Horsemen finish year undefeated
Plains Horseman Trent Thompson breaks through Superior Bobcats Tyler Stenberg (left) and Drew Walen for two points during a game at Plains.
The Plains Horsemen added two more victories to their undefeated record last week by taking down Troy and Superior.
The Horsemen's 50-26 win over the Trojans Thursday was Plains' first conference game. On Friday, they stomped the Bobcats 51-37 for a 6-0 record. Big leads in both home games gave head coach John Revier the opportunity to use his entire bench.
Senior Ian Stokes, who played primarily on the junior varsity squad last season, led the Plains boys with 16 points against the Bobcats. The 6-foot, 2-inch Stokes included two three-point swishers in the third quarter. Revier said Stokes has improved since last year. "He's got a solid defense," said Revier.
The Horsemen's win over Superior left the Bobcats with a 2-4 record and Troy 0-5.
The Plains junior varsity squad won 42-35 over Troy with Conor Ballantyne leading with eight points. The team's C-squad won 34-32. Carson Lilja collected 13 points. Superior's JV squad, however, won 37-36.
Plains led with a quick lead over Troy and by the end of the first quarter they were ahead 11-4, but by halftime, the Horsemen lead by 16 points. At the start of the fourth, Plains was in the lead 20 points. As the fourth quarter buzzer sounded, Horseman Dillon Fryxell, a sophomore, scored from the corner to end the game.
Sophomore Trent Thompson led the Horsemen in rebounds in both games, first with eight against Troy, then nine with Superior. Mitch Thompson, a junior, led in steals in both games — six Thursday and three Friday. Stokes was the assist leader against the Trojans with three and with Superior it was senior Tanner Colombo with three. Colombo nearly didn't play against Superior because of a foot injury in the third quarter against Troy. He was able to play, but he was in pain all night.
Plains began against Superior with a two-pointer from under the basket by Trent Thompson with a pass by his brother, soon followed by a layup by Stokes. Plains had seven points before the Bobcats got on the board with a free throw point by their point leader, David Repke, a 5-foot, 9-inch senior.
Superior head coach Dan Lucier said the height of the Plains team intimidated his team. Nine of 11 Horsemen are six feet tall or more. "It's like we're in the land of giants," said Lucier, who added that it wasn't until the fourth quarter that his boys poured on the pressure.
By halftime, Plains led 22-12 and by the time the fourth quarter starter, the Horsemen spread the gap to take a 20-point lead. Even as the Bobcats started hitting their mark more often in the final quarter, the Horsemen maintained their pressure from their second and third string players and finished the game with a hefty lead. With 16 seconds left in the game, sophomore Brian Green hit his mark for two points.
"We're playing good team ball," said Revier. "We had a very solid weekend."
The Thompson brothers and Paul Green chalked up nine points apiece against Superior. His team shot 66 percent at the foul line, although Revier said he'd like to see that go up.
The Horsemen's C-squad travels to Kalispell Jan. 3, but on the following day, the team takes on Bigfork at home, starting with C-squad action at 4:14 p.m. A face-off with the Bluehawks is scheduled for Jan. 11.