By: Nick Hall
Coach Robi Coker’s Plainview basketball team began last week at North Sand Mountain and ended it at Pisgah. The Bears improved their record to 18-2 with wins against both teams. Details of each game are below.
Plainview 94 – NSM 79
The North Sand Mountain Bison were “loaded for bear”, as they say, when the Bears from Plainview rolled into Higdon Tuesday night. The Bison put up a good fight for the first 16 minutes but ran short on ammo in the second half. NSM shocked Plainview early with a barrage of 3-point shots before the Bears settled down and closed the Bison lead to 25-21 at the end of the opening period. Plainview held on through the second period to go into the half down 46-41. However, the second half saw Koby Tinker catch fire from behind the arch. Tinker netted 27 points on the night to lead the Bears in scoring and by the end of the third period Plainview had established control with a 72-67 lead. The fourth period only proved worse for NSM as Plainview outscored the Bison 22-12. Caden Millican posted another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Cole Millican netted 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Tristan Willingham followed with 15 points and seven rebounds. Haden White contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds. “NSM did a great job vs. our pressure,” said Coker. “Hunter Vest is a very savvy guard and his ability to handle our pressure gave them several very easy baskets. Offensive rebounding kept us in the game early and our guys did a good job of adjusting in the second half. Our half-court defense was solid, but more importantly, our competitive spirit was really good, and we found a way to take control of the game.”
Plainview 74 – Pisgah 53
Plainview stunned the Eagles Friday night at Pisgah, taking a 25-9 lead at the end of the opening period. However, the Eagles made a run against the Bears in the second period to close the gap to 12 and go into the half down 34-22. The third period saw Plainview re-establish control of the game, stretching their lead to 64-35 heading into the final period of play. The Eagles outscored the Bears’ bench 18-10 down the stretch, but it was academic at that point. Caden Millican led the Bears offense, netting 21 points. Koby Tinker followed with 14. Tristan Willingham scored nine points. Jathan Underwood added eight and Haden White netted seven. Tinker led off the boards, grabbing eight rebounds while Dane Haymon and Jackson Hosch pulled down five each. “Our pressure gave them problems early, but they did a good job of getting back in the game with their half court defense in the second quarter,” said Coker. “After the half, we were able to score some baskets and our press created some easy opportunities for us.”