Horsemen, Trotters get home wins

The Plains boys and girls basketball teams had a clean sweep in games against Noxon Friday evening at Plains.

The Horsemen junior varsity boys first dispatched the Red Devils 44-24, followed by the varsity Horsemen, which claimed a 74-39 finish, and then the Plains Trotters defeated the Lady Red Devils 36-25.

Lady Red Devil varsity head coach Cory Brodmerkle was confident her girls would break their losing streak and get their first win of the season, but the Trotters had a different idea and took the lead right from the start with sophomore Katelyn Subatch stealing the ball seconds after the tip-off and scoring the first two points of the game, followed by a free throw shot, then another basket for 5-0.

Noxon came back when senior Maygan Swanson scored from below the basket for two points. Swanson snatched another ball from the Trotters minutes later and scored again to put Noxon one point behind. But by the end of the first quarter, Plains led 13-4 and with only four seconds in the first half, Trotter Aubree Butcher, a freshman, swished one in for a three-pointer to give Plains a 22-10 lead. Plains head coach Brooks Sanford said that Butcher has been excellent running the point on offense and defense.

Even with the loss, Brodmerkle said she was proud of the way her girls played. "They battled hard and gave one good fight. They continued to push and never gave up," said Brodmerkle, who's in her first year as head coach. "I believe they had a high chance and were capable of doing it. They worked hard and gave it their all," she said. Junior Seanna Richter led the Lady Red Devils with 12 points and led in assists with four. Junior Emma Swanson led with four steals.

"I thought we played through some injuries tonight and we kept taking the ball to the basket even when it was difficult to make a layup," said Sanford. Senior Blakely Lakko led the Trotters with 14 points. "Blakely Lakko continues to be a complete player, rebounding, passing, scoring and being a team leader," said Sanford. Freshman Ava Lawyer collected six points for the night, followed by junior Lexie Deming and Butcher with five points apiece. Sanford said that Lawyer leads the team this season in steals and assists.

"When it is tough to score, your defense needs to be good enough to keep you in the game and our defensive effort is pretty good," said Sanford, who stated they need to work on sustaining effort when they get a lead in order to extend that lead. "We are a very young team and I am quite pleased with how we have progressed as a team this year," he said. With the victory against Noxon, the Trotters have eight wins and only one loss.

Noxon drew first blood against the Horsemen varsity boys with a two-pointer by junior Ricky Williams within two minutes of start time. Williams was high scorer for the Red Devils with 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and an assist, said assistant coach Sean Kelly. Noxon's first basket was soon followed by a layup by Horseman senior Anaya Loberg and a three-pointer by teammate junior Pablo Hernandez. Red Devil Shane Murray, a junior, tied things up at 5-5, but that was the last time things were even. By the quarter's end, the Horsemen led 16-7 and by halftime Plains had a 35-21 lead. Murray finished the game with 10 points, 16 rebounds, two shot blocks, and a steal.

Within 40 seconds of the start of the third, Hernandez hit for a three-pointer, followed by baskets by junior Darren Standeford and Loberg to give Plains a 22-point lead, and with a three point basket from almost half court just two seconds at the end of the third quarter, the Horsemen led 66-30. The Horsemen kept the pressure on throughout the fourth, including a three-pointer by junior Kort Craft with 15 seconds on the clock for the victory.

"We have four players who really lead the team in scoring, three average double digits and the fourth is getting closer," said Tyrel Allen, head coach for the Horsemen. Loberg led the Horsemen with 24 points and seven rebounds. Standeford chalked up 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Hernandez had 16 points by hitting his mark six of 11 times, said Allen, who added that the Horsemen's free throw percentage was 36.8.

"Overall, I thought we played a great game offensively, even with a slow start in the first quarter," said Allen. "The boys persevered and kept shooting. Thirty-one points in the third was the highest quarter all year," he said. "Going into this week we hit the core of our conference play and will need to continue taking good shots and limiting our turnovers," said Allen, whose team now has three wins and two losses. The Red Devils are one and two.

"We did not play well at all against Plains, scoring only 39 points," said Kelly, who added that though the Red Devils had a better showing against Valley Christian on Saturday, they also lost there 77-64. Murray was the high scorer with 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals, two shot blocks, and one assist, said Kelly, who added that they played better as a team Saturday.

Game announcer Randy Garrison took time between games to honor Russ Hanson, one of four referees Friday, to announce his retirement after 50 years, including his first game at the then new gymnasium at Plains in 1974.

The Horsemen and Trotters will both face Thompson Falls on Thursday, Jan. 11, and Superior on Friday, Jan. 12, at Plains. The Noxon boys and girls take on Charlo at home on Jan. 11 and travel to Two Eagle River at Pablo on Jan. 12.