North Platte guard Brianna DeBord scores a bucket in transition in the second quarter when Lawson was outscored 16-4 on Feb. 6.
DEARBORN – In what was a relatively even game in three of the four quarters of play, the North Platte girls’ basketball team (18-5) used a strong second period to hold a double-digit margin over Lawson (15-9) and defeat yet another KCI Conference foe on Feb. 6.
Lindsay Ramsey opened the contest with a converted 3-point play on North Platte’s first offensive possession but there was only one more bucket by the home team in the next three minutes. Lawson took a brief lead, but Camryn Kersten’s first bucket was the end of a run by the Lady Panthers that put them ahead 12-6.
The Lady Cardinals tied the game at 12 before Kersten and Kenedie Summers both scored a layup in the final minute. Lawson beat the buzzer to bring the game within two, but North Platte outscored the KCI Conference opponent 16-4 in the second quarter, earning a 10-point cushion for the remainder of the night.
“I thought they matched our energy in the first quarter, but we also knew that’s the kind of game we wanted to be in,” North Platte girls’ head basketball coach Ryan Davis said. “The first quarter was 16 to 14, a good quarter by both teams, but we had the style that we wanted, and we got the game going the right way and we were up 14 at half.”
Lawson sophomore Leah Baldwin scored both of her team’s baskets in the second quarter and the Lady Panthers went on runs of 4-0, 6-0 and 8-0. Ramsey and Allyson Smith both scored five points in the frame and North Platte led 32-18 halfway through.
“We were kind of bemoaning that we could have maybe had a chance with a knockout punch there to get up maybe 20, but we missed some shots inside and that’s what kind of let them stay in the game. I’ve got to give Lawson credit, they played a good second half and we were able to hold on and execute enough to win,” Davis said.
With two games remaining in the KCI Conference, North Platte was sitting at a perfect 5-0 record in KCI play after defeating Lawson. Lathrop (22-0) held the same conference record – along with an undefeated season record – ahead of the clash on Feb. 9 and East Buchanan (11-13) was the final KCI matchup on Feb. 13.
“Winning the conference is one of our goals, and there’s a lot of good teams in the conference. It’s night in night out like, it was a good win tonight but if we play 3% less, you don’t get to the point where we’re at, so we’re excited with two big games for the Conference and we’ll see where we end up,” Davis said about the final two conference games prior to playing them.
North Platte put up a fight, but ultimately lost to Lathrop 61-51. This was the Lady Mules’ fourth straight victory in the series as the Lady Panthers’ last win against the conference foe was on Feb. 5, 2021.
North Platte has two more tough regular season opponents, starting with Hughesville’s Northwest (21-2) on Feb. 15. The regular season finale will be against a Class 4 opponent, Maryville (5-14), on Feb. 16.
“We’re focusing on us, we have to clean up some things with us, especially in the postseason, you kind of have a good idea of what you’re going to get. You’re just going to be playing your best basketball and give your best shot to win these games,” Davis said.
North Platte will host the Class 2 District 15 Tournament and has a first-round bye after clinching the No. 2 seed. The Lady Panthers will play Plattsburg (14-10) or Kansas City’s Lutheran (8-14) on Feb. 21.