Osborn poured in a game-high 32 points as Prairie’s only scorer in double figures, and also goe nine points apiece from Fraly, AJ Dixson, Zeke Dixson. The Dixson brothers also combined for 13 rebounds.
Evergreen beat Prairie 59-54 in the teams’ first meeting Dec. 18. Prairie, in fact, dropped its first two league games to Evergreen and league-leader Kelso by five points each.
Coach Kyle Brooks said following his team’s 72-61 win over Skyview, one of Class 4A’s top-rated teams in the 4A RPI, that was his team’s best game of the season and coming at the right time Jan. 4. That was the second game of what’s now a season-high six-game winning streak with four league games remaining. Prairie hosts Kelso next Tuesday trailing the Hilanders by two games for first place.
The growth and maturation of a team with three new starters and an almost entirely new faces going off the bench has players like the veteran Osborn pleased with the team’s progress.
“It’s been huge,” the point guard said.
And some of that is from players such as Fraly in his first year of varsity basketball, who had two quick field goals in the first quarter to help jumpstart the offense. Prairie’s first double-digit lead came at 31-21 on a pull-up jumper by Osborn, who had 18 of his 32 points in the first half. His jumper inside 3 minutes to play gave Prairie a 62-49 lead.
Already down point guard Dwight Jones (hand) since the start of the season, Evergreen (6-10, 2-4) didn’t play leading scorer Carter Monda, who’s been bothered with an ankle injury.
Timetable for both players’ return is uncertain, coach Brett Henry said, but Monda’s absence Friday was a difference maker.
“He cleans up a lot for us because he can make shots that we don’t draw up,” Henry said. “Tonight, we lost all of that.”
Henry said he isn’t too concerned about dropping six of their past games because he knows his team has been right there in close ball games as of late. Friday, a 13-point deficit was cut to six inside 2 minute to play. Mario Herring led the Plainsmen with 13 points.
PRAIRIE 68, EVERGREEN 56
Prairie: Kam Osborn 32, Aidan Fraly 9, AJ Dixson 9, Zeke Dixson 9, Thomas Hapgood 3, Mark Frazier 0, Bronson King 6. Totals 23 (4) 17-22 68.
Evergreen: Jaden Stanley 12, Travis Huffman Jr. 7, Camren Smith 2, Zyell Griffin 12, Tyler Ricketts 5, Izac Romero 2, Isaiah Enyinwa 0, Jaylen Fite 2, Mario Herring 13. Totals 17 (6) 16-22 56
Prairie: 14 24 13 17 -68
Evergreen: 9 17 16 14 -56
