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Bison girls have same woes in GNAC first-round loss
NORTH PLATTE -- The good news for the McCook High School girls basketball team is the Bison won't have to face North Platte again this season.
The bad news Tuesday was a 72-22 loss to the Bulldogs in the opening round of the annual Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Tournament. The score was nearly identical to the outcome of a regular-season meeting between McCook and host North Platte Dec. 18.
Headlines for the Bison girls in Tuesday's GNAC game read much the same as most of the games this year -- turnovers and a lack of scoring punch doomed McCook. The Bison fell behind 8-0 out of the gate, then struggled to get the ball through the hoop, thanks in part to 30 turnovers. North Platte led 36-14 at intermission.
The Bison girls attempted just 28 field goals the entire game, and made just eight for 28.6 percent (including a 2-for-7 effort from 3-point range). North Platte hit 33 of 61 field goals for 54.1 percent.
Big problem for Bison
Tenisha Matlock, North Platte' 6-3 standout, outscored the entire McCook team. Matlock, headed to Iowa State on a volleyball scholarship, hit 11 of 13 shots from the floor and finished with 24 points.
"She did her damage on us tonight," McCook head coach Jeff Ellis said of Matlock. "It was kind of a reversal of roles. The last game we played them the Woodhead girl (Anna), the guard, flashed in the high post and did a lot of damage against us, she scored 20-plus points (27). Not that the Matlock girl didn't, she had 17 points, but tonight it was reversed. Matlock had 24 tonight, and we contained Woodhead to only 10.
"What we were asking the girls to do as far as containing their guards was to play a better 2-3 zone and contain that high post, and they did that. Unfortunately, it freed up Matlock down low and she did her damage."
Matlock had 7 offensive rebounds, and she converted many of those second chances into points.
"We don't rebound very well and that's hard to go against a tall monster like that," coach Ellis said. "They got second- and third-shot opportunities, and then they made them count. and that's frustrating, because against a team like that you can't give them very many opportunities. We gave them a few extra opportunities."
North Platte out-rebounded the Bison 33-21.
Gretchen Sehnert had 5 points to top McCook. Coach Ellis said while his team's offensive output was low, he was pleased that several other Bison got in the scoring column.
"It was kind of pleasantly surprising, nobody scored many points, but a couple other girls got in the scoring column," Ellis said. "That means the ball is getting passed around a little bit more. It was good to see a couple other girls get the ball in their hands and put some points on the board."
Wednesday action
McCook remained winless in nine starts this season. The Bison girls were scheduled to return to North Platte Wednesday for a GNAC consolation semifinal contest against Scottsbluff. Lexington topped the Bearcats 52-33, in other first-round action Tuesday.
Results from Wednesday's game were too late for the Gazette publication deadline. Watch Thursday's Sports pages and here on the Gazette on-line edition for results from the McCook-Scottsbluff game.
Despite the lopsided loss to North Platte Tuesday, Coach Ellis was pleased with his team's effort. The Bison girls were coming off the mandated five-day layoff set by the Nebraska Schools Activities Association (NSAA).
"We were very pleased with how the girls came in (Tuesday), they seemed very focused," Ellis said. "I'll be honest with you, our practice Monday was pretty bad. We were kind of worried how the girls were going to come out and react to this tough opponent. We were very pleased with the intensity level the girls had, the focus that they had.
"They were ready for the game, and that was pleasing to see. We can work with that."
Ellis said that his team is still hungry and still fighting to get that first win.
"It's a long season left, and that's our main goal right there -- to keep the fire buring in these girls," Ellis said.
Another game Thursday
Win or lose Wednesday, the McCook girls will play again Thursday in the consolation finals of the GNAC Tournament. If McCook loses to Scottsbluff, the Bison girls would play for seventh place Thursday at 11 a.m. against the Norfolk-Hastings loser. If McCook beats Scottsbluff Wednesday, the Bison would face the Norfolk-Hastings winner for fifth place Thursday at 12:45 p.m.