North Platte boys hoops survives Mid-Buchanan, wins Class 3 District 15 Championship; first district title since 2011

(ST. JOSEPH, MO) - In one of the most competitive back-and-forth games in a long time, 2 seed North Platte survives an insane battle with 1 seed and KCI Conference rival Mid-Buchanan, 77-76 as the Panthers win the Class 3 District 16 Championship.

Led by senior Raife Smith, the Dragons got out to a massive lead in the first half, the Dragons had a 19 point lead at the halftime break, 44-25.

But then the Panthers launched a furious rally in the third quarter and outscored Mid-Buchanan 35-19 in the period to then take a 63-60 lead after the third quarter.

Both teams traded blows in the fourth quarter, both squads finished with an incredible 13 made 3-pointers each. Mid-Buchanan made a three pointer in the final seconds but it was too little too late.

It's North Platte's first District Title since 2011.

Senior Brendan Matt led North Platte with 28 points, he hit 6 of the team's 13 3-pointers. Sophomore Jase Smith finished close behind with 24 points. Senior Dylan Armstrong and junior Isaac Wright both finished with 10 points. For Mid-Buchanan, Raife Smith led the team with 28 points in his final game.
Junior Ian Campbell had 17 points for the Dragons, junior Chris Kowalewycz finished with 13 points.

"It's crazy. At the start of the year, we lost to West Platte in the 2nd round of the KCI tournament. I thought we could do this, but no one else probably really did," said Matt. "It's been such a long time since we've won games like this, it's really nice to be a part of it."

"At halftime, you're down nineteen, we all came in with our heads down, I think Brendan (Matt) said we can come back, we just need to play defense. We weren't playing defense, our defense was awful in the first half," said Smith. "But that's how we came back, defense. This means a lot, our boys basketball team hasn't done anything in 15 years. It just feels amazing."

"We've had a phrase all season of, 'don't be butter.' That expression goes, butter in the microwave starts to melt when things get hot. I told the guys we were butter in that first half, we were complaining about fouls, worried about us driving and not getting anything. I thought in the second half we calmed down, we played strong and together. We took it to the rim hard and didn't worry about a foul. Second time in school history and first time since 2011 (for a district title), it is pretty special."

North Platte improves to 24-4 on the season, Mid-Buchanan finishes with a 22-5 record.

North Platte will now face South Harrison in the Class 3 State Sectionals on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6 pm at St. Joseph Christian High School.