The North Platte boys basketball team is Final Four-bound for the first time in the team’s history.
The Panthers booked their ticket to Columbia after defeating Windsor 73-61 on March 7 at Winnetonka High School. It was a game in which North Platte maintained a healthy lead throughout.
It was another quality win for the Panthers as their offense showcased their capabilities. Brenden Matt finished with 30 points, including the 2,000th of his career, leading the Panthers to a seventh 70-point performance across their last eight games.
North Platte exploited Windsor’s 3-2 zone defense, opening up looks for Matt and Jase Smith. A 21-point first quarter allowed the Panthers an early cushion taking a 10-point lead into the second quarter.
“We jumped on them early,” North Platte head coach Braydn Kemper said. “We kept them at arm’s length the rest of the game but they did hold us to eight in the second quarter. We made an emphasis on pushing the pace but we were a little too hectic and turned the ball over too much trying to make the knockout punch.”
While Windsor got back within single digits before halftime, North Platte’s offense got going again to extend its lead to 49-37 after the third quarter. Each time North Platte looked to run away, Windsor had an answer from juniors Rowan Cox or Ryan Millington to stay afloat.
The game opened up in the fourth, which favored the high-flying Panthers as they secured the 73-61 victory.
“I think our boys were fueled by the environment, maybe a little too much,” Kemper said. “We calmed them down at half and finished the game strong.”
The electric atmosphere also created some communication obstacles for both teams. North Platte took those obstacles in stride with their experienced coaching staff, which includes assistant coaches Roger Giger and Karl Matt.
“We were prepared for the loud environment by having hand signals for plays,” Kemper said. “I remember from my state run as a player that we had play cards that could be shown from the bench to call plays. We were ready and it was awesome to have to prepare for crowd noise.”
The Panthers have worked hard to earn the support and respect from the school community. Now, they are reaping the rewards with the community showing up in greater numbers along the way.
“The community support has been absolutely insane,” Kemper said. “We got to Winnetonka early and when the gates opened, there were Panther fans lined up ready to get in to find some seats. Our whole dedicated section was filled and we started bleeding into other areas.”
Kemper also expressed his gratitude for the local businesses, who have stepped forward to make sure the boys haven’t had to pay for shirts, goodie bags or any other memorabilia.
Winners of 13 straight games, North Platte now moves on to the Class 3 Final Four at Mizzou Arena March 13-14.
“We have focused on getting better every day, every game,” Kemper said. “That winning streak is dedicated to the boys staying focused and dedicated to that montra. I am proud of how hard the boys have worked and the buy-in to the program from the kids who played almost 32 minutes to the ones who played very little on Saturday.”
Next up for the Panthers is a semifinal matchup against No. 2 state-ranked Miller Career Academy (18-12) on Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the state championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The other semifinal consists of No. 6-ranked Liberty of Mountain View (28-2) and top-ranked Principia (27-2), which is ranked No. 4 among all high school teams in the United States by MaxPreps. The losers of both semifinal games will battle for third place on Saturday at 12 p.m.
“The goal is to compete and bring our community pride in how we play,” Kemper said. “We want to represent North Platte to the best of our ability with how we act on and off the floor and how hard we compete as a team. We want to go get one win down there, going 2-0 would be a movie in the making with a nationally ranked school in Principia down there so the focus is representing this program and community with great pride.”
Regardless of whether Hollywood filmmakers make a movie set in Dearborn, North Platte has already made school history through a postseason run that has united its community. They hope it inspires the first of many to come.
“This run paves the way for future Panther teams, showing them that it is possible and how to make runs like this.” Kemper said. “There is no secret; if you put in individual work on your basketball skills, you will become a better player. You can’t wait till November to start working on your shot; that is a year-round approach. Having individuals to buy into that leads to success.”
Jase Smith has been a major postseason catalyst for North Platte with numerous 20-point performances. See more on the Panthers in the 3-11-2026 issue of the paper.