DEARBORN – The longest win streak the North Platte boys’ basketball program has seen in eight seasons was snapped with back-to-back defeats for the first time this winter.
North Platte senior Creek Johnson goes up for a layup in the Panthers’ 56-49 loss to Maysville Jan. 3.
Entering the New Year with eight wins and only one loss, North Platte had a tough pair of matchups. The Panthers’ five straight victories in a row were followed with two consecutive losses by familiar opponents.
North Platte opened 2024 with a matchup against Maysville (9-0) – the same squad that has eliminated the Panthers each of the last two years in districts. The undefeated Wolverines walked away with a 56-49 victory on Jan. 3.
The game was tight early on, being knotted at 15 through the first eight minutes. The Maysville crowd made it a tough atmosphere, pulling away a bit in the second quarter to take a 30-21 halftime advantage.
The Panthers fought back to tie the game late in the third quarter, but the Wolverines went on a 7-0 run to push the score to 41-34 with 6:39 left, causing a timeout by the road team. Trailing by six with right over two minutes remaining, Brenden Matt knocked down a triple with 56.7 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit to 50-47.
Maysville added three more points and Hunter Palmer converted on a 2-point shot with 18.4 seconds on the clock, but the No. 8 ranked team in Class 2 pulled out the 7-point win. This was the Panthers’ first loss in 33 days.
North Platte then matched up with Mid-Buchanan (8-4) with a chance to move to 2-0 in KCI Conference play on Jan. 5. The Panthers beat the Dragons earlier this season but fell 53-41 in the rematch.
Creek Johnson scored the first five North Platte points to tie the game both times, but Mid-Buchanan knocked down three shots from behind the arc to be in charge early. Johnson scored a deep 2-point jumper later in the frame and Dylan Armstrong added a bucket and a free throw, but the Panthers trailed 14-10 after one.
Johnson and Armstrong combined for the first 17 points of the game for North Platte, bringing the game within one point with 2:41 left but Mid-Buchanan responded with six straight points. Hunter Palmer scored a transition layup with 44 seconds left to become the third Panther to get on the scoreboard and they went into the locker room down 24-19.
Mid-Buchanan was able to sit on that lead and hold off North Platte to pull off the victory. The Panthers will look to bounce back in the WildCards’ Invitational Tournament – which they walked away from as champions a season ago – that will be played at Osborn and Stewartsville high schools this week.