Plains burns Hot Springs in Sanders County showdown

In what is often an overlooked Sanders County rivalry, it was a good night to be a local basketball fan.

The basketball teams from Plains and Hot Springs, who occupy the same county but are separated by school population rules in most sports, clashed in Hot Springs this past week with Plains coming out on top in both matchups. 

The Horsemen from Plains won the boys game, beating the host Savage Heat 52-30, while the Lady Heat from Hot Springs came out on top of a 42-34 score against the Trotters. 

The games were played before an enthusiastic mid-week crowd as fans from both towns, separated by a pseudo mountain pass and 20 miles of paved highway filled the Hot Springs gym. 

In the boys' game, what shaped up on paper as a potentially close game between two evenly matched teams was dulled somewhat by the absence of three key players for the Savage Heat. 

Missing from the Savage Heat lineup were senior guard Weston Slonaker, sophomore guard/forward Daniel Slonaker, and recently hot freshman Chase Depot, who has been a three-point machine in the early going of this season. 

However, Plains has shown it has a potent lineup which may have won despite missing Heat players. 

Plains came out aggressive and quick in the first quarter, putting up 19 points while using their active defense in holding Plains to just three points over the first eight minutes of play.  Plains standout senior guard Darren Standeford dropped in nine points in the first quarter. 

The pace slowed markedly in the second quarter as Hot Springs outscored the visitors 6-5, trimming the lead to 24-9 at halftime.  Savage Heat junior Pedro Vidotti, a Brazilian exchange student, had all three of Plains’ first quarter points, but after picking up his third foul in the first quarter, his playing time was curtailed. 

Plains cranked it back up in the third quarter, out-pointing Hot Springs 16-7 en route to taking a 40-16 lead heading into the final quarter of play as Standeford threw in seven points, including his second trey of the game. 

Hot Springs 6-4 senior post Nick McAllister, who was held to five points over the first three quarters, erupted for 10 points in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late for the Heat. 

Standeford finished with a game-high 18 points for Plains, while McAllister tossed in 15 to lead the Hot Springs offense. 

In addition to Standeford’s points, the Horsemen also got 11 from Wyatt Butcher and 10 from senior Zayden Allen. 

The three missing Heat players were the result of a family vacation and an illness. The win  

The girls’ contest was a back-and-forth game from start to finish, with Hot Springs taking a late lead and holding on for the 42-34 win. 

The win boosted Plains to 2-1 on the year, while Hot Springs fell to 2-2. 

The two teams finished the first quarter deadlocked at 9-9.  The close battle continued in the second quarter with Hot Springs outscoring the Trotters 7-6 to take a 16-15 halftime lead. 

In the second half, Hot Springs junior guard Callie Cano sparked the Lady Heat with several timely baskets, including a pair from three-point range.  Cano’s shooting touch helped Hot Springs outscore Plains 14-10 in the third quarter, giving them a 30-25 lead heading into the final quarter of play. 

Plains got a game high 16 points from Ava Lawyer, who was a primary factor in keeping the Trotters close with her scoring and rebounding. 

Hot Springs added three points to their lead in the final eight minutes of play, 12-9, to hold off Plains and secure the 42-34 victory. 

The Lady Heat win left both teams with 3-2 records on the young season. 

Next up for Plains is a pair of home games against Troy, on January 3. The Plains teams played Alberton at home this past Thursday. 

Hot Springs played Valley Christian at home this past Friday to complete their pre-holiday schedule.  The Savage Heat return to action in St. Regis January 2.