It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the North Platte Bulldogs ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. In a tight matchup that could have gone either way, they made off with a 58-57 victory over Columbus. The win was just what North Platte needed coming off of a 62-34 loss in their prior matchup.
Lance Gifford continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 20 points along with nine rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least 25% of North Platte's points. Jesse Mauch was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with five rebounds.
Columbus' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tanner Esch, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Griffin Micek, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Columbus were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
North Platte's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Columbus, they bumped their record down to 1-7 with that loss, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.
North Platte will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Kearney at 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2024. Kearney presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than North Platte in Nebraska (Kearney is ranked 82nd, while North Platte is ranked 206th). Columbus won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Lincoln Southeast at 5:15 p.m. on December 22nd. One thing working in Lincoln Southeast's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last three contests.
