Horsemen eager for another chance to take on rivals

PLAINS – The Horsemen endured a tough weekend. They faced the Deer Lodge Wardens on their home court Friday night and traveled to Eureka to play the Lions on Saturday.

The Horsemen struggled to come out strong against the Wardens. They trailed by 12 points after the first quarter but then made adjustments and improved the second quarter. They outscored Deer Lodge by two points and followed closely behind in the third and fourth quarters. Despite their efforts, the Horsemen could not catch up and the final score was 51-66.

Ryan Ovitt was the lead scorer for Plains with 15 points which included three three-pointers. Aaron Baker followed with 11 points and Kyle Revier had 10 points. The Horsemen forced the Wardens into 21 turnovers.

Head Coach Russ Baker was pleased with the progress his team has made.

“Some of the kids worked as hard as I have seen them work,” he said. “The younger ones are starting to play with the intensity that it takes to play varsity basketball which is really good to see.”

The Horsemen were slow coming out of the gate against the Eureka Lions. The gap at the end of the first quarter was 12 points and that gap increased to 18 points at the end of the first half. The Horsemen came back and outscored the Lions in both the third and fourth quarters—but it was not enough to get the lead. The final score was 56-69.

According to Coach Baker, the Horsemen need to work on coming out strong right from the beginning.

“It always seems like we are trying to play catch-up,” he said.

Baker contributed 14 of the 56 points earned by the Horsemen and was the lead scorer. Revier had 12 points and James Rulison had 10 points.

This week the Horsemen will play the Thompson Falls Bluehawks for the second time this season. Their last game was a close one but the Bluehawks came out ahead.

“I expect it will be a close one again,” Coach Baker said. “We will just have to see who has improved the most since then.”

The Horsemen will also face-off against their county rivals, the Savage Heat. The last time they met, the game was in Hot Springs and the Horsemen returned home defeated. This time the Horsemen will challenge Savage Heat on their home court. According to Coach Baker, his boys are eager for the chance at redemption.