The Winnebago Boys dropped just their second game of the year on Saturday, losing 53-48 at Ponca.
Winnebago and Ponca were tied at 16 at the end of one. Ponca outscored Winnebago 14-3 in the second quarter to take a 30-19 lead into the locker room.
Winnebago won the third quarter 11-8 to make it a 38-30 game at the end of three.
Winnebago outlasted Ponca 18-15 in the fourth quarter.
The second quarter was the difference in the game, in my opinion. That quarter is what won the game for Ponca and lost the game for Winnebago, in my opinion.
Winnebago (15-2) hosts BRLD (11-5) Tuesday night.
The Wolverines won 51-42 at home over Stanton on Saturday.
BRLD has been up and down this season, but is a good team.
The Wolverines also lost to Ponca by 5 when those two teams played so Tuesday night's game should be very intriguing.
BRLD has to look at this game as a huge opportunity to knock off Winnebago with the Indians coming off a loss.
You can bet the Wolverines will be very confident coming into this game.
With that said, Winnebago simply has to find a way to rediscover the magic they've played with for most of the season.
The close calls finally caught up to Winnebago, now the Indians have to go out there and find a way to bounce back.
Sometimes losing a couple of games allows a team to play better and more loose down the line, in my opinion.
Winnebago still has to feel pressure, there's no doubt about that, but the Indians have to just go out there and play ball and not worry about what anyone might be saying about them.
Winnebago is still a very good team, and a force to be reckoned with down the line. It's just now maybe some people don't think they will or expect them to win state now.
It can still definitely happen, but the Indians just have to focus on getting back to form, and taking things one game at a time.
A win over BRLD would be a good way to get back on track.
The Winnebago Girls lost 70-43 at Pierce Friday night and 67-44 at Ponca on Saturday.
The Bluejays led 15-11 after one. Pierce won the second quarter 13-10 to go up 28-21 at halftime.
The Bluejays outscored the Indians 22-9 in the third quarter to lead 50-30 after three.
Pierce outlasted Winnebago 20-13 in the fourth quarter.
I thought the Indians competed better in these two games than they had since the Norfolk Catholic game.
Winnebago (5-14) hosts BRLD (11-6) Tuesday night.
The Wolverines lost 55-45 at home to Stanton on Saturday.
BRLD is a good team that has a lot of scorers, and the Indians' defense is going to have to step up in a big way if Winnebago is to win.
The Indians have to focus on slowing down and defending Lexie Bacon, Kelly Wakeley, Vicki Gatzemeyer, Tess Nottleman, Paige Peters, Tiahna Bonneau, and others.
Much easier said than done though for Winnebago.
But the Indians simply have to step up and play much better than they have lately.
Winnebago has to take their game to another level, and start playing at a level that is consistent with being more competitive and winning more games.
These girls have to dream of beating teams like BRLD and turn those dreams into reality.
This is the time of year when anything can happen, and the Indians must have that on their mind.
Winnebago has to think about playing the role of giant slayer with the Lewis and Clark Conference Tournament and postseason coming up.
I'm not sure anyone expects the Indians to do anything. Winnebago could be viewed by many teams as an easy win or a pushover.
So the Indians have to do something to change their perception. Getting tougher and playing physical basketball would help, in my opinion.
We'll see if Winnebago can implore these things Tuesday night.
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