Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
The Knights of South Holt took down the West Platte Bluejays 44-32 thanks to a large run that spanned nearly half the game.
The Bluejays took an early 10-4 lead in the game, which took place in Weston on Thursday, Jan. 9. After this, things took a turn for the worse for the hosting Bluejays.
The Knights went on a 16-0 run to take a 20-10 lead, as halftime quickly approached. This ended up dragging on to become a 29-5 run, as the Knights held a 33-15 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Bluejays head coach John Kruse credited the allowance of the run to three things: an inability to successfully break the Knights’ press, frequent fouling and a disadvantage on the boards.
“We just didn’t rebound very well, which we’ve struggled with all year,” Kruse said. “We’re not very big.”
Kruse also believed that his team’s consistency was lacking.
“I really thought that our first quarter was pretty decent, but in the second quarter, we just stopped doing what was working for whatever reason,” Kruse said. “We’ve got to be able to play four quality quarters. We’ve really struggled with being consistent throughout the game this year.”
In the fourth quarter, the Bluejays outscored the Knights 17-11, but at that point, it was too little too late, as the Knights would hold on for the victory.
Knights head coach Josh Peterson credited his team’s win to their successful press and the 29-5 run.
“If we can get on runs like that, that’s good for us, because we will go through offensive spirts where we struggle,” Peterson said. “Jumping out and getting one of those, that’s big.”
DREW AGGUS/Special to the Citizen
West Platte’s Gretchen Raney, left, dribbles past Rayleigh Guyer of South Holt during a game on Thursday, Jan. 9 in Weston.
Sophomore Chloee Prussman led the Knights with 18 points, while senior Grace Cotton put up 12 in the win. For the Bluejays, it was juniors Katy Tharp and Gretchen Raney each scoring 10 points to lead the Bluejays. Tharp scored seven of her 10 in the fourth quarter.
Other games
North Platte 54, North Andrew 42
Josie Roach scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the first half in a victory on Wednesday, Jan. 8 in Dearborn.
The Panthers took a 30-20 lead at halftime behind Roach’s first-half effort. The guard play for North Platte played a key role as the Cardinals’ defense focused on double up on McKenzie Brockhoff.
She still finished with 14 points, but the North Platte guard tandem of Roach and Madison DeBord combined for 30 points. DeBord added a season-high 12 points.