Horsemen gallop to victory in Mission

Plains was on the road last week for basketball, traveling to Mission on Thursday and Eureka on Saturday.

PLAINS 57, MISSION 49

The Horsemen beat the Bulldogs 57-49. Swiftly the Bulldogs came out of the cage aggressively putting the first points on the scoreboard. The Horsemen were quick to answer back, putting their own points on the board. The teams would go back and forth, but at the end of the first, the Horsemen were up by only one point. Headed into the second both teams would keep up an aggressive defense, keeping each team almost scoreless going into halftime.

Coming back from the half it seemed to be anyone's game. Quickly a Bulldog foul put Plains on the free throw line to gain the first points in the second half. It was met with a Horseman foul putting Mission on the line to answer back. Both teams would go back and forth with points, with the Horsemen keeping the lead. In the fourth quarter the Horsemen would break down the tight-knit Bulldog defense to keep their lead. Plains was able to keep Mission to minimal scoring while getting a massive 21-point quarter to take the win on the road.

“I was very pleased with how the boys played all weekend. We went in and beat Mission for the first time in years. The boys played a consistent game and didn't let being behind get in their heads,” Coach Tyrell Allen said after the game.

Anaya Loberg had an impressive double-double getting 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Horsemen. Pablo Hernandez proved to be a shooting powerhouse putting up 19 points, Darren Standeford came behind with nine, and Aden West rounded it out with six.

MISSION 61, PLAINS 24

The Trotters sank to the Lady Bulldogs 61-24 in Mission on Thursday. Mission would put the first point on the board and the Trotters were unable to answer with a basket of their own. That is until a quick handed steal earned Plains their first points of the game. The Lady Bulldogs kept their intense full-court pressure on the Trotters, who had minimal points in the first quarter. Headed into the second Plains was only down by three points, but Mission was quick to widen the gap. Going into halftime the Lady Bulldogs were up nine points.

Coming back from the half the Trotters had new fire, quickly getting the first points in the third quarter. But they were unable to break past the tight knit Mission defense to close the gap completely. The Lady Bulldogs kept the Trotters to only three points in the third quarter. In the final quarter Plains was able to break down Mission’s full-court press to put more points on the board, but ultimately not enough to secure the win.

EUREKA 57, PLAINS 46

The Horsemen went on to face the Eureka Lions, falling 57-46.

The Lions would get the first points on the board, taking a quick lead over Plains. A swift three pointer from the Horsemen would tie the game early in the first quarter, until Plains was unable to break past the full court pressure of Eureka. The Lions would take a steady lead over Plains with only a minute left in the first half. With a height advantage Eureka was able to keep their lead in the first half of the second quarter, but never taking a double digit lead. With only two minutes left, the Horsemen were only down by 6 points, but were unable to get any more baskets before halftime. They would go off the court with a score of 31-20.

Going into the third quarter the Lions would be the first to get a basket, but Plains would answer with their own. While the Horsemen tried to get ahead of Eureka, they were unable. With only a minute left before the final quarter, Plains was only down by 10. Coming into the final quarter the Horsemen tried to get past the giant Lions but were unable to take the lead and the win.

“As an undersized team playing a team like Eureka, who on average probably has 3 inches per player, we knew rebounding was going to be a huge factor. Even though we could not get rebounds I was ecstatic with their performance. Again, they played a consistent game of basketball and were able to keep the margin at 11,” Coach Allen stated after the game.

Darren Standeford led the Horsemen with 15 points, Anaya Loberg behind with 10 and eight rebounds.

“We shot 7 for 10, which is the best we have shot all year. In fact, I don't remember having a team shoot 70% or higher in a long time.” Allen said proudly.

Plains will take on Whitefish Bulldogs January 22 at home. Results will be in next week's Ledger. Then they hit the road facing the Alberton Panthers on Friday January 26.

EUREKA 60, PLAINS 22

The Trotters hit the court for their turn at the Lady Lions, falling on the road 60-22.

The Lady Lions came out of their cage teeth bared, getting the first points, and taking a massive lead over Plains. The Trotters would end up on the free throw to gain the first point in the first quarter. The Trotters defense was no match for the powerhouse Eureka team and with only a minute left they had a massive 15 point lead. Plains never faltered, keeping the intensity, coming out and gaining the first points in the second quarter. The Lady Lions would answer with three, keeping the large point gap between the teams. With minutes left, the Trotters were able to put more points on the board, but were unable to close the massive point gap. Heading into the half Eureka led 36-9.

Coming back from the half, Plains tried to break down the quick-footed Lions but were unable to put any points on the board for the first minutes. The third quarter would be halfway over before the Trotters were able to sink a basket, while the Lions were able to keep their colossal lead. Plains would get one more basket from a free throw before the final quarter was underway. The Trotters would take the final quarter for their own, but ultimately the point gap was too large to close and Eureka would take the at home win.

The Trotters face Whitefish Lady Bulldogs January 22 at home. Results will be in next week’s Ledger.