Horsemen & Trotters run their District 14C win streaks to four

Plains solidified its third-place spot in the District 14C standings by extending its boys’ basketball league winning streak to four, earning wins over Noxon and Two Eagle River last week.

The Horsemen used an 8-1 run over a span of 3:30 to open up a very tight game last Friday at home against Noxon, and posted a 40-33 victory.

Plains raced to an 18-5 first-quarter lead over Two Eagle River on Saturday in Pablo, and cruised to a 60-32 win.

The Horsemen are 4-2 in District 14C play, and 6-4 overall. They have their sights set on challenging Charlo, which is second in the district behind Arlee, this Friday in Charlo. Varsity boys’ game time is set for 7 p.m. Plains hosts Troy on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Noxon could not quite keep pace with Troy last Thursday in Troy, as the Trojans picked up a 48-36 non-conference win.

The Red Devils were to host Class B Thompson Falls on Tuesday (Jan. 15) and entertains Two Eagle River on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Neither Plains nor Noxon shot very well in the first half of Friday’s game, as the Horsemen led 14-12 at intermission.

Levi Brubaker, one of Noxon’s top rebounders, was saddled with foul trouble and missed many minutes. However, the Devils stayed within a few points before taking the lead, 28-27, with 5:15 remaining.

Senior Derick Curry was the catalyst for Plains down the stretch. He sank two free throws for a four-point Horsemen lead, then drove to the hoop for a key field goal and a 37-31 Plains advantage with 1:07 to go. Treydon Brouillette added a free throw for a seven-point lead and Nathan McNulty sealed the win with a bucket with 12 seconds to play.

“It was a pretty tight ballgame,” Plains head coach Tyrel Allen said. “Derick really took over that fourth quarter.” That’s where he scored 10 of his team-high 16 points.

Plains senior Matt McCracken, who has a friendly competition going with Curry for top rebounder each game, came up big against Noxon. He had a double-double with 10 points and 14 boards. “He has a knack for finding the ball,” Allen said of McCracken.

The Horsemen took care of the basketball fairly well, having 14 turnovers. They were 14-for-29 from the foul line while Noxon was just 5-for-9.

“Our goal is to make more free throws than the other team shoots,” Allen said.

Logan Wood led Noxon with 14 points. Alex Currie added eight.

IT WAS CURRY’S turn for a double-double for Plains on Saturday at Two Eagle River. He netted 16 points and collected 15 rebounds.

The Horsemen led the Eagle by 13 after one quarter and 47-31 with a period to play. They held Two Eagle without a field goal in the final period while scoring 13 points.

“We got Traedon (Brouillette) going early,” Allen said of the junior point guard, who scored 15 points. “They were allowing us to run our little screens inside. We were creating a few turnovers, we made some layups that really helped out.”

McCracken was solid with a dozen points and seven boards.

Plains was 11-for-24 from the foul line.

Anthony Charlo paced Two Eagle with 13 points, and Travis Pierre added nine.

Troy scored in double figures in all four quarters Thursday against Noxon, while the Devils were in single digits in three periods.

Wood topped Noxon with 16 points. Currie had seven, and Jeriko Smith six.

Logan Milde led Troy with 12 points, and Trevor Hoagland had 11.

PLAINS & NOXON BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Arlee and Charlo are in clear sight of Plains in the race for seeding for the District 7B Tournament the middle of February in Pablo, as the Trotters stretched their league record to 4-2 with wins over Noxon and Two Eagle River last weekend.

Plains worked its way to a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter Friday against visiting Noxon, and breezed to a 37-24 victory.

Head coach Eddie Fultz got everyone a lot of playing time Saturday at Two Eagle River as the Trotters built a 39-3 halftime lead and posted a 55-7 win over the undermanned Lady Eagles.

Plains, with a 7-3 overall record, has a rematch with Charlo on Friday on the road, hoping to avenge an eight-point loss very early in the season. Tip time is set for 5:30 p.m. The Trotters host Troy in non-conference action at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Noxon got its week of competition to a good start on Thursday, rolling to a 48-23 victory over Troy in a non-conference contest.

The Lady Devils are 1-5 in District 13C games and 5-6 overall. They were to host Class B Thompson Falls on Tuesday (Jan. 15) before entertaining Two Eagle River on Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the varsity tip-off.

After a 5-5 tie, Plains went on a 15-4 run to lead Noxon 20-9 at halftime Friday. The Lady Devils’ top inside player, Delaney Weltz, was whistled for three fouls in the first 11 minutes of clock time, limiting her effectiveness.

The Plains lead went to 35-15 after a steal and Kassidy Kinzie lead pass to Haley Josephson for a bucked with 5:30 to go in the game. Noxon got within 11 points with two minutes remaining, but time was not on the Lady Devils’ side.

“We’re building up to a peak,” Fultz said of the Trotters’ progress. “Everybody knows we’ll be playing a pretty solid defensive game. When we get some baskets to fall we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

FORCING NOXON turnovers was a key to the win, according to Fultz.

“My guards are pretty inexperienced,” Noxon head coach Ryan Weltz said. “You can’t beat that pressure by trying to dribble through it. Turnovers, that’s kind of been our nemesis, handling that pressure.”

Delaney Weltz scored only once, on a first-period 3-pointer.

“Her coming out took her out of the flow of the game,” coach Weltz said. “The team kind of follows her, too.” And Delaney being on the bench adversely affects the Lady Devils’ rotations on the court.

Plains finished with 16 turnovers in the game.

In balanced scoring, Kenzie had seven points, and Natalee Deschamps and Kylee Altmiller six each. Altmiller had seven rebounds.

For Noxon, Kali Murray netted seven points. Kristina Brown and eighth-grader Avery Burgess had five each.

NOXON LED Troy 21-10 at halftime last Thursday, sparked by seven first-quarter points by Weltz. She netted 25 points for the Lady Devils, and had six rebounds.

“She was being pretty aggressive,” coach Weltz said. “She was taking it in (to the basket).

“We were able to bother them with a little pressure,” he added. “We got good looks at the basket. We were able to run our offense.”

Burgess scored in every quarter and had 12 points for Noxon.

“She really played well,” Weltz said of the eighth-grader. “She has a basketball IQ. She’s not afraid. I like her attitude.”

Murray led Noxon in rebounds with seven.

While Noxon was 9-for-16 from the foul line, Troy was 9-for-21.

Against Two Eagle River, Plains led 19-1 just three minutes into the contest. “They sat in a zone the whole time,” Fultz said.

Fultz said that senior guard Brooklyn Stafford will soon be added to the Plains varsity roster. She should be eligible to play by early February.