Prairie boys basketball earns a couple of wins

Prairie boys basketball hasn’t always had the easiest ride through the 202223 season, but the Mustangs are still finding ways to win.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Mustangs added wins number two and three when they traveled far to play in New Raymer. They began their short stint of success with a 66- 37 victory over North Park on Feb. 4, in a campaign that never saw the home team lose the lead.

The strong second quarter, during which the Mustangs out- shot the Wildcats 17- 4, set them irrevocably on the path to victory. Senior Claytin Hove led his team with 22 points during the effort, as senior Brock Dollerschell (14 points) and sophomore Lane Schock ( 12 points) added their own flair to the offense.

Three days later, when Caliche came to town, the Mustangs did it again. The Buffaloes, however, put up much more of a fight in the 47- 38 decision in Prairie’s favor. Once again, the Mustangs took control from the very first quarter — scoring 14 points to Caliche’s four, then built upon the lead even more with a 16-10 second frame.

Both teams def lated at the start of the second half, as the Mustangs managed just a single free throw through eight minutes and the Buffaloes sunk just four points. The early, first- half lead that Prairie constructed proved vital in the final frame, when the Buffaloes came out swinging with a hammer to tear that foundation down.

Their 20-point effort fell short in the end, however, as Prairie’s 16 points proved enough to hold off any sort of comeback.

With the two wins, and a few losses that followed, the Mustangs sit at 4-12 but had a good shot at victory last night against a 5-10 Lone Star team. They’ll close out the season later this week with two final contests against a tough Briggsdale team and a struggling Weldon Valley team.