Winnebago Boys rout Oakland-Craig; Girls fall to Knights and GACC

The Winnebago Boys Basketball Team won 76-36 at Oakland-Craig last Tuesday night.

Winnebago went on a 10-0 run to go up 14-4 after the game was tied at 4 early on.

The Indians led it 21-10 at the end of the first quarter, and outscored Oakland-Craig 30-8 in the 2nd quarter to take a 51-18 lead into the locker room.

Winnebago didn't allow the Knights to score in the 2nd half until about 2 1/2 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

The game was a running clock early in the 3rd quarter, and the Indians (4-0) went on to lead 67-26 after three.

The Knights won the 4th quarter 10-9.

Winnebago's D'Von LaPointe led all scorers with 23 points while Lance Denney and Manape Cleveland totaled 10 apiece. T.J. Frenchman added 9 as did Makoonce Littlevoice. Maurice Scott chipped in 8.

Great win for the Indians. Winnebago came ready to play and didn't miss a beat.

The Indians (4-0) battle Battle Creek (5-1) at the Shootout on the Elkhorn Holiday Tournament in Wisner on Thursday.

The Braves won 69-40 at home over Twin River Tuesday night.

It will be interesting to see what affect not playing a game in over two weeks has on Winnebago when they take to the floor on Thursday.

This is an absolutely loaded tournament, and there are so many great teams in it.

You have defending C-2 Runner-up Neligh Oakdale, Wisner-Pilger, these two teams, defending C-2 Champ Ponca, Lutheran High Northeast, Pierce, and Wakefield.

Head Coach Jeff Berridge says the Indians have to be ready. "Yeah that's right. We can't take nobody lightly. Everybody's going to show up, give us their best shot. And we can't go into games thinking that already won because anytime one team could beat us so we're going to stay focused and continue to play Winnebago Basketball."

I think the Indians have a great chance to win this tournament.

It won't be easy, but I think Winnebago can get the job done.

The field is absolutely stacked though, and making the championship and winning it won't be easy by any means.

The Indians have to stay fresh during the moratorium by getting in a gym and shooting and running at the very least.

The more basketball Winnebago can play, even if it's just on their own, during this moratorium, the better off they will be.

The Indians have to stay as sharp as possible given the long lay off.

I'm sure Winnebago would of probably liked to have gotten in the game with Norfolk Catholic, but it is what it is.

The Indians have to be prepared and ready to go when they take the floor on Thursday.

Winnebago should enjoy the Christmas Holiday with Family and Friends and what not, but be ready to go when the time calls on Thursday.

The winner of Thursday's game gets either Neligh-Oakdale or Wisner-Pilger in the semifinals on Friday.

Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.

The Winnebago Girls Basketball Team lost 56-54 at Oakland-Craig last Tuesday night before falling 80-42 at Guardian Angels Central Catholic last Thursday night.

Winnebago jumped out in front on the Knights 12-5 before Oakland-Craig went on a 9-2 run to end the 1st quarter to tie the game at 14.

The Indians outscored the Knights 17-13 in the 2nd quarter to go up 31-27 in a quarter that ended with Ashley Denton of Oakland-Craig knocking down a 3 pointer.

The Knights won the 3rd quarter 12-10 to make it a 41-39 game at the end of three with the Indians in the lead. Kennedy Benne canned a 3 to end the frame.

Oakland-Craig eventually took the lead in the 4th quarter after trailing for much of the game, and won the 4th quarter 17-13.

The Knights got Winnebago in foul trouble early and often as Jayla Price and Kae Earth both fouled out for the Indians.

Oakland-Craig went 22-40 at the free throw line while Winnebago was 11-18.

Charli Earth had a team-high 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Indians. Isabel Earth was also in double figures with 13 points while Kae Earth recorded 8 points and 7 rebounds. Daelyn Zagurski had 10 rebounds while Jayla Price totaled 8.

The Bluejays jumped on the Indians 27-15 after one. GACC won the 2nd quarter 14-11 to take a 41-26 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays outscored Winnebago 16-12 in the 3rd quarter to go up 57-38 at the end of three.

GACC put up 23 points in the 4th quarter and held the Indians to 4.

Price led the way with 17 points and 8 rebounds while Zagurski notched 7 points and Kae Earth added 7 rebounds.

I thought Winnebago played a great game against Oakland-Craig, but had a tough game against GACC.

The Indians (2-3) take on Battle Creek (1-5) in the Shootout on the Elkhorn Holiday Tournament in Wisner on Thursday.

The Braves lost 33-25 at home to Twin River Tuesday night.

Battle Creek is a better team than their record would indicate, in my opinion, but they've still lost a bunch of games.

I think Winnebago can definitely win, although having two weeks off from the last time they played isn't exactly ideal for the Indians.

It is what it is though, and Winnebago just has to deal and roll with it.

The Indians have to try and get in a gym on their own during the moratorium, and shoot and run at the very least.

Just staying in shape and doing basketball related activities over the next 5 days could go a long ways in Winnebago playing well next week, in my opinion.

Price, Charli Earth, Isabel Earth, Kae Earth, and Zagurski have to step up and play great games for the Indians.

Winnebago has to be pumped, jacked, psyched, amped, and fired up for this tournament, and must play with a lot of pride, mental and physical toughness, tenacity, grit, passion, pride, and heart.

The Indians have to execute on both ends of the floor, and work the ball around for good open looks at the basket and be confident shooting the ball.

Winnebago should also look to push tempo and fast break to get easy layups and get to the free throw line.

The Indians also have to be tough down low, and must box out and rebound well and control the paint too if they can.

Winnebago has to attack the basket and be assertive with their passes and shots.

The Indians have to make good, smart, crisp passes, and must be unselfish, but not too unselfish with the basketball.

Outside of Ponca, I feel just about all of these teams are equal.

The field includes Neligh-Oakdale, Wisner-Pilger, Lutheran High Northeast, Pierce, and Wakefield.

I think there's an opportunity for Winnebago to do some damage in this tournament, and win some games.

Tip-off between the Indians and Braves is set for 2:30 p.m.

Tekamah-Herman Boys lose to Logan View/Scribner-Snyder and Arlington; Girls beat Raiders, fall to Eagles

The Tekamah-Herman Boys Basketball Team lost 71-29 at home to Logan View/Scribner-Snyder last Friday night before losing 69-30 at Arlington on Saturday.

The Raiders led 20-11 after one. LVSS outscored the Tigers 22-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 42-15 lead into the locker room.

The Raiders won the 3rd quarter 19-10 to go up 61-25 at the end of three.

LVSS put up 10 points in the 4th quarter compared to 4 for Tekamah-Herman.

The Eagles led 17-4 after one. Arlington tripled up the Tigers 24-8 in the 2nd quarter to take a 41-12 lead into the locker room.

The Eagles outscored Tekamah-Herman 18-8 in the 3rd quarter to go up 59-20 at the end of three.

Both teams scored 10 points in the 4th quarter.

Tough sledding for the Tigers, but I'm sure they're continuing to work hard and giving it their all.

Tekamah-Herman (0-6) takes part in the Nebraska Wesleyan Holiday Tournament in Lincoln Thursday through Saturday of next week.

I'm not sure who the Tigers play first and who is all in the tournament, but I fully expect Tekamah-Herman to go in there and represent themselves and the school the very best they can.

It has been a very difficult start to the season for the Tigers, but if Tekamah-Herman can get in a gym on their own and work on shooting, running, and agility drills, or even offensive and defensive sets, it could really make a difference.

The Tigers have to keep pressing forward and working hard to improve.

I thought Tekamah-Herman's offensive output was better against the Raiders and Eagles than it was against some other teams this season.

I think the Tigers are improving, and feel they have a chance to play their best basketball of the season at this Holiday Tournament.

I don't know how much winning Tekamah-Herman will do, but the kids have to keep things upbeat and positive the best they can.

This team is very young, and there's a long season to go, so it's important for the team to stay focused and hungry on improving.

The Tigers have to enjoy the time away from the gym during this 5-day moratorium, but be ready to go when they head to Lincoln on Thursday.

Tekamah-Herman has to come out loose, fresh, inspired, and ready to go.

All the Tigers can do is focus on the future. The past is the past, and nothing can be done about it now.

The past cannot be rewritten. All Tekamah-Herman can do is focus on the future with their actions, attitude, and perseverance.

The Tigers have to go out there and play the best they can next week.

Tekamah-Herman has to be determined to play as high a level as possible, and must go out there and give 110% for 4 quarters.

The Tigers have to execute offensively and play good, sound, fundamental defense as well.

Tekamah-Herman has to remember what they've been taught in practice, and apply it to the games next week.

The Tekamah-Herman Girls Basketball Team picked up their first win of the season last Friday night when they beat Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 47-30 at home. The Tigers then lost 45-34 at Arlington on Saturday.

Marin Jetensky had 14 points for Tekamah-Herman against the Raiders while Jadyn Fleischman totaled 13. Gabby Mercier added a career-high 11 points.

The Tigers led the Eagles 11-10 after one. Arlington outscored Tekamah-Herman 13-5 in the 2nd quarter to go in front at 23-16 at halftime.

The Eagles won the 3rd quarter 13-8 to extend the lead to 12 at 36-24 at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 10 points in the 4th quarter compared to 9 for Arlington.

Jetensky had 15 points while Fleischman chipped in 10.

Great win for Tekamah-Herman on Friday, and a good, strong, solid effort on Saturday despite the loss.

The Tigers (1-7) take part in the Nebraska Wesleyan Holiday Tournament in Lincoln next week, Thursday through Saturday.

I'm not sure who Tekamah-Herman plays or who is all in this tournament, but I think given the way the Tigers have played in their last couple of games, they have a chance to pick up another win or two, and hold their own.

I don't know if Tekamah-Herman will win the championship, but I think the Tigers can do some nice things in this tournament.

Jetensky, Fleischman, and Mercier have to step up and play big for Tekamah-Herman like they have for much of the season.

The Tigers have to use the good play and momentum from the last two games as building blocks for this tournament.

Tekamah-Herman now knows what it takes and what it feels like to win so the Tigers should just be able to go out there and play now.

Tekamah-Herman isn't a bad team, in my opinion, they just haven't played their best basketball at times.

Scoring has been an issue for the Tigers though so girls working on individual things like shooting, running, ball handling, passing, and offensive and defensive sets on their own during the 5-day moratorium might help Tekamah-Herman out quite a bit.

The Tigers should stay fresh and try and get into a gym at some point before the moratorium ends.

Coaches can't have contact with the kids during the time, and no organized team practices can be held, but that doesn't mean Tekamah-Herman can't do some things on their own.

The Tigers don't have to go crazy over these next five days, but getting in the gym at some point before Thursday would be really beneficial for Tekamah-Herman, in my opinion.

The Tigers have to keep the spirit alive and keep believing because good things are still yet to come for this team at some point I would say.

Tekamah-Herman has to keep working hard and must stay positive in practice and during games.

The Tigers have to keep hope up and keep pressing forward to improve and see better results come their way.

You only get better by working hard and persevering, and Tekamah-Herman has to keep doing those things to get where they want.

West Point-Beemer Boys top Fort Calhoun; Girls lose to Fremont Bergan, beat Pioneers

The West Point-Beemer Boys Basketball Team got back on track Thursday night with a 65-30 home win over Fort Calhoun.

The Cadets led the Pioneers 21-15 at the end of one, and outscored Fort Calhoun 15-3 in the 2nd quarter to take a 36-18 halftime lead.

West Point-Beemer won the 3rd quarter 13-4 to go up 49-22 at the end of three.

The Cadets doubled up the Pioneers 16-8 in the 4th quarter.

Austin Streeter had 13 points and 7 rebounds while Austin Streeter posted 9. Blake Anderson added 8 points and 9 rebounds while Ben Vander Griend chipped in 8 points.

Good bounce back win and complete game effort from West Point-Beemer, in my opinion.

The Cadets (3-3) take on Norfolk Catholic (0-6) in the 1st round of the Great Northeast Nebraska Shootout at Wayne State on Thursday.

The Knights lost 60-44 at home to Boone Central/Newman Grove last Friday night.

This is a game West Point-Beemer has to win, and win handily.

The Cadets figure to have a tough semifinal matchup if they win, and so West Point-Beemer has to come out and play a great game.

I think the Cadets have a great chance to win this Holiday Tournament.

There are some quality teams in it, but I feel West Point-Beemer has a good chance to come away with the championship.

The Cadets have the type of team built to win championships, and this is West Point-Beemer's first chance to win one this year.

The Cadets have to come out and play aggressive, smart, and physical.

West Point-Beemer has to set the bar for great play in the first game against Norfolk Catholic, and set the stage for an epic semifinal game.

Wayne and Hartington Cedar Catholic have won this tournament many times in recent years if memory serves me correct, but I think there are at least 5 or 6 teams, including the Cadets, who could win it.

There's a lot of good first round matchups in this tournament on the boys side, and it should be a good Holiday Tournament.

West Point-Beemer's players have to try and get in a gym on their own during the 5-day moratorium and work on their craft.

Shooting, running, and doing agility drills may benefit the Cadets before the Tournament if they're able to get in a gym.

West Point-Beemer should enjoy their time off as well, but try and do some sort of individual workout on their own if at all possible.

Hard to do though since the Cadets can't play in their own gym.

Regardless of what West Point-Beemer does or doesn't do over the moratorium, they have to be ready to go on Thursday.

Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. at WSC.

The West Point-Beemer Girls Basketball Team went 1-1 this week, losing 60-47 to Fremont Bergan at home Tuesday night before handling Fort Calhoun 71-27 at home Thursday night.

The Cadets led the Knights 14-11 after one. Fremont Bergan won the 2nd quarter 23-22 to make it a 36-34 game at halftime.

The Knights put up 10 points compared to 9 in the 3rd for West Point-Beemer, and cut the deficit to 1 at 45-44 at the end of three,

Bergan outscored the Cadets 16-2 in the 4th quarter.

Brittney Hinkel led the way with 12 points while freshman Rachel Groth had 7 points and 10 rebounds. Katie Pilakowski chipped in 7 points.

West Point-Beemer jumped on the Pioneers 18-10 at the end of one. The Cadets outscored Fort Calhoun 23-9 in the 2nd quarter to take a 41-19 lead at halftime.

West Point-Beemer won the 3rd quarter 15-3 to go up 56-22 at the end of three.

The Cadets tripled up the Pioneers 15-5 in the 4th quarter.

Pilakowski led the way with 14 points while Hinkel totaled 10 points and 7 rebounds. Makenna Weddle notched 10 points while Andrea Hoffman and Sidney Swanson scored 8 and 7, respectively. Brooke Haase pulled down 8 rebounds.

Great bounce back effort from West Point-Beemer Thursday night. I'm not sure what happened to the Cadets Tuesday night. They were up 9 with a minute left in the 3rd quarter.

West Point-Beemer (4-3) battles Norfolk Catholic (2-5) in the 1st round of the Great Northeast Nebraska Shootout at Wayne State on Thursday.

The Knights lost 62-59 at Guardian Angels Central Catholic on Saturday.

Norfolk Catholic may be 2-5, but they've lost to some tough teams.

This should be a good game that I feel can go either way.

The Cadets have to come out ready to go from the opening tip.

West Point-Beemer has to try and get in a gym as much as possible during the 5-day moratorium as long as it's not their own.

Running, shooting, and working on agility drills might be beneficial for the Cadets over the Holiday Break.

West Point-Beemer should definitely relax, rest, and enjoy the time off with their families and stuff like that, but find a gym to workout at maybe on a family vacation or something of that sort.

The Cadets have to be ready to go Thursday, and must play a complete game like they did against Fort Calhoun.

West Point-Beemer has to use the confidence and momentum they gained from the win over the Pioneers, and apply it to Thursday's game.

The Cadets have to be ready to battle for 4 quarters against Norfolk Catholic.

One possession, one shot, one free throw, one turnover...could be the difference in the game.

I think both teams are pretty equal.

The winner gets either Hartington Cedar Catholic or Pender, and both of those teams are of high quality.

Like the boys, I think the girls division of the tournament is strong as well.

Maybe not as strong as the boys, but I think there's 3 or 4 teams that could win this tournament, West Point-Beemer being one of them.

The Cadets are definitely on the tougher side of the bracket opposite of Wayne, but every team in this tournament is solid.

Tip-off is slated for 12:30 p.m. at WSC.

Clarkson/Leigh Boys 0-3 in last three games; Girls 2-1 in same stretch

The Clarkson/Leigh Boys Basketball Team lost 56-39 at Pender last Thursday night in a game that was aired on 107.9 the Bull before losing 53-42 at Howells-Dodge on Saturday, and 72-26 at Yutan Tuesday night.

The Pender game was close early, with Pender holding a 27-25 advantage at intermission.

The Pendragons outscored Clarkson/Leigh 16-5 in the third quarter, and eventually pulled away for the win.

Anthony Bruhn scored 12 points for Clarkson/Leigh, going along with 11 points and 14 rebounds from Daniel Beller.

The Patriots led the Jaguars 10-9 after one. Howells-Dodge won the 2nd quarter 12-10 to take a 21-20 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars created some breathing room in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Patriots 18-10 to lead 39-30 at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge notched 14 points in the 4th quarter compared to 12 for Clarkson/Leigh.

Beller had 13 points and 14 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Bruhn added 13 points while Haden Held scored 9. Jacob Gall chipped in 7 rebounds.

The Chieftains jumped on the Patriots 22-12 at the end of one. Yutan outscored Clarkson/Leigh 22-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 44-18 lead into the locker room.

The Chieftains scored 17 3rd quarter points and held the Patriots to 3 to lead 61-21 at the end of three.

Yutan won the 4th quarter 11-5.

Bruhn had a team-high 10 points for Clarkson/Leigh.

I thought the Patriots played well against Pender and Howells-Dodge for a half. Clarkson/Leigh just hasn't been able to put things together for 4 quarters yet.

The Patriots (0-8) take part in the Shelby-Rising City Holiday Tournament next week.

I'm not sure who Clarkson/Leigh plays first, but hopefully having the rest of the week to practice up until Saturday gets the Patriots ready for this tournament.

The 5-day moratorium hits on Saturday and so Clarkson/Leigh will have to go 5 days without playing in their gym, having contact with coaches, and having organized team practices.

The Patriots should enjoy the time off with their families, but if possible should try and get to a gym and shoot on their own.

Doing individual workouts and drills during the moratorium if possible could really benefit Clarkson/Leigh in this Holiday Tournament.

The Patriots really struggled Tuesday night, but Yutan is a great team.

I think losing to the Chieftains the way they did kind of gives Clarkson/Leigh an idea of what it's going to take to be a great team.

The Patriots have a lot of work to do to get to the top, but perhaps Clarkson/Leigh will come out and play well next Thursday and Friday.

Bruhn, Beller, Held, Gall, and Garrett Schroeder all need to step up and play well for the Patriots.

Clarkson/Leigh also has to play solid defense to go along with a good offense.

The Patriots can't get outhustled, outworked, and outplayed.

I feel like Clarkson/Leigh has been right there. Has made strides, and has done some good, positive things to this point in the season despite having zero wins.

The Patriots just have to find a way to play a complete game, and once they do that and get the monkey off their back, they should be more of a team to be reckoned with than they are now.

Losing the way Clarkson/Leigh did to Yutan definitely doesn't help momentum heading into the Holiday Break, but hopefully the Patriots are able to forget about it and regroup by game time next week.

Clarkson/Leigh is capable of doing well in this tournament, they just have to go out and execute at a high level on the offensive end, and control the boards, pressure the ball tightly, create steals on defense, and get out in transition, find good shots, and get to and convert at the free throw line offensively.

There are a lot of capable players on this team, they just have to go out and play inspired, great, and with a spark.

The Clarkson/Leigh Girls Basketball Team won 44-30 at Pender last Thursday night in action heard on 107.9 the Bull before falling 33-31 at Howells-Dodge on Saturday, and winning 42-40 at Yutan Tuesday night.

Clarkson/Leigh led the Pendragons 22-12 at halftime.

Kaegan Held led the Patriots in scoring with 15 points while Sara McEvoy and Ashlynn Novotny totaled 8 and 7, respectively.

"We started out slow. That's two games in a row we started out slow here, and we cranked up the defense," Clarkson/Leigh head coach Matt Murren said. "We're a team that relies on our defense in getting us into transition. We kinda cranked that up there and got us going, and ran those 12 off in a row that were big for us to take the lead and never look back."

Murren on his team's play. "The kids are really working hard right now. I'm proud of their effort. There's things that we they need to fix and things that we're going to work on. But if we had that all figured out the early part of season I don't know what we'd do. So it's good, the kids are working hard."

Howells-Dodge doubled up the Patriots 8-4 in the 1st quarter. The Jaguars outscored Clarkson/Leigh 11-6 in the 2nd quarter to go up 19-10 at halftime.

The Patriots won the 3rd quarter 11-8 to make it a 27-21 game at the end of three.

Clarkson/Leigh notched 10 points in the 4th quarter compared to 6 for Howells-Dodge.

Held had a team-high 11 points for the Patriots.

The Chieftains got out to a 10-9 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Yutan won the 2nd quarter 13-10 to take a 23-19 lead into the locker room.

The Patriots outscored the Chieftains 14-9 in the 3rd quarter to pull in front 33-32 at the end of three.

Clarkson/Leigh was a point better than Yutan in the 4th quarter, putting up 9 points compared to 8 for the Chieftains.

Held led the way with 15 points while Kim Stodola and Halee Steffensmeier registered 9 each.

Great effort by the Patriots in all 3 games. Tough loss to the Jaguars, but taking two of three from those 3 teams is a job well done in my book.

Clarkson/Leigh (6-3) is off until next week when they take part in the Shelby-Rising City Holiday Tournament.

I'm not sure who is all in this tournament or who the Patriots play, but I think Clarkson/Leigh probably has a good shot to win this tournament.

The Patriots are a solid team that have progressed in the early season, and gotten better throughout the course of the season.

Clarkson/Leigh is winning close games with their defense, and has won some games by a large margin as well.

If the Patriots keep playing defense the way they have they can beat anyone they play, in my opinion.

Clarkson/Leigh can't do enough shooting to improve their scoring though.

Even though the Patriots can't play in their own gym, or have any organized team practices or contact with coaches for 5 days during the Moratorium, which starts on Saturday, Clarkson/Leigh should get in a gym and shoot on their own if at all possible.

Perhaps the players will take it upon themselves to work on the offensive plays and sets on their own without any structure from coaches of course.

The Patriots definitely need to rest and enjoy time with family too, but getting into a gym of some sort is important for Clarkson/Leigh.

I think the practice time the Patriots have had this week after Tuesday night's game will help Clarkson/Leigh be sharp for the Holiday Tournament.

The Holiday Tournament is a tremendous opportunity for the Patriots to go out and play well and show what they are made of and all about, in my opinion.

It's also a nice break from playing East Husker Conference Teams I would say.

Clarkson/Leigh needs to play well with a tough schedule after the Holiday Break.

The Patriots have a few tough games in a row coming up in mid-January so we'll see how Clarkson/Leigh handles that.

There's a lot to work on and build up for in the near future though with the Holiday Tournament coming up next Thursday and Friday.

The Patriots have to keep building and improving, and continue to establish themselves as a top tier team in the area and East Husker Conference.

GACC Boys fall to Oakland-Craig; Girls beat Norfolk Catholic, lose to Wayne

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Boys Basketball Team lost 64-46 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night.

The Knights doubled up the Bluejays 18-9 in the 1st quarter. Oakland-Craig outscored GACC 11-6 in the 2nd quarter to go up 29-15 at halftime.

The Knights won the 3rd quarter 15-13 to lead 44-28 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 20 points in the 4th quarter compared to 18 for the Bluejays.

Landon Stalp had 12 points while Bryant Rief and Adam Reeson totaled 10 and 7, respectively. Casey Doernemann added 7 points and 7 rebounds. 

Head Coach Alex Stieren says his team played well in the second half. "Yeah we kind of came out flat and a little stressed almost is what it looked like. We had a long 10-day period where we didn't play any games, and I think that kind of was a little bit of a factor. But we came out a little slow and started picking up the pace a little bit, but Oakland was too much for us to handle."

The Bluejays were without Jared Minnick, who was sick.

Minnick is expected to play against David City Aquinas (4-2), who GACC (2-4) hosts Friday night on 107.9 the Bull so that's a good sign.

The Monarchs won 46-44 at Lincoln Lutheran on Saturday.

GACC beat the Monarchs 61-53 in David City last year.

Both teams are quite a bit different this year though.

The Bluejays are young while David City Aquinas is having a nice season so far.

I still fully expect GACC to compete well in this one though.

I look for Stalp, Minnick, Reeson, and Doernemann to all have good games for the Bluejays.

GACC needs every one of them to step up and play well.

The Bluejays are definitely capable of playing great they just have to get off to a faster start and continue to finish strong like they did against the Knights.

Hopefully not having a lot of games prior to playing the Monarchs will allow GACC to be fresh and ready to go.

The Bluejays had a long layoff prior to playing Oakland-Craig so hopefully GACC worked out the cobwebs in the 1st half of that one.

I really think the Bluejays are going to come out and play a strong game.

This is GACC's last chance to pick up a win before the Holiday Break, and I'm sure the Bluejays would love to pick up a win right before Christmas given the fact they're in the BRLD Holiday Tournament next week.

GACC won the last time they were at home, and so the Bluejays have to try and make it two in a row.

Aquinas is a solid team, but GACC has the potential to compete, keep things close, and win, in my opinion.

It should be an intriguing game. I hope you will join me for the broadcast. Should be a fun one. I am really looking forward to it.

Coverage of the girls game will start around 6:00 p.m. with the boys game to follow on the Bull.

This is assuming the game doesn't get called due to the weather of course.

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Girls won 62-59 at home over Norfolk Catholic on Saturday before falling 58-44 at Wayne Monday night.

The Bluejays led the Knights 12-9 at the end of one. Norfolk Catholic outscored GACC 21-11 in the 2nd quarter to take a 30-23 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays won the 3rd quarter 17-9 to go up 40-39 at the end of three.

GACC notched 22 points in the 4th quarter and held the Knights to 20.

Lexis Haase had 27 points and 15 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Brenna Rief added 12 points while Marissa Hunke scored 9.

The Bluejays led the Blue Devils 18-16 at the end of the 1st quarter. Wayne won the 2nd quarter 14-11 to go up 30-29 at halftime.

The Blue Devils outscored GACC 14-8 in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 44-37 at the end of three.

Wayne doubled up the Bluejays 14-7 in the 4th quarter.

Haase had 19 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Rief chipped in 8 points.

Head Coach Jerry Stracke says the game was a tale of two halfs. "The first half I was very happy the way we played. Defensively we did a great job. And then in the 2nd half we didn't execute very well on the offensive end, didn't take care of the ball. We also didn't do a very good job on their top scorer. We let her get to the basket too easy."

Stracke says overall he's been very pleased with the season so far as the girls are playing hard.

The 6-3 Bluejays take on the 2-4 David City Aquinas Monarchs in West Point Friday night in a game that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

David City Aquinas has lost four in a row, but Stracke still expects a good game. "Yeah we can't really look at their losses cause they play some very good teams. It's one of those games that could go either way. It just depends on who's hitting that night, who's on, who shows up. and who's working really hard out there on the court. It's one of those games that should be fun to watch."

The Monarchs lost 63-44 at Lincoln Lutheran on Saturday.

GACC won last year's game 68-48.

David City Aquinas has lost four in a row, but to very good teams.

The Monarchs' 4 losses are to Howells-Dodge, Fremont Bergan, Bishop Neumann, and the aforementioned Warriors.

David City Aquinas is no slouch and figures to be a tougher team than their record indicates, but the Bluejays are a good and quality team too.

I look for Haase to go off and have a big game for GACC again.

She has meant a lot to this team, and is a great player.

She has to be on top of her game, knocking down 3's from beyond the arc and driving and slashing to the basket for running jump shots and layups.

Haase also has to get to the free throw line, and convert there.

Rief has come on lately too, and I look for her to have a solid game as well.

Hunke figures to do something too I would think, and perhaps Brandi Doernemann will get into the act as well.

I look for the Bluejays to play well and come away with the win.

I think GACC may have been a bit tired out in the 2nd half of the Wayne game so hopefully a couple days off will get this team rejuvenated and ready to go.

I fully expect the Bluejays to play well and find a way to win.

It's the last game before Christmas, and GACC is at home.

The Bluejays are a tough, good, and quality team, and I think GACC will find a way to get the job done Friday night.

Coverage of the girls game will start around 6:00 p.m. with the boys game to follow on the Bull.

North Bend Central Boys hold off Parkview Christian; Girls top Raymond Central

The North Bend Central Boys Basketball Team held off Parkview Christian 70-69 at home on Saturday.

The Tigers held a 19-14 advantage at the end of one before outscoring the Patriots 23-17 in the 2nd quarter to take a 42-31 lead into the locker room.

Parkview Christian trimmed the deficit to 4 at the end of three by winning the third quarter 16-9, making the score 51-47 in favor of North Bend Central.

The Patriots put up 22 points in the 4th quarter compared to 19 for the Tigers.

John Emanuel had 34 points to lead North Bend Central while Jaxon Wietfeld and Tanner Wietfeld totaled 9 and 8, respectively.

Good win for the Tigers, but probably a little too close for comfort.

North Bend Central was supposed to play Raymond Central Thursday night, but the game was postponed due to the weather.

North Bend Central (5-0) travels to Milford on Friday to take on the Eagles (4-2).

Milford won 62-24 at Ashland-Greenwood on Saturday.

The Eagles are a solid team, and have lost to a couple of good teams in Lincoln Lutheran and Centennial.

Milford figures to challenge the Tigers and give them a tough game.

This is probably going to be North Bend Central's toughest test of the season yet.

I would say the Eagles might be better than Parkview Christian.

It's unfortunate that the Tigers didn't get to play Thursday night, but North Bend Central will just have to come back strong on Friday.

The Tigers should definitely be fresh and ready to go given the fact they didn't get the game in with Raymond Central.

The unfortunate thing about not playing the Mustangs is now North Bend Central may not be as loose or as in good of game shape as if they had played.

Not playing Thursday night probably takes the wind out of North Bend Central's sail at least a little bit.

The Tigers can't use not playing Thursday night as an excuse though. North Bend Central has to go out there and rely on pure talent, toughness, determination, and grit.

The Tigers are an experienced team and should be mature enough to handle the situation.

I'm sure North Bend Central knows what's at stake Friday night, and will come ready to play.

It's a chance for the Tigers to finish the Pre-Christmas Schedule undefeated and beat a top team.

North Bend Central is coming off a scare on Saturday so the Tigers have to learn from the win over the Patriots and come out and play better Friday night.

It should be a great game, and North Bend Central has to come out and play loose and confident.

The Tigers can't be tight, nervous, intimidated or scared, and have to play 4 strong quarters of basketball if at all possible.

If North Bend Central gets outscored in the 2nd half again I don't know if they'll have enough to beat Milford.

North Bend-The North Bend Central Girls Basketball Team picked up a 52-44 home win over Raymond Central in High School Basketball heard on 107.9 the Bull Thursday night.

The Tigers led 14-9 after one before the Mustangs outscored North Bend Central 13-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 22-20 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers won the 3rd quarter 17-11 to go up 37-33 at the end of three.

North Bend Central notched 15 4th quarter points compared to 11 for Raymond Central.

North Bend Central Head Coach Aaron Sterup says the win wasn't easy. "No, they came out shooting lights out. It felt like that to me anyways. It was a good win. It wasn't pretty all the time, but it was a good game for us."

The Tigers' Brooke Fredrickson led all scorers with 18 points while Kristin Lux scored 17. "Well they're a tough matchup for anybody with their size. And Kristin able to shoot the ball from the outside they're a tough matchup. And we needed them tonight. We don't shoot the ball particularly well from the outside, we really need to get points inside. And they were kind of playing that 1-2-2 zone, and so there were some openings in there. And we didn't take advantage as well in the 1st half as well as I'd hoped, but the 2nd half we really got the ball in there where we needed to," Sterup said.

Lauren Emanuel chipped in 7.

The Tigers and Mustangs were to play a boys game as well, but it was postponed due to the weather.

North Bend Central improves to 5-1 on the year and travels to Milford (5-1) Friday night. "Yeah they're a good team. They've already beaten Raymond Central so we know we're going to have our hands full again without any practice preparation beforehand. It's going to be tough. We'll have to again hopefully just rely on our instincts and the fact that we have a lot of seniors, and go down there and hopefully come out victorious," Sterup said.

The Eagles won 39-32 at home against Centennial Friday night.

Milford is a pretty tough team, and doesn't figure to be easy to beat.

The Eagles' lone loss is to powerhouse Lincoln Lutheran.

This is a game the Tigers can definitely win though as Milford hasn't been super dominant or anything like that.

Both teams play strong defense and tend to score lower in some games.

This is one of those games North Bend Central simply has to go out there and let it rip.

The Tigers don't have a lot of time to game plan or think about the Eagles so North Bend Central just has to go out there and play.

The Tigers just have to go out there and play their game, and give Milford all they can handle.

Lux and Fredrickson need to have huge games again for North Bend Central.

The Tigers rely on those two a lot for scoring, and they are both great and outstanding players.

North Bend Central has to come out with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, excitement, drive, heart, passion, pride, grit, and determination.

The Tigers have to come out ready to control the boards and must be efficient scoring the ball as well.

North Bend Central has to pound the ball inside and grind things out for a win.

The Tigers have to control pace of the game, and play at their tempo, which is a slower, half court paced game.

With that said, North Bend Central has to pick and choose their spots to get out and run and fast break.

If the Tigers have a 2 on 1 or a 3 on 1 they must take advantage.

This is a gigantic game for North Bend Central, and the Tigers can definitely win, they just have to go out there and play a great game and put their minds to it.

Pender Boys 2-0 in last two games; Girls 0-4 in last four

The Pender Boys Basketball Team continues to play good basketball as the Pendragons won 56-39 at home over Clarkson/Leigh last Thursday night, and 59-44 at home over Stanton on Saturday.

The Clarkson/Leigh game was close early, with Pender holding a 27-25 advantage at intermission. The Pendragons outscored Clarkson/Leigh 16-5 in the third quarter, and eventually pulled away for the 56-39 win.

Sam Mailloux topped all scorers with 21 points and had 15 rebounds for Pender, good enough for a double-double. "As Sam goes, we go. But we got a couple kids that can also step up too. I believe Tyler Nelson had a solid game tonight too," Pender head coach Sean King said. "I like how Sam, he works inside, he works outside. One thing I think he's gotten a lot better at this year is, from the outside his shot looks really smooth and he's not focusing on defenders. He's got the eye on the basket the entire time and doesn't alter his shot if anybody is coming out on him. And then he works real hard in the post."

Nelson had 11 points for Pender and Chris Rutar added 10.

The Pendragons got out to a 19-12 lead at the end of one. The Mustangs won the 2nd quarter 11-7 to make it a 26-23 game at halftime.

Pender outscored Stanton 15-4 in the 3rd quarter to lead 41-27 at the end of three.

The Pendragons put up 18 points in the 4th quarter compared to 17 for the Mustangs.

Mailoux had a double-double of 19 points and 22 rebounds while Nelson and Rutar totaled 14 points each.

Mailoux and Pender are playing very solid basketball right now. The Pendragons are simply having a nice season.

Pender (4-2) takes on Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (5-2) on the road Friday night.

The Bulldogs topped Stanton 58-37 at home Tuesday night.

The two teams were supposed to play Thursday night, but the games were postponed until Friday due to the weather.

I'm sure the Pendragons were chomping at the bit for this game, but Pender will simply have to wait another day.

Nothing changes...the Pendragons' focus, effort, heart, and determination has to remain the same.

This is a tremendous opportunity and chance for Pender.

This game could go either way, and it should be a dandy of a ball game.

Players that figure to be X-factors are Mailoux and Ashton Dohmen for Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

Nelson and Rutar are very good players in their own right for the Pendragons though, and have meant a lot to this team as well.

Pender has to keep doing what they've been doing, and play good basketball for 4 quarters.

Both teams have won 3 in a row so something has to give in this one.

This should be a hotly contested and entertaining ball game.

I think the game could come down to the final minutes or even the final seconds.

Every play, every possession, every shot, every free throw is critical, and so the Pendragons have to value each and every possession.

Pender has to maximize their potential as a team and get the most out of one another.

The Pendragons have to play together as one and for one another.

Pender has a great opportunity to be 5-2 heading into the Holiday Break, and must make the most of that opportunity.

The Pender Girls Baskeball Team is 0-4 in their last four games, losing 44-30 at home to Clarkson/Leigh last Thursday night, 61-50 at North Bend Central Friday night, 53-37 at home to Stanton on Saturday, and 55-41 at home to BRLD Tuesday night.

Clarkson/Leigh led 22-12 at halftime, and would go on to beat Pender

Sarah Krueger scored 12 points for Pender.

The Tigers led the Pendragons 13-11 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 14-13 to take a 27-24 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central put up 17 points in the 3rd quarter compared to 15 for Pender to go up 44-39 at the end of three.

The Tigers outscored the Pendragons 17-11 in the 4th quarter.

Ashley Ostrand had 18 points and 7 rebounds while Tymaree Krusemark and Faith Morris notched 9 apiece. Jessica Krueger chipped in 8.

The Mustangs held an 8-7 advantage on the Pendragons at the end of one. Pender won the 2nd quarter 9-8 to tie the game at 16 at halftime.

The Pendragons put up 12 points in the 3rd quarter compared to 11 for Stanton to lead 28-27 at the end of three.

The Mustangs outscored Pender 26-9 in the 4th quarter.

Krusemark had 11 points to lead the Pendragons while Ostrand and Sarah Krueger registered 7 apiece.

The Wolverines led the Pendragons 10-6 at the end of one. Both teams scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 20-16 in favor of BRLD.

The Wolverines outscored Pender 20-12 in the 3rd quarter to lead 40-28 at the end of three.

BRLD won the 4th quarter 15-13.

Ostrand led the way with 18 points while Sarah Krueger scored 7.

I don't think the Pendragons have played bad basketball lately, they've just played some really good teams.

Pender (3-5) has another tough game Friday night at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (7-1).

The Bulldogs lost 48-45 at home to Stanton Tuesday night.

A couple of players to watch out for for Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family are Taya Beller and Brittney Veik.

Veik hit a shot at the buzzer to beat Howells-Dodge so you know she is definitely a big time player.

The Bulldogs are for real, and it's going to take a great game from the Pendragons to get the job done.

Pender can definitely do it though.

If there's a team that can rebound from all these losses to tough teams it's the Pendragons.

Pender has played such a tough schedule, and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family is just as good if not better than these other teams, in my opinion.

The Pendragons definitely have an uphill battle on their hands, but all Pender can do is give it their all and play the hand they are dealt.

The game was supposed to be played Thursday night, but was postponed due to the weather.

Perhaps that extra day of practice and preparation and reps will help the Pendragons.

I definitely don't think it will hurt Pender by any means.

I look for the Pendragons to come out ready and inspired and prepared to play a great game.

I look for Ostrand, Morris, and both Krueger's to have big games scoring.

I think it's going to take big scoring nights from all four of them for Pender to be able to come away with the win.

The Pendragons have to be flat out pumped and upset given all the tough teams they've lost to lately.

Pender has to light a fire under themselves and come out and turn in a big time performance.

The Pendragons have to play like the championship team I think they are capable of becoming.

Stanton Boys 0-3 in last 3 games; Girls 3-0 in same stretch

The Stanton Boys Basketball Team lost 63-29 at home to Wakefield Friday night, 59-44 at Pender on Saturday, and 58-37 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Tuesday night.

The Pendragons got out to a 19-12 lead at the end of one. The Mustangs won the 2nd quarter 11-7 to make it a 26-23 game at halftime.

Pender outscored Stanton 15-4 in the 3rd quarter to lead 41-27 at the end of three.

The Pendragons put up 18 points in the 4th quarter compared to 17 for the Mustangs.

The Bulldogs led 15-4 at the end of one, and won the 2nd quarter 14-10 to take a 29-14 lead into the locker room.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family outscored Stanton 13-8 in the 3rd quarter to go up 42-22 at the end of three.

The Bulldogs put up 16 points in the 4th quarter compared to 15 for the Mustangs.

One quarter killed Stanton in the losses to Pender and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, in my opinion.

The Mustangs (1-6) host Wisner-Pilger (5-1) Thursday night.

The Gators won 55-52 at home over Arlington Tuesday night.

Wisner-Pilger is very good this year, and is led by the likes of Hunter Waterman, Gunner Labenz, Keegan Ruskamp, and Jayden Raabe.

Stanton has had a lot of success against the Gators in recent years so that has to give the Mustangs a lift of confidence heading into this one.

I thought Stanton played better basketball against Pender and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family than they have in any other games this season.

I thought the Mustangs played at a higher level against those two teams, and that should help Stanton heading into this game.

The Gators are a very good and tough team though, and competing with and beating them will be no easy or small task.

It won't be easy for the Mustangs to sustain the same level of play against Wisner-Pilger, in my opinion, but it's a rivalry game, and I think this contest could be closer than if it wasn't a rivalry game.

I don't know if Stanton will win, but I think the Mustangs could put forth a good scoring effort and play decent defense.

I feel Stanton has a chance to take some steps forward Thursday night, and can turn in their best performance of the season.

If anything this game with the Gators will help prepare the Mustangs for their Holiday Tournament next week.

Stanton has West Holt coming in, and the Huskies are a very strong D-1 team.

The biggest thing for the Mustangs against Wisner-Pilger though is showing improvement and growth and playing at the highest level possible.

Stanton may not win, but there's a lot of good things the Mustangs can do in a loss, in my opinion.

I think there will be plenty of things Stanton can take from the game and apply it to future games should they lose, or win for that matter.

So even if the Mustangs don't beat the Gators, I feel there are some things to be had in the form of a moral victory for Stanton.

The Stanton Girls Basketball Team continues to roll as the Mustangs beat Wakefield 50-18 at home Friday night, Pender 53-37 on the road Saturday, and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 48-45 on the road Tuesday night.

The Mustangs led the Trojans 9-1 after one. Stanton outscored Wakefield 16-2 in the 2nd quarter to take a 25-3 lead at halftime.

The Mustangs won the 3rd quarter 18-5 to go up 43-8 at the end of three.

The Trojans scored 10 points in the 4th quarter compared to 7 for Stanton.

Hannah Heppner had 13 points and 9 rebounds while Bree Burtwhistle and Jessie Brandl notched 12 and 9 points, respectively.

The Mustangs held an 8-7 advantage on the Pendragons at the end of one. Pender won the 2nd quarter 9-8 to tie the game at 16 at halftime.

The Pendragons put up 12 points in the 3rd quarter compared to 11 for Stanton to lead 28-27 at the end of three.

The Mustangs outscored Pender 26-9 in the 4th quarter.

Burtwhistle and Heppner totaled 15 points each while Liz Christensen totaled 14 points. Brandl added 7 points and 7 rebounds while Heppner registered 9 rebounds.

Stanton jumped out to a 15-9 lead on the Bulldogs at the end of one. Both teams scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 25-19 in favor of the Mustangs.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family outscored Stanton 19-4 in the 3rd quarter to go up 38-29 at the end of three.

The Mustangs put up 19 points in the 4th quarter and held the Bulldogs to 7.

Brandl posted a team-high 16 points and 7 rebounds while Heppner and Burtwhistle tallied 11 points apiece. Jaiden Hartl recorded 10.

Stanton has lived dangerously their last couple of games, but has found ways to win and pull things out in the 4th quarter.

The Mustangs (7-0) host rival Wisner-Pilger (2-4) Thursday night.

The Gators lost 52-46 at home to Arlington Tuesday night.

Stanton should be able to beat Wisner-Pilger, but I don't know if the Mustangs can afford to wait until the 4th quarter again to get the job done.

What I'm trying to say is Stanton has lived dangerously in their past couple of games, and if the Gators have the lead heading into the 4th quarter, they may not give it up.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family is a stronger team than Wisner-Pilger, and Pender may even be stronger, but the Mustangs have to play better for 4 quarters against the Gators than they did in either of those two games.

Reason being Wisner-Pilger is a rival, and has competed well against everyone they've played so far.

The Gators haven't been blown out this year, and I look for this game to be close as well.

I think things will be decided by single digits, but feel Stanton will find a way to win.

The Mustangs are at home and undefeated, and it's just too tough to go against Stanton given how consistent they've been.

You can bet the Mustangs will get Wisner-Pilger's best shot though.

I'm sure the Gators would much rather be 3-4 than 2-5 heading into the Holiday Break.

Wisner-Pilger has been without Alexis Heller though, and if she's still out for this game against Stanton then that's going to really hurt and hamper the Gators.

Burtwhistle, Brandl, Heppner, and Hartl need to keep doing what they've been doing for the Mustangs.

All four have scored the ball well, and Brandl and Heppner have been excellent rebounders as well.

Stanton has been very tough defensively this year, and that's what has ultimately gotten them over the hump night in and night out, in my opinion.

The offense has been solid too, but the strong point and backbone of this Mustangs' squad is definitely their defense.

Guarding Jordan Wegner, Ariel Meyer, Maci Batenhorst, and others tightly, and contesting their shots and boxing them out will be key for Stanton, in my opinion.

The Mustangs have to play suffocating defense, and create turnovers to get extra possessions on the fast break and in the half court offense.

Wisner-Pilger Boys 3-0 in last 3 games; Girls 0-3 in same stretch

The Wisner-Pilger Boys Basketball Team won 54-43 at home over Oakland-Craig Thursday night, 65-40 at Wayne Friday night, and 55-52 at home over Arlington Tuesday night.

The Gators led Oakland-Craig 14-10 after one. Wisner-Pilger outscored the Knights 17-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 31-16 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig won the 3rd quarter 20-11 to make it a 42-36 game at the end of three in favor of the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger put up 12 points in the 4th quarter and held the Knights to 7.

Against the Blue Devils, Wisner-Pilger scored over 20 points in the first two quarters, and made six three-pointers in the first half, racing to a 43-23 lead at the half.

Hunter Waterman paced three Gators in double digits with 22 points, going along with 18 from Gunner Labenz and 13 from Keegan Ruskamp.

Wisner-Pilger jumped on the Eagles 16-9 after one. Arlington won the 2nd quarter 13-10 to make it a 26-22 game at halftime.

The Eagles won the 3rd quarter 14-12 to cut the deficit to 2 at 38-36 at the end of three.

The Gators put up 17 points in the 4th quarter compared to 16 for Arlington.

Wisner-Pilger is playing great basketball right now. The Gators are clicking on all cylinders. I've been very impressed with this Wisner-Pilger team.

The Gators (5-1) travel to Stanton (1-6) to take on the Mustangs Thursday night.

The Mustangs lost 58-37 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Tuesday night and have lost 6 in a row.

Stanton has a lot of trouble scoring, and defense is a strength for this Wisner-Pilger team as is offense.

I'm sure the Gators would love nothing more than to put it on the Mustangs and take it to them for 4 quarters.

Stanton had gotten the better of these two in recent years up until sub-districts last year.

I look for Wisner-Pilger to win this matchup and any other matchups between the two teams this season.

I don't know if the Gators will beat the Mustangs the way they beat Tekamah-Herman, but Wisner-Pilger should be able to win this one rather handily.

Waterman, Labenz, Ruskamp, Jayden Raabe, and others have to have nice games for the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger has to come out and dominate from the start, and never allow Stanton to be in the game.

The Gators have turned in a lot of complete game performances this season, and I look for Wisner-Pilger to turn in another one Thursday night.

I look for the Gators to not only win this game, but win it big.

A lot of players should see the floor for Wisner-Pilger in this game, and it should be a great game all the way around for the Gators.

I don't know how much mercy or sympathy Wisner-Pilger will show the Mustangs in this game so it will be interesting to see how much the Gators win by.

I think Wisner-Pilger has a chance to win this game by at least 25-30 if not more.

The Gators have been dominant in certain games this year, but I feel Wisner-Pilger can be even more dominant than they have been.

Either way this game with Stanton should be a great way for the Gators to enter the Holiday Break.

This game with the Mustangs should be fun as should the Shootout on the Elkhorn at Wisner-Pilger next week.

Things get tougher for Wisner-Pilger after this game with Stanton so the Gators need to play well.

The Wisner-Pilger Girls Basketball Team lost 53-46 at home to Oakland-Craig Thursday night, 62-54 at Wayne Friday night, and 52-46 at home to Arlington Tuesday night.

The Knights led the Gators 16-7 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig won the 2nd quarter 17-15 to take a 33-22 lead at halftime.

The Knights put up 11 points in the 3rd quarter compared to 10 for Wisner-Pilger, and Oakland-Craig held a 44-32 advantage at the end of three.

The Gators outscored the Knights 14-9 in the 4th quarter.

Wayne got out to a quick start offensively, taking a 37-21 lead into halftime. The Blue Devils held a double digit lead throughout much of the second half. The Gators went on a run late, but couldn’t cut the deficit closer than eight points.

Jordan Wegner and Ariel Meyer each had 13 points to lead Wisner-Pilger, while Maci Batenhorst added 11.

It has been tough sledding for the Gators lately without the services of Alexis Heller.

Wisner-Pilger (2-4) takes on Stanton (7-0) on the road Thursday night.

The Mustangs topped Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 48-45 on the road Tuesday night.

Stanton appears to be legit and the real deal once again this year, and so far have proven to be the best team in the conference.

I think the Gators can still compete and make things interesting though.

Wisner-Pilger is a better team than their record indicates, in my opinion.

The Gators have lost to some good teams, and came close to beating 2-4 Lutheran High Northeast.

Wisner-Pilger has been very competitive in all of their games this season, and I look for this game with the Mustangs to be decided by single digits.

I think Stanton will win, but anything can happen, especially in a rivalry game.

The Mustangs have played a lot of games lately, and sometimes coming off a big emotional win like Stanton had on Tuesday takes its toll on a team.

The Gators could be seeing the Mustangs at a better time though I would say.

Wisner-Pilger is banged up while Stanton is 7-0 and rolling.

It's a rivalry game though, and the Gators have to dig deep and play a great game.

Wegner, Meyer, and Batenhorst have to step up and have big games for Wisner-Pilger, and the Gators have to challenge the shots of Jessie Brandl, Hannah Heppner, Liz Christensen, Bree Burtwhistle, and others.

It's going to be important for Wisner-Pilger to play well on both ends of the floor, in my opinion.

If the Gators struggle on one end or both ends of the floor then it could be another tough game and long night for Wisner-Pilger.

But if the Gators make good, smart, crisp passes, work the ball around the perimeter and in the post for good, open shots, get to and convert at the free throw line, make their layups, as well as box out and rebound well, and pressure the ball tightly and create turnovers, then they may have a chance to pull off the upset.

Wisner-Pilger has to play with a spark and a fire lit under them.

The Gators have to play with the mindset that they can win and have nothing to lose, because both things certainly hold true.

Oakland-Craig Boys 2-2 in last four games; Girls 3-0 in last 3

The Oakland-Craig Boys Basketball lost 76-36 at home against Winnebago last Tuesday night, fell 54-43 at Wisner-Pilger Thursday night, beat Madison 71-40 on the road Saturday, and won 64-46 at home over GACC Tuesday night.

Winnebago went on a 10-0 run to go up 14-4 after the game was tied at 4 early on.

The Indians led it 21-10 at the end of the first quarter, and outscored Oakland-Craig 30-8 in the 2nd quarter to take a 51-18 lead into the locker room.

Winnebago didn't allow the Knights to score in the 2nd half until about 2 1/2 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

The game was a running clock early in the 3rd quarter, and the Indians went on to lead 67-26 after three.

The Knights won the 4th quarter 10-9.

For Oakland-Craig, Wyatt Seagren had a team-high 9 points while Garrison Dodge notched 8. Garrett Seagren made his season debut, and scored 6 points.

Oakland-Craig Head Coach Aaron Meyer on the loss. "We played scared, and I don't know why. Winnebago played really, really well. I mean like that they're going to be tough to beat I don't care who they play. So I mean yes they are very, very good, but at the same time we looked really, really scared. We took fast breaks, and turned them into slow breaks, and wanted to shoot a 3 pointer off a fast break. And just things you can't do if you're going to want to beat teams like them."

The Knights were 5-8 at the free throw line while the Indians were 9-15.

The Gators led Oakland-Craig 14-10 after one. Wisner-Pilger outscored the Knights 17-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 31-16 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig won the 3rd quarter 20-11 to make it a 42-36 game at the end of three in favor of the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger put up 12 points in the 4th quarter and held the Knights to 7.

Dodge and Kobe Benne had 10 points apiece for Oakland-Craig while Garrett Seagren and Jared Mulder totaled 8 each. Garrett Seagren added 8 rebounds while Wyatt Seagren pulled down 10.

The Knights led the Dragons 14-13 after one. Oakland-Craig won the 2nd quarter 17-11 to go up 31-24 at halftime.

The Knights opened things up in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Madison 23-5 to lead 54-29 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 17 points in the 4th quarter compared to 11 for the Dragons.

Garrett Seagren led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds while Benne notched 15 points. Wyatt Seagren added 10 while Cole Bures contributed 7 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knights doubled up the Bluejays 18-9 in the 1st quarter. Oakland-Craig outscored GACC 11-6 in the 2nd quarter to go up 29-15 at halftime.

The Knights won the 3rd quarter 15-13 to lead 44-28 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 20 points in the 4th quarter compared to 18 for the Bluejays.

Benne had 26 points to lead the team while Wyatt Seagren and Garrett Seagren registered 11 and 9, respectively.

The Knights played a lot better against Madison and GACC than they did against Winnebago and Wisner-Pilger I would say.

Oakland-Craig (5-4) travels to Omaha Nation (5-4) Thursday night to battle the Chiefs.

Omaha Nation beat Marty, SD 67-45 on Saturday at the Lakota Nations Invite in Rapid City, SD.

The Chiefs lost by almost 50 to Winnebago so based on that score the Knights should win.

This should be a good game, but I do think Oakland-Craig will find a way to get the job done.

The Knights have been kind of up and down so far this year you could say, but Oakland-Craig has a couple of nice wins over good teams, and all their losses are to very good teams.

Having Garrett Seagren back makes all the difference for this team, and I think he is going to have a significant impact on Thursday's game.

Him, Wyatt Seagren, Benne, Mulder, Bures, Dodge, and Mayberry really make this team go.

The Knights are at their best when they can get out in transition and score.

One thing I've noticed with Oakland-Craig this year is their defense appears to be strong again.

The Knights are a very gifted team offensively too, but Oakland-Craig is undefeated when holding teams to less than 50 points.

If the Knights can hold the Chiefs to under 50 points they should have a great chance to win.

Even if Oakland-Craig can hold Omaha Nation to the low to mid 50's they should be able to win.

I would say the first one to 60 wins this one.

The Knights have to get out and run up and down the floor all game long.

Oakland-Craig has to play with tremendous energy and effort, and must get after the Chiefs for 4 quarters.

The Knights have to build off of what they did against the Dragons and Bluejays, and keep the ball rolling.

I thought Oakland-Craig did a nice job beating Madison and GACC the way they did, now it's a matter of sustaining a high level of play and playing good basketball against Omaha Nation.

The Knights have to be prepared for a 4 quarter battle as you can bet the Chiefs will give a great effort for the full 32 minutes against Oakland-Craig.

The Oakland-Craig Girls Basketball Team won 56-54 at home over Winnebago last Tuesday night, 53-46 at Wisner-Pilger Thursday night, and 58-37 at Madison on Saturday.

Winnebago jumped out in front 12-5 before Oakland-Craig went on a 9-2 run to end the 1st quarter to tie the game at 14.

The Indians outscored the Knights 17-13 in the 2nd quarter to go up 31-27 in a quarter that ended with Ashley Denton of Oakland-Craig knocking down a 3 pointer.

The Knights won the 3rd quarter 12-10 to make it a 41-39 game at the end of three with the Indians in the lead. Kennedy Benne canned a 3 to end the frame.

Oakland-Craig eventually took the lead in the 4th quarter after trailing for much of the game, and won the 4th quarter 17-13.

The Knights got Winnebago in foul trouble early and often as Jayla Price and Kae Earth both fouled out for the Indians.

Oakland-Craig went 22-40 at the free throw line while Winnebago was 11-18.

Benne led all scorers with 27 points while Natalia McNeill chipped in 9. Denton registered 9 while Makenna Pearson totaled 7.

Oakland-Craig Head Coach Joe Anderson says it was tough sledding early on. "What hurt us early is we didn't rebound. They pushed around underneath the basket, and we didn't get any transition game going because we didn't get any rebounds. So it was a little bit tough early going, got a couple girls in foul trouble a little bit, but as the game went on I thought our girls stepped up. We started moving the ball a little bit better against their zone and got some good shots, and started getting some shots to fall."

The Knights led the Gators 16-7 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig won the 2nd quarter 17-15 to take a 33-22 lead at halftime.

The Knights put up 11 points in the 3rd quarter compared to 10 for Wisner-Pilger, and Oakland-Craig held a 44-32 advantage at the end of three.

The Gators outscored the Knights 14-9 in the 4th quarter.

Benne led the way with 32 points and 7 rebounds while McNeill totaled 10 points.

Oakland-Craig got out to a 21-8 lead on the Dragons at the end of one. The Knights outscored Madison 16-7 in the 2nd quarter to take a 37-15 at halftime lead.

The Dragons won the 3rd quarter 12-11 to make it a 48-27 game at the the end of three.

Both teams scored 10 points in the 4th quarter.

Benne had a game-high 24 points while McNeill posted 10. Makenna Pearson added 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Oakland-Craig appears to be finding their groove a little as they've won 3 in a row and 4 out of their last 5.

The Knights (6-2) square off with Omaha Nation (8-1) on the road Thursday night.

The Chiefs beat White River, SD 62-54 at the Lakota Nations Invite in Rapid City, SD on Friday.

Omaha Nation's biggest win of the season came in the season opener on November 30th against BRLD, who the Chiefs beat 66-57.

That's the measuring stick for Oakland-Craig.

Both BRLD and Omaha Nation are in the Knights' Sub-District so Oakland-Craig will get a good idea of where they stand come Thursday night.

I think the Knights can go up there and pick up a win.

The Chiefs haven't been challenged by any Nebraska teams except the Wolverines, and I just question the level of competition Omaha Nation has played.

The Chiefs are still a very good and exceptional team though I would say.

Omaha Nation is a team to be reckoned with, and Benne and company are going to need to be ready to go full tilt for 4 quarters.

Benne, McNeill, Pearson, and Denton have to all be on top of their game.

I think Oakland-Craig is going to need Benne to have a gigantic game, and for 1 or 2 other girls to reach double figures, and another score 7 or more.

Benne is definitely the key to this game, in my opinion.

She has to go off for the Knights to be able to win. There's no other way around it.

The Chiefs beat Winnebago 52-37 in a game that Omaha Nation outscored the Indians in the 4th quarter 21-6.

That game was really closer than the final score so I definitely think Oakland-Craig can knock off the Chiefs.

Omaha Nation appears to be pretty salty though. The Chiefs are a threat to the Knights now, and in the postseason.

This game is big with the two teams being in the same sub-district.

I think Oakland-Craig has to win or at least make things close to really get themselves to believe that they can hang and compete with and beat anyone in their sub-district and beyond.

BRLD Boys beat Howells-Dodge; Girls top Jaguars and Pender

The BRLD Boys Basketball Team won 50-39 at home over Howells-Dodge Friday night.

The Wolverines led the Jaguars 20-12 at the end of one, and won the 2nd quarter 13-11 to take a 33-23 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored BRLD 11-5 in the 3rd quarter to get back in it, trailing 38-34 at the end of three.

The Wolverines scored 12 points in the 4th quarter and held the Jaguars to just 5.

Very nice win for BRLD. I think the Wolverines proved they are for real with this win.

BRLD (5-0) travels to defending Class C-2 State Champion Ponca (6-0) Thursday night.

The Indians won 65-20 at Emerson-Hubbard Friday night, and have won every game by 20+ points, scoring at least 71 in 5 of the contests.

The Wolverines have been dominant this year too, just maybe not the whole time like Ponca.

BRLD has shown flashes of dominance this year you could say, and have won a few games lopsided.

One good thing you can say about this Wolverines' team is that they flat out know how to win.

No matter the team, no matter the competition, BRLD finds a way to get the job done.

With that said, the Wolverines are going to need to play a great game and dig deep to beat the Indians.

Ponca is a complete team and the real deal, and BRLD is going to need to play very well to come out on top.

The game is also in Ponca so that adds to the Wolverines' difficult task of winning you could say.

This is definitely a game BRLD can win though.

The Indians are the measuring stick when it comes to seeing where you're at as a team when it comes to winning state championships and how good of a team you are this season.

This game will give the Wolverines a very good indication of where they stand, in my opinion.

I feel BRLD is a great team, but the Wolverines have to go out there and prove it.

The stage is big for BRLD, and the Wolverines have a chance to go out there and turn some heads.

BRLD is young, but the Wolverines have found different ways to win this season so far.

BRLD has won both lopsided and close games, and I feel that's something that will really benefit the Wolverines down the stretch.

Ponca has yet to be in a close game this season so if the Wolverines can keep things close and stay within striking distance they may have a chance to pull out the win.

I fully expect BRLD to go up there and hold their own. I think the Wolverines will give the Indians' their closest game of the year and are the toughest team Ponca has faced so far this season.

BRLD has to go up there and execute the game plan, and not let the crowd and atmosphere get the best of them if at all possible.

The BRLD Girls Basketball Team won 46-34 at home over Howells-Dodge Friday night before winning 55-41 at Pender Tuesday night.

The Jaguars led the Wolverines 11-7 after one. BRLD won the 2nd quarter 10-4 to take a 17-15 lead at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored Howells-Dodge 17-8 in the 3rd quarter to go up 34-23 at the end of three.

BRLD put up 12 points in the 4th quarter compared to 11 for the Jaguars.

Vicki Gatzemeyer had a team-high 12 points while Paige Peters scored 9.

The Wolverines led the Pendragons 10-6 at the end of one. Both teams scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 20-16 in favor of BRLD.

The Wolverines outscored Pender 20-12 in the 3rd quarter to lead 40-28 at the end of three.

BRLD won the 4th quarter 15-13.

Gatzemeyer and Sophia Henneman led the way with 12 points each while Tiahna Bonneau posted 10.

The Wolverines have continued to play great basketball. I've been very impressed with this BRLD team.

The Wolverines (5-1) battle Ponca (4-3) on the road Thursday night.

The Indians won 53-32 at Emerson-Hubbard Friday night.

Ponca is a hard team to gauge. They lost their opener to undefeated Hartington-Newcastle, and their other two losses are to South Dakota Schools so it's hard to know just how good they are.

The Indians have an 8-point win over 4-1 Randolph so that's the best I have to go off of for Ponca.

You can bet the Indians will come ready to play, and will give BRLD a game regardless of their record.

I think the Wolverines can win, and look for them to go up there and get the job done, but BRLD has to keep performing at a high level.

The Wolverines have nice wins over Clarkson/Leigh, Howells-Dodge, and Pender, but I feel Ponca will be BRLD's toughest test yet outside of Omaha Nation.

Gatzemeyer, Bonneau, Peters, and Henneman have to be clicking on all cylinders offensively for the Wolverines to come out on top.

BRLD's offense has certainly been solid and adequate this year, but I've been even more impressed with their defense.

The Wolverines have held every opponent but one to under 50 points, that's simply a huge and amazing accomplishment for this BRLD program.

The Wolverines have things clicking and rolling right now, and I look for BRLD to continue their winning ways Thursday night.

It won't be easy to beat Ponca at their house, but I think the Wolverines have what it takes to win and get the job done.

Gatzemeyer, Peters, Bonneau, Henneman, Brandi Simonsen, and other veteran players have to use their experience in helping out the younger players in this type of environment.

Some of the younger players might feel a bid intimidated or overwhelmed at the start Thursday night so the older players have to coax the younger players and get them to be calm and collected, and just go out there and play their game like they were playing any other team in any other gym.

This is a big game and key juncture in the season for BRLD.

This is the last game before the Holiday Break so the Wolverines have to make it count.

I think BRLD can keep winning games playing the way they have been lately, and look for them to knock off the Indians Thursday night and compete well in and perhaps win their own Holiday Tournament next weekend.

Emerson-Hubbard Boys and Girls fall to Ponca

The Emerson-Hubbard Boys Basketball Team lost 65-20 at home to Ponca Friday night.

The Indians led 16-10 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 14-1 to take a 30-11 lead into the locker room.

Ponca outscored the Pirates 26-3 in the 3rd quarter to go up 56-14 at the end of three.

The Indians put up 9 points in the 4th quarter compared to 6 for Emerson-Hubbard.

Joshua Sebade had 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates.

Tough game for Emerson-Hubbard, losing to the defending Class C-2 State Champs.

The Pirates (0-6) host Winside (4-1) Thursday night.

The Wildcats won 51-27 at St. Edward last Tuesday night.

Winside may be 4-1, but 3 of their wins are against winless teams.

Emerson-Hubbard is another winless team, but I think the Pirates have a chance to pick up their first win of the year.

Emerson-Hubbard is going to need to play better than they did against Ponca though, especially offensively.

The Pirates must have confidence shooting the ball, and must be smart and aggressive on defense.

Emerson-Hubbard has to find some will from within, and put things all together Thursday night.

The Pirates are definitely capable of picking up the win, Emerson-Hubbard just has to put their minds to it and play hard for 4 quarters.

The Pirates have to be super focused on the task at hand, and can't allow any distractions to get in their way.

Emerson-Hubbard has to come out and play fast and physical, and with reckless abandonment.

The Pirates have to do everything in their power to win, and can't leave anything in the tank energy wise.

Emerson-Hubbard has to play their hearts out, and Sebade has to lead the team by example.

He has had a nice season so far, and other players have to step up their game and follow suit.

The Pirates have been battle tested big time so far this year, and that's why I think Emerson-Hubbard has a chance to win this one.

As long as the Pirates can forget about what took place Friday night they should be fine.

Emerson-Hubbard has to come out and play hard, intense, tough, physical, and gritty for 4 quarters to come away with the win.

I'm sure the Pirates would really like to pick up a win prior to the Holiday Break.

The Emerson-Hubbard Girls Basketball Team lost 53-32 at home to Ponca Friday night.

The Indians led 10-8 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 14-8 to take a 24-16 lead into the locker room.

Ponca notched 12 points in the 3rd quarter and held the Pirates to 9 to go up 36-25 at the end of three.

The Indians outscored Emerson-Hubbard 17-7 in the 4th quarter.

Courtney Bokemper had 16 points while Melanie Gentrup registered 11.

I thought the Pirates played respectable in this game despite losing by 21.

Emerson-Hubbard really competed through 3 quarters I thought.

The Pirates (1-5) host Winside (1-4) Thursday night.

The Wildcats won 50-31 at St. Edward last Tuesday night.

I think Emerson-Hubbard will pick up their 2nd win of the season Thursday night, I really do.

Winside lost 57-5 to Clarkson/Leigh, and credit the Patriots for a great game played, but seeing that score the Pirates have to be licking their chops.

Emerson-Hubbard has to have high confidence heading into this game, and that high confidence should allow the Pirates to play their best game of the season, in my opinion.

Everyone should see the floor in this game, and Emerson-Hubbard's confidence should grow throughout the contest.

I look for the Pirates to play with a spark and motivation that drives them to succeed.

I really think Emerson-Hubbard will play their best game of the year and put things all together in this game.

A win would be just what the Pirates need heading into the Holiday Break.

Emerson-Hubbard has to be hopping and jumping around during warmups, and has to play loose.

There can't be any tenseness or nervousness from the Pirates whatsoever.

Emerson-Hubbard just has to go out there and let it rip.

The Pirates can't hold anything back, or let up at any time.

Emerson-Hubbard has to go wall to wall for 4 quarters, and has to be relentless for the entire 32 minutes.

The Pirates have to come out and not only win, but dominate.

Emerson-Hubbard is definitely capable of playing a great game, they just have to work hard and play with an extra spark and oomph.

Just when the Pirates think they have done enough, they have to find an extra gear and do even more.