West Point-Beemer Boys and Girls 3-0 in last three games

The West Point-Beemer Boys are unbeaten in their last three games, defeating Tekamah-Herman 48-36 at home on Saturday, Wisner-Pilger 40-27 at home Monday night, and Pender 62-28 on the road Tuesday night.

The Cadets led the Tigers 19-8 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer doubled up Tekamah-Herman 6-3 in the second quarter to take a 25-11 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets won the third quarter 13-9 to go up 38-20 after three.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 16-10 in the fourth quarter.

Chase Streeter finished with a team-high 17 points and 9 rebounds. Tate Toelle added 14 while Blake Schroedter notched 8. Austin Streeter recorded 8 rebounds.

Wisner-Pilger led the Cadets 12-9 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 10-6 to take a 19-18 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored the Gators 12-2 in the third quarter to go up 31-20 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 9 fourth quarter points compared to 7 for Wisner-Pilger.

Schroedter led the way with 12 points. Chase Streeter added 9 points while Toelle scored 8. Austin Streeter notched 8 rebounds.

The Cadets led Pender 18-10 after one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 16-7 to make it a 34-17 game at halftime.

The Cadets outscored the Pendragons 15-2 in the third quarter to go up 49-19 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 13 fourth quarter points compared to 9 for Pender.

Chase Streeter totaled 13 points and 7 rebounds. Ben Jahnke posted 11 points while Adam Niewohner chipped in 7. Austin Streeter registered 11 rebounds.

The Cadets have caught fire and are playing great basketball right now. All those close games that didn't go West Point-Beemer's way earlier in the season appear to have fueled and motivated this team.

The Cadets (7-8) take on Twin River (8-4) on the road Friday night.

The Titans won 43-31 at Cross County last Thursday night.

The advantage goes to Twin River in that they've had a week to prepare for West Point-Beemer, whereas the Cadets have been playing a lot of games lately.

In a way though it might be good for West Point-Beemer because they are game ready.

Sometimes teams have a tendency to come out sluggish and slow when they've been off for so long so it will be interesting to see if that's what the Titans do.

Twin River is a very good team.

The Titans handed North Bend Central their lone loss of the season, and have a quality win over Boone Central/Newman Grove, in addition to wins over the Cougars and Tigers.

I think the Cadets have a chance to score a big upset though, I really do.

West Point-Beemer is playing some great basketball right now, and they're as hot as anyone at the moment.

If Chase and Austin Streeter, Toelle, Jahnke, and Niewohner can continue to play the way they have lately, this team can get the job done.

Everyone has to play well and understand their roles though. The Cadets have to continue to work as a team and keep doing the things that got them to where they are.

The West Point-Beemer Girls have continued their winning ways as of late, defeating Tekamah-Herman 57-38 at home on Saturday, Wisner-Pilger 55-45 at home Monday night, and Pender 54-46 on the road Tuesday night.

The Cadets led the Tigers 10-6 after one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 14-5 to take a 24-11 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored Tekamah-Herman 20-11 in the third quarter to lead 44-22 at the end of three.

The Tigers scored 16 fourth quarter points compared to 13 for West Point-Beemer.

Amanda Hansen led the way with 23 points and 9 rebounds while McKenzie Bruce scored 19 points.

The Gators led the Cadets 19-14 after one. Both teams scored 11 second quarter points, and the halftime score was 30-25 in favor of Wisner-Pilger.

West Point-Beemer outscored the Gators 13-5 in the third quarter to lead 38-35 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 17-10.

Hansen finished with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Taylor Weddle added 9 points while Bruce notched 7.

The Pendragons led the Cadets 24-23 at halftime.

West Point-Beemer outscored Pender 16-10 in the third quarter to go up 39-34 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Hansen had 27 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Bruce totaled 8 points while Bethany Anderson and Weddle registered 8 points and 8 rebounds apiece.

West Point-Beemer played about as good as they have all season against Tekamah-Herman. The games against Wisner-Pilger and Pender may have been closer than the Cadets would have liked, but I'm sure West Point-Beemer will take the wins regardless.

The Cadets (14-1) square off with Twin River (8-5) on the road Friday night.

The Titans won 44-13 at Cross County last Thursday night, and have won five in a row.

Like the Twin River Boys, I feel like the girls have an advantage in that they've had an entire week to prepare for West Point-Beemer.

However, the Cadets will be in game shape and should be sharp and ready to go.

West Point-Beemer needs to play well to pick up the win, but as long as the Cadets do what they have been doing, they shouldn't have a problem doing just that.

West Point-Beemer needs to raise their level of play for next week's games, and so playing at a really high level Friday night and Saturday against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder is important.

The last thing the Cadets want to do is play sluggish Friday and Saturday, and having some doubt hang over them heading into Tuesday's showdown with Pierce.

West Point-Beemer is a really good team, and needs to keep winning to achieve their ultimate goal of making the state tournament.

The game against the Titans may feel or seem like another routine game, but it's an important game for the Cadets, in my opinion.

It's a conference game, and one West Point-Beemer needs to take seriously.

The Cadets need a similar type effort to what they got against Tekamah-Herman.

Tekamah-Herman Boys 0-4, Girls 2-2 in last four games

The struggles continue for the Tekamah-Herman Boys as the Tigers went 0-3 last week, and are 0-1 so far this week.

Tekamah-Herman lost 77-63 at Clarkson/Leigh last Tuesday night, 66-46 at home to Madison Friday night, 48-36 at West Point-Beemer on Saturday, and 76-60 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night.

The Patriots led the Tigers 16-13 after one. Clarkson/Leigh outscored Tekamah-Herman 19-8 in the second quarter to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers won the third quarter 23-21 to make it a 56-44 game at the end of three.

The Patriots notched 21 fourth quarter points compared to 19 for Tekamah-Herman.

Derek Haber had a game-high 34 points for the Tigers. Gus Langley added 12 while Matt Gross and Dustin Pickell registered 8 and 7 points, respectively. Bailey Fleischman totaled 7 rebounds.

The Dragons led the Tigers 19-14 after one. Madison won the second quarter 13-9 to take a 32-23 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 12 third quarter points, and the score at the end of three was 44-35 in favor of the Dragons.

Madison doubled up Tekamah-Herman 22-11 in the fourth quarter.

Haber had a team-high 15 points while Fleischman totaled 11 points and 17 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Gross added a double-double of 10 points and 18 rebounds. Langley and Thomas Hennig recorded 8 rebounds apiece.

The Cadets led the Tigers 19-8 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer doubled up Tekamah-Herman 6-3 in the second quarter to take a 25-11 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets won the third quarter 13-9 to go up 38-20 after three.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 16-10 in the fourth quarter.

Haber led all scorers with 20 points. Langley added 8 while Fleischman and Gross registered 7 rebounds each.

Haber finished with a team-high 29 points against Oakland-Craig. Pickell registered 9 while Langley and Gross each notched 7. Gross chipped in 9 rebounds.

Tekamah-Herman just can't get anything to go their way. When the offense plays well, the defense struggles. When the defense plays well, the offense struggles.

The good news for the Tigers is they're starting to develop scorers besides just Haber and Langley.

Tekamah-Herman (2-13) takes on North Bend Central (12-1) on the road Thursday night.

North Bend Central defeated Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 49-41 at home on Monday.

North Bend Central has been very good this year, but I think Tekamah-Herman can go into North Bend and put up some points.

I don't know if Tekamah-Herman will win, but I think they have a good chance to do some nice things offensively, and perhaps even defensively as well.

Tekamah-Herman has to put things together on offense and defense if they want to get their season turned around.

It's not too late for Tekamah-Herman.

Sure they've lost six in a row, but North Bend Central hasn't been the most dominant team offensively.

North Bend Central has been good on offense, but not great.

North Bend Central has really excelled on the defensive end of the floor though so Tekamah-Herman is going to need every basket and point they can come by.

Haber, Langley, Pickell, Gross, and Fleischman all have to step up and score for Tekamah-Herman.

Tekamah-Herman needs all five players to be in or near double figures to have a chance, in my opinion.

Tekamah-Herman also needs to play a solid game defensively.

The Tekamah-Herman Girls went 2-1 last week, and are 0-1 so far this week as the Tigers beat Clarkson/Leigh 46-23 on the road last Tuesday night, and Madison 39-15 at home Friday night before losing 57-38 at West Point-Beemer on Saturday and 60-52 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night.

The Tigers led the Patriots 11-4 after one. Both teams scored 15 second quarter points, and the halftime score was 26-19 in favor of Tekamah-Herman.

The Tigers outscored Clarkson/Leigh 12-2 in the third quarter to go up 38-21 at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman notched 8 fourth quarter points and held the Patriots to 2.

The Tigers led the Dragons 10-1 after one. Tekamah-Herman outscored Madison 11-2 in the second quarter to take a 21-3 lead into the locker room.

The Dragons won the third quarter 9-5 to make it a 26-12 game at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman notched 13 fourth quarter points and held Madison to 3.

Allie Snow had a team-high 8 points.

The Cadets led the Tigers 10-6 after one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 14-5 to take a 24-11 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored Tekamah-Herman 20-11 in the third quarter to lead 44-22 at the end of three.

The Tigers scored 16 fourth quarter points compared to 13 for West Point-Beemer.

Tekamah-Herman led the Knights 15-10 after one. Oakland-Craig outscored the Tigers 19-12 in the second quarter to take a 29-27 lead into the locker room.

The Knights won the third quarter 10-8 to go up 39-35 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 21 fourth quarter points compared to 17 for Tekamah-Herman.

I feel like the Tigers played pretty good basketball last week with the exception of the West Point-Beemer game, and think the effort against Oakland-Craig was good. This is a solid Tekamah-Herman squad.

The Tigers (10-6) host Howells-Dodge (11-3) Friday night.

The Jaguars won 40-26 at Humphrey St. Francis on Saturday.

Howells-Dodge has won four in a row.

This will be a challenging game for Tekamah-Herman, I don't think there's any doubt about that.

The Jaguars are playing at a really high level right now, and have taken the second half of the season by storm.

Howells-Dodge is playing their best basketball at a good time, and it's going to take an awful lot from the Tigers to win.

Tekamah-Herman is definitely capable of getting the job done though.

The Tigers have a number of girls who can score and perform at a high level night in and night out.

Snow is solid as is Hannah Tobin, Jess Fleischman, Marin Jetensky, and others.

Tekamah-Herman is a complete team, and it's going to take a complete team effort for the Tigers to come out on top Friday night.

Tekamah-Herman needs everyone on the same page working towards the same common goal.

The goal has to be to win. Moral victories aren't worth much at this point in the season.

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

The Clarkson/Leigh Boys went 1-2 last week, defeating Tekamah-Herman 77-63 at home last Tuesday night, falling 76-41 at Humphrey St. Francis Friday night, and losing 67-48 at home to Shelby-Rising City on Saturday.

The Patriots led the Tigers 16-13 after one. Clarkson/Leigh outscored Tekamah-Herman 19-8 in the second quarter to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers won the third quarter 23-21 to make it a 56-44 game at the end of three.

The Patriots notched 21 fourth quarter points compared to 19 for Tekamah-Herman.

Colby Becker poured in a team-high 30 points. Kobe Paprocki added 24 points and 16 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Brandon Steffensmeier totaled 9 points while Ben McMullin notched 8 points and 8 rebounds. Dominik Harper added 8 boards of his own.

The Flyers led Clarkson/Leigh 18-4 at the end of one. Humphrey St. Francis tripled up the Patriots 27-9 in the second quarter to take a 45-13 lead into the locker room.

Clarkson/Leigh won the third quarter 16-12 to make it a 57-29 game after three.

The Flyers outscored the Patriots 19-12 in the fourth quarter.

Paprocki led the way with 15 points and 7 rebounds. McMullin registered 8 points.

The Huskies led Clarkson/Leigh 18-15 at the end of one. Shelby-Rising City won the second quarter 17-8 to lead 35-23 at halftime.

The Huskies outscored the Patriots 22-9 in the third quarter to go up 57-32 after three.

Clarkson/Leigh notched 16 fourth quarter points compared to 10 for Shelby-Rising City.

Becker led the Patriots with 16 points. Harper notched 11 while Paprocki recorded 10. McMullin chipped in 8 rebounds.

Clarkson/Leigh picked up a nice win over Tekamah-Herman, but the win didn't lead to bigger things like I thought it might.

The Patriots (2-13) host Twin River (8-4) Thursday night.

The Titans won 43-31 at Cross County on Thursday of last week.

Twin River is a good, solid team, who has lost to nothing but quality competition.

The Titans are a solid ball club, and handed North Bend Central their only loss of the season so far.

Clarkson/Leigh is going to have to play really good basketball to hang with and ultimately beat Twin River.

This Patriots' team is capable of beating just about anyone they play, they just have to defend better.

It's hard to win a lot of games giving up 60-70 points.

Clarkson/Leigh has a good offense, but defense wins you championships, and a good offense only takes you so far.

I don't know why this team isn't better than they are. They seem to have some high quality athletes on the floor.

I guess it's just a matter of the team simply can't get the job done on a night in and night out basis. We will see if that changes here before sub districts begin.

This is the time of year when the Patriots want to be playing their best basketball. We will see what Clarkson/Leigh can do before the East Husker Conference Tournament and Sub Districts.

There's definitely plenty of room for growth and improvement with this team, that's for sure.

The Clarkson/Leigh Girls dropped all three games they played last week, falling 46-23 at home to Tekamah-Herman last Tuesday night, 50-29 at Humphrey St. Francis Friday night, and 47-36 at home to Shelby-Rising City on Saturday.

The Tigers led the Patriots 11-4 after one. Both teams scored 15 second quarter points, and the halftime score was 26-19 in favor of Tekamah-Herman.

The Tigers outscored Clarkson/Leigh 12-2 in the third quarter to go up 38-21 at the end of three.

Tekamah-Herman notched 8 fourth quarter points and held the Patriots to 2.

Clarkson/Leigh tripled up the Flyers 12-4 in the first quarter. Humphrey St. Francis won the second quarter 15-7 to tie the game at 19 at halftime.

The Flyers outscored the Patriots 21-6 in the third quarter to lead 40-25 after three.

Humphrey St. Francis notched 10 points in the fourth quarter and limited Clarkson/Leigh to 4.

Shelby Paprocki had a team-high 10 points. Maddie Cerv added 7 while Hannah Kasik pulled down 8 rebounds.

The Huskies led the Patriots 13-10 after one. Shelby-Rising City won the second quarter 6-5 to take a 19-15 lead into the locker room.

The Huskies outscored Clarkson/Leigh 14-11 in the third quarter to go up 33-26 at the end of three.

Shelby-Rising City notched 14 points in the fourth quarter and held the Patriots to 10.

Kaegan Held had a team-high 12 points. Paprocki added 10 while Cerv scored 7.

Clarkson/Leigh is still learning how to win. I think the Patriots made some good strides last week, competing with Tekamah-Herman and Humphrey St. Francis for a half, and the Huskies for the entire game.

Clarkson/Leigh (3-12) hosts Twin River (8-5) Thursday night.

The Titans won 44-13 at Cross County on Thursday of last week.

Twin River has beaten the teams on their schedule they were supposed to, but hasn't faired as well against some of the tougher teams on their schedule.

The Titans have won five in a row though.

Despite that, I feel the Patriots are in good position to make this a close game, and perhaps pull off the upset.

If Clarkson/Leigh plays the way they did against Shelby-Rising City, anything can happen.

The biggest thing for the Patriots is to believe.

Clarkson/Leigh's offense has to be better too. The Patriots have proven they can play solid defense, now it's simply a matter of getting some girls going offensively.

Held, Paprocki, and Cerv have stepped up and scored at times, but they, along with other players, need to increase their offensive production.

Clarkson/Leigh needs someone to step up and score anywhere from 15-20 points. Perhaps that would spark this team offensively.

The Patriots desperately need a boost on offense so any type of scoring Clarkson/Leigh can get from anyone on the roster, the better off they will be.

Pender Boys 0-2 in last two games; Girls 1-1 in same stretch

The Pender Boys are 0-2 in their last two games, falling 70-35 at home to Lyons-Decatur Northeast Friday night, and 62-28 at home to West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Cougars doubled up the Pendragons 22-11 in the first quarter. Lyons-Decatur Northeast won the second quarter 13-6 to take a 35-17 lead into the locker room.

The Cougars doubled up Pender 20-10 in the third quarter to go up 55-27 after three.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast outscored the Pendragons 15-8 in the fourth quarter.

The Cadets led Pender 18-10 after one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 16-7 to make it a 34-17 game at halftime.

The Cadets outscored the Pendragons 15-2 in the third quarter to go up 49-19 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 13 fourth quarter points compared to 9 for Pender.

The Pendragons gave it their all against both teams I'm sure, but for whatever reason Pender's offense and defense let them down in a big way.

The Pendragons (2-13) host Wisner-Pilger (6-7) Thursday night.

The Gators lost 40-27 to West Point-Beemer Monday night, and have had their own issues.

Wisner-Pilger isn't exactly lighting things up on offense, and if Pender can get the same kind of offensive output they got in the Homer game the second time the two teams played, I think the Pendragons can win.

A lot has to go right for Pender, and a lot has to go wrong for the Gators for the Pendragons to win, but anything is possible.

Perhaps Pender will catch Wisner-Pilger on a night when they're not ready to play, we shall see.

The Pendragons have Howells-Dodge on Saturday so Pender needs to play well Thursday night to put themselves in a position to compete with and ultimately beat the Jaguars.

The Pendragons have to keep working hard and trying their best regardless of what the score reads on the scoreboard.

James Bensen has been a huge addition for this team, and without him, Pender might be winless right now.

The Pendragons have a long ways to go, but Pender is taking tiny steps to becoming a good team.

Building a winning program, trying to change the culture around Pender Boys Basketball is going to take some time.

But, in my opinion, the Pendragons are on their way to good things. It's just a process that continues with another tough game Thursday night.

The Pender Girls won Friday night and lost Tuesday night, defeating Lyons-Decatur Northeast 56-54 at home Friday night, but falling 54-46 at home to West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Cougars led the Pendragons 15-11 after one. Pender won the second quarter 14-11 to make it a 26-25 game at halftime.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast outscored the Pendragons 16-14 in the third quarter to lead 42-39 at the end of three.

Pender notched 17 fourth quarter points compared to 12 for the Cougars.

Hallie Ballinger finished with a game-high 17 points and 15 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Amber English added 14 points while Kam Anderson and Justice Sorenson scored 8 apiece.

The Pendragons led the Cadets 24-23 at halftime.

West Point-Beemer outscored Pender 16-10 in the third quarter to go up 39-34 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Sorenson had a team-high 17 points. Ballinger totaled 11 points and 7 rebounds while English notched 10 points. Anderson recorded 8 rebounds while Cecilee Jacobsen posted 7.

The Pendragons continue to play at a high level. Pender picked up a big win over Lyons-Decatur Northeast, and gave West Point-Beemer all they could handle.

The Pendragons (9-7) host Wisner-Pilger (8-6) Thursday night.

The Gators lost 55-45 at West Point-Beemer Monday night.

This is a toss up game if you ask me.

Both teams have won some close games, both have lost a number of close games.

All of Pender's losses have come by single digits.

Based off that, one could say the Pendragons are better suited for close games. However, that doesn't mean Pender is better suited for winning close games.

This is a game that could go either way, and a turnover there or a missed free throw there could be the difference in the game.

The Pendragons have to find a way to win like they did against Lyons-Decatur Northeast.

Pender just hung around in that game, and crept up on the Cougars at the end and got them.

The Pendragons have to do the same thing with Wisner-Pilger in that they need to find a way to keep things close through the first few quarters, assuming they don't run away with things, and then finish the job in the fourth quarter.

Pender is more than capable of winning Thursday night it just comes down to how bad the Pendragons want it and how hard they are willing to work.

Wisner-Pilger Boys and Girls 1-2 in last three games

The Wisner-Pilger Boys are 1-2 in their last three games, beating Howells-Dodge 59-54 at home in overtime Friday night, falling 41-25 at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Saturday, and losing 40-27 at West Point-Beemer Monday night.

The Gators led the Jaguars 19-17 after one. Wisner-Pilger and Howells-Dodge each scored 16 second quarter points, and the score at halftime was 35-33 in favor of the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger doubled up the Jaguars 12-6 in the third quarter to lead 47-39 at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge notched 13 fourth quarter points compared to 5 for the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger outlasted the Jaguars 7-2 in the extra session.

The Raiders went up 16-8 at the end of one. Both teams scored 7 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 23-15 in favor of Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

The Raiders outscored the Gators 10-3 in the third quarter to go up 33-18 after three.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder won the fourth quarter 8-7.

Wisner-Pilger led the Cadets 12-9 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 10-6 to take a 19-18 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored the Gators 12-2 in the third quarter to go up 31-20 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 9 fourth quarter points compared to 7 for Wisner-Pilger.

The Gators have continued to be up and down. Some nights Wisner-Pilger plays good, other nights the Gators are off.

Wisner-Pilger (6-7) takes on Pender (2-13) on the road Thursday night.

The Pendragons fell 62-28 at home to West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

Pender really struggles to score and stop people so this should be a fairly easy win for the Gators.

However, the Pendragons have shown they are capable of putting things together on any given night, and based on how Pender played offensively against Homer the second time the two teams played, the Pendragons can never be counted out of a game.

Wisner-Pilger has to do a good job of slowing down James Bensen. He is the one player that makes Pender go, and without him, the Pendragons might be winless right now.

This is the Gators' only game left this week so Wisner-Pilger needs to make the most of it.

The Gators don't want to be below .500 heading into the East Husker Conference Tournament. If Wisner-Pilger can win their next two games they would ensure themselves of being at least .500 heading into the Conference Tournament.

This is an important game for the Gators. Wisner-Pilger has to show up to play like they care, and take Pender seriously.

The Gators can't just show up and go through the motions. If Wisner-Pilger does that then they are in trouble.

Something tells me the Gators will win big though. I'm looking for a rebound effort from Wisner-Pilger.

The Wisner-Pilger Girls are also 1-2 in their last three games, falling 62-38 at home to Howells-Dodge Friday night, beating Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 61-9 on the road Saturday, and losing 55-45 at West Point-Beemer Monday night.

The Jaguars led the Gators 9-8 at the end of one. Howells-Dodge outscored Wisner-Pilger 17-8 in the second quarter to take a 26-16 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars won the third quarter 19-10 to go up 45-26 after three.

Howells-Dodge put up 17 fourth quarter points and limited the Gators to 12.

The Raiders ended the week with a tough 61-9 loss to Wisner-Pilger. The Raiders got of to a slow start and were never able to get going on offense.

Sydney Bradfield led all scorers with 22 points. Bailey Batenhorst chipped in 14.

The Gators led the Cadets 19-14 after one. Both teams scored 11 second quarter points, and the halftime score was 30-25 in favor of Wisner-Pilger.

West Point-Beemer outscored the Gators 13-5 in the third quarter to lead 38-35 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 17-10.

Lexi Knust had a team-high 11 points. Alexis Heller and Bradfield totaled 7 apiece.

The Gators played a lot better against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder and West Point-Beemer than they did Howells-Dodge. Wisner-Pilger was simply roughed up by the Jaguars.

The Gators (8-6) travel to Pender (9-7) Thursday night.

The Pendragons lost 54-46 at home to West Point-Beemer Monday night.

This should be a really good game between two fairly equal teams.

I'm looking for this one to be another close barn burner for both teams.

Both teams are better than their records indicate, in my opinion, and this is one of those games where it's too bad there has to be a loser.

Both teams have played pretty good basketball the entire season, in my opinion, and deserve a win Thursday night.

Both teams have played at a high level this year, and are both of high quality.

Batenhorst, Bradfield, Knust, and Heller all need to play well for the Gators.

Two or three have played well on a given night. All four need to play well for Wisner-Pilger to take that next step and get over the hump.

Pender has some good scorers in their own right so defense is also critical for the Gators.

Wisner-Pilger needs the same kind of defensive effort they got against Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

If the Gators can get a repeat defensive effort of that game, Wisner-Pilger should be in good shape.

North Bend Central Boys and Girls beat Arlington

The North Bend Central Boys continued their winning ways Tuesday night, winning 56-40 at Arlington.

The Tigers led 13-10 after one. North Bend Central won the second quarter 12-9 to take a 25-19 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 11 third quarter points, and the score after three was 36-30 in favor of the Tigers.

North Bend Central doubled up the Eagles 20-10 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers have continued to play great basketball. North Bend Central has proven they are a tough team.

The Tigers (10-1) host Archbishop Bergan (5-6) on Saturday.

The Knights won 49-33 at Cedar Bluffs Tuesday night.

Fremont Bergan is a better team than their record indicates. The Knights have lost a number of close games to teams in classes higher than them.

This is a dangerous game for North Bend Central, in my opinion.

The Tigers should win, but there's not a whole lot to be gained by beating Archbishop Bergan.

Beating a perennial power is good for moral purposes, but the Knights are two classes below North Bend Central.

In my opinion, there's more to be gained by Archbishop Bergan beating the Tigers.

Regardless of what matters and what doesn't, North Bend Central has to continue to work their magic.

The Tigers have to continue to play strong basketball, and play a four quarter game.

North Bend Central isn't the flashiest team out there, but they play a complete team game, and come through when it matters most.

The Tigers just keep on winning, and that's all you can really ask for this time of year, or any time of the year for that matter.

North Bend Central is getting the job done night in and night out, and that is the bottomline.

The North Bend Central Girls picked up an impressive win Tuesday night at Arlington, winning 49-23.

The Tigers led 13-3 after one. North Bend Central won the second quarter 13-9 to lead 26-12 at halftime.

The Tigers outscored the Eagles 12-5 in the third quarter to go up 38-17 at the end of three.

North Bend Central notched 11 points in the fourth quarter, and limited Arlington to 6.

The Tigers played a great, complete game Tuesday night. North Bend Central was not going to be denied.

The Tigers (9-2) host Archbishop Bergan (7-5) on Saturday.

The Knights won 55-31 at Cedar Bluffs Tuesday night.

Fremont Bergan downed Arlington 54-42 this past Saturday, and based on that score, I think it's safe to say that North Bend Central has a good chance to win.

As long as the Tigers continue to play the way they have been, they should come away with a victory.

Scoring will be the biggest challenge for North Bend Central, in my opinion, but the Tigers appear to be real strong defensively.

North Bend Central has to play tough, tight, suffocating, in your face defense, and create turnovers into easy transition scoring opportunities.

The Tigers have a makeup game with Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Monday before taking on Oakland-Craig next Friday night in what figures to be a difficult game.

It's important for North Bend Central to play well Saturday and Monday to get ready for what lies ahead next Friday.

This team will really be challenged by Oakland-Craig, in my opinion, so anything the Tigers can do to dominate Saturday and Monday will be to their benefit.

The biggest thing for North Bend Central is to keep winning. You want to keep hammering out those wins if you are the Tigers.

West Point-Beemer Boys 2-1 in last three games; Girls 3-0 in same stretch

The West Point-Beemer Boys have started to figure a few things out, going 2-1 in their last three games.

The Cadets defeated Bancroft-Rosalie 45-42 on the road Saturday, lost 43-38 at home in overtime to Battle Creek Tuesday night, and beat Schuyler 38-35 on the road Thursday night.

Tate Toelle knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Cadets past Bancroft-Rosalie.

The game was tied at 15 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 11-8 to lead 26-23 at halftime.

The Panthers outscored the Cadets 9-8 in the third quarter to close within 2 at 34-32 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer put up 11 fourth quarter points compared to 10 for Bancroft-Rosalie.

Austin Streeter finished with a game-high 18 points and 7 rebounds. Toelle added 9 points while Chase Streeter notched 7 points and 7 rebounds.

The Braves jumped out to a 12-8 lead on the Cadets after one. Battle Creek won the second quarter 6-2 to take a 18-10 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer outscored the Braves 12-8 in the third quarter to make it a 26-22 game at the end of three.

The Cadets notched 11 fourth quarter points while Battle Creek scored 7, and the game was tied at 33 at the end of regulation.

The Braves double up West Point-Beemer 10-5 in the extra session.

Blake Schroedter and Austin Streeter totaled 8 points apiece while Chase Streeter registered 12 rebounds.

The Cadets led the Warriors 10-7 at the end of one. Schuyler won the second quarter 7-6 to make it a 16-14 game at halftime.

Both teams scored 10 third quarter points, and the score at the end of three was 26-24 in favor of West Point-Beeemer.

The Cadets outscored the Warriors 12-11 in the fourth quarter.

Toelle had a team-high 15 points while Ben Jahnke totaled 8.

West Point-Beemer has started to figure things out. The Cadets have found ways to win a couple of games lately. This team just continues to get better.

West Point-Beemer (4-8) hosts Tekamah-Herman (2-10) on Saturday.

The Tigers lost 77-63 at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

Tekamah-Herman has really struggled this season. Derek Haber and Gus Langley are the primary players that do the most damage for the Tigers.

Tekamah-Herman has showed signs of promise at times this year, but just hasn't been consistent enough to get any sort of winning streak going.

I think the Cadets have a great chance to win on Saturday.

If Toelle, the Streeter twins, Jahnke, and Schroedter all play well, West Point-Beemer is more than likely golden.

The Cadets have had all of those players step up at different times this year, but if West Point-Beemer could get them all going in the same game, it could make all the difference in the world.

The Cadets have to be pretty confident right now given the way they are playing.

I think Saturday's game has a chance to be close, but I think West Point-Beemer will find a way to win.

The Cadets have four games next week so West Point-Beemer needs this one to gain momentum for what lies ahead.

The Cadets could use a blowout win for once. If West Point-Beemer can get a big enough lead, they might be able to afford to rest their starters for some of the game.

The West Point-Beemer Girls have continued to play at a high level, downing Bancroft-Rosalie 55-43 on the road Saturday, Battle Creek 48-42 at home Tuesday night, and Schuyler 51-26 on the road Thursday night.

The Panthers led the Cadets 13-8 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 17-11 to lead 25-24 at halftime.

The Cadets outscored Bancroft-Rosalie 15-8 in the third quarter to go up 40-32 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 15 fourth quarter points compared to 11 for the Panthers.

Amanda Hansen led all scorers with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Makenna Weddle added 7 points while Jade Duhsmann totaled 9 rebounds.

The Cadets led the Braves 15-7 after one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 7-5 to go up 22-12 at halftime.

Battle Creek outscored the Cadets 22-17 in the third quarter to make it a 39-34 game at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 9 fourth quarter points compared to 8 for the Braves.

Hansen totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Taylor Weddle registered 16 points and 7 rebounds while McKenzie Bruce recorded 8 points.

The Cadets held a 9-4 lead on the Warriors at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the second quarter 14-12 to go up 23-16 at halftime.

The Cadets outscored Schuyler 19-6 in the third quarter to lead 42-22 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 9 points in the fourth quarter and held the Warriors to 4.

Hansen poured in a game-high 29 points. Taylor Weddle added 9 while Bethany Anderson notched 8 points and 7 rebounds.

The Battle Creek game might have been too close for comfort, but for the most part the Cadets are handling their business.

West Point-Beemer (11-1) hosts Tekamah-Herman (9-4) on Saturday.

The Tigers won 46-23 at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

Tekamah-Herman is a good, tough team, and these two teams had some good battles a season ago.

The Cadets are no doubt going to get the Tigers' best shot so West Point-Beemer has to be ready to play.

Hansen, Taylor and Makenna Weddle, Bruce, Anderson, and Duhsmann all need to be on top of their game.

This is a big stretch coming up for the Cadets.

I believe this team is good, but we will find out just how good in the next week or two.

West Point-Beemer needs to continue to step up their game and get better.

The Cadets need to keep raising their level of play, and be ready for teams' best shots.

Saturday's game is big and important. West Point-Beemer will likely see Tekamah-Herman in sub districts and perhaps in the conference tournament so getting one up on the Tigers would be big.

We will see if the Cadets can continue their winning ways on Saturday. One would have to think West Point-Beemer has a good chance to win.