GACC Boys 0-3 in last three games; Girls 2-1

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Boys went 0-3 last week, losing 68-31 at home to Columbus Scotus last Tuesday night, 35-34 at home to Wynot last Thursday night, and 55-43 at Crofton on Saturday.

In the Scotus game, the Shamrocks were in control throughout, leading 21-5 at the end of one and winning the second quarter 18-15 to go up 39-20 at halftime.

Scotus outscored the Bluejays 21-3 in the third quarter to lead 50-23 at the end of three.

The Shamrocks notched 15 points in the fourth quarter and held GACC to 8.

Nolan Plagge led the Bluejays with 9 points.

Head Coach Brad Slaughter says playing a C-1 team is good in the long run.

"Our schedule really weathers us. We got to accept the fact and just and more or less face it that these kind of games are more or less for us kind of like Burwell and Creighton, state championship football games. I mean we're playing up a level so we have to bring that every single night and be ready for that every single night. And if you can withstand that and keep your confidence and get some shots to fall, we will be battle tested and should be fine."
   

The Warriors led GACC 12-7 at the end of one. The Bluejays won the second quarter 16-15 to make it a 27-23 game at halftime.

Crofton outscored GACC 18-7 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 15 at 45-30 after three.

The Bluejays notched 13 points in the fourth quarter compared to 10 for the Warriors.

The third quarter was the difference in the game. Take that quarter away and GACC is right there.

The Bluejays (1-4) host Oakland-Craig (4-2) Tuesday night.

The Knights blew out Wisner-Pilger 73-36 at home Thursday night.

This figures to be a really tough game for GACC. The Bluejays are going to have to score better than they have been lately, and GACC needs to have a really good game defensively as well.

The Bluejays have to try and find ways to slow down Oakland-Craig's scorers in Garrett Seagren, Carter Thiele, Garrison Dodge, Wyatt Seagren, and Kobe Benne.

GACC has to play well for an entire game. The Bluejays can't afford to have any bad quarters if they hope to compete with and beat the Knights, in my opinion.

GACC played well against Wisner-Pilger to start the year, and the Bluejays are going to need that same type of effort to have a chance against Oakland-Craig I would say.

The Knights are one of the hottest teams in the area right now, and it's going to take an exceptional effort on GACC's part for the Bluejays to win.

Anything can happen though, and having a week and-a-half to prepare for Oakland-Craig should allow GACC to have a really good game plan.

I think it's just simply a matter of the players going out there and executing and knocking down shots.

The Bluejays can't overthink things or make things bigger than they are. GACC just has to play some good basketball Tuesday night.

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Girls went 2-1 last week, downing Columbus Scotus 37-36 at home last Tuesday night, and Wynot 49-47 at home last Thursday night, before falling 70-46 at Crofton on Saturday.

Scotus led 9-8 after one. The Shamrocks won the second quarter 10-6 to lead 19-14 at the half.

Both teams scored 10 points in the third quarter, and Scotus held a 29-24 lead at the end of three.

GACC outscored the Shamrocks 13-7 in the fourth quarter to pick up the win.

Emily Reeson paced the Bluejays with 12 points while Lexis Haase added 11.

Head Coach Jerry Stracke's girls made 6 of 7 free throws in the final quarter.

"I mean we knew we were going to have to grind this one out. They're a very good team, and we knew their defense was going to make it hard for us to execute on offense. I have to give a lot of credit to our girls there at the end, making those free throws in the fourth quarter was huge."

The Blue Devils held a 12-10 advantage on GACC at the end of one. Wynot won the second quarter 11-9 to lead 23-19 at halftime.

The Blue Devils outscored the Bluejays 13-10 in the third quarter to go up 36-29 at the end of three.

GACC rallied in the fourth quarter, putting up 20 points compared to 11 for Wynot.

The loss to the Warriors had to be tough, but I'm sure it's something the Bluejays have learned and will learn from.

GACC (4-1) hosts Wayne (3-2) Monday evening.

The Blue Devils won 58-33 at Columbus Lakeview on Saturday.

This should be a good game.

Wayne has lost to some good teams, and beaten the teams they were supposed to.

I think the Bluejays have more quality wins than the Blue Devils, and have played the tougher schedule overall.

GACC has to watch out for Kelsey Boyer and Kylie Hammer though.

Those two combined for 43 of Wayne's 52 points against Wahoo.

It could be a case of slow those two down and you win the game.

If the Bluejays can limit both of those girls they should put themselves in pretty good position to win.

GACC has Wayne and David City Aquinas before the break. Two very winnable games for the Bluejays.

If GACC can go into the Holiday Break with just one loss that would be pretty good, especially considering the Bluejays have been without the services of Maddie Knobbe.

Actually heading into the break with one loss is much easier said than done though. 

Both Wayne and David City Aquinas are respectable teams, and so if GACC can beat both the Blue Devils and Monarchs, it will have been a huge accomplishment and a job well done.

Emerson-Hubbard Boys fall to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Hartington-Newcastle; Girls beat Bears, lose to Wildcats

The Emerson-Hubbard Boys lost 88-33 at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Friday night before falling 61-54 at home to Hartington-Newcastle Monday night.

The Bears led the Pirates 27-15 after one. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge won the second quarter 24-9 to go up 51-24 at halftime.

The Bears outscored Emerson-Hubbard 21-4 in the third quarter to lead 72-28 after three.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge notched 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 5 for the Pirates.

Taylor Donner had a team-high 10 points for Emerson-Hubbard while Joshua Sebade recorded 9 points and 9 rebounds.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 16-12 lead on the Bears at the end of one. Hartington-Newcastle won the second quarter 14-13 to lead 30-25 at halftime.

The Pirates won the third quarter 14-13 to make it a 43-39 game at the end of three.

The Wildcats outscored Emerson-Hubbard 18-15 in the fourth quarter.

Sebade had a game-high 20 points and 7 rebounds for the Pirates while Donner added 16. Jacob Kneifl registered 9 points and 10 rebounds while Nolan Belt posted 7 rebounds.

I thought the Pirates started to figure things out a little bit against Hartington-Newcastle. Perhaps the close loss can lead to better things for Emerson-Hubbard.

The Pirates (0-5) battle Ponca (4-1) on the road Friday night.

The Indians lost 69-65 at home to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge last time out.

I think Emerson-Hubbard can keep this game more respectable than some might think.

Ponca only beat Hartington-Newcastle by 10, and I think given the way the Pirates played against the Wildcats, this game has a chance to be somewhat close.

It's going to be really tough for Emerson-Hubbard to win, in my opinion, but anything can happen, and the Pirates have to believe they can get the job done.

The Indians are a quality team, but Emerson-Hubbard is getting better, and I look for the Pirates to compete hard and well Friday night.

Donner, Sebade, and Kneifl need to have big games for Emerson-Hubbard, and if they can play the way they did against Hartington-Newcastle, it could be a respectable game for the Pirates.

Emerson-Hubbard has Winside on the road Saturday, so even if the Pirates can't get pick up their first win of the year against Ponca, they should have a good chance to knock off the Wildcats.

These are the last two games before the Madison Holiday Tournament so Emerson-Hubbard needs to play well and at least pick up one win before the Holiday Break.

The Pirates desperately need to win before the Holiday Break. Emerson-Hubbard doesn't want to be winless heading into the break.

It's time for the Pirates to get the job done and win a game. Emerson-Hubbard is due to break out and taste victory.

The Pirates need to find a way to win one of these next two games at the very least. There's no reason why Emerson-Hubbard can't beat Winside, or even Ponca.

Just one win would be really good for this team as I think it could turn around their season. Two wins this weekend would just be icing on the cake.

The Emerson-Hubbard Girls won 42-35 at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Friday night before falling 63-42 at home to Hartington-Newcastle Monday night.

The Pirates jumped on the Bears 18-5 after one. The Bears won the second quarter 16-10 to make it a 28-21 game at halftime.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge doubled up Emerson-Hubbard 10-5 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 2 at 33-31 after three.

The Pirates outscored the Bears 9-4 in the fourth quarter.

Caleigh Mackling totaled 15 points and 9 rebounds while Courtney Bokemper added 10 points and 8 rebounds. Melanie Gentrup recorded 8 points and 8 rebounds.

The Wildcats led Emerson-Hubbard 11-4 at the end of one. Hartington-Newcastle doubled up the Pirates 26-13 in the second quarter to take a 37-17 lead into the locker room.

The Wildcats won the third quarter 13-10 to go up 50-27 at the end of three.

Emerson-Hubbard outscored Hartington-Newcastle 15-13 in the fourth quarter.

Taylor Daum registered 11 points and 9 rebounds while Skye Miller and Bokemper totaled 10 and 7 points, respectively.

I thought the Pirates played two good quarters of basketball against both the Bears and Wildcats.

Emerson-Hubbard (2-3) takes on Ponca (5-0) on the road Friday night.

The Indians beat the Bears 61-40 at home Tuesday night.

I think the Pirates have a chance to be really competitive in this game. I don't know if Emerson-Hubbard will win, but I think the Pirates can keep things close.

Emerson-Hubbard has to play four quarters of good basketball though.

I don't know if the Pirates can afford to play just two good quarters of basketball. Emerson-Hubbard needs to play a complete game to have success, in my opinion.

We will see what happens, but even if the Pirates don't beat the Indians, they should beat Winside on Saturday.

The Wildcats are currently 0-4 on the season, and Emerson-Hubbard shouldn't have much trouble with Winside.

A 3-4 record heading into the Holiday Break would be respectable for the Pirates given all the talent they graduated, in my opinion.

Emerson-Hubbard still has some girls that can play, and I think the Pirates are holding their own in a lot of ways.

Emerson-Hubbard has beaten the teams they were supposed to and lost big to the good teams so the Pirates are doing about as well as they can I would say.

If the Pirates can figure out a way to at least compete with Ponca, I think that would be good improvement for this ball club.

If Emerson-Hubbard can hang with the Indians they should be able to blowout Winside. If the Pirates get blown out by Ponca then I think the game with the Wildcats could be closer than some expect.

Win or lose Friday, as long as there's improvement shown on Emerson-Hubbard's part, that should be something to keep building on for future games.

Stanton Boys lose to North Bend Central; Girls down Tigers in OT

The Stanton Boys lost 64-43 at home to North Bend Central Tuesday night.

The Mustangs competed well for a while, but it appears the Tigers simply wore Stanton down and pulled away for the win.

The Mustangs (1-3) take on Wakefield (4-0) on the road Friday night.

The Trojans beat Randolph 45-43 at home Tuesday night.

Wakefield is a good team, but they've yet to really beat anybody.

Every team the Trojans have beaten so far have a losing record, and all their wins have come to D-1 or D-2 teams.

Yet at the end of the day Wakefield is still undefeated, and Stanton is 1-3.

I still think the Mustangs are very capable of winning though.

Stanton has to be focused and determined to knock off the Trojans. The Mustangs need to play well for four quarters.

Stanton has a good chance to get back to .500 if they can beat Wakefield with a game at home against Pender on Saturday.

I thought the Mustangs actually played better against North Bend Central than they had been lately.

The losses to Howells-Dodge and West Point-Beemer had to really sting, but the loss to the Tigers is understandable.

I would say the Trojans are just as good if not better than the Jaguars and Cadets so Stanton has to be prepared to play a better game than they did against Howells-Dodge and West Point-Beemer.

If the Mustangs play the way they did against North Bend Central they should have a chance to beat Wakefield I would think.

Yes I understand Stanton lost to the Tigers by 21, but I thought the Mustangs played OK given how good a team North Bend Central is.

I think Stanton has a chance to win Friday night, but it's not going to be easy. The Mustangs are going to need to play well to come away with the win.

The Stanton Girls won 43-37 at home in overtime over North Bend Central Tuesday night.

This was a big, much needed win for the Mustangs. Stanton got the job done, and it has to feel good.

The Mustangs (3-1) take on Wakefield (1-3) on the road Friday night.

The Trojans lost 47-34 at home to Randolph Tuesday night.

Wakefield has lost to some good teams, but the Trojans should be no match for Stanton.

The Mustangs should be able to roll to a big win over Wakefield, winning rather easily.

Pender beat the Trojans 49-27, and I think Stanton can at least duplicate, if not better that effort.

Speaking of the Pendragons, the Mustangs have a big showdown with them in Stanton on Saturday.

Stanton can't get caught looking ahead, but instead needs to win big over Wakefield to get everyone on the floor and rest starters for Saturday.

The last thing the Mustangs want is a close game. Stanton can't afford to have to go full tilt with the Trojans for 32 minutes.

I don't think the Mustangs have a whole lot to worry about though. As long as Stanton plays their game and does what they've been doing all season, they should be fine.

The Mustangs are winning the tough games, and I think that's going to bode well for them down the line.

Winning close games is always a good thing and a good sign, and it has been so far so good for the most part for Stanton.

I look for the Mustangs to continue their winning ways this weekend. I think Stanton has a great chance to win on Friday, and a decent chance to win on Saturday.

The Mustangs just have to remain humble and continue to grind. The most important thing for Stanton is to continue to take things one game at a time and not get too ahead of themselves, in my opinion.

A 5-1 record after this weekend would be really good for this Mustangs' team.

BRLD Boys and Girls win over Clarkson/Leigh

The BRLD Boys continued their winning ways Friday night, topping Clarkson/Leigh 74-33 on the road.

The Wolverines tripled up the Patriots 21-7 in the first quarter. BRLD outscored Clarkson/Leigh 18-7 in the second quarter to take a 39-14 lead into the locker room.

BRLD won the third quarter 16-14 to lead 55-28 after three.

The Wolverines put up 19 points in the fourth quarter and held the Patriots to 5.

Aaron Ras posted a game-high 15 points while Kenyan Lovejoy notched 13. Jaxon Johnson registered 9 while Trent Gatewood and Montana Riecken recorded 8 apiece. Michael Snyder totaled 7. Riecken added 7 rebounds.

I thought BRLD played a great game Friday night. The Wolverines handled their business, and won fairly easily, which is a good sign.

BRLD (4-0) takes on Howells-Dodge (3-3) on the road Friday night.

The Jaguars won 52-39 at West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Wolverines have to watch out for Kade Hegemann, Caden Jackson, Connor Blum, and Zach Bayer, among others.

Howells-Dodge is a lot like BRLD in that they have a lot of different players that can score.

I think this game is going to come down to who plays better defense though.

The Wolverines have been the better team offensively and defensively so far this season, and that's why I give BRLD the advantage Friday night.

The Jaguars are a really good team, and with the games being at home, figure to put up a really good fight, but I look at the Wolverines the same way I look at Oakland-Craig and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

Both those teams beat Howells-Dodge pretty good, and I could see Friday night's game going a lot like those two did for the Jaguars.

Howells-Dodge just hasn't been consistent, although the Jaguars are fully capable of playing a great game and winning Friday night.

I think this is going to be BRLD's toughest test of the season so far. I think the Wolverines could be challenged in this game.

BRLD has great depth though and a lot of players who can play so I look for the Wolverines to win anywhere from 10-15 points.

This is a big game for BRLD with Ponca coming in next Thursday.

It would be big for the Wolverines to get this game Friday night before the Indians come calling.

BRLD has to execute their offense, get out and run, work the ball around for good shots, stay out of foul trouble, and play tight, in your face, physical defense, and rebound well.

The Wolverines have to want it more than Howells-Dodge. BRLD has to play hard and smart, and keep their emotions in check.

We'll see what happens Friday night, but may the best team win.

The BRLD Girls are also 4-0 on the season, winning 52-37 at Clarkson/Leigh Friday night.

The Wolverines led 10-6 after one. BRLD won the second quarter 14-12 to go up 24-18 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored the Patriots 12-5 in the third quarter to lead 36-23 at the end of three.

BRLD put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 14 for Clarkson/Leigh.

Paige Peters finished with a game-high 14 points while Lexie Bacon totaled 13. Kelly Wakeley added 7 while Vicki Gatzemeyer notched 11 rebounds.

I thought the Wolverines played well Friday night, but feel BRLD can still probably play better than they did.

The Wolverines (4-0) take on Howells-Dodge (6-0) on the road Friday night.

The Jaguars beat West Point-Beemer 42-24 on the road Tuesday night.

Howells-Dodge is a great team. Sam Brester, Tessa Brester, Macey Kulhanek, Erin Prusa, Chelsea Bayer, and Emily Ritzdorf are all great players for the Jaguars.

There's no doubt BRLD is going to have to play their best game of the year and then some to knock off the Jaguars.

Howells-Dodge is very good, but so are the Wolverines, so it should be a great game Friday night.

Peters, Wakeley, Bacon, Gatzemeyer, and Tess Nottleman all need to be on top of their games for BRLD.

I think all five need to reach double figures for the Wolverines to be able to win.

Both teams are very strong offensively and defensively, and have found different ways to win this season.

I would argue that the Jaguars have played the tougher schedule, but I still think BRLD can win this game.

Howells-Dodge will be tough with the game being on their home floor, but if the Wolverines play their best game of the season they could head home very happy.

BRLD has Howells-Dodge, Pender, and Ponca before the Holiday Break so we'll find out just how good this Wolverines' team is.

I think BRLD is for real regardless of how they do in their next three games, but these next three games will give us an idea of just how legit of a state contender these Wolverines are, in my opinion.

The Ponca game is huge because BRLD and Ponca are in the same sub-district.

The Wolverines could be 7-0 or 4-3 after these next three games. There just isn't a lot of room for error for BRLD in any of these games.

We'll see what happens. I think the Wolverines can at least win two of these games, but taking all three is going to be very difficult.

This is an important stretch of games for BRLD and a big time in their season so we'll see how well the Wolverines fare this week and next.

North Bend Central Boys rout West Point-Beemer and Stanton; Girls beat Cadets, lose to Mustangs

The North Bend Central Boys continue their winning ways, topping West Point-Beemer 71-30 at home Thursday night, and Stanton 64-43 on the road Tuesday night.

North Bend Central doubled up the Cadets 18-9 in the first quarter.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 23-5 in the second quarter to lead 41-14 at the half.

North Bend Central won the third quarter 10-8 to make it a 51-22 game at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 20 points in the fourth quarter and held the Cadets to 8 to make up the final score.

Jake Wietfeld had a game-high 21 points for North Bend Central while Tanner Wietfeld totaled 18. Matt Ortmeier added 12 while John Emanuel recorded 8.

Head Coach Jon Baehr.

"West Point does a nice job. Their coach does a really nice job of preparing them. And we kind of came out really locked in. And I thought we did a great job on that defensive end, and I thought that led us to our offense, which was really important for our guys."

Baehr's boys had a strong showing Thursday night.

"We got a bunch of kids that really enjoy playing, and it shows up on the court, which is really fun to see."

North Bend Central (4-0) takes on Pender (1-3) on the road Friday night.

The Pendragons lost 40-39 at home to Allen Monday night.

The Tigers shouldn't have much trouble with Pender whatsoever.

North Bend Central is a great team who is having another great season while the Pendragons have still really struggled.

Pender is certainly capable of being competitive, but I look for this to be a 35-40 point win for the Tigers.

North Bend Central is playing great basketball right now, and the players are really gelling and meshing together nicely.

The Tigers are a veteran and experienced team, and I look for North Bend Central to be focused and not take the Pendragons lightly Friday night.

Any team can be beat if they're not focused and ready to play so the Tigers have to be ready to go from the opening tip.

But as I said, I fully expect North Bend Central to be ready and prepared.

Both Wietfeld's, Ortmeier, and Emanuel need to have strong offensive performances for the Tigers.

North Bend Central needs these players and others to produce to be successful.

Perhaps more important than offense though is defense.

The Tigers have to slow down Pender's scorers...Dylan Roth, James Bensen, and Tyler Nelson in particular.

All three of those players have scored in double figures this season so the last thing North Bend Central can allow is all three of them in double figures.

The schedule appears to be pretty favorable until the Holiday Tournament for the Tigers so North Bend Central shouldn't have much trouble taking care of the teams on their schedule from now until then.

I would be very surprised if the Tigers aren't 7-0 heading into the Holiday Tournament.

The North Bend Central Girls beat West Point-Beemer 54-31 at home Thursday night before losing 43-37 in overtime at Stanton Tuesday night.

The Tigers doubled up the Cadets 14-7 in the first quarter. North Bend Central won the second quarter 12-8 to take a 26-15 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 14-4 in the third quarter to go up 40-19 at the end of three.

North Bend Central put up 14 points in the fourth quarter compared to 12 for the Cadets.

Alex Humlicek paced the Tigers with 12 points while Kristin Lux and Brooke Fredrickson notched 10 and 8, respectively.

Head Coach Aaron Sterup.

"I thought our defense was pretty solid throughout. A few too many fouls for my liking, but if you're going to play pressure defense that's going to happen, and they've got some good ball handlers. So I thought for the most part I was pretty pleased with most areas of the game."

Sterup's girls didn't hit a three pointer...but he says that's not their game plan.

"I would say we're not a perimeter team by any means. We're going to get most of our points in the paint if possible. We can knock them down on occasion, but we'd much rather get the ball two feet away than twenty feet away."

North Bend Central (3-2) takes on Pender (4-0) on the road Friday night.

The Pendragons spanked Allen 65-22 at home Monday night.

Pender is the real deal, and the Tigers are going to have to play great basketball to knock them off, in my opinion.

North Bend Central has lost to a couple of quality teams in Twin River and Stanton, and the Pendragons are another one of those tough teams on the schedule.

So far, the Tigers have yet to beat the tough teams on their schedule, but North Bend Central has another chance to get the job done Friday night.

The Tigers have to be efficient on offense, and slow down Kamryn Anderson, Cecilee Jacobsen, and Hallie Ballinger, among others.

North Bend Central's offense is what is preventing them from becoming a great team, in my opinion.

The Tigers are great on defense, but really struggle to put the ball in the basket.

North Bend Central needs to become a more consistent offensive team to get over the hump, in my opinion.

We know the Tigers can defend, but I think it's going to take an outstanding offensive performance for North Bend Central to win Friday night.

This isn't going to be an easy game for the Tigers by any stretch of the imagination, but North Bend Central is capable of going up there and coming away with a win.

The Tigers have this game with the Pendragons Friday night and a home game with Raymond Central next Thursday so I think how North Bend Central performs in these next two games will tell a lot about this team before their Holiday Tournament.

Sometimes the difference between being a great team and a good, or average, or OK team is winning close games.

And so far the Tigers have lost their close games so North Bend Central certainly has some work to do in that area if they want to become a great team.

Friday night's game should be a matchup between two great teams going at it hard. I look for the game to be a lot like the Tigers' game with Stanton.

Tekamah-Herman Boys and Girls 0-3 in last three games

The Tekamah-Herman Boys have dropped their last three games, all on the road, losing 64-15 at Wisner-Pilger Friday night, 70-13 at Twin River on Saturday, and 65-24 at Omaha Brownell-Talbot Tuesday night.

The Gators led the Tigers 12-2 after one. Wisner-Pilger outscored Tekamah-Herman 25-2 in the second quarter to take a 37-4 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers doubled up the Gators 16-8 in the third quarter to go up 53-12 at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman won the fourth quarter 11-3.

The Raiders led the Tigers 12-8 after one. Omaha Brownell-Talbot outscored Tekamah-Herman 20-4 in the second quarter to take a 32-12 lead into the locker room.

The Raiders quadrupled up the Tigers 20-5 in the third quarter to go up 52-17 at the end of three.

Omaha Brownell-Talbot won the fourth quarter 12-8.

Tekamah-Herman just continues to struggle. There's not a lot to say about the Tigers' performance other than that it has been a tough season for Tekamah-Herman.

The Tigers (0-5) look to get back on track Friday night when take on Logan View/Scribner-Snyder (3-2) on the road.

The Raiders lost 62-53 at home to Wahoo on Saturday.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder is a good team, and Tekamah-Herman has to try and slow down Ben Moxness and Jacob Polk.

Those two have really led the Raiders in scoring in a big way this season, and are the main and key go to players for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

Tekamah-Herman has to keep their head up and continue to fight. It has been a tough season no doubt, but the Tigers can't quit and give up.

Tekamah-Herman has to continue to work hard, and give it their all every time they take to the floor.

The Tigers have to try and stay out of foul trouble Friday night, and keep their best players on the floor as much as possible.

Tekamah-Herman has to handle ball pressure, and look to drive the ball to the basket, and kick it out for open shots.

The Tigers have to control pace of the game, and try their best to not let things get out of hand.

Tekamah-Herman hasn't had the easiest time this season by any means, but the Tigers have to continue to find the strength and will within to compete.

Tekamah-Herman has to make the most of these games and compete the best they can.

You only get four years of high school basketball, and it goes by so quickly...so the players have to cherish, value, and treat every game as if it is their last.

I'm not expecting the Tigers to beat the Raiders Friday night, but I think Tekamah-Herman can be more competitive than they have been all season.

If the Tigers can get some shots to fall early, and get some stops on the defensive end, they could make this one somewhat respectable, in my opinion.

I would say winning is asking quite a bit from these players, but it's why you play the game, so these boys have to play to win and not play not to lose.

Friday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull after the girls game, which is set to start at 6:00 p.m.

The Tekamah-Herman Girls lost 45-40 at Wisner-Pilger Friday night, 48-30 at Twin River on Saturday, and 51-42 at Yutan Tuesday night.

The Gators held a 13-8 lead at the end of one and won the second quarter 9-8 to go up 22-16 at halftime.

The Tigers outscored Wisner-Pilger 9-8 in the third quarter to make it a 30-25 game at the end of three.

Both teams scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Tekamah-Herman led the Titans 12-10 after one. Twin River won the second quarter 11-6 to go in front 21-18 at halftime.

The Titans outscored the Tigers 13-7 in the third quarter to lead 34-25 at the end of three.

Twin River notched 14 points in the fourth quarter and held Tekamah-Herman to just 5.

The Chieftains led 15-10 at the end of one. Yutan outscored the Tigers 15-4 in the second quarter to take a 30-14 lead into the locker room.

Tekamah-Herman won the third quarter 11-9 to make it a 39-25 game at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 17 points in the fourth quarter compared to 12 for the Chieftains.

I think Tekamah-Herman started to figure it out a little bit in the second half against Yutan. The Tigers put together a good 16 minutes of basketball in the second half against the Chieftains, in my opinion.

Tekamah-Herman (1-5) takes on Logan View/Scribner-Snyder (1-4) on the road Friday night.

The Raiders beat Cedar Bluffs 30-26 at home Tuesday night.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has had a difficult season although Kaylee Boyle and Morgan Morgan have done some nice things for them.

The Tigers have to limit other players besides Boyle and Morgan, and they should be fine.

The Raiders really struggle to score, and Boyle was their primary offensive threat last week.

Tekamah-Herman struggles to score too so this game is no gimme for the Tigers by any means.

I think Tekamah-Herman's defense will be too strong for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder in the end though.

I just think the Tigers will do enough offensively and defensively to pick themselves up a victory.

I don't know if this game will be like the DC West game, but it could be similar.

I think the Raiders can definitely keep things closer with Tekamah-Herman than the Falcons did though.

The Tigers need this game in a big way.

Tekamah-Herman has Arlington on Saturday so these next two games are pretty much must wins for the Tigers.

Tekamah-Herman desperately needs a couple of wins before the Holiday Break. It has been a rough start to the season for the Tigers, who have played some good teams.

I would say Tekamah-Herman needs this game more than Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

The Tigers haven't had the easiest go of things so far this season, but a couple of wins before the Holiday Break could make a big difference in the rest of Tekamah-Herman's season, in my opinion.

Wins are never just handed to you...they are earned, and so the Tigers need to go out there and earn a win Friday night.

The game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull starting at 6:00 p.m.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys 2-1 in last three games; Girls 1-2 in same stretch

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys are 2-1 in their last three games, defeating Wayne 68-61 on the road last Tuesday night, and Malcolm 63-36 at home Friday night, before losing 62-53 at home to Wahoo on Saturday.

The Raiders led the Blue Devils 22-13 at the end of one. Logan View/Scribner-Snyder won the second quarter 17-12 to take a 39-25 lead into the locker room.

The Raiders won the third quarter 13-8 to go up 52-33 at the end of three.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder held off a furious fourth quarter rally by Wayne as the Blue Devils outscored the Raiders 28-16 in the final stanza.

Ben Moxness led the way with a game-high 25 points and 7 rebounds while Jacob Polk notched 17 points. Alex Hagerbaumer and Alex VonSeggern totaled 11 and 8, respectively.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder led the Clippers 18-4 after one. The Raiders outscored Malcolm 17-9 in the second quarter to go up 35-13 at halftime.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder won the third quarter 12-8 to lead 47-21 at the end of three.

The Raiders put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 15 for the Clippers.

Moxness led all scorers with 24 points while Polk and Hagerbaumer chipped in 17 and 9, respectively.

The Warriors jumped out to a 16-12 lead on Logan View/Scribner-Snyder at the end of one. Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 30-26 in favor of Wahoo.

The Warriors outscored the Raiders 15-12 in the third quarter to go up 45-38 at the end of three.

Wahoo won the fourth quarter 17-15.

Moxness had a game-high 27 points and 7 rebounds while Polk added 10 points.

All in all, I think Logan View/Scribner-Snyder is playing pretty respectable basketball at the moment.

The Raiders (3-2) host Tekamah-Herman (0-5) Friday night.

The Tigers lost 65-24 at Omaha Brownell Talbot on Monday.

Tekamah-Herman has really struggled this year and doesn't have a lot of kids out for basketball, but you can bet the Tigers are going to play hard and bring their best effort.

Knowing that, Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to be ready to play. The Raiders have to show Tekamah-Herman respect, and play well for all four quarters.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder can't feel sorry for the Tigers or show them remorse. The Raiders have to come out with the pedal to the metal.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to get Moxness and Polk going like they have all year.

The Raiders also need to play strong defense, something I feel Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has lacked at times this year.

A strong defense is the key to winning championships in my opinion, and this team has to become more consistent defensively, and offensively for that matter.

I look for the Raiders to put forth their best effort and win pretty easily over the Tigers. I just don't think Tekamah-Herman is equipped to handle and compete against a team like Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

I feel the Raiders' best basketball is ahead of them, and although a win over the Tigers would be a pretty routine win, if Logan View/Scribner-Snyder could beat DC West on Tuesday it could give them some good confidence and momentum heading into the Holiday Break.

This game with Tekamah-Herman is one the Raiders need to put away early so they can get everyone some playing time.

It probably stinks for the starters being it's their only game of the week and they may not play a full game, but that's okay...conserve energy and rest when you can so you're ready to go in the second half of the season.

There's a lot of season left for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder so the players need to see the big picture with this game. If the Raiders get out to an insurmountable lead they should rest starters in the second half....no questions asked.

Friday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull after the girls game, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Girls basketball team began the week last week with a game on the road with a 67-33 loss at the hands of the Wayne Blue Devils.

Kaylee Boyle led the team with 17 points. Other statistics included Abby Kahlandt-5 points, Ashley Peters-4 points, Morgan Morgan-4 points, Ashley Uhing-2 points, Mackenzy Schreck-1 point, 6 rebounds.

The Raiders finished the week, running into a very good Malcolm team and falling by a final of 65-12.

The Raiders were never able to get going offensively and struggled to get going in the early portions of the game.

Boyle led the scoring with 7 points and added 3 steals. Other statistics were Sierra Beacom-3 points, Schreck-2 points, Morgan-6 rebounds.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder defeated Cedar Bluffs 30-26 at home Tuesday night.

Both teams scored 2 points in the first quarter. The Raiders won the second quarter 10-9 to go up 12-11 at halftime.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder won the third quarter 5-4 to lead 17-15 at the end of three.

The Raiders outscored the Wildcats 13-11 in the fourth quarter.

Boyle recorded a double-double, scoring 18 points and securing 12 rebounds. Morgan added 7 rebounds.

It had to be a great feeling for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder to pick up their first win of the season. Boyle had a fantastic game.

The Raiders (1-4) host Tekamah-Herman (1-5) Friday night.

The Tigers lost 51-42 at Yutan Tuesday night.

Tekamah-Herman has played and lost to some really good teams so far. The Tigers are a much better team than their record would indicate.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder is going to need to play their best game of the season to come out on top.

The Raiders need to be strong defensively, and Boyle needs to perform the way she has lately.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder needs more than Boyle and Morgan making major contributions though.

Other girls need to step up and help out the cause.

The Raiders need everyone to step up their game and produce more to become a quality team, in my opinion.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder is capable of becoming a good team this season, and took a big step in the right direction on Tuesday, but the Raiders need to keep getting better if they want to be the type of team they can be.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to try and slow down Jess Fleischman, Marin Jetensky, and others Friday night.

The Raiders have to be hungry for another victory because you know the Tigers will be chomping at the bit to pick up a win.

If Logan View/Scribner-Snyder can keep this game with Tekamah-Herman close and win it, the Raiders could leave themselves in great shape heading into the DC West game on Tuesday.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder should have a good chance to win that game regardless, but the Raiders would give themselves a better chance of knocking off the Falcons if they performed well against the Tigers, in my opinion.

I look for Friday night's game to be a low scoring, defensive battle. I think the first team to 40 could very well be the winner.

The game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Pender Boys lose to Oakland-Craig and Allen; Girls beat both

The Pender Boys lost 75-36 at home to Oakland-Craig Friday night, and 40-39 at home to Allen Monday night.

The Knights spurted out to a 24-9 lead on the Pendragons after one. Oakland-Craig outscored Pender 19-7 in the second quarter to go up 43-16 at halftime.

The Knights won the third quarter 18-13 to make it a 61-29 game at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig doubled up the Pendragons 14-7 in the fourth quarter.

Dylan Roth paced Pender with 16 points while Tyler Nelson had 12.

Allen led 10-5 after one.

Pender battled back in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 9-4 to tie the game at 14 at halftime.

The Pendragons won the third quarter 10-9 to go up 24-23 after three.

The Eagles won the fourth quarter 17-15.

Pender (1-3) was led by Roth, who had a game-high 16 points. James Bensen added 12.

Assistant Coach Clay Haymart.

"We had our opportunities, and it hurts. But we got to come out and work the rest of the week. Clarkson/Leigh is going to be big. They're football players down there so we got to come ready to go against them. North Bend Central and Stanton have always given us trouble since I've been in Pender so we got our work cut out for us the rest of the week."


Haymart's team hit only 3 of 15 free throws.

"That's been one of strengths up until this game. I think we came in to the day shooting 60 percent, something around there. So uncharacteristic of us, but hats off to Allen, they played well enough to win. They took advantage of our mistakes."

The Pendragons (1-3) take on Clarkson/Leigh (0-5) on the road Thursday night.

The Patriots lost 74-33 at home to BRLD on Saturday.

This is an interesting game because last year the team's were in opposite positions.

Pender was winless at home against a one win Clarkson/Leigh team last year and won so if things go like that again then the Patriots may win.

The loss to the Eagles was tough and had to really hurt there's no doubt about it.

The Pendragons have to simply forget about it and move on though. Nothing can be done about it now.

Pender has to come ready to play Thursday night because you can bet the Patriots will.

This should be an interesting game. I think the Pendragons can win, but it's going to be tough.

The road doesn't get any easier for Pender either with North Bend Central and Stanton coming up on Friday and Saturday.

The Pendragons really need this game to give themselves a shot against the Tigers and Mustangs, in my opinion.

I thought Pender would win Monday's game, but I was wrong. I think Clarkson/Leigh may win Thursday, but I could be wrong about that too.

The point I'm trying to make is it doesn't matter what is said or written about these two teams. All that matters is what the players and coaches think when it comes to the team's chances of winning Thursday night.

We will see what happens, but I would say the Patriots have a fairly decent shot to knock off the Pendragons, but Pender can also win too so it should be a pretty good game either way.

We will find out if the Pendragons can bounce back from Monday night's loss.

The Pender Girls beat Oakland-Craig 49-41 at home Friday night before downing Allen 65-22 at home Monday night.

Pender jumped out to a 17-4 lead on the Knights at the end of one. The Pendragons doubled up the Knights 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 33-12 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig made a game of it in the third quarter, outscoring Pender 17-9 to make it a 42-29 game at the end of three.

The Knights won the fourth quarter 12-7.

The Pendragons (3-0) were led by Kamryn Anderson, who registered a game-high 28 points. Hallie Ballinger added 7 points and 14 rebounds. Cecilee Jacobsen totaled 15 rebounds.

Head Coach Larry Ballinger's girls hit only 10 of 34 free throws despite the win.

"It really is an embarrassing thing. And that's been a common theme these three games. Obviously we're doing something wrong in practice, and we got to do something better. Because this isn't working. And you get in tight games like this we could of won it I think handily if we could of just hit some shots, there wouldn't of been so much pressure on us."

Ballinger comments on Anderson's 28 points.

"Yeah when Kam is feeling good, and she was obviously feeling it the first half where she's dribble penetrating, hit some shots from the outside. And that's a good thing we had her going cause nobody else could really hit anything."

Pender jumped out to a 19-0 lead in the first quarter against the Eagles, and led 21-2 at the end of one.

The Pendragons won the second quarter 13-7 to take a 34-9 lead into the locker room.

Pender also won the third quarter 10-8 to extend their lead to 44-17 at the end of three.

The Pendragons outscored Allen 21-5 in the fourth quarter.

Jacobsen poured in a game-high 22 points and had 9 points for Pender (4-0) while Anderson added 11. Ballinger and Rylee Lehmkuhl notched 8 apiece. Ballinger registered 12 rebounds.

Larry Ballinger made it clear he didn't like his team's play in the third.

"Yeah I thought we just come out complacent, and just no effort. And defensively it was just an ugly quarter. And I just thought we just nonchalanted through things. And I don't care who you're playing everybody deserves your respect and you got to come out and play tough."

Ballinger was upset with his team's efforts in the third period and let it be known.

"You can't do this against good teams. And that's why I got kind of upset with them. And we got to be better than that otherwise we're not going to go very far."

The Pendragons square off with Clarkson/Leigh (2-3) on the road Thursday night.

The Patriots are much improved having lost 52-37 to BRLD at home Friday night.

I think this could be a close game if Pender isn't on top of their game.

The Pendragons can't afford to have lapses in their play because it is going to catch up to them at some point.

Pender has to play hard at all times, and respect every opponent.

Championship teams don't take other teams lightly, and if the Pendragons want to do well in the postseason and make state and do something in Lincoln, they have to play at a high level at all times.

Between missing a ton of free throws against Oakland-Craig and not playing a good third quarter against Allen, there's plenty for Ballinger and his team to work on.

With this said, it's nowhere near the time to panic and be overly concerned if you are the Pendragons.

Pender is still undefeated and has gone on to win games big with the exception of the Oakland-Craig game.

The Pendragons will be fine, they just need to start playing four complete quarters of basketball.

Reason being sooner or later this playing two or three good quarters of basketball is going to catch up to them.

So there's a reason to be a little concerned if you are Pender, but these struggles aren't something to overreact to.

We'll find out what the Pendragons are made of the rest of this week. Pender has North Bend Central and Stanton Friday and Saturday, and neither of those teams figure to make life easy for the Pendragons.

We'll find out just how for real Pender is this weekend.

Clarkson/Leigh Boys and Girls lose to BRLD

The Clarkson/Leigh Boys lost 74-33 at home to BRLD Friday night.

The Wolverines tripled up the Patriots 21-7 in the first quarter. BRLD outscored Clarkson/Leigh 18-7 in the second quarter to take a 39-14 lead into the locker room.

BRLD won the third quarter 16-14 to lead 55-28 after three.

The Wolverines put up 19 points in the fourth quarter and held the Patriots to 5.

Blake Paprocki led the way with 11 points and 8 rebounds while Garrett Schroeder and Haden Held notched 10 and 8 points, respectively.

This was another tough loss for Clarkson/Leigh. BRLD is a really good team though.

The Patriots (0-5) square off with Pender (1-3) at home Thursday night.

The Pendragons lost 40-39 at home to Allen Monday night.

This is a game Clarkson/Leigh can win, and should definitely look at it that way.

The Patriots beat Pender in football, so Clarkson/Leigh would love to win in basketball too no doubt.

Both teams really need this game, but I think the Patriots need it more.

Clarkson/Leigh has been competitive in a couple of games, but has just come up on the short end of the stick time after time.

The Patriots' luck is due to change I would say, but it has been a tough year so far for Clarkson/Leigh.

The Patriots have this game with the Pendragons and a game with rival Howells-Dodge on Saturday to round out the week.

These are two very critical games to Clarkson/Leigh's season, in my opinion.

I think these two games could serve as season changers for the Patriots if they play well though.

Both contests could also add to Clarkson/Leigh's frustrations, but I feel the Patriots are due to break through at some point.

Clarkson/Leigh has to play good basketball for four quarters against Pender, and focus on scoring every possession and winning every quarter.

There's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the Patriots' game, but I feel Clarkson/Leigh can take some big steps in the right directions against the Pendragons, especially if they win.

A win over Pender would be a big confidence booster for the Patriots, in my opinion.

It would also give Clarkson/Leigh some much needed momentum heading into the Howells-Dodge game.

The Clarkson/Leigh Girls were competitive, but lost 52-37 at home to BRLD Friday night.

The Wolverines led 10-6 after one. BRLD won the second quarter 14-12 to go up 24-18 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored the Patriots 12-5 in the third quarter to lead 36-23 at the end of three.

BRLD put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 14 for Clarkson/Leigh.

Beth Wiese and Halee Steffensmeier led the way with 9 points apiece while Ashlynn Novotony and Hannah Kasik recorded 8 and 7, respectively.

I thought the Patriots played well and were very competitive. Clarkson/Leigh has absolutely nothing to hang their heads about after this game.

The Patriots (2-3) host Pender (4-0) Thursday night.

The Pendragons won 65-22 at home over Allen last time out.

Pender is a great team, and will be really tough for Clarkson/Leigh to beat, but if the Patriots play well and the Pendragons just go through the motions like they have at times this season, then Clarkson/Leigh could pull the upset.

The Patriots don't appear to be scared of or phased by these great teams. Clarkson/Leigh is competing with and playing at a high level against everyone on their schedule.

The Patriots have improved immensely over last season, and are taking a lot of positive steps in the right direction, in my opinion.

It would make these girls' season to upset the Pendragons, and given how well Clarkson/Leigh has played this season and how off Pender has been at times this year, anything can happen.

The Patriots have to play loose, hard, tough, and in a way carefree Thursday night.

Clarkson/Leigh has to come in thinking they have nothing to lose, because they really don't.

The schedule is super tough for the Patriots this season, yet Clarkson/Leigh is competing with the really good teams.

I don't know if the Patriots will beat Pender, but I think Clarkson/Leigh has a chance to make it a 10-12 point game.

That would be such a huge accomplishment and another big step in the right direction for this program.

A lot of Pender's players are seniors while a lot of the Patriots' players are sophomores so this is a good measuring stick for Clarkson/Leigh at the very least to see where they need to be to get to the top.

Win or lose, the Patriots are doing some really nice things this season.

Wisner-Pilger Boys and Girls beat Tekamah-Herman

The Wisner-Pilger Boys blew out Tekamah-Herman 64-15 at home Friday night.

The Gators led the Tigers 12-2 after one. Wisner-Pilger outscored Tekamah-Herman 25-2 in the second quarter to take a 37-4 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers doubled up the Gators 16-8 in the third quarter to go up 53-12 at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman won the fourth quarter 11-3.

I thought Wisner-Pilger played really good basketball, especially in the first half.

The Gators (2-1) travel to Oakland Thursday night to battle Oakland-Craig (3-2).

The Knights beat Howells-Dodge 58-42 on the road Saturday.

Oakland-Craig has won three in a row, and I think this is going to be a really good game.

The Gators are going to need to play just as well as they did in the first half against the Tigers to beat the Knights, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger hasn't beaten a team with a winning record this year, and hasn't played a team with a winning record either, so this will be a very tough test for the Gators I would say.

Wisner-Pilger is definitely capable of winning, but it's going to be tough with the game being on Oakland-Craig's home floor.

The Gators are going to have to contain the Knights' shooters...Garrett Seagren, Carter Thiele, Wyatt Seagren, and Kobe Benne in particular.

Oakland-Craig has a lot of weapons that can hurt you so Wisner-Pilger has to know where these four are at on the court at all times.

It's going to be important for the Gators to play well and bring their best effort.

I don't think Wisner-Pilger can win if they just play average or okay. The Gators are going to need to play a great game to knock off the Knights, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger has to prepare themselves mentally and get fired up to play Thursday night.

This is a big game for Wisner-Pilger, and one the Gators are capable of winning if they're on top of their game.

Wisner-Pilger has another tough game with Wayne on Friday so it's important for the Gators to play well Thursday to set the tone for Friday so to speak.

Thursday night's game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull after the girls game, which is slated to start at 6:00 p.m.

The Wisner-Pilger Girls are also 2-1 on the the season after topping Tekamah-Herman 45-40 at home Friday night.

The Gators held a 13-8 lead at the end of one and won the second quarter 9-8 to go up 22-16 at halftime.

The Tigers outscored Wisner-Pilger 9-8 in the third quarter to make it a 30-25 game at the end of three.

Both teams scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.

This was a good win for the Gators. Tekamah-Herman is a better team than their record shows, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger (2-1) takes on Oakland-Craig (3-2) on the road Thursday night.

The Knights lost 69-47 on the road at Howells-Dodge on Saturday.

Oakland-Craig has lost two in a row after winning their first three, but the Knights are still a good team.

The Gators have to watch out for Dacey Nelson, Shannon Pille, Kennedy Benne, and Melanie Snader.

Wisner-Pilger has to do everything in their power to slow them down and force other players to beat them.

The Gators may not contain or slow down all of them, but if Wisner-Pilger can limit 2 or 3 of them that could be good enough to win.

Something like give up 20 to Nelson and hold the others to 6 points or less could be a winning recipe for the Gators.

I look for this game to be in the 40's and decided by single digits.

Free throw shooting and offensive execution will be of the utmost importance in this game, in my opinion.

We know both defenses are solid, but who can step up and be the better team offensively? I think both teams are capable offensively so we'll see if one team steps up or if both step up.

I don't think it's going to be easy for Wisner-Pilger to win, especially with the game being on the road, but anything is possible, and the Gators have to go into the game with the mindset that they are going to win and that's all there is to it.

This is a big week for Wisner-Pilger with Wayne coming in on Friday so the Gators need to play well on Thursday to give themselves some confidence and momentum for Friday's game.

Thursday's game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull, and start at 6:00 p.m.

Oakland-Craig Boys top Pender and Howells-Dodge; Girls lose to both

The Oakland-Craig Boys have caught fire, defeating Pender 75-36 on the road Friday night, and Howells-Dodge 58-42 on the road Saturday.

The Knights spurted out to a 24-9 lead on the Pendragons after one. Oakland-Craig outscored Pender 19-7 in the second quarter to go up 43-16 at halftime.

The Knights won the third quarter 18-13 to make it a 61-29 game at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig doubled up the Pendragons 14-7 in the fourth quarter.

The Knights were led by Garrett Seagren, who had a game-high 16 points. Freshman Wyatt Seagren, Tyson Harney, and Carter Thiele were also in double figures with 10 apiece while Kobe Benne and Jared Mulder notched 9 and 8, respectively. Thiele added 7 rebounds.

Head Coach Aaron Meyer.

"But I was really pleased with our bigs. Wyatt (Seagren) had a really good game. Had double figures by halftime. Cole Bures really played well. Played big, had some blocks, had some boards, finished inside a little bit. So really pleased with the young boys there."

Meyer credits "team play" for the win.

"It was really unselfish play all the way around. Last year I felt like we were one pass maybe, and chucking it up. And I find myself this year going shoot that shot. So we're passing up some looks, but it's unselfish play, and then the guys are meshing so much better."

Aaron Meyer adds it was a great win.

"We played a pretty solid game from start to finish. We wanted to speed up the pace of the game and attack the rim. Our 3 young posts combined for 24 points, so I was pleased to see growth there. All in all we are playing very unselfish basketball right now."

The Knights led the Jaguars 18-11 after one before outscoring Howells-Dodge 13-6 in the second quarter to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge won the third quarter 14-11 to make it a 42-31 game at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for the Jaguars.

Garrett Seagren totaled 19 points and 8 rebounds while Thiele and Wyatt Seagren recorded 18 and 10, respectively.

Meyer says it was a great team win.

"With the schedule we've had, I really felt this game would be a true measuring stick for us. From the very first possession, we made a statement that we were going to trust one another, and take the best shot possible. Defensively, we had a game plan, and we ran it perfectly. We didn't have the greatest outside shooting night, but we took the right shots, which will always be rewarding in the end. We also had some young guys playing through injuries, so I can't say enough about their toughness."


Oakland-Craig (3-2) takes on Wisner-Pilger (2-1) at home Thursday night.

The Gators beat Tekamah-Herman 64-15 at home Friday night.

I think Wisner-Pilger is a good team that can and will give the Knights a good battle.

I feel that the Gators will be the third toughest team Oakland-Craig will have faced all year.

With that said, Wisner-Pilger hasn't really faced or beaten anybody of high quality yet this season so I do like the Knights to beat the Gators.

Oakland-Craig is gelling right now, and playing their best basketball of the season at the moment, in my opinion.

The Knights have really started to play well on both ends of the floor, and turned the corner in their last three ball games.

I know all three teams Oakland-Craig beat had losing records when the Knights took them down, but I still think this Oakland-Craig team is the real deal.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the Knights play well and run the table until the Holiday Break.

I think Wisner-Pilger would be Oakland-Craig's biggest win of the season, and a win over the Gators would give the Knights even more confidence than they have already, in my opinion.

This team is playing great basketball right now, and I look for Oakland-Craig to continue their winning ways Thursday night.

Things are coming together nicely for the Knights, and Oakland-Craig has to be pretty darn happy with the way they are playing right now I would say.

The Knights can't get comfortable and be satisfied though. Oakland-Craig has to remain hungry and must keep playing hard. The Knights have to want more.

Thursday night's game is set to start after the girls game, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.

The Oakland-Craig Girls lost 49-41 at Pender Friday night, and 69-47 at Howells-Dodge on Saturday.

Pender jumped out to a 17-4 lead at the end of one. The Pendragons doubled up the Knights 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 33-12 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig made a game of it in the third quarter, outscoring Pender 17-9 to make it a 42-29 game at the end of three.

The Knights won the fourth quarter 12-7.

Dacey Nelson had a team-high 20 points for Oakland-Craig while Kennedy Benne added 8.

Head Coach Joe Anderson.

"Their pressure was a lot more than what we've seen, and what we see in practice probably. But I credit our girls that kept coming back in that second half. We got it to 7 with like 5 minutes left. We really came out well the start of that fourth quarter."

Anderson adds his team was hurt by a slow start.

"I told our girls at halftime I said you don't spot them 15 points we're right there. We played so much harder in that second half. Our kids really came out and played a lot more aggressive, attacking the basket a lot better, got them in some foul trouble."

The Jaguars held a 15-10 lead on the Knights at the end of one. Howells-Dodge outscored Oakland-Craig 21-10 in the second quarter to go up 36-20 at halftime.

The Jaguars won the third quarter 24-14 to lead 60-34 at the end of three.

The Knights put up 13 points in the fourth quarter compared to 9 for Howells-Dodge.

Nelson notched 13 points and 9 rebounds while Benne and Melanie Snader totaled 11 and 9 points, respectively.

I thought Oakland-Craig played a really good second half and competed hard against Pender. The Jaguars simply proved to be too much for the Knights.

Oakland-Craig (3-2) hosts Wisner-Pilger (2-1) Thursday night.

The Gators downed Tekamah-Herman 45-40 at home Friday night.

I think Wisner-Pilger is a pretty good team this year, but I think the Knights can beat the Gators, especially with the game being in Oakland.

I know Oakland-Craig is on a two-game losing streak, but you have to look at who the Knights were beat by.

I feel this game with Wisner-Pilger is a lot like Wisner-Pilger's game with Tekamah-Herman in that both teams are pretty even.

I give the edge to the Knights with the game being in Oakland, but the Gators are no slouch, and I fully expect this game to be close and tightly contested.

Nelson, Snader, Benne, and Shannon Pille need to all have big games for the Knights.

Oakland-Craig also has to play sound defense, which is their bread and butter.

I look for this game to be low scoring and for both defenses to show up and play great games.

I think this is going to be your typical street fight between two pretty scrappy teams.

The Knights have to play physical and use their athleticism and speed to get out in transition to score easy baskets given their lack of height.

Oakland-Craig has to stay out of foul trouble, and be committed to playing straight up, in your face defense for four quarters.

The Knights have to execute on offense and limit turnovers. Oakland-Craig has to make sharp, crisp, and smart passes, and work the ball around the floor for good, open shots.

Getting to the free throw line and converting at the charity stripe is also going to be critical for the Knights, in my opinion.

Thursday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

Winnebago Boys down Omaha Nation; Girls fall

The Winnebago Boys beat Omaha Nation 82-55 at home Thursday night.

The Indians held a 22-12 lead at the end of one. Winnebago outscored Omaha Nation 26-10 in the second quarter to take a 48-22 lead into the locker room.

The Indians won the third quarter 27-11 to go up 75-33 at the end of three.

The Chiefs put up 22 points in the fourth quarter and held Winnebago to 7.

This was a great performance from Winnebago. The Indians played great basketball the first three quarters.

Winnebago (3-0) takes on Tiospa Zina, SD at the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City, SD Wednesday morning.

The Wambdi is 0-1 on the season.

I look for the Indians do well on Wednesday and throughout this entire tournament.

I think fans will see Winnebago perform at a high level all four days of this tournament.

I don't know anything about Tiospa Zina, but David Wingett, Drake Gorrin, Manape Cleveland, D'Von LaPointe, Cedrick Blackdeer, and Miguel Baker, among others, need to have great games for the Indians.

I look for Winnebago to take care of business and advance to the next round on Thursday.

This is an important time in the Indians' season.

Winnebago has this tournament, and the game with Omaha Central next week.

These are the type of games and tournaments you live for if you are the Indians.

Winnebago has to remain focused, humble, and hungry to get where they want to.

The Indians just have to come out and play their game on Wednesday. Winnebago has to do what they have been doing all season long, which is dominant people from start to finish.

The Indians have to do what they did against Homer and Omaha Nation this entire tournament. If Winnebago does that they should give themselves a good chance to win this Invitational again.

As I mentioned before, these next two weeks are big for Winnebago basketball.

These games this week and the Omaha Central game next week will tell a lot about this already storied program, in my opinion.

Game time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at Ice Arena.

The Winnebago Girls lost 72-44 at home to Omaha Nation Thursday night.

I figured the Indians would play better than they did, but credit the Chiefs for a well played game.

Winnebago (2-1) takes on Custer, SD (1-1) at the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City, SD Wednesday evening.

I look for the Indians to have a good showing in this contest and keep things respectable.

I think Winnebago is a better team than what they showed against Omaha Nation, and will be out to prove it.

The Indians may or may not win on Wednesday, but this is a great experience for these players, coaches, and fans.

Not many programs get to play in out of state tournaments like this. This is truly special for the Indians.

Winnebago needs to play well with Pender coming up next Thursday at Ralston Arena though.

The Indians can't afford to play poorly in this Invitational if they hope to gain any momentum for the matchup with the Pendragons.

Regardless, what an exciting time this is for this program.

This is great exposure for these kids, and will give them an idea of what big time basketball is all about.

A lot of people in South Dakota and the Omaha Metro will learn a lot about Winnebago Girls Basketball in the next week and-a-half so the Indians have to do their best to play good basketball and represent their school well.

This a big and important time of the young season for Winnebago. There's a need for the Indians to play well, and take some steps in the right direction in building the program.

If Winnebago can win a game or two in this week's tournament it could help them out heading into the Pender game.

Wednesday's game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center.

Howells-Dodge Boys lose to Oakland-Craig; Girls top Knights

The Howells-Dodge Boys fell 58-42 at home to Oakland-Craig on Saturday.

The Knights led 18-11 after one before outscoring the Jaguars 13-6 in the second quarter to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge won the third quarter 14-11 to make it a 42-31 game at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for the Jaguars.

Kade Hegemann led the way with 13 points while Lane Hegemann totaled 10.

Head Coach Cole Fischer says there are things his team needs to work on.

"We have to work on defense positioning and be more effective on offense. "

Howells-Dodge (2-3) travels to West Point to take on West Point-Beemer (2-2) Tuesday night.

The Cadets lost 71-30 at North Bend Central Thursday night.

Both teams have been a bit inconsistent this season, and could really use a win.

I feel both teams have played well at times this year, and struggled at others.

It's critical for the Jaguars to play well, because if they don't, Howells-Dodge is going to have to hope West Point-Beemer plays poorly too to have a chance to win.

The Jaguars have to get back to playing the type of basketball they are capable of playing, and played earlier this season.

This is a big week for Howells-Dodge as they have BRLD on Friday and rival Clarkson/Leigh on Saturday.

I think the Jaguars could live with going 2-1 this week, but anything less than that would have to be considered a disappointment in my mind.

Howells-Dodge has to perform at a higher level on offense, and become tougher and nastier defensively.

The Cadets have a great defense, and the Streeter boys are tough, so the Jaguars have to find a way to be great defensively themselves, and slow down those two.

I look for this game to be decided by single digits, more specifically 5 points or less.

I think both of these teams are fairly even, which should make for a close, tightly contested ball game.

I honestly give West Point-Beemer the edge since they're the bigger school and playing on their home floor, but if the Cadets play the way they did against North Bend Central, then Howells-Dodge should have more than a good chance to win.

Tuesday night's game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull following the girls game, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.

The Howells-Dodge Girls topped Oakland-Craig 69-47 at home on Saturday.

The Jaguars held a 15-10 lead on the Knights at the end of one. Howells-Dodge outscored Oakland-Craig 21-10 in the second quarter to go up 36-20 at halftime.

The Jaguars won the third quarter 24-14 to lead 60-34 at the end of three.

The Knights put up 13 points in the fourth quarter compared to 9 for Howells-Dodge.

Sam Brester had a game-high 25 points while Erin Prusa and Macey Kulhanek registered 12 apiece. Chelsea Bayer added 7 while Prusa pulled down 9 rebounds.

I thought the Jaguars played a great game on Saturday. Howells-Dodge was lights out through the first three quarters.

The Jaguars (5-0) take on West Point-Beemer (1-3) on the road Tuesday night.

The Cadets lost 54-31 at North Bend Central Thursday night.

I look for Howells-Dodge to win fairly big over West Point-Beemer.

I think the Jaguars will take this game by about 20 points.

The Cadets are young, and lack that big scorer, while Howells-Dodge is a veteran and experienced team that has a lot of great players.

I think the game could be a little closer than a 20-point game with the contest being in West Point, but I see the Jaguars winning pretty easily.

Howells-Dodge has a big showdown with BRLD on Friday so the Jaguars have to play well and build a big lead on Tuesday so they can rest starters in the fourth quarter.

Howells-Dodge has only had a couple of close games this season, and I don't see Tuesday being a third.

West Point-Beemer is certainly a capable team, but the Cadets just haven't shown me enough so far this season for me to believe they can compete with and beat the Jaguars.

Bethany Anderson is a tough, quality player for West Point-Beemer, as is Brittney Hinkel and Abbey Dale, but the Cadets have really yet to get all three of them going offensively at once.

Perhaps this is the game where all three click, but it's going to be really tough.

Howells-Dodge is playing great basketball right now, and I look for the Jaguars to continue their winning ways Tuesday night.

If Howells-Dodge could head into the GACC Holiday Tournament undefeated, that would be really good.

Tuesday night's game against West Point-Beemer can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with tip-off at 6:00 p.m.