The Plainview Lady Pirate girls’ basketball team fell in a road game to Lutheran High Northeast’s Lady Eagles on Saturday, Dec. 10, 43-37.
The loss was the Lady Pirates’ first, ending their four-game winning streak over Winside, Wausa, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family and Elgin Public/Pope John.
The Pirates held the game close to even, 10-10 in the first, and dipping by just one point in the second, 14-13 and bringing the halftime break score to 24-23 in favor of the Eagles. The second half added five more to the Eagles lead, giving the Norfolk team the win 43-37.
“Coming off of two hard fought games earlier in the week, I knew this would be a tough challenge for us with a quick turnaround from the game the night before,” said Coach Trent Simpson. “We struggled to get going offensively in this game. The girls battled hard throughout this game, but in the end just came up short. We trailed most of the game, were able to take the lead late in the game, but couldn't make the one or two more plays we needed down the stretch to come out on top.”
“We forced them to foul late, couldn't convert from the free throw line and missed a couple bunnies that ended up being the difference. Lutheran High made the plays they needed to in the last couple minutes and we didn't. Despite coming up short, I can't emphasize enough how proud I am of the effort these girls put forth in a tough week-long stretch with tough competition each night,” said Coach Simpson.
Teya Boyer led the team’s scoring with 13 points. Keanu Johnson posted eight, Abbie Kromarek had seven, Marque Albin added six, and Lauren Jelinek had three.
The Lady Pirates were scheduled for a December 13 matchup against Madison in Madison, will host Laurel-Concord-Coleridge’s Bears on December 16, and then play against Elkhorn Valley on December 17 before a holiday break until a tournament in Wayne Dec. 28-30.
Vs. EPPJ
On Friday, Dec. 9, the Lady Pirate girls’ basketball team played Elgin Public/Pope John’s Wolfpack in a home contest, winning over the visiting team 45-40.
The Wolfpack led the game in the first, 16-12; and the Lady Pirates gained just two back before the halftime break taking the second quarter, 10-8. The third quarter went to the Lady Pirates by one, and the near even game broke open by six points in the fourth quarter, falling to the Lady Pirates by a five point lead.
“Against Elgin we were able to build off of the previous game and set the tone defensively, holding EPPJ to 40 points,” said Coach Simpson. “Our pressure defense set the tone for the game, which was a physical basketball contest. A crucial time in the game was late in the second quarter. We were down 8 points with a few minutes before half. Keanu Johnson was able to hit a pair of three pointers back to back to trim the deficit before half. Those two threes shifted the momentum in the game. We came out of half time and continued to work hard on the defensive end. We played great team defense and really limited their two top scorers in the second half of play. This was another step in the right direction for our girls.”
Leading the scoring for the Lady Pirates was Keanu Johnson with 10 points from two field goals and two three point baskets. A close second were Abbie Kromarek with nine, Teya Boyer with eight and Marque Albin with seven. Brooke Rafert had six points, Madelynn Dougherty marked three and Lauren Jelinek had two points.
Vs. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family
The Plainview Lady Pirates hosted the Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Lady Bulldogs, winning the game on the home court, 61-54 after four quarters of play.
The Lady Pirates trailed in the first, 10-14, before a big second quarter, where the home team outscored the Bulldogs 22-8 in the second, to take the game into the halftime break with a lead favoring the Lady Pirates 32-22.
“This game was a well-rounded total team effort. It was encouraging to see some girls step up and hit some outside shots,” said head coach Trent Simpson. “Madelynn Dougherty tied the school record for three pointers in a game with 5 makes. Balanced scoring amongst several girls helped keep HLHF's defense on edge all game. Our pressure defense was able to force some uncharacteristic turnovers by HLHF and lead to some easy baskets. Late in the game we had a number of girls step up and make winning plays for us. This was a big win and a big confidence booster for our girls.”
The Lady Bulldogs opened back up in the second, 14-11, to gain three on the Lady Pirate score, but with an 18-all fourth quarter, the Lady Pirates were able to tie up the home game win 61-54 at the final buzzer.
Leading the Lady Pirate scoring was a team of Teya Boyer and Madelyn Dougherty, both posting 15 points to their totals. Boyer posted six field goals and went three of five from the free throw line, and Dougherty had five three point baskets. Keanu Johnson was next with 13 total points from two field goals, two three pointers and three free throws.
Abbie Kromarek had eight points, Brooke Rafert and Marque Albin both posted four points, and Lauren Jelinek had two.