Jefferson toppled in 3rd-place contest
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior forward Bryce Deen makes his move in the post against West Platte Saturday, a 39-31 loss in the third-place game of the North Platte Invitational.
What started as an unappealing contest for both sides in a North Platte Invitational third-place game between the Jefferson boys’ basketball team and West Platte turned into a Bluejay win thanks to a strong third quarter.
Neither team could find a groove offensively in the first half, but West Platte eventually sped up to take a 39-31 victory.
After Jefferson junior guard Jason Sullivan buried a three-pointer to take a 3-2 lead, West Platte used a 5-0 run to recapture the advantage at 7-3. Part of the short streak was a three-pointer from the left corner for Bluejay senior guard Cody Guthrie, while the West Platte offense played patiently in the opening frame.
A jump hook from Eagle sophomore center Caden Farnan put a stop to the run, but the Bluejays took a 7-5 lead at the end of the first period.
“I don’t know what the reason for that was, but I didn’t think we’d come out and definitely offensively were really flat,” Jefferson head coach Tim Jermain said. “Unfocused … for whatever reason, we came out that way.”
To start the second period, West Platte added a touch of pace to the game with a trapping defense that forced sloppy passes from the Jefferson offense. However, the Bluejays rarely took advantage, normally speeding themselves up past the point of a comfortable offensive tempo.
With less than two minutes until halftime, Eagle junior forward Bryce Deen capitalized on a loose ball under the West Platte basket before laying it up to tie the game at 13-13, which held until the break.
Jermain said his team’s defense was able to keep Jefferson alive after two difficult offensive quarters.
The Bluejays broke things open in the third quarter, using a 6-0 streak early to run the lead to 24-17 before Sullivan canned another three-pointer from the left corner.
Immediately after Sullivan’s triple, West Platte rattled off five straight points to extend things to 29-20 while continuing to limit Jefferson’s offensive looks with a zone defensive scheme.
“One of the things we’ve done really well is attack the short corner,” Jermain said. “They did a great job of trapping Bryce down in the short corner. Normally he’s a great passer from there, really attacks the basket. We just had trouble. We had trouble shooting it all day long.”
To conclude the third period, Bluejay junior forward Brett Shepardson came up with a steal near midcourt before pushing the ball up to junior guard Luke Horseman, who finished an open layup to stretch the advantage to 31-22 at the end of the quarter.
Things changed in the fourth quarter for West Platte, which scored 18 points in the third. The Eagles kept the Bluejays scoreless until the 2:48 mark in the final period, but scored just four points themselves to narrow the gap to 31-26 before a layup from West Platte junior guard Kaleb Baber.
“I don’t know if it was because at that time it’s, ‘Hey, we can either get after it or we can go,’” Jermain said. “I don’t know if that relaxed us a little bit, I don’t know. Maybe it took some pressure off us and definitely gave ourselves a chance.”
Jefferson sophomore guard Michael Burch buried a three-pointer with 2:12 remaining to draw the score to 33-29, but the Bluejays pulled away with free throws and defensive stops to take the third place trophy.
Senior guard Cody Guthrie led all scorers with 16 points, while Deen paced Jefferson with 13.
Next up for the Eagles (11-8) is a 7:30 p.m. tipoff Tuesday against North Harrison at home.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior guard Ben Jermain lines up a three-pointer from the wing during Jefferson’s 39-31 defeat at the hands of West Platte Saturday.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
In Saturday’s North Platte Invitational third-place loss to West Platte, Jefferson sophomore center Caden Farnan fires up a baby hook from the right block.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Eagles junior forward Bryce Deen has his shot blocked off the backboard by West Platte junior forward Tanner Lintner during the Bluejays’ 39-31 win Saturday.
