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Ragan Nickless not only led all players offensively in last week’s Gothenburg game with 14 points, she also pulled down 14 rebounds for Chase County. (Photo courtesy of Renae Bottom)

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Mallie McNair gives it her all to make this shot despite the defensive pressure from Gothenburg’s Alexis Bliven in the Feb. 13 subdistrict semi-finals. McNair finished with nine points. (Photo courtesy of Renae Bottom)

Gothenburg ends girls’ season at subdistricts

    It came a bit too soon for Lady Longhorn players, coaches and fans.
    Chase County’s 2017-18 season ended abruptly Feb. 13 when Gothenburg turned the tables on them, taking a 43-37 win in the C1-11 subdistrict semi-finals in North Platte.
    That was just a month after the Lady Longhorns handed Gothenburg a 16-point loss during regular season play.
    The difference?
    Coach Mark Bottom said they really missed senior point guard Lauren Gockley, who put up 11 points against Gothenburg in the Jan. 12 game, but was on the sidelines last week with a broken foot.
    With the exception of Gockley, it was also the first time in the last four games of the season that everyone was suited up, Bottom noted, due to illness.
    He wasn’t sure if they were even 100 percent last week.
    Despite trailing after the first quarter 7-10, Chase County used balanced scoring to take a one-point lead at the half, 18-17.
    Third quarter didn’t produce much offense, with Chase County scoring five and Gothenburg six, knotting the two teams 23-23 as the fourth quarter started.    
    In those final eight minutes, Gothenburg tallied 20 points, 13 of them on free throws, many coming late in the game when Chase County was forced to foul.
    While Chase County had its best quarter of offense in the fourth, including a pair of treys from Ragan Nickless, their 14 points weren’t enough.
    “We just couldn’t get them to drop,” Coach Bottom said of his team’s shooting.
    He credited the Lady Swedes’ defense for that, in part, saying their 1-3-1 was a struggle to get through by Chase County’s  ball handlers. One of those would have been Gockley, he said, who did a good job against the 1-3-1 in January’s game.
    The 14 points from Nickless led all players that night, and she also pulled down 14 rebounds for another double-double. Chase County’s leading scorer Mallie McNair was held to nine, but she was credited with seven steals.
    From two-point range, Chase County hit just nine of 45 for a 20 percent showing. They did okay at the line with a 58 percent finish (7-12), but didn’t have as many opportunities as Gothenburg, who sunk 20 of 31 from the stripe (64 percent).

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