Class C-2: Perkins Co. finishes perfect season

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Saturday's Class C-2 tournament results:

Championship: Perkins County 62, Sutton 49

Debra Johnson’s grin went  from ear to ear, yet Sara Wilson, her Perkins County teammate, wouldn’t smile.

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Perkins County senior Carlie Sis takes a shot Saturday. (Heidi Hoffman)

Perkins County senior Carlie Sis takes a shot Saturday. (Heidi Hoffman)

“That’s typical,” Johnson said, describing the reaction after the two connected on high school girls basketball’s version of the alley-oop.

“I’m all business, too,” Johnson added, “but I like to have fun and smile.”

A few minutes later, the smiles were everywhere on the Perkins County sideline. The Plainsmen, one year after losing their unbeaten season in an overtime loss in the championship game, capped off a perfect year in Saturday’s Class C-2 state basketball tournament final.

Wilson scored 25 points, Carlie Sis added 15 and Johnson had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists as the No. 1 Plainsmen defeated third-ranked Sutton 62-49.

“Those guys — they deserve to be the champions — we couldn’t guard them,” said Sutton coach Andy Gerlecz, whose team had allowed an average of just 35 points a game this season.

“We felt like we’d have to score 60,” he added, “and tonight, we couldn’t get there.”

Sutton, though stunned by a 9-0 run early, did put together a run to challenge the Plainsmen. In a span of 75 seconds, Courtney Spongberg drilled two three-pointers, with a Courtney Stone three-pointer sandwiched between them, and the Fillies (23-2) trimmed a 10-point deficit to one late in the third quarter.

But Perkins County (24-0) answered with a 13-5 run over the next 3:17, a flurry capped by Johnson’s three-pointer that danced on the rim and fell through as the third-period horn sounded.

The Perkins County fans did their own jig in the fourth quarter as the Plainsmen closed out the win in fashion. Johnson, a heady junior guard, and Wilson, a perimeter player with the strength and savvy to play inside, hooked up on their pretty play with 1:30 to go.

“We use that as our momentum-changer,” Johnson said.

A loss to unbeaten Kearney Catholic in last year’s final hurt, she said, but it also served as great motivation for the Plainsmen to make it back to the Devaney Sports Center floor.

Coach Chris Mestl described the season as a process, and the Plainsmen were content to focus on each game, whether the opposition was a potential state champion or an overmatched foe.

At state, Perkins County was impressive, scoring 69 and 73 points in its first two games. Wilson had 27 points against Elkhorn Valley, 26 against West Point Central Catholic and 25 in the final.

Now that’s something to smile about.

“All of them did a great job to get us here,” Mestl said. “All that was left tonight was to go out and win it.”

--Todd Henrichs



Third place: West Point CC 59, Cambridge 50

Kristine Ortmeier scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half as West Point Central Catholic took home a state-tournament trophy for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Nicole Stieren added 13 for the four-time champion Bluejays. Cambridge got 14 points from Frankie Petersen.