IMPERIAL—Quick starts against the Chase County Longhorns in both the first quarter and the third were the key to a 41-26 victory at Imperial Friday night.

“I knew we needed to get off to a good start,” said coach Tim Peterson.

And the girls did just that.

Gothenburg followed a 6-2 first quarter with 17 points in the second period to take a 23-11 lead into halftime.

Then in the third quarter, a critical period for many teams, the Swedes pushed ahead by as many as 20 points.

“We got after them in the third,” Peterson said.

Gothenburg scored the first 10 points of the period for a 33-13 lead and never looked back.

“With the struggles we’ve had this year, I really hoped the girls would put together four quarters of basketball,” the coach said.

The Swedes faltered a bit in the fourth quarter but not enough to give up their lead.

“It’s pretty difficult to keep up the same intensity when you’re up by 20,” Peterson said, “but I sure wish we could have finished the game a little stronger.”

Regan Geiken had her first double-digit scoring of the season with 15 points.

“Regan brings a lot of energy off the bench,” Peterson said. “She had a really good weekend for us.”

The Swedes move to 3-10 on the season as they host Broken Bow (2-10) on Friday.

“Broken Bow is probably the most scrappy team we’ll play,” Peterson said. “They’re not afraid of a little bodily contact.”

The Indians have played a difficult schedule similar to Gothenburg’s so Peterson expects a good game.

Gothenburg travels to Kearney Catholic Saturday to face the 12-1 Stars.

Kearney Catholic is rated No. 2 in Class C-1 in the state, adding to the number of ranked teams the Swedes have faced.

“They have a mix of height and speed and good shooters,” Peterson said. “They’ll be tough.”