
Girls basketball
West Platte 61, Hogan Prep 35
Nealie Niemeier scored a season-high 26 points in a dominant win for the Bluejays on Thursday, Dec. 15 in Weston, Mo.
West Platte led 52-18 after three quarters before Hogan Prep made a late run to close the gap by a bit. Niemeier had 24 in the first three quarters, including a 13-point outburst in the third quarter.
Karen Knox added 15 points off the bench with three 3-pointers for West Platte, while Rachel Heili had 10 points.
Orrick 39, North Platte 28
The Panthers’ losing streak hit three in a frustrating loss Tuesday, Dec. 13 in Dearborn, Mo.
Coming off an 0-2 showing in the KCI Conference Tournament a week earlier, North Platte’s defense ruled the first half, but the Panthers didn’t have enough offense to make the lead stand up. Orrick’s Paige Smith scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bearcats back from 15-12 halftime deficit.
Orrick outscored North Platte 27-13 in the second half.
Alley Rickel led North Platte with eight points, including a pair of 3s. The Panthers made just 11 shots from the floor total, while Orrick did most of its damage on free throws, going 19 for 27 at the line.
McKenna Fulton and Gracie Rice added six points apiece for North Platte, which shot just six free throws.