The North Bend Central Boys won 56-52 in overtime at Wisner-Pilger last Thursday night before beating Bancroft-Rosalie 66-58 in the quarterfinals of the East Husker Conference Tournament Monday night.
The Tigers led the Gators 13-8 after one. Wisner-Pilger outscored North Bend Central 17-12 in the second quarter to tie the game at 25 at halftime.
The Gators doubled up the Tigers 20-10 in the third quarter to lead 45-35 at the end of three.
North Bend Central tripled up Wisner-Pilger 15-5 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
The Tigers outlasted the Gators 6-2 in the extra session.
Head Coach Jonathan Baehr credits free throws with the win. "Time came to answer the bell and hit some big free throws. Our guys stepped up. Jake Wieftfeld hit just three monster free throws there at the end of the fourth quarter. And then Matt Ortmeier stepping up and knocking down some free throws in the overtime. Hunter Oerman, our post player getting some big ones in there. I don't know if he made them all, but he hit a couple big ones. And just guys continuing to grind and continuing to work against a very, very disciplined, tough team."
The Panthers led the Tigers 15-14 after one. North Bend Central won the second quarter 15-14 to tie the game at 29 at halftime.
Bancroft-Rosalie outscored North Bend Central 21-16 in the third quarter to go up 50-45 at the end of three.
Trailing 58-47 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers went on a 19-0 run to end the game. North Bend Central put up 21 fourth quarter points and held Bancroft-Rosalie to 8.
Tanner Wietfeld had a team-high 17 points. Wieftfeld added 16 while Jake Cleveringa was also in double digits with 10. Ortmeier and Oerman totaled 8 and 7, respectively.
The Tigers just find ways to win. North Bend Central appears to be down and out, yet they comeback. That's a sign of a really good team.
The Tigers (17-1) square off with Lyons-Decatur Northeast (13-4) in the East Husker Conference Tournament Semifinals in North Bend Friday night.
The Cougars beat Clarkson/Leigh 65-61 in the quarterfinals Monday night.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast has certainly had a really good season, a dream season I might add. The Cougars have been resilient and mentally tough, and haven't backed down from anyone.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast will be another tough test for North Bend Central, there's no doubt about it.
The Tigers have to play well in order to come away with the win.
This is a really big game for North Bend Central, perhaps one of the biggest games of the season.
The Tigers need to keep winning to earn a wildcard to state should they falter in the postseason.
This game is really important for North Bend Central for multiple reasons.
I don't think there's any doubt the Tigers will feel the pressure, but I look for North Bend Central to come through in the clutch.
The Cougars are a very good team, but they are two classes below the Tigers. That's part of the reason why I think North Bend Central will win.
I could be wrong, but my gut tells me the Tigers will find a way to get the job done and prevail.
Friday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
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