Plains, Hot Springs face off for holiday

The Plains Horsemen corralled the Savage Heat in a basketball game at Hot Springs, but the Lady Savage Heat trampled the Trotters immediately following the boys game.

The Horsemen took an early lead against the Savage Heat and never lost it, claiming a 52-30 victory for a record of three wins and two losses. The Hot Springs boys have two wins and three losses.

It was the first home game of the season for both Hot Springs teams, coached by Mike Benson for the boys and Richard Jackson for the girls and with their win against the Trotters the Hot Springs girls have a 3-2 overall record. Jackson was recognized for being citation free for 25 years.

"Our competitive force is our defense," said Jackson. Callie Cano led the Lady Savage Heat with 13 points. The junior also forced seven turnovers and had four rebounds. Teammate Kara Christensen had 11 points for the night, along with six rebounds. Lilia Sapanel had 10 points and collected nine rebounds.

It was the 5-foot, 10-inch Sapanel that started things out by hitting her mark for two points only 25 seconds into the game, though Trotter Trystan Larsen came right back with a three-pointer and the lead. Erica Cannon of Hot Springs then scored with two points, but Larsen was fouled and nabbed one of two free throws to tie. Ava Lawyer hit a three-point shot for a Plains and a 7-5 lead. Trotter Mila Rivinius scored, along with another Sapanel shot and the score was 9-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Hot Springs ladies edged ahead and led 16-15 at halftime.

Sapanel and Cano started out the third with baskets and the Lady Savage Heat never let up or gave up the lead with a 30-25 score at the finish of the third. Plains came to within three points midway through the fourth when Lawyer stole the ball and scored, then scored again.

With 28 seconds in the game, sophomore Taryn Meredith hit one of two free throws, but six seconds later, Christensen put in both her foul shots and ended the game with a 42-34 victory. Jackson said he was pleased with the team's progress early in the season. "Looking forward to the Christmas break and seeing what the second half of the season has to offer," said Jackson.

"I thought we played a pretty good game. We got the shots we wanted, but our shooting percentage needs to be higher," said Trotter head coach Brooks Sanford, who added that his girls were only nine for 24 at the free throw line. "If you shoot 24 free throws you should win the game," he said.

Lawyer led the Trotters with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five steals. Meredith chalked up five points and two rebounds and Larsen had five points and seven rebounds. Katelyn Subatch had three points, three rebounds, and three steals.

The Horsemen started on fire with senior Darren Standeford getting a three-pointer within the first minute of the game, followed almost immediately with senior Wyatt Butcher stealing the ball and scoring for a 5-0 game. Just over three minutes in the game saw Hot Springs junior Pedro Vidotti put in a two-pointer, but the Horsemen again poured on the heat with a Zayden Allen basket and two-for-two at the free throw line by Cooper Meredith. A minute later, Butcher stole and passed the ball to Meredith for another two points. At the quarter's end, Plains had a 19-3 lead.

Vidotti drew first blood in the second quarter, but the Horsemen kept up the pressure. With 24 seconds left in the half, sophomore Meredith barreled through the Hot Springs defense for a two-point layup. With one second on the clock, Savage Heat senior Wesley Adams hit one of two and the halftime score was 24-9 with Plains in the lead.

Standeford hit first in the third, but senior Nick McAllister went in from the side for two points, then nabbed both his free throws to put Hot Springs 15 points behind. Standeford scored, but Savage Heat Ben Aldridge, a sophomore, swished one in. With 20 seconds left in the quarter, it was Standeford once again and the third ended with Plains ahead 40-16.

First thing in the fourth, McAllister got two more free throws. He then snatched the ball away from Plains and scored. Freshman Bill Detienne hit his mark, followed by two by McAllister, but the Horsemen kept up the pressure and with less than two minutes, freshman Jarett Weeks put one in and the game ended with Plains winning 52-30.

Standeford led the team with 18 points and five rebounds. Allen had 10 points and four steals. "I thought they played much better defensively than they did the game before," said Horsemen head coach Tyrel Allen. "The intensity was there and that helps with our energy levels on offense."

"Nick McAllister had a pretty good game. He had 15 points and played some solid defense," said Benson. McAllister also had 11 rebounds and four steals. He felt that if Hot Springs hadn't had their three guards missing that night, the game would have been a lot closer. "The Standeford kid for Plains is a real good player. He's going to get his and you just have to hold the rest of them down and I didn't think we did a very good job on that," said Benson.

The Horsemen junior varsity team triumphed over the Savage Heat 35-15 and the Savage Heat defeated the Trotters JV squad 45-28.

On Thursday, Plains played host to Alberton, with the boys winning 64-28 and the girls beating the Panthers 53-11. The Horsemen easily took control of the game early, outsourcing the Panthers in all but the third quarter. Plains was up 30-12 at the half and kept up the momentum throughout the second half.

Standeford led Plains with 17 points, Zayden Allen scored 14, Wyatt Butcher, Jacob Lulack and Coby Anderson added eight apiece, Kort Craft four, Tristan Allen three and Cooper Meredith two points.

It was the same story for the Trotters, who hit the court scoring and never looked back.Taryn Meredith led with 13 points, Jaycee Carr and Trystan Larson had seven each, Aubree Butcher five, Ava Lawyer four, Emma O'Keefe three, Madi Pfister, Randi Kilgore and Ashley Ferlan two apiece and Hadyn Rice added one point.