Potter-Dix Boys Go 2-1, Girls 0-3 On The Week

Potter-Dix’s Coyote basketball team won two of three contests over the past week, while the Lady Coyotes continued to struggle and dropped three games by wide margins.

Potter-Dix at Morrill

The Potter-Dix teams opened the week’s action at Morrill on Jan. 4, and the Lady Coyotes battled hard with a strong Lady Lions team through the first quarter, and were only down by nine points at the end of the first quarter. But the Morrill girls turned up the offense and clamped down on the Lady Coyotes’ scoring attempts, putting up a 22-3 second quarter to go into the half leading 42-14. With the game effectively over, the Lady Lions cruised through the second half scoring 20 more points while completely shutting down the Potter-Dix attack, and the Lady Coyotes fell by a final score of 62-14.

The boys game was a completely different story, with both teams playing well through the first quarter and both showing tough defense. The Coyotes held a two-point lead at the end of the first, and both teams continued to battle through the second period. At the half, Potter-Dix held a three point lead at 27-24. The third quarter was a tough defensive slog for both teams, with pressure and turnovers dominating the action. Both teams struggled for points, with the Coyotes only putting up seven points to Morrill’s nine.

But the fourth quarter turned into a freewheeling scramble, as both teams ignited their offenses and traded scores until the end, but the Coyotes held onto their slim lead to escape with a 57-53 victory.

Potter-Dix sophomore Luke Kasten led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the double-double.

Potter-Dix at Bayard

Friday had the Coyotes traveling to Bayard to face the Lady Tigers, and the Lady Coyotes immediately found themselves way behind, trailing by 27 points at the end of the first quarter. The overmatch continued with the Bayard team taking a 45-4 lead into the half, then cruising through the second half scoring 18 points to the Lady Coyotes’ four to end the game with a 63-8 final tally.

The boys tried to continue the success they had against Morrill, but a slow first quarter put them behind the Tigers 12-8 at the end of the first period, and they still trailed by three at the end of the half, 23-20. Another cold-shooting quarter had the Coyotes fall behind further, and although the shooting improved in the fourth, the Tigers were able to match the Coyotes score for score, and Potter-Dix fell by a final score of 54-46. Junior Thomas Muldoon led the Coyotes scoring with 15 points, while Kasten had another double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

South Platte at Potter-Dix

The teams ended their week’s action by hosting the South Platte Blue Knights for set of afternoon games.

The Lady Coyotes were able to play well enough to keep the explosive Lady Blue Knights offense at bay in the beginning of the game, but as the first quarter started to fade, the South Platte offense heated up. The Lady Blue Knights led 41-5 at the end of the first half, then continued to rack up the points in the third, opening a 64-5 lead at the end of three quarters. The South Platte team then coasted through the rest of the contest and earned a 73-9 win.

The boys game again was a much more competitive contest, with the teams battling through the first period and the Coyotes opening up a five point edge at the end of the first period, 19-14. The Coyotes turned up the offensive heat in the second quarter and put some distance between the teams, racking up 23 points to South Platte’s 10 to give the Coyotes a 42-24 halftime lead. South Platte fought back in the second half, but the sharp shooting and fine passing of Kasten, Javon Coyle and the Coyote offense kept the Blue Knights at bay, and Potter-Dix came away with the 77-54 victory.

Senior Javon Coyle had an outstanding game, scoring 26 points and knocking down five three-point shots in the victory.

The Potter-Dix teams were scheduled to match up with the Kimball Longhorns in Kimball on Tuesday.