Stanton Boys fall to Oakland-Craig in first round of East Husker Conference Tournament; Girls knock off West Point-Beemer in Quarterfinals

The Stanton Boys lost 62-54 to Oakland-Craig in the opening round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Saturday night.

The Knights led 22-15 at the end of one before outscoring the Mustangs 16-10 in the second quarter to take a 38-25 lead into the locker room.

Stanton won the third quarter 14-12 to make it a 50-39 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs also won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Trey Erbst led the way with 13 points while Hunter Stallbaum totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds. Myles Nickolite notched 7 points while Marcus Spotanski registered 9 rebounds.

Stanton (3-14) takes on Pender (4-14) in a consolation game of the tournament at Howells-Dodge Friday night.

The Pendragons lost 66-48 to BRLD in the first round of the tournament at Genoa Saturday night.

This should be a good and interesting game between the Mustangs and Pender. It will be interesting to see which team is more motivated and wants to be there more.

From a talent standpoint, Stanton should win, but you never know what might happen.

The Mustangs get the Pendragons again on Saturday, February 11th at home so either way it's going to be tough for Stanton to beat Pender again, in my opinion.

The Mustangs have four very winnable games prior to sub-districts though, and this is one of them.

Stanton could really use a four-game winning streak heading into sub-districts.

The Mustangs honestly shouldn't lose any of their last four regular season games, but given the way this season has gone, you never know what is going to happen.

Stanton has to stay motivated and has to really want to win these last four regular season games.

It has been a difficult year for the Mustangs, but perhaps Stanton can get on a roll here at the end of the regular season and make a postseason run.

It's never too late to get things going, and the Mustangs have to remain positive and be willing to learn.

Stanton needs to get off to a strong start and finish well Friday night.

The Mustangs need a win in a big way to snap this five-game losing streak they are on.

Stanton has competed well at times this year, but has really struggled at others so it will be interesting to see which team comes to play Friday night.

The Stanton Girls topped West Point-Beemer 41-16 in the East Husker Conference Quarterfinals at home Monday night.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 13-2 lead after one and doubled up the Cadets 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 27-9 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer won the third quarter 5-4 to make it a 31-14 game at the end of three.

Stanton outscored the Cadets 10-2 in the fourth quarter.

Bree Burtwhistle posted 20 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. MacKenzie Brandl and Jessie Brandl added 7 points apiece.

This might of been the Mustangs' strongest performance of the season so far.

Stanton (17-1) takes on North Bend Central (13-4) in the tournament semifinals Thursday night.

The Tigers defeated Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 53-42 in the quarterfinals at Stanton Monday night.

These two teams met back on December 13th with the Mustangs winning 43-37 in overtime.

I feel Stanton is a much better team than they were in the early season, but I think North Bend Central is also better now than they were then.

This should be a great game between two great teams.

The Mustangs are the odds on favorite to win by a slight margin I would say, but upsets happen all the time in high school basketball, and one could certainly take place in this game.

With that said, Stanton is a great team, and I don't look for things to come easy for North Bend Central.

Both teams are great defensively, and have decent offenses as well.

Both teams really played well on Monday so that's another reason why I think this will be a great game.

There figures to be high drama Thursday night given what is at stake. I look for the game to be decided by 5 points or less, and perhaps go to overtime.

The Mustangs need big games out of Burtwhistle and both Brandl's.

These girls know each other very well from playing each other in Volleyball and Basketball over the years, and I think that adds to the intrigue of this game.

It should be a great night of high school basketball Thursday night, and I invite you to listen to me call the games on 107.9 the Bull.

The game will start after the Howells-Dodge and Pender game, which is set to start at 6:00 p.m.

Howells-Dodge Boys lose to Madison in first round of East Husker Conference Tournament; Girls top BRLD in Quarterfinals

The Howells-Dodge Boys lost 55-44 at home to Madison in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Saturday evening.

The Dragons led 13-9 after one. The Jaguars won the second quarter 11-10 to make it a 23-20 game at halftime.

Howells-Dodge outscored Madison 18-12 in a third quarter that saw the Jaguars go on a 9-2 run to begin the quarter only to see the Dragons go on an 8-0 run of their own. The score after three though was 38-35 in favor of Howells-Dodge.

Madison had the last laugh though, outlasting the Jaguars 20-6 in the fourth quarter.

Howells-Dodge was led by Connor Blum, who had 13 points. Lane Hegemann added 7 points and 8 rebounds.

Head Coach Cole Fischer sums up the loss. "We gave up too many second chance points and shot poorly from the free throw line."

Fischer says his team struggled once again. "To start the game I thought we got some real nice looks underneath. A couple 3-4 footers about 5 possessions in a row, and not one went down. And I think we got a little flustered after that. And then we battled back, and once again you get to the free throw line, and that's pry kind of been our Achilles' Heel all year long."

The Jaguars (9-9) will host Wisner-Pilger (6-11) in a consolation game Friday evening at 5:00 p.m.

The Gators lost 41-38 to West Point-Beemer in the first round of the tournament on Saturday.

Wisner-Pilger defeated Howells-Dodge 56-39 in Howells on January 13th.

This is an interesting game in my mind. Both teams are kind of struggling at the moment, and could really use a win.

Both teams really need a win given their schedule for the rest of the regular season.

The Jaguars have games with North Bend Central, Wakefield, and Lutheran High Northeast to end the regular season so this game with the Gators is absolutely critical.

I would call this game a must win for Howells-Dodge.

The Jaguars have to play with a sense of urgency and purpose Friday night.

I'm sure Howells-Dodge and Wisner-Pilger for that matter would much rather be playing in the winner's bracket, but somehow someway the Jaguars have to find some will, strength, and motivation from within to play a good game.

Howells-Dodge has to want to be there as I feel this is a critical game to their season.

The Jaguars are going to have to play one of their better games of the year to come out on top, in my opinion.

Howells-Dodge can't have a repeat of the first time these two teams played. The Jaguars have to perform at a much higher level.

With that said, I don't think the Gators are playing as well as they were then so that has to give Howells-Dodge some hope.

I feel the Jaguars are playing at about the same level now as they were when they took on Wisner-Pilger the first time so we'll see what Howells-Dodge can do.

The Howells-Dodge Girls knocked off BRLD 56-25 in the East Husker Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at home Monday night.

The Jaguars jumped out to a 13-4 lead after one before doubling up the Wolverines 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 29-12 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored BRLD 21-6 in the third quarter to lead 50-18 after three.

The Wolverines won the fourth quarter 7-6.

Sam Brester led all scorers with 18 points and had 12 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Chelsea Bayer totaled 12 points while Kalli Brester added 11. Erin Prusa registered 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Head Coach Scott Polacek. "I thought we did a very good job of getting in their face when Vicki Gatzemeyer got away from us. So we did a good job on defense no doubt about it cause they're a good team."

Polacek praised his girls' offensive effort. "I guess as long as I've been coaching and doing this job four girls in double figures you almost never lose. Sometimes in guys you can still get beat, but four girls in double figures, I mean it's a matchup nightmare when you can do that. And I guess I'm very proud of the girls for trying to get that done."

The Jaguars (17-2) square off with Pender (16-4) in the tournament semifinals at home Thursday night.

The Pendragons knocked off Tekamah-Herman 56-42 in the Quarterfinals Monday night.

These two teams met in Pender on January 21st with Howells-Dodge winning 55-45.

I expect the Jaguars to play a great game again, but I full expect the Pendragons to play a great game as well.

Both of these teams are great, and I fully expect an excellent, slugfest of a game Thursday night.

I think Howells-Dodge stands a good chance to win, but you can bet Pender will give the Jaguars a great game.

I wouldn't be surprised if this game was decided by 5 points or less. I think the Pendragons are a good enough team to at least keep this game within single digits.

But given the way Howells-Dodge played against BRLD you never know what might happen.

I feel the Jaguars are playing great right now, and not a lot is stopping them.

Howells-Dodge has to continue to build on what they've done all season, and play their game.

If the Jaguars can get the same type of offensive production they got against the Wolverines they're going to be awfully difficult to beat.

Perhaps more impressive than their offense in that game though was their defense.

To hold BRLD to 25 points is a tremendous accomplishment.

I think defense is ultimately going to be key in this game too.

Howells-Dodge has to try and slow down the likes of Kam Anderson, Cecilee Jacobsen, Amber English, Hallie Ballinger, and others.

Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull.

Pender Boys lose to BRLD in East Husker Conference Tournament; Girls top LV/SS in first round and Tekamah-Herman in Quarterfinals

The Pender Boys lost 66-48 to BRLD in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Genoa Saturday night.

The Wolverines held a 15-9 lead at the end of one before outscoring the Pendragons 17-13 in the second quarter to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room.

BRLD outlasted Pender 17-11 in the second quarter to go up 49-33 at the end of three.

The Wolverines won the fourth quarter 17-15.

I thought the Pendragons actually competed pretty well for the most part.

Pender (4-14) takes on Stanton (3-14) in a consolation game of the tournament Friday night in Howells.

The Mustangs lost 62-54 to Oakland-Craig in the first round of the tournament at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Saturday night.

This is an interesting game to me. I think Stanton is a better team than their record indicates, yet the Pendragons have the better record.

Pender and the Mustangs will meet again on Saturday, February 11th in Stanton so the Pendragons get two cracks at Stanton.

I think Pender's chances of picking up a win over the Mustangs are better in this game than they will be on the 11th of February.

I say that because I don't know how motivated Stanton will be in this game.

The Mustangs will still be tough, in my opinion, but I think the Pendragons are capable of winning.

I don't think Pender will get blown out given how they have been playing lately.

The Pendragons have been more competitive in recent games, and quite honestly aren't that bad of a team in my mind.

I feel there's still room for improvement with this team, but I think Pender is getting better and improving every night out.

The Pendragons are going to have to play really well to knock off Stanton, but I think Pender is fully capable of getting the job done.

The Pendragons' defense has to be on though. If there's any area of Pender's game that concerns me, it's on the defensive end of the floor.

The Mustangs are on sometimes offensively and off at other times so it's hard saying if the Pendragons will be able to slow down Stanton's offense or not.

The Pender Girls topped Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 57-33 at home in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Friday night before downing Tekamah-Herman 56-42 in the quarterfinals at Howells Monday night.

The Pendragons jumped out to a 24-10 lead on the Raiders at the end of one. LV/SS won the second quarter 10-9 to make it a 33-20 game at halftime.

Pender outscored the Raiders 11-8 in the third quarter to lead 44-28 at the end of three.

The Pendragons outlasted LV/SS 13-5 in the fourth quarter.

Kam Anderson had a game-high 22 points while Hallie Ballinger and Amber English notched 8 points and 7 rebounds, respectively.

The Pendragons got out to a 14-8 lead on the Tigers after one. Both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter, and the score at halftime was 27-21 in favor of Pender.

The Tigers outscored the Pendragons 11-7 in the third quarter to make it a 34-32 game at the end of three.

Pender saved their best for last, outscoring Tekamah-Herman 22-10 in the fourth quarter.

English had a team-high 19 points to lead the Pendragons. Michaela Wegner added 18 while Anderson totaled 8. Ballinger chipped in 7.

Head Coach Larry Ballinger says the Pendragons have to do better. "I don't know what to say. We just didn't do a whole lot of good things. And we play like this Thursday night we're going to be getting thumped."

Ballinger wasn't pleased with his teams effort. "We just kind of come out flat. Didn't do a whole lot of things good on defense, press, offense. It was pretty lackluster all night long until the end. And I think they got tired more than us doing anything good."

Pender (16-4) takes on Howells-Dodge (17-2) in Howells in the tournament semifinals Thursday night.

The Jaguars downed BRLD 56-25 in the quarterfinals Monday night.

Howells-Dodge also beat the Pendragons 55-45 in Pender on January 21st.

It's never easy to beat a team twice in a season although the Jaguars made that theory look wrong with their win over the Wolverines.

And this game is in Howells this time around so it figures to be even more difficult this time around for the Pendragons.

Pender has to play their best game of the season to come out on top. And the Pendragons can definitely win, but they have to play well and out of their minds.

Pender has to try and prevent the Jaguars' big guns from doing too much damage.

Four girls were in double figures for Howells-Dodge Monday night, and the Pendragons simply cannot afford to let that happen to them too if they want to win this time around.

It's not going to be easy for Pender to beat the Jaguars, but it's definitely possible.

Both of these teams are veteran laden and know what it takes to win, and that should make for a great game to call Thursday night.

I'm very humbled, honored, and fired up to call this game. I look forward to an action packed game and a loud gym.

The Pendragons have to play their hearts out and play with a lot of guts as well.

Pender can't be afraid to dive after loose balls and fight, scrap, and claw for rebounds.

I look for this game to be an all out street fight between two very good teams, and elite basketball should be on display Thursday night.

Join me for the broadcast of the game, which is set to start at 6:00 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull.

Tekamah-Herman Boys fall to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family in East Husker Conference Tournament; Girls lose in Quarterfinals to Pender

The Tekamah-Herman Boys fell 64-22 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Saturday night.

The Bulldogs got out to a 25-8 lead at the end of one before tripling up the Tigers 15-5 in the second quarter to take a 40-13 lead into the locker room.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family doubled up Tekamah-Herman 10-5 in the third quarter to go up 50-18 at the end of three.

The Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 14-4 in the fourth quarter.

Tekamah-Herman simply had a tough go of things on Saturday.

The Tigers (0-13) take on Clarkson/Leigh (1-16) in a consolation game at Howells-Dodge Friday night.

The Patriots fell 52-47 to Twin River on the road in the first round of the tournament Saturday evening.

Clarkson/Leigh downed Tekamah-Herman 42-35 on the road Thursday night.

I figure this second game with the Patriots could very well be even tougher than the first matchup was.

Clarkson/Leigh put a real scare into Twin River, in my opinion, and is playing much better basketball now than they were earlier in the season.

The Patriots had Tekamah-Herman beat by more than they ended up beating them by the first time around, and perhaps Clarkson/Leigh will win by more this time.

The Tigers have to look at this game as one of their last chances to win a game this season.

I don't know if Tekamah-Herman will win a game this year if they don't knock off the Patriots or Fort Calhoun next Tuesday or in sub-districts if those two teams meet again.

The Tigers have to do their best to put things all together for one game.

Tekamah-Herman has to play hard and out of their minds Friday night. Every single player on this Tigers' team has to rise up and play above and beyond their capabilities.

Everyone has to step up their game if Tekamah-Herman is to find a way to win Friday night.

Often times consolation games are won by the team that wants to be there the most, and quite honestly I feel both of these teams will want to be there.

I don't think either team is going to have any trouble getting excited for or in tune to this game.

I'm sure the Tigers as well as the Patriots want this one badly.

The Tekamah-Herman Girls fell 56-42 to Pender in the East Husker Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Howells-Dodge Monday night.

The Pendragons got out to a 14-8 lead after one. Both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter, and the score at halftime was 27-21 in favor of Pender.

The Tigers outscored the Pendragons 11-7 in the third quarter to make it a 34-32 game at the end of three.

Pender saved their best for last, outscoring Tekamah-Herman 22-10 in the fourth quarter.

Tekamah-Herman was led by Jessica Fleischman, who had a game-high 22 points. Marin Jetensky notched 13.

I thought the Tigers did a great job hanging around for a while. I think Tekamah-Herman ultimately wore down though.

The Tigers (4-14) take on Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (15-4) on the road in a consolation game at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The Bulldogs lost 53-42 to North Bend Central in the Quarterfinals at Stanton Monday night.

I've said all along I think Tekamah-Herman is a better team than their record shows, and I think this game is another classic example of that.

I feel this game will be closer than what a typical game would be between teams who are 4-14 and 15-4.

I don't know if the Tigers will win, but I fully expect them to be competitive and make things close.

Tekamah-Herman is led by Flesichman and Jetensky, and goes as they go.

These two are going to need to have monster games for the Tigers to compete with and knock off Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, in my opinion.

Tekamah-Herman's game really revolves around them and Maddy Horn, in my opinion.

The idea has to be get Jessica and Marin the ball as much as possible, and I think that has probably been the idea the whole season.

The Tigers are two-player dominate you could say, and their game really revolves around them I would say.

Fleischman and Jetensky have to carry Tekamah-Herman once again Thursday night.

Their play specifically will greatly impact the outcome of the game, in my opinion.

Basketball is a team game, but these two players are so valuable and critical to the Tigers' success.

Tekamah-Herman only has two regular season games left after Thursday's consolation game so the Tigers have to make this game really count.

West Point-Beemer Girls fall to Stanton in East Husker Conference Tournament Quarterfinals

The West Point-Beemer Girls lost 41-16 at Stanton in the East Husker Conference Tournament Quartefinals Monday night.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 13-2 lead after one and doubled up the Cadets 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 27-9 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer won the third quarter 5-4 to make it a 31-14 game at the end of three.

Stanton outscored the Cadets 10-2 in the fourth quarter.

Bethany Anderson led the team with 7 points.

I thought West Point-Beemer would compete better than they did in this game. Credit the Mustangs for a great game played.

The Cadets (7-13) battle BRLD (13-7) in a consolation game at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Thursday night.

The Wolverines lost 56-25 to Howells-Dodge in another quarterfinal Monday night.

BRLD beat West Point-Beemer 62-51 in West Point on January 7th. 

It should be another good competitive ball game this time around too.

Both teams are coming off performances they would rather forget so it will be interesting to see if both teams can bounce back.

The Cadets have to be better on offense than they were against Stanton. Scoring 16 points in a varsity contest is simply not going to cut it.

The Mustangs are a great defensive team, but West Point-Beemer has to be better than that.

The good news for the Cadets is the Wolverines aren't quite as strong defensively as Stanton.

BRLD's offense is probably better than the Mustangs' though so West Point-Beemer has to be ready to defend well.

The Cadets have to play tight defense on the likes of Lexie Bacon, Kelly Wakeley, Vicki Gatzemeyer, Paige Peters, and Tess Nottleman.

West Point-Beemer has to do what they can to hold those players to single digits and force other players to beat them.

Much easier said than done though.

If the Cadets can beat the Wolverines it would be a huge deal heading into the Pierce game on Monday.

I feel two out of West Point-Beemer's final three regular season games are winnable, so perhaps the Cadets can get to double digit wins before sub-districts.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Girls fall to Pender in East Husker Conference Tournament

In the opening round of the East Husker Conference tournament Friday night, the LVSS Girls fell to Pender by a final of 57-33.

Kaylee Boyle led the way with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals. Other scorers were Ashley Peters-9, Morgan Morgan-6, Breanna Smith-2, Sierra Beacom-2 points 4 steals.

LV/SS got off to a slow start, and that ultimately prevented them from making it a game of things, in my opinion. 

The Raiders (4-13) take on Madison (2-16) in a consolation game of the East Husker Conference Tournament Thursday evening in Genoa.

The Dragons lost 59-16 to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family in the first round Friday night.

LV/SS beat Madison 43-29 in Madison on January 10th.

I think the Raiders have a good chance to knock off the Dragons again.

LV/SS has done some nice things this year, in my opinion, and I feel that win number 5 is coming.

It's never easy to beat a team twice in a season, but I think the Raiders can get the job done Thursday night.

I think LV/SS will be motivated and fired up to play in this game.

I'm sure the Raiders are just glad to be playing another game in this conference tournament.

This game may not seem like a big deal to most, but it is a big deal for the players and coaches participating in the game I'm sure.

Winning these types of games can help you build your program and get things headed in the right direction.

I look for Thursday night's game to be closer than the first meeting between the two teams was, but I still look for LV/SS to find a way to win.

The Raiders have Clarkson/Leigh, Boys Town, and BRLD, all on the road, to end the regular season.

I think LV/SS can at least split their last four games of the regular season.

A 6-15 record wouldn't be all that bad for the Raiders considering how they've done in recent years.

A win over Madison Thursday night would be very positive and encouraging for these girls, in my opinion.

West Point-Beemer Boys knock off Wisner-Pilger in East Husker Conference Tournament

The West Point-Beemer Boys beat Wisner-Pilger 41-38 in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Howells-Dodge Saturday night on a Cole Hughes' buzzer beating three pointer.

The Gators led 11-9 after one before winning the second quarter 13-12 to go up 24-21 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Cadets turned a 26-23 deficit into a 33-26 lead by going on a 10-0 run. West Point-Beemer led 33-29 at the end of three.

Wisner-Pilger won the fourth quarter 9-8, but that was overshadowed by Hughes' buzzer beater.

Chase Streeter paced the Cadets with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Hughes added 8 points.

Head Coach Cody Bobolz.

"We got in some major foul trouble, and that's the way it goes. Physical, and our guys did a good job. The first time around Wisner really outphysicaled us, and I thought we matched it. Did a good job on their big kids in the middle, even with foul trouble. That's a credit to some guys coming off the bench too."

This was a nice win for West Point-Beemer. The Cadets avenged an earlier season loss to the Gators.

West Point-Beemer (8-10) advances to play North Bend Central (11-3) at North Bend in the winner's bracket Tuesday night at 6:00.

Bobolz says things won't come easy against the Tigers. "That's going to be a challenge. We played them back second week of December, and they put it to us pretty good. And it'll definitely be a challenge. I know our kids will be up for it. And it'll be a game where we got nothing to lose. We'll go in there with everything we've got and see what happens."

North Bend Central downed West Point-Beemer 71-30 at home on December 8th.

This figures to be another tough game for the Cadets. The Tigers knocked off Wisner-Pilger 63-40 at home Thursday night.

I don't know if West Point-Beemer is going to be able to knock off North Bend Central, but the Cadets ought to be feeling pretty good about themselves after the win over the Gators.

The fact West Point-Beemer is in this winner's bracket game is something in itself.

The Cadets play strong defense, and I think West Point-Beemer's D can keep them in the game.

I just don't know if the Cadets are going to have enough offense to knock off and upset the Tigers.

Arlington beat North Bend Central though so anything can happen.

It's going to take a monumental effort for West Point-Beemer to beat North Bend Central, in my opinion, given the fact the Tigers are the defending champs, but anything is possible.

The Cadets have to do what they can to hang around until the fourth quarter.

If West Point-Beemer can keep this game close, and even hold a lead during the game, that might be good enough for the Cadets to pull off the upset.

Tuesday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Oakland-Craig Boys beat Stanton in first round of East Husker Conference Tournament; Girls fall to West Point-Beemer

The Oakland-Craig Boys downed Stanton 62-54 in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family on Saturday.

The Knights led 22-15 at the end of one before outscoring the Mustangs 16-10 in the second quarter to take a 38-25 lead into the locker room.

Stanton won the third quarter 14-12 to make it a 50-39 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs also won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Carter Thiele poured in 27 points and 12 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Evan Reinert and Garrett Seagren added 10 points apiece while Seagren and Wyatt Seagren registered 7 rebounds each.

Head Coach Aaron Meyer says his team played well for the most part, but they could finish better. "Our game plan was to come out and set the tone early, to play a fast, full court game. At the same time, we sped them up in the half court, which was to our advantage. Carter had an outstanding game not only stats wise, but he was able to attack his man and get him into foul trouble. I'd still love to see us finish the game off though. There were a couple minutes at the end where we faltered on both ends of the court, leading to a tight finish."

Oakland-Craig (11-5) squares off with Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (15-2) in the second round off the East Husker Conference Tournament at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs defeated Tekamah-Herman 64-22 in the first round of the tournament at home on Saturday.

I would give Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family the nod in this game simply because the Bulldogs beat BRLD 71-54 while the Knights lost 63-50 to the Wolverines.

Scores don't mean everything though and Oakland-Craig has a good team so they could very well win.

Both Seagrens, Thiele, Reinert, and Kobe Benne need to have good games offensively.

I think Tuesday night's game is going to be very high scoring and entertaining.

I think the keys for the Knights include playing good defense and knocking down shots.

Oakland-Craig has to stop dribble penetration so the Bulldogs can't get to the hole and kick the ball out for good three point attempts.

To go along with that, the Knights need to force turnovers and score easy baskets in transition.

Oakland-Craig also has to shoot the 3 ball well.

To go along with that as well, the biggest thing for the Knights, in my opinion, is playing four strong quarters of basketball and finishing.

Oakland-Craig has to play the way they did in the first half against Stanton the entire way Tuesday night.

If the Knights can do that I think they've got a shot to win.

If Oakland-Craig wins Tuesday night they get either Logan View/Scribner-Snyder or Madison on Friday. If the Knights lose they get the loser of BRLD and Twin River on Friday.

The Oakland-Craig Girls lost 61-49 at home to West Point-Beemer in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Friday night.

The Cadets led 10-6 at the end of one. The Knights outscored West Point-Beemer 17-14 in the second quarter to make it a 24-23 game at half in favor of the Cadets.

West Point-Beemer outlasted Oakland-Craig 19-14 in the third quarter to go up 43-37 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 18-12.

Oakland-Craig was led by Kennedy Benne, who scored 18 points. Dacey Nelson added 10 points and 7 rebounds while Shannon Pille totaled 9 points and 7 rebounds.

This was a tough loss for the Knights there's no doubt about it.

Oakland-Craig (9-6) takes on Clarkson/Leigh (7-10) in a consolation game of the tournament at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday in Genoa.

The Patriots lost 44-34 to BRLD in the first round of the tournament Friday night.

The Knights knocked off Clarkson/Leigh 47-43 at home on December 6th.

Oakland-Craig has to forget about what happened against West Point-Beemer and refocus and regather themselves for this contest with the Patriots.

It might take the weekend to get over the loss to the Cadets, but come Monday, the Knights have to be ready to get back to work.

Oakland-Craig has to be focused and ready to play on Thursday. The Knights have to want to be there, and be motivated.

The motivation factor is a little bit of a concern for me after Oakland-Craig won the tournament last year.

I can definitely see Clarkson/Leigh wanting to be there more than the Knights.

Oakland-Craig can definitely win though. The Patriots aren't quite as dynamic offensively as West Point-Beemer is.

Nelson, Pille, Benne, and Emmy Bousquet all need to have good games for the Knights.

Oakland-Craig has to come out fired up and ready to go Thursday night.

The Knights have to physically prepare themselves for the game by working hard in the weight room, and must also mentally prepare themselves as well.

Oakland-Craig has two very tough, but winnable games following this game so this game with Clarkson/Leigh is very important in terms of confidence and momentum heading into the final two games of the regular season.

Howells-Dodge Girls unbeaten in last three contests

The Howells-Dodge Girls continue their winning ways, beating Tekamah-Herman 64-41 at home last Friday night, Pender 55-45 on the road last Saturday, and Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 71-30 at home Tuesday night.

The Jaguars led the Tigers 17-12 after one. Howells-Dodge outscored Tekamah-Herman 17-10 in the second quarter to take a 34-22 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars outlasted the Tigers 16-3 in the third quarter to go up 50-25 at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman won the fourth quarter 15-13.



Macey Kulhanek led the way with 19 points while Erin Prusa totaled 16. Chelsea Bayer had 10 while Sam Brester recorded 8.

The Pendragons led the Jaguars 13-9 at the end of one. Howells-Dodge outscored Pender 20-9 in the second quarter to take a 29-22 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 11 points in the third quarter to make it a 40-33 game at the end of three.

The Jaguars won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Brester had a game-high 16 points and 8 rebounds while Kulhanek recorded 13 points and 7 rebounds. Emily Ritzdorf chipped in 8 points while Bayer recorded 7 rebounds.

The Jaguars jumped out to a 23-4 lead on the Raiders at the end of one. Howells-Dodge outscored LV/SS 17-10 in the second quarter to take a 40-14 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars outlasted the Raiders 16-9 in the third quarter to go up 56-23 at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge won the fourth quarter 15-7.

Brester led all scorers with 24 points and had 7 rebounds while Kulhanek registered 17 points. Prusa added 13 points and 7 rebounds with Bayer pulling down 7 boards.

The Jaguars have continued to play really good basketball. The loss to Columbus Scotus doesn't appear to have hurt Howells-Dodge much whatsoever.

The Jaguars (16-2) take on BRLD (13-6) in the winner's bracket of the East Husker Conference Tournament at home Monday night.

The Wolverines downed Clarkson/Leigh 44-34 in the first round of the tournament Friday night.

The Jaguars defeated BRLD 63-47 at home on January 9th.

It's never easy to beat a team twice in a season, but I think Howells-Dodge should be able to do that against the Wolverines.

BRLD can certainly pull off the upset as I feel any of the Top 8 teams in the conference are capable of upsetting each other, but I think when it's all said and done, the Jaguars will find a way to win.

This tournament is Howells-Dodge's to lose, in my opinion.

I feel the Jaguars are the best team in the conference and have a good chance to win the crown.

There's a lot of work left to do and a lot of teams still standing, but I fully expect Howells-Dodge to be one of the last teams if not the last team standing at the end of the tournament.

This tournament could very well come down to Howells-Dodge and Stanton although teams like Pender, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, and North Bend Central could have something to say about that.

The Jaguars just have to be focused on the Wolverines right now though and take things one game at a time.

Howells-Dodge shouldn't be looking beyond BRLD really.

The Jaguars need to be ready and prepared for the Wolverines. Howells-Dodge can focus on Pender or whoever if they beat BRLD.

Monday's game is set to start at 6:00 p.m. It can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Stanton Girls 3-0 in last three games

The Stanton Girls have continued their winning ways, winning 55-45 at BRLD last Saturday, 66-35 at home over Madison Monday night, and 41-24 at Twin River Thursday night.

The Mustangs led BRLD 14-11 after one, and won the second quarter 12-10 to lead 26-21 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored Stanton 14-12 in the third quarter to make it a 38-35 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs prevailed in the fourth quarter, outlasting BRLD 17-10.

Jessie Brandl led all scorers with 35 points while MacKenzie Brandl notched 9. Bree Burtwhistle and Hannah Heppner chipped in 7 rebounds apiece.

Stanton led the Dragons 16-10 at the end of the first quarter, and outscored them 25-9 in the second quarter to take a 41-29 lead into the locker room.

The Mustangs outlasted Madison 18-3 in the third quarter to go up 59-32 at the end of three.

The Dragons won the fourth quarter 13-7.

Burtwhistle led the way with 16 points while MacKenzie Brandl registered 15. Jessie Brandl added 14 points and 8 rebounds while Heppner recorded 10 points.

Stanton led the Titans 9-6 after one. The Mustangs outscored Twin River 11-5 in the second quarter to go up 20-11 at halftime.

Stanton doubled up the Titans 10-5 in the third quarter to lead 30-16 at the end of three.

The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 11-8.

Burtwhistle registered 19 points and 7 rebounds while Jessie Brandl and MacKenzie Brandl totaled 10 and 7 points, respectively.

Stanton continues to play great basketball and run the table.

The Mustangs (16-1) host West Point-Beemer (7-12) in the winner's bracket of the East Husker Conference Tournament Monday night.

The Cadets beat Oakland-Craig 61-49 in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament in Oakland Friday night.

Stanton defeated West Point-Beemer 40-29 at home on December 6th.

The Cadets appear to be figuring things out though, and are a scary team right now, in my opinion.

I don't know if many teams want to face West Point-Beemer right now given how they've played in their last couple of games.

The Cadets should have the Mustangs' attention at the very least.

Jessie Brandl, MacKenzie Brandl, Burtwhistle, and Heppner all need to keep doing their thing for Stanton.

The Mustangs are on a 15-game winning streak, and have played great and superb basketball all season long.

With that said, Stanton needs to turn in another superb effort Monday night if they want to advance to the semifinals of this tournament.

Most people probably think the Mustangs will play Howells-Dodge in the championship game, and they very well could, but Stanton has to worry about getting past West Point-Beemer first.

I think Monday night's game has a chance to be very close, but I could also see the Mustangs winning big.

Stanton has had a marvelous season, and is playing better basketball than they were when they beat the Cadets the first time, in my opinion.

I believe West Point-Beemer is playing better basketball now too though so there shouldn't be an advantage for either team from that aspect of things.

Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m.

BRLD Girls 3-2 in last five games

The BRLD Girls are 3-2 over their last five games, beating Wakefield 74-36 on the road last Thursday night, falling 70-43 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family last Friday night, losing 55-45 at home to Stanton last Saturday, beating Winnebago 80-50 on the road Thursday night, and topping Clarkson/Leigh 44-34 at the East Husker Conference Tournament at Oakland-Craig Friday night.

The Wolverines led the Trojans 15-10 at the end of one before tripling up Wakefield 28-7 in the second quarter to take a 43-17 lead into the locker room.

BRLD won the third quarter 14-10 to go up 57-27 at the end of three.

The Wolverines outscored the Trojans 17-9 in the fourth quarter.

Lexie Bacon led the way with 18 points while Kelly Wakeley notched 12 points and 9 rebounds. Tiahna Bonneau and Brandi Simonsen added 9 and 8 points, respectively.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-12 lead on BRLD at the end of the first quarter before winning the second quarter 16-13 to lead 36-25 at halftime.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family outscored the Wolverines 13-8 in the third quarter to go up 49-33 at the end of three, and 21-10 in the fourth quarter to make up the final score.

Vicki Gatzemeyer had a team-high 10 points while Bacon recorded 7.

The Mustangs led BRLD 14-11 after one, and won the second quarter 12-10 to lead 26-21 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored Stanton 14-12 in the third quarter to make it a 38-35 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs prevailed in the fourth quarter, outlasting BRLD 17-10.

Wakeley had a team-high 13 points while Gatzemeyer added 12.

The Wolverines led 24-7 at the end of one. BRLD outscored the Indians 21-13 in the second quarter to take a 45-20 lead into the locker room.

Winnebago won the third quarter 16-13 to make it a 58-36 game at the end of three.

The Wolverines outlasted the Indians 22-14 in the fourth quarter.

Bacon led the way with 15 points while Gatzemeyer and Wakeley notched 12 and 10, respectively. Simonsen notched 8. Bonneau chipped in 9 rebounds while Justice Johnson registered 7.

The Wolverines and Patriots were tied at 12 at the end of one. Clarkson/Leigh outscored BRLD 9-6 in the second quarter to lead 21-18 at halftime.

The Wolverines outlasted the Patriots 11-3 in the third quarter to make it a 29-24 game at the end of three.

BRLD won the fourth quarter 15-10.

The Wolverines were led in scoring by Gatzemeyer, who had a team-high 12 points. Tess Nottleman added 9 while Wakeley and Bonneau chipped in 8 apiece. Bonneau added 7 rebounds.

Head Coach Rod Peters says after trailing the first half, he told his girls at halftime they needed better defense. "I told them I said Clarkson/Leigh shot the ball pretty good that first half and we didn't. It's going to be a different second half. And they came out, and I was really proud of the defensive effort. If I'm thinking right we maybe gave up 13 that second half, maybe 2 or 3 in the third quarter."

BRLD (13-6) faces Howells-Dodge (16-2) in the winner's bracket of the East Husker Conference Tournament Monday night at Howells-Dodge.

The Wolverines lost to the Jaguars by 16 points earlier this season. "They're a really nice team, well coached. They do a lot of good things. They got Brester in the middle who's a tough player. And they kind of run everything through her. And the girls know they can play with them they just got to go out there and play with them."

This figures to be one of BRLD's toughest games of the season.

The Jaguars are on top of their game right now, and have played excellent basketball as of late.

Most people are anticipating a Howells-Dodge/Stanton Final I'm willing to bet, but I'm sure the Wolverines would love to prevent the Jaguars from making the championship and winning it.

BRLD has a lot of talent, and ought to think and believe they have a shot at the upset.

This is a deep and talented conference, and I think anyone in the Top 8 can beat anyone on any given night.

There's already been a couple of upsets in this tournament so I don't see why there can't and won't be more.

If the Wolverines are to pull off the upset though they must play well from start to finish.

BRLD can't afford to play a sluggish first half like they did against Clarkson/Leigh.

It's one thing to knock off the Patriots, it's another to beat Howells-Dodge.

The Wolverines have their work cut out for them, but an upset is certainly a possibility.

BRLD just has to play strong defense and have a good night offensively.

Things simply have to come all together for the Wolverines and go their way Monday night.

The game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m.

North Bend Central Girls 4-0 in last four games

The North Bend Central Girls are 4-0 in their last four games, beating Oakland-Craig 53-49 at home last Friday night, Arlington 55-15 at home last Saturday, and Wisner-Pilger 36-31 at home Thursday night, and 42-33 at the East Husker Conference Tournament at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Friday night.

North Bend Central jumped out to a 12-2 lead on the Knights at the end of one. The Knights outscored the Tigers 18-12 in the second quarter to make it a 24-20 game at halftime.

North Bend Central outlasted Oakland-Craig 11-8 in the third quarter to go up 35-28 at the end of three.

The Knights won the fourth quarter 21-18.

Alex Humlicek paced the Tigers with 16 points. Kristin Lux added 12 while Lauren Emanuel and Brooke Fredrickson totaled 10 and 8, respectively.

The Tigers led the Eagles 17-4 after one, and outscored Arlington 18-4 in the second quarter to take a 35-8 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central tripled up the Eagles 9-3 in the third quarter to go up 44-11 after three.

The Tigers outlasted Arlington 11-4 in the fourth quarter.

In the first matchup between the two teams, North Bend Central led the Gators 10-4 at the end of one. The Tigers outscored Wisner-Pilger 12-8 in the second quarter to take a 22-12 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central won the third quarter 11-9 to go up 33-21 at the end of three.

The Gators outlasted the Tigers 10-3 in the fourth quarter.

In the second meeting, North Bend Central led 13-10 at the end of one. Both teams scored 11 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 24-21 in favor of the Tigers.

North Bend Central tripled up Wisner-Pilger 12-4 in the third quarter to lead 36-25 at the end of three.

The Gators won the fourth quarter 8-6.


I think the Tigers are playing great basketball right now, at least from a defensive standpoint. North Bend Central appears to have things going.

The Tigers (12-4) battle Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (15-3) in the winner's bracket of the East Husker Conference Tournament in Stanton Monday night.

The Bulldogs downed Madison 59-16 at home in the opening round of the tournament Friday night.

The whole key to this game is scoring, in my opinion.

Both teams defend well, but I feel North Bend Central might be at a disadvantage offensively.

As good as the Tigers have been lately, they still struggle to score.

I think North Bend Central is going to need to at least get in the 50's to be able to knock off Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

The Tigers have to hit their easy shots and free throws. North Bend Central has to execute their halfcourt offense, and limit turnovers.

The Tigers also need to crank up the intensity on defense by pressuring the ball, contesting shots, and boxing out and rebounding well.

North Bend Central has to want this game more than the Bulldogs. The Tigers have to play their hearts out, and leave everything out on the floor.

There shouldn't be an ounce of energy left in these girls' tanks after Monday night's game. North Bend Central should expend all the energy they have in this game.

I'm sure the Tigers would like another shot at Stanton after losing to them in overtime earlier in the season.

We'll see who North Bend Central matches up with after Monday night's game. I don't think the Tigers would mind playing West Point-Beemer either as North Bend Central beat the Cadets pretty handily earlier this season.

We're getting down to the nitty gritty, and the good news for North Bend Central is they are playing good basketball at the moment.

Wisner-Pilger Girls winless in last four games

The Wisner-Pilger Girls are 0-4 in their last four games, falling 48-47 at home to Pender in overtime last Thursday night, 55-39 at Twin River last Saturday, 36-31 at North Bend Central Thursday night, and 42-33 to the Tigers in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Friday night.

The Gators led the Pendragons 14-12 after one. The Pendragons won the second quarter 9-8 to make it a 22-21 game at halftime.

Pender outscored Wisner-Pilger 14-8 in the third quarter to lead 35-30 at the end of three.

The Gators rallied in the 4th quarter, outlasting the Pendragons 11-6 to force overtime.

Pender outscored Wisner-Pilger 7-6 in the extra session.

The Titans jumped out to a 20-3 lead at the end of one. Twin River won the second quarter 13-10 to go up 33-13 at halftime.

The Gators outscored the Titans 13-6 in the third quarter to make it a 39-26 game at the end of three.

Twin River outlasted Wisner-Pilger 16-13 in the fourth quarter.

In the first matchup between the two teams, North Bend Central led the Gators 10-4 at the end of one. The Tigers outscored Wisner-Pilger 12-8 in the second quarter to take a 22-12 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central won the third quarter 11-9 to go up 33-21 at the end of three.

The Gators outlasted the Tigers 10-3 in the fourth quarter.

In the second meeting, North Bend Central led 13-10 at the end of one. Both teams scored 11 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 24-21 in favor of the Tigers.

North Bend Central tripled up Wisner-Pilger 12-4 in the third quarter to lead 36-25 at the end of three.

The Gators won the fourth quarter 8-6.

Wisner-Pilger played well against Pender, in my opinion, but didn't play as well against Twin River and North Bend Central.

The Gators (6-12) take on Twin River (14-5) in a consolation game of the tournament in Genoa Thursday night.

The Titans were upset 44-38 by Tekamah-Herman in the first round of the tournament Friday night.

Twin River is prone to getting upset, and Wisner-Pilger ought to think they've got a chance to knock off the Titans this time around.

The Gators shouldn't really feel much pressure with this being a consolation game. The same could be said for Twin River, especially since the Titans are at home.

Twin River has had a nice season, but Wisner-Pilger has competed well against some of the good teams on their schedule.

The Gators have lost four in a row and seven out of their last eight though so something has to change for Wisner-Pilger if they are to get over the hump and win.

The Gators' offense needs to be better, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger is playing good enough defense to win games, it's just their offense that is letting them down, in my opinion.

The Gators only have three more games before sub-districts, and have to do their best to play well and get back on track before the postseason.

Wisner-Pilger should use these days of practice to shoot and hone their offensive skills.

The Gators need to have a good week of practice, playing at a high level and improving.

Wisner-Pilger has to work hard in practice and allow that hard work to carry over to the game.

The Gators have to give 100% effort and go hard. Wisner-Pilger has to be excited and get after things in the days leading up to Thursday's game.

West Point-Beemer Girls 2-2 in last four games

The West Point-Beemer Girls are 2-2 in their last four games, falling 58-44 at home to Twin River last Friday night, winning 55-32 at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder last Saturday, losing 58-53 at Wayne Thursday night, and beating Oakland-Craig 61-49 in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament in Oakland Friday night.

The Titans led the Cadets 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. Twin River won the second quarter 15-12 to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room.

The Titans won the third quarter 13-12 to go up 44-34 at the end of three.

Twin River outscored West Point-Beemer 14-10 in the fourth quarter.

Andrea Hoffman led the way with 11 points while Bethany Anderson and Abbey Dale notched 10 apiece. Anderson added 7 rebounds.

The Cadets led the Raiders 17-4 after one, and won the second quarter 14-9 to lead 31-13 at halftime.

LV/SS outscored West Point-Beemer 15-8 in the third quarter to make it a 39-28 game at the end of three.

The Cadets quadrupled up the Raiders 16-4 in the fourth quarter.

Hoffman led the way with 12 points while Anderson totaled 11. Dale, Katie Pilakowski, and Makenna Weddle all posted 7.

The Blue Devils led West Point-Beemer 13-12 at the end of one. The Cadets outscored Wayne 16-10 in the second quarter to take a 28-23 lead into the locker room.

The Blue Devils narrowed the deficit to 1 after three by winning the third quarter 15-11 to make the score 39-38 in favor of West Point-Beemer.

Wayne outlasted the Cadets 20-14 in the fourth quarter.

Anderson had a team-high 16 points while Brittney Hinkel registered 12 points and 11 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Hoffman pitched in 11 points.

The Cadets led  the Knights 10-6 at the end of one. The Knights outscored West Point-Beemer 17-14 in the second quarter to make it a 24-23 game at half in favor of the Cadets.

West Point-Beemer outlasted Oakland-Craig 19-14 in the third quarter to go up 43-37 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 18-12.

Hinkel led all scorers with 26 points, including 19 in the second half. Anderson added 21 while Hoffman chipped in 8.

Head Coach Craig Theis. "We tell these girls got to believe. And just kind of contain Nelson girl. She's a great player. So we kind of did some diamond, did a little man. And it was a good win, good team win."

Theis on the performances of Hinkel and Anderson. "Yeah I mean those two girls that we've leaned on for scoring. But I think they're both around 10 points. But they just took us on their back and they carried us. When tournament time comes around those stars kind of align sometimes for you, and they play hard, and they have a little bit of a gid up to their step. Their stars do. And they both did."

I think West Point-Beemer is starting to play really good basketball and figure some things out.

The Cadets (7-12) take on Stanton (16-1) in Stanton in the second round of the Conference Tournament Monday night at 6:00.

The Mustangs won 41-24 at Twin River Thursday night.

Stanton is a really good team, and has won 15 in a row, but West Point-Beemer is starting to play some of their best basketball of the season, in my opinion.

The Mustangs beat the Cadets 40-29 at home on December 6th, and I feel both teams are better now than they were then.

West Point-Beemer is going to need to continue to get the offensive production from their stars that they have gotten in recent games.

What makes Stanton so tough is their defense. The Mustangs aren't the most dominant team offensively, but really get after things and are tenacious on defense.

So with that said, the Cadets have to take the fight right to the Mustangs, and go right at them.

West Point-Beemer has to be aggressive towards and must attack the basket.

The Cadets have to work the ball around for good shots and get to the free throw line.

Players like Anderson can't be afraid to get physical with Stanton's post players.

West Point-Beemer has to play tough minded, grind it out, hard nosed basketball.

Things are really coming together for the Cadets, in my opinion, and West Point-Beemer appears to be starting to figure some things out.

The Cadets should have the Mustangs' attention at the very least. This should be a good competitive ball game between West Point-Beemer and Stanton.

The Cadets did a great job avenging a loss in the conference tournament from last year. Now it's time to go out and get another win.

I think West Point-Beemer can beat Stanton. It's going to be tough, but given the way the Cadets have played their last few games, you never know what might happen.

West Point-Beemer has to play hard, good basketball for four quarters and let their play dictate the outcome of the game.

Clarkson/Leigh Girls 3-1 in last four games

The Clarkson/Leigh Girls are 3-1 in their last four games, upsetting Twin River 43-34 on the road last Thursday night, and beating Lutheran High Northeast 48-42 on the road last Friday night, and Tekamah-Herman 30-26 on the road Thursday night, before falling 44-34 to BRLD in the First Round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Oakland-Craig Friday night.

The Patriots led the Titans 10-4 at the end of one. Both teams scored 11 points in the second quarter and the score at halftime was 21-15 in favor of Clarkson/Leigh.

Twin River outscored the Patriots 8-3 in the third quarter to make it a 24-23 game at the end of three, but Clarkson/Leigh outlasted the Titans 19-11 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Kaegan Held led the way with 15 points while Ashlynn Novotny had 9. Hannah Kasik added 8 points and 7 rebounds while Halee Steffensmeier posted 7 points.

The Eagles led the Patriots 9-7 after one. Clarkson/Leigh won the second quarter 12-10 to even up the score at 19 at halftime.

The Patriots also won the third quarter 13-9 to go up 32-28 at the end of three before making the final margin 6 by outscoring LHNE 16-14 in the fourth quarter.

Held had a team-high 21 points while Kasik totaled 11 points and 7 rebounds. Novotny added 10 points while Shelby Paprocki chipped in 7 rebounds.

The Tigers led the Patriots 8-7 after one. Tekamah-Herman won the second quarter 5-4 to go up 13-11 at halftime.

Clarkson/Leigh outscored the Tigers 10-6 in the third quarter to go up 21-19 after three.

The Patriots outlasted Tekamah-Herman 9-7 in the fourth quarter.

Kasik paced Clarkson/Leigh with 11 points, including 8 in the third, while Held notched 7.

The Wolverines and Patriots were tied at 12 at the end of one. Clarkson/Leigh outscored BRLD 9-6 in the second quarter to lead 21-18 at halftime.

The Wolverines outlasted the Patriots 11-3 in the third quarter to make it a 29-24 game at the end of three.

BRLD won the fourth quarter 15-10.

Held registered a game-high 15 points for Clarkson/Leigh. Novotny and Kasik notched 7 apiece.

The Patriots have been on a roll in recent games. I feel Clarkson/Leigh is starting to play their best basketball.

The Patriots (7-10) battle Oakland-Craig (9-6) in the tournament on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in Genoa.

The Knights lost 61-49 at home to West Point-Beemer in the tournament Friday night.

These two teams met on December 6th in Oakland with the Knights winning 47-43.

I think Clarkson/Leigh has a chance to win this time around though given how well they have played lately.

The Patriots had the Wolverines beat for a half, Clarkson/Leigh just couldn't finish the job and seal the deal.

The Patriots did that in their three prior games though so I'm thinking Clarkson/Leigh has a shot to do it again Thursday night.

This should be a very competitive and hotly contested consolation game.

I'm sure both teams would love to be in the winner's bracket, but this game still has meaning and is still important.

The Patriots have to come out and play well, and treat this game as if it is a championship game.

If Clarkson/Leigh can simulate what a championship game is like, that could almost be as good as actually playing in one.

It would be a big deal for the Patriots to knock off Oakland-Craig. This is the type of game that could be a big building block for Clarkson/Leigh's future as a program if they're able to win it.

The Patriots only have two regular season games left after Thursday night's game...that's it, and then it is sub-district time.

If Clarkson/Leigh can knock off the Knights and beat Logan View/Scribner-Snyder they could have quite a bit of confidence heading into the regular season finale with Stanton.

I think the Patriots have already gained some momentum and done some nice things this season, but it's about continuing to build and getting better.

Clarkson/Leigh's defense has led them this year, and I think the Patriots are going to need to slow down the likes of Dacey Nelson, Kennedy Benne, Shannon Pille, and Emmy Bousquet to knock off Oakland-Craig.

Tekamah-Herman Girls fall at home to Clarkson/Leigh; upset Twin River in First Round of East Husker Conference Tournament

The Tekamah-Herman Girls lost 30-26 at home to Clarkson/Leigh Thursday night before upsetting Twin River 44-38 in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at Pender Friday night.

The Tigers led the Patriots 8-7 after one. Tekamah-Herman won the second quarter 5-4 to go up 13-11 at halftime.

Clarkson/Leigh outscored the Tigers 10-6 in the third quarter to go up 21-19 after three.

The Patriots outlasted Tekamah-Herman 9-7 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were led by Jessica Fleischman, who had 9 points. Marin Jetensky added 8.

Head Coach Scott Guzinski says it was a frustrating loss. "We just didn't handle the ball well at the end. So that was frustrating. Between the turnovers and the free throws when you only score 26 and the other team only scores 30, you miss 9 free throws and turn the ball over 17 times, that can make a big difference."

Guzinski adds his team has struggled against the 1-3-1 defense. "We haven't made a lot of three point shots this year. That's not where we score. And I'm begging kids to step into some gaps and take some 15 footers. And some of our kids they just don't have a lot of confidence right now."

Jetensky had 18 points to lead the way for Tekamah-Herman against the Titans. Fleischman added 14.

The Tigers may have been frustrated after the Clarkson/Leigh loss, but whatever was said and whatever they did to pick themselves up for the Twin River, obviously worked.

Tekamah-Herman (4-13) takes on Pender (15-4) in the winner's bracket at Howells-Dodge Monday night.

The Pendragons beat Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 57-33 at home in the tournament Friday night.

Pender and Tekamah-Herman met in Tekamah on December 2nd with the Pendragons winning 54-33.

I think the Tigers are a better team than what they were the first time around against Pender, but I also think the Pendragons might be better now than they were then too.

Tekamah-Herman just upset Twin River though so anything can happen.

The Tigers have to be feeling pretty optimistic and good about themselves heading into this game.

Tekamah-Herman has to feel like they have a shot at pulling another upset.

I'm sure most people anticipate Howells-Dodge and Pender playing again in the semifinals, but I'm willing to bet the Tigers would love nothing more than to spoil the party.

Tekamah-Herman plays good enough defense to keep themselves in most games, and if the Tigers can play defense the way they did against the Titans and Patriots, they may have a shot to win again.

Tekamah-Herman's offense has to show up though. The Tigers need solid offensive production if they are to come out on top.

Scoring 26 points is not going to get the job done against Pender, in my opinion.

And 44 was enough against Twin River, but I'm thinking the Tigers are going to need to score more against the Pendragons for the outcome to be in their favor.

Jetensky and Fleischman and even Maddy Horn need to get things going for Tekamah-Herman offensively, and the Tigers have to try and limit Kam Anderson, Hallie Ballinger, Cecliee Jacobsen, Amber English and others.

Pender has a lot of offensive weapons, and that's what makes them so tough, so it's important for Tekamah-Herman to defend every one well.

The Tigers have to gamble and take some chances defensively. Tekamah-Herman can't just sit back in a sagging zone per se and let the Pendragons shoot from the outside.

The Tigers need to be aggressive and smart attacking the basket, and need to box out and get offensive and defensive rebounds as well.

Monday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull. 

Emerson-Hubbard Boys fall to Wakefield and Allen; Girls defeat both

The Emerson-Hubbard Boys lost 57-17 at home to Wakefield last Friday night before losing 43-41 at Allen Thursday night.

The Trojans led the Pirates 12-5 after one. Wakefield outscored Emerson-Hubbard 20-7 in the second quarter to take a 32-12 lead into the locker room.

The Trojans outlasted the Pirates 11-2 in the third quarter to go up 43-14 at the end of three.

Wakefield won the fourth quarter 14-3.

Joshua Sebade had 10 rebounds for Emerson-Hubbard.

The Eagles tripled up the Pirates 9-3 in the first quarter. Both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter, and Allen led 22-16 at halftime.

The Eagles won the third quarter 9-7 to go up 31-23 at the end of three.

Emerson-Hubbard outscored Allen 18-12 in the fourth quarter.

The Pirates really struggled against both teams. I thought Emerson-Hubbard might be able to get on a roll after beating Homer, but it just hasn't happened.

The Pirates (1-15) take on Ponca (13-3) in the first round of the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament at Ponca Monday night.

The Indians won 71-23 at home over Emerson-Hubbard on December 16th.

It's going to be awfully difficult for the Pirates to compete with and beat Ponca I'm afraid.

Emerson-Hubbard has to give it all they got against the Indians, and do everything in their power to win, but ultimately I just don't know if it's going to be enough.

Anything can happen in the game of basketball, but Ponca just beat Winnebago, and given the way the Pirates' season is going, it's just hard to envision Emerson-Hubbard picking up a win Monday night.

That's not to say the Pirates can't win a consolation game though because I think that is very possible for Emerson-Hubbard.

I think if the Pirates were to keep things closer with the Indians than they did the first time around, that could be something positive to build off of.

I think at the beginning of the season Emerson-Hubbard probably thought they were going to have a really good season.

I think the Pirates probably had high expectations to begin the season.

Things haven't gone Emerson-Hubbard's way this year, but that doesn't mean quit. Emerson-Hubbard still has to work hard and continue to fight.

It will be interesting to see what happens in this tournament from the Pirates' perspective.

Monday's game is set to tip-off at 7:45 p.m.

The Emerson-Hubbard Girls won 40-36 at home over Wakefield last Friday night before downing Allen 47-21 on the road Thursday night.

The Pirates doubled up the Trojans 14-7 in the first quarter before losing the second quarter 8-5 to lead 19-15 at halftime.

Emerson-Hubbard outscored Wakefield 15-4 in the third quarter to go up 34-19 at the end of three.

The Trojans made a game of it in the fourth quarter, winning the frame 17-6.

Melanie Gentrup had 18 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Pirates. Caleigh Mackling and Courtney Bokemper totaled 7 points apiece while Bokemper notched 7 rebounds.

The Pirates led the Eagles 13-6 after one. Emerson-Hubbard outscored Allen 13-3 in the second quarter to take a 26-9 lead into the locker room.

The Eagles won the third quarter 9-7 to make it a 33-18 game at the end of three.

The Pirates shutdown Allen's offense in the fourth quarter, winning the frame 14-3.

Gentrup had a game-high 17 points and 7 rebounds while Mackling added 12 points. Bokemper came in with 8 points and 11 rebounds.

Emerson-Hubbard did a really nice job in beating Wakefield and Allen. The Pirates played pretty well against both teams, in my opinion.

Emerson-Hubbard (5-11) squares off with Hartington-Newcastle (11-4) in the first round of the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament in Bloomfield Saturday evening.

The two teams met on December 12th in Emerson with the Wildcats winning 63-42.

This is going to be a tough game for the Pirates, in my opinion, but given how Emerson-Hubbard has played in their last couple of ball games, anything can happen.

The Pirates have been very solid defensively, and their offense appears to be coming around a little bit too.

I wouldn't put it past Emerson-Hubbard to pull off the upset.

The Pirates may lose, but you can bet Emerson-Hubbard will play their tail off and give it all they got.

Not trying to compare this year's team to last year's team, but the Pirates appear to be regaining a little bit of what they had last year I would say.

Wins over Wakefield and Allen aren't exactly what you would call signature wins, but they're wins, and building blocks for Emerson-Hubbard from here on out.

I look for the Pirates to be very competitive on Saturday and throughout this tournament. I think Emerson-Hubbard will play some of their best basketball this weekend and next week.

I think the Pirates have a chance to at least pick up one win in this tournament. I don't know how much of factor they'll be in terms of winning it, but Emerson-Hubbard should represent themselves well.

Saturday's game is set to tip-off at 6:00 p.m.

North Bend Central Boys 2-1 in last three games

The North Bend Central Tigers topped Oakland-Craig 72-62 at home last Friday night, lost 51-50 at home to Arlington Saturday night, and beat Wisner-Pilger 63-40 at home Thursday night.

North Bend Central led the Knights 24-14 after one. The Tigers won the second quarter 15-13 to go up 39-27 at halftime.

The Knights came back and made a game of it in the third quarter, outscoring North Bend Central 21-13 to make it a 52-48 game at the end of three.

The Tigers outlasted Oakland-Craig 20-16 in the fourth quarter.

Matt Ortmeier had 20 points to lead North Bend Central. Jake Wietfeld added 17 while Tanner Wietfeld totaled 14. John Emanuel and James Seymour pitched in 9 apiece.

Head Coach Jon Baehr on the win. "We just have a lot of guys that can do a lot of really nice things. I guess that's just the nicest way to put it. And I thought when we shared the ball and we moved it effectively man we were tough to guard. And that's a really nice ball club we played against too. Coach Meyer does a great job with them, and we knew we were in for a challenge, but Matt Ortmeier stepping up big. James Seymour was huge the first half going out there and controlling some boards for us. And those are the types of performances you need when you play a team like this."

The Eagles led the Tigers 16-14 after one. North Bend Central outscored Arlington 14-8 in the second quarter to lead 28-24 at halftime.

The Eagles outlasted the Tigers 17-12 in the third quarter to go up 41-40 at the end of three.

Both teams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Tanner Wietfeld led the way with 14 points while Emanuel had 9. Austin Endorf and Jake Wietfeld added 8 apiece.

The Tigers led the Gators 16-11 after one. North Bend Central outscored the Gators 26-6 in the second quarter to take a 42-17 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers outlasted Wisner-Pilger 13-4 in the third quarter to go up 55-21 at the end of three.

The Gators outscored North Bend Central 19-8 in the fourth quarter.

Jake Wietfeld notched 20 points and went over 1,000 for his career. Tanner Wietfeld added 16 while Emanuel and Ortmeier registered 7 apiece.

I think the Tigers did a great job of winning and getting back on track against Wisner-Pilger. I'm not quite sure what happened against Arlington.

North Bend Central (11-3) takes on either West Point-Beemer (7-10) or Wisner-Pilger (6-10) in the second round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Tuesday night.

The Tigers have beaten both teams once already this season.

Both are capable of knocking off North Bend Central, in my opinion, but I'm sure the Tigers have their eyes on defending their East Husker Conference Tournament Crown.

North Bend Central can definitely win this tournament, but it's not going to be easy.

Whoever the Tigers draw after Tuesday should they win Tuesday will be tough without a doubt, especially if it is BRLD or Twin River.

With that said, I look for North Bend Central to at least get back to the championship of this tournament.

Whoever makes the championship on the Tigers' side of the bracket figures to have their hands full in the title game against whoever comes out of the opposite side of the bracket though.

I feel Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, and Oakland-Craig all have a chance to represent their side of the bracket in the Championship Game next Saturday.

A wildcard to state is going to be tough for North Bend Central again this year so the Tigers need to win a championship so they can prepare themselves for the postseason.

It would be huge for North Bend Central to win this tournament again. It's going to be tough, but it's definitely doable for the Tigers.

North Bend Central just has to remain humble and willing to work hard, and must keep doing what they have been doing for much of the season.

This is a good team, even better than last year maybe, so the Tigers need to keep things going to keep their hopes and dreams alive for another state tournament berth this season.

The first order of business is to beat either the Cadets or Gators Tuesday night so we'll see what happens.

Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. in North Bend.

Tekamah-Heman Boys fall to Clarkson/Leigh

The Tekamah-Herman Boys lost 42-35 at home to Clarkson/Leigh Thursday night.

The Patriots led 14-9 at the end of one. Clarkson/Leigh doubled up Tekamah-Herman 12-6 in the second quarter to take a 26-15 lead into the locker room.

The Patriots won the third quarter 9-8 to lead 35-23 at the end of three.

The Tigers outscored Clarkson/Leigh 12-7 in the fourth quarter.

Dustin Pickell led all scorers with 20 points.

Head Coach Zach Rosenboom only has 9 boys out for basketball and four of them are freshmen. "We're very young. We have a lot of inexperience. Not just varsity experience. Just playing basketball experience. And I mean you get out here on a Thursday night and the crowd's here and what not. That's hard for a 14 year to come out and do that. I mean we started 3 freshmen." 

Rosenboom says his team being winless is not for a lack of trying. "No knock on these guys. These guys are playing extremely hard. And they show up and they have a great attitude. They give their maximum effort. They're giving me everything they got. And I can't say enough about those kids."

Tekamah-Herman (0-12) will face off with Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (14-2) on the road in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament Saturday night at 6:00.

The Bulldogs won 71-36 at home over Elgin Public/Pope John Thursday night.

This is going to be an extremely difficult and tough matchup/game for the Tigers.

Tekamah-Herman is so young and doesn't have a lot of kids out, and that makes it tough to compete.

These boys have to grind and remain tough and resilient though, and continue to grow and get better.

The Tigers have to play tough and go right at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

Tekamah-Herman has to be aggressive on offense and defense, and attack, attack, attack, and pressure, pressure, pressure the ball.

The only problem with that is kids could wear out and get tired due to not having a lot of time to rest.

The Tigers have to be ready to play hard and get after things though. These tough times and losses are very good experience for these players at the very least.

Tekamah-Herman has to hang in there and continue to work hard and persevere.

Brighter days are ahead for the Tigers, and I think sometimes in life you have to go through time times to get to and appreciate the good.

Tekamah-Herman is certainly taking their lumps this season, but I think what the Tigers are going through right now is only going to help them in the future.

We'll see what Tekamah-Herman can do in this tournament. Perhaps the Tigers will rematch with the Patriots and knock off Clarkson/Leigh this time around.

That's what Tekamah-Herman may have to hope for if they don't upset the Bulldogs.

Saturday's game is set to start at 6:00 p.m.