CCS girls third at SPVA

    The Chase County girls’ basketball SPVA tournament run had a little bit of everything last week, from a blow-out win to a heartbreaking loss.
    CCS started the tournament off with a bang, thumping six-seeded Kimball 55-21 in Imperial.
    A Jerzee Milner three pointer and Liz Reeves free throw accounted for Chase County’s first four points. Bryn McNair took over from there, making four field goals and 3-5 free throws.
    Jordan Jablonski scored seven points for the Longhorns in the second quarter, to go with a three pointer by Landree McNair and two pointer by Lucy Spady. B. McNair only made one field goal in the second quarter, but Kimball sent her to the charity stripe often where she made 6-7 free throws.
    CCS came out of the locker room to start the second half with a 35-12 lead. Milner made a three pointer and Jablonski a two pointer to go with six field goals and a free throw by B. McNair. B. McNair totaled 32 points in three quarters of action.
    Two free throws by Adelle Eskew rounded out CCS scoring in the game.
    Chase County just missed a trip to the championship game with a 35-36 loss to North Platte St. Pat’s Thursday at North Platte Community College.
    It took 2:30 for either team to score in the semifinal. CCS started the game with a 7-2 run and led 9-5 at the end of the first quarter.
    A three-minute CCS dry spell that spanned the first and second quarters gave NPSP time to catch up and tie the game 9-9.
    Five-straight points by Jablonski jumped started CCS. B. McNair led the Longhorns on a 6-4 run that gave Chase County a 20-14 halftime lead.
    The Longhorns lead grew in the third quarter. B. McNair scored all eight of Chase County’s points while the CCS defense held the Irish to just three field goals.
    Taking a 28-20 lead into the fourth quarter wasn’t enough.
    NPSP scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, a run broken by a B. McNair conventional three-point play. The Irish scored four more points before Morgan Peterson broke the streak. CCS traded NPSP baskets for a free throw each by Milner and Jablonski before a three pointer by the Irish tied the game at 35 with 1:19 remaining. NPSP missed two free throws with 28.9 seconds left and, after a CCS miss, made the Longhorns pay for a foul with five seconds left. The Irish made one of two from the charity stripe and claimed the win.
    B. McNair led CCS with 23 points.
    With a rematch with NPSP on the calendar for Feb. 4, Longoria said CCS will be more consistent next time around on offense, but the Longhorns did a great job defensively during Thursday’s game.
    “Anytime you hold a team to under 40 points, you’re getting things done on that end of the floor,” Longoria said.
    Two days later CCS was back on the same court for the consolation game against Hershey.
    Despite the Longhorns being hot from long range, the Panthers didn’t go down quietly.
    L. McNair made two first quarter three pointers and Milner added one of her own. B. McNair closed the quarter out with two three pointers, including one from behind the volleyball 10-foot line that bounced off the back of the rim and above the back board before dropping in and tying the game at 19.
    CCS took control in the second quarter, outscoring Hershey 13-3. Milner added another three pointer and CCS combined to make 5-6 free throws.
    Although Chase County held Hershey to just one field goal in the third quarter, its lead didn’t grow by much. Both McNairs hit three pointers and Milner nailed a jumper to give CCS a 40-28 lead going into the fourth quarter.
    A high scoring, physical fourth quarter rounded out the 59-43 win. CCS made 9-17 free throws to help seal the win. Overall CCS made 19-33 free throws in the game.
    B. McNair scored 23 points in the game. Milner tossed in 15 points and L. McNair scored 12.
Up next
    CCS hosted Haxtun, Colorado  Tuesday. The Longhorns will have a rematch with Hershey Saturday.
    Coming off tournament week, Longoria said Tuesday-Thursday games work well.
    “We’re just three weeks away from playoff time, so good competition is certainly welcome right now,” Longoria said.