Basketball Recap: Josh Eakins commands the offense for Tigers win

By Team Reports Feb 3, 2024, 10:52am

Basketball Recap: Paxton Tigers vs. South Platte Blue Knights

The Paxton Tigers's game last Friday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Thursday. They took down South Platte 62-48. That's another feather in the cap for Paxton, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.

Paxton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Josh Eakins led the charge by scoring 18 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Eakins has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Maddex McConnell, who scored 14 points.

Several Blue Knights players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Quinten Koenen, who scored 20 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Koenen has scored all season. Dashle Richards was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.

Paxton's victory bumped their record up to 11-7. As for South Platte, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost eight of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season.

Paxton will be playing at home against the Mavericks at 6:45 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Sandhills Valley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Thursday. As for South Platte, they will head out on the road to take on the Wolves at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Nebraska (Arthur County is ranked 251st, while the Blue Knights are ranked 229th).