Patience and persistence paid off for the Gothenburg girls Saturday night as the Swedes marked their first win of the 2011-12 season by beating Perkins County 47-41.

“We showed patience with breaking the press, handling the ball and passing,” said coach Tim Peterson. “And we put together four full quarters. That’s what we’re going to have to do to win ball games.”

The Swedes edged the Lady Plainsmen in the first period 15-14 and continued to grasp a slim lead 26-23 at halftime.

“Our goal the game before was to win the first quarter,” Peterson said. “Then we decided we weren’t going to be satisfied with only winning part of the game. We wanted to win all four quarters.”

With only one player graduating from the Perkins County team that beat Gothenburg by 10 points last season, Peterson knew his girls were going to have to bring their best game.

“We made some strides,” he said. “I hope that the girls are learning to play their roles and thinking through the game, playing a little better each time.”

Both teams were even in the third period, putting 11 points each on the board, but Gothenburg maintained a 37-34 lead heading into the final stanza.

Junior Taylor Wolf led the Swedes in scoring with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds.

“Taylor is a 5-foot-8 post player who doesn’t play like she’s 5-8,” Peterson said. “She’s got a real nose for the ball and is very aggressive. Most of the time, that works out in her favor.”

Fellow junior Brittyn Munster added 14 points and picked up seven steals.

“These girls need to know that hard work pays off,” Peterson said. “It’s nice to get complimented for a good game but it means a whole lot more when we win.”

Gothenburg’s schedule doesn’t get any easier this week as the Swedes take on two more rated opponents.

North Platte St. Pat’s comes to town on Thursday, bringing along a No. 7 state rating in Class C-2. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

Then the Swedes travel to Holdrege on Friday to face the Class B No. 6 Dusters.

“We’re going to have to try to slow them both down,” Peterson said. “They’ll be pretty similar with a quick full-court press.”

Friday’s game is set for 6 p.m. at Holdrege.