Stanton Boys 1-2 so far; Girls 3-0

The Stanton Boys Basketball Team off to a 1-2 start as the Mustangs won 57-38 at Tekamah-Herman last Thursday night before falling 52-18 at home to Howells-Dodge last Friday night, and 48-24 at West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Mustangs led Tekamah-Herman 12-7 after one, and outscored the Tigers 14-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 26-11 lead into the locker room.

Stanton doubled up Tekamah-Herman 18-9 in the 3rd quarter to ho up 44-20 at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 18 points in the 4th quarter compared to 13 for the Mustangs.

The Jaguars led the Mustangs 14-4 at the end of one. Howells-Dodge won the 2nd quarter 12-5 to take a 26-9 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars outscored Stanton 15-3 in the 3rd quarter to go up 41-12 lead at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge put up 11 4th quarter points compared to 6 for the Mustangs.

The Cadets and Mustangs were tied at 8 at the end of one. West Point-Beemer won the 2nd quarter 15-6 to go ahead 23-14 at halftime.

The Cadets outscored Stanton 14-4 in the 3rd quarter to lead 37-18 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer notched 11 points in the 4th quarter compared to 6 for the Mustangs.

Stanton played a respectable season opener, but the offense really struggled against Howells-Dodge and West Point-Beemer.

The Mustangs (1-2) take on North Bend Central (3-0) on the road Tuesday night.

The Tigers won 65-56 at West Point-Beemer Thursday night.

North Bend Central has been impressive in the early season, and Stanton certainly has their work cut out for them in this one.

The Mustangs have to be better and more efficient on offense if they hope to have any chance in this one.

Stanton's defense also has to be top notch.

The Mustangs have to play a great and flawless game to come out with the W.

I think it's going to take a near perfect game for Stanton to pull off the upset.

The Mustangs have to play hard and out of their minds Tuesday night.

Stanton has to play fearless in this contest. The Mustangs have to play with a lot of courage and intensity, and take the fight right to the Tigers.

Stanton has to work hard for the full 32 minutes and play as well as they possibly can.

The Mustangs have to play with a sense of pride, purpose, tenacity, mental and physical toughness, grit, passion, fire, pride, and desire.

Stanton has to come out angry, pumped, jacked, psyched, and fired up, and must play beyond their abilities.

The Mustangs have to do things they never thought were possible when it comes to making plays.

Stanton has to get the most out of themselves in this one, and at the very least take some positive things away from this game that they can apply to the Wakefield and Pender games later in the week.

The Mustangs have to focus on slowing down Tanner Wietfeld, Austin Endorf, John Emanuel, and others.

Stanton has to go out there and pour their hearts out into the game and leave everything out on the floor.

The Stanton Girls Basketball Team is off to a 3-0 start as the Mustangs won 52-24 at Tekamah-Herman in last Thursday night's season opener before topping Howells-Dodge 56-50 at home last Friday night, and West Point-Beemer 33-30 on the road Tuesday night.

The Mustangs doubled up the Tigers 12-6 in the 1st quarter. Stanton outscored Tekamah-Herman 15-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 27-10 lead into the locker room.

The Mustangs outscored the Tigers 17-7 in the 3rd quarter to make it a 44-17 game at the end of three.

Stanton won the 4th quarter 8-7.

Jaiden Hartl totaled 22 points while Hannah Heppner had 9. Jessie Brandl posted 8 points and 12 rebounds.

The Mustangs led 16-14 after one. Both teams scored 8 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 24-22 in favor of Stanton.

The Mustangs outscored Howells-Dodge 15-8 in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 39-30 at the end of three.

The Jaguars won the 4th quarter 20-17.

Liz Christensen had a team-high 20 points while Heppner notched 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brandl and Hartl registered 10 points each.

West Point-Beemer doubled up the Mustangs 8-4 in the 1st quarter. Stanton doubled up the Cadets 14-7 in the 2nd quarter to take an 18-15 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer won the 3rd quarter 8-6 to make it a 24-23 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs outscored the Cadets 9-7 in the 4th quarter, and won the game in the final seconds as Megan Groth passed the ball inside instead of shooting a 3 at the buzzer like she should of.

Christensen tallied 9 points and 11 rebounds while Allie Spence totaled 9 points. Heppner added 7 points and 11 rebounds.

Very good start to the season for Stanton. I don't know where Bree Burtwhistle has been, but the Mustangs are playing very good basketball right now regardless.

Stanton (3-0) takes on North Bend Central (3-0) on the road Tuesday night.

The Tigers beat West Point-Beemer 49-35 on the road Thursday night.

The Mustangs could have some issues with North Bend Central, especially given the Tigers' size.

Brooke Fredrickson, Kristin Lux, Lauren Emanuel, and others figure to be tough for Stanton to deal with.

The Mustangs have to play better offensively than they did against the Cadets.

North Bend Central is a lot like West Point-Beemer in that they are very strong defensively.

The difference between the Tigers and Cadets though is that North Bend Central is tall and athletic, whereas West Point-Beemer is more quick and small.

This should be a great game though as both programs really know how to win.

I look for this game to be a defensive struggle, and a very good, close, and tightly contested ball game.

Christensen, Heppner, Spence, Hartl, and Brandl need to continue doing what they've been doing for Stanton offensively this season.

I think the first one to 50 in this game wins if either team can get there.

It could very well be the first one to 40 winning the game.

The Mustangs have to hit shots from the outside and play tough in the post.

You can bet North Bend Central is going to pound the rock inside so Stanton has to be ready to defend the post to the best of their ability.

Things like getting position on defense and boxing out and rebounding will be critical for this smaller Mustangs' team.

Stanton is a great team as is North Bend Central, and I look for this game to be decided by 10 points or less.

Howells-Dodge Boys 3-1 so far; Girls 2-2

The Howells-Dodge Boys Basketball Team is 3-1 so far this season as the Jaguars won 53-41 at home over Pierce last Thursday night, and 52-18 at home over Stanton last Friday night, before losing 42-41 in overtime at David City Aquinas Tuesday night, and rebounding to win 68-39 at home over Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Thursday night.

The Bluejays held a 16-11 lead on Howells-Dodge at the end of one. Both teams scored 11 points in the 2nd quarter, and the score at halftime was 27-22 in favor of Pierce.

The Jaguars won the 3rd quarter 8-7 to make it a 34-30 game at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge outscored the Bluejays 23-7 in the 4th quarter.

Connor Blum had 21 points while Lane Hegemann totaled 12. Dax VanLengen added 8.

Head Coach Cole Fischer on the win. "Good way for us to start the year. Had a big 4th quarter and made free throws down the stretch."

The Jaguars led the Mustangs 14-4 at the end of one. Howells-Dodge won the 2nd quarter 12-5 to take a 26-9 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars outscored Stanton 15-3 in the 3rd quarter to go up 41-12 lead at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge put up 11 4th quarter points compared to 6 for the Mustangs.

Blum notched 14 points while VanLengen registered 10 points and 7 rebounds. Caden Jackson recorded 7 points while Hegemann tallied 9 rebounds.

Fischer says his team played great defense. "I thought we played exceptional team defense and that led to some forced turnovers."

The Monarchs led the Jaguars 15-12 after one. David City Aquinas won the 2nd quarter 11-7 to take a 26-19 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored the Monarchs 10-6 in the 3rd quarter to make it a 32-29 game at the end of three.

The Jaguars outlasted David City Aquinas 8-5 in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime.

The Monarchs outlasted Howells-Dodge 5-4 in the extra session.

Blum totaled 15 points while Hegemann had 12 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Jackson registered 8 points.

Fischer says missed free throws were the difference in the game. "We played great defensively but when you 3-12 from the fee throw line its hard to win close games. If we continue to play with defensive intensity we will be just fine."

Against the Bulldogs, Howells-Dodge trailed 6-5 early, but then went on a scoring run that saw them close out the first half with a 29-12 lead at the intermission, on their way to the win.

Blum scored 15 points for the Jaguars with Luke Rocheford adding 10. Hegemann registered 9 points and 8 rebounds while VanLengen posted 9 points. Jackson and Kade Hegemann had 8 points apiece while Josh Brester collected 7 rebounds.

Fischer says his team executed on both ends of the floor. "I thought we came out and the tone early with our defense. We got some good looks offensively in half court and we able to work our inside and outside game."

The Jaguars (3-1) take on Oakland-Craig (1-2) on the road Saturday.

The Knights won 73-35 at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

Garrett Seagren has been out, but regardless of if he plays or not this should be a great game.

Oakland-Craig probably needs the win more than Howells-Dodge, but this is one the Jaguars would really like to get if possible.

I think the win over Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family probably gives the Jaguars a boost of confidence and a belief that they are a good team.

Howells-Dodge has three tough games in a row leading up to a game with rival Clarkson/Leigh so things don't figure to be easy over the next couple of weeks for the Jaguars.

Howells-Dodge is off to a nice start, but the Jaguars don't really have that standout, signature win.

This game against the Knights provides that opportunity I feel.

Pierce is a quality team, but this Oakland-Craig game will no doubt be the Jaguars' toughest test of the season so far.

Howells-Dodge definitely has their work cut out for them, there's no doubt about that.

Blum, Lane Hegemann, and others have to continue to step up and score for the Jaguars.

Howells-Dodge had multiple players make a significant impact offensively Thursday night, and will need to have that same kind of effort again on Saturday.

The Jaguars have to continue to play great defense, and must try and slow down the likes of Kobe Benne, Wyatt Seagren, Robby Mayberry, Garrison Dodge, and Jared Mulder.

Howells-Dodge has to try and contain the Knights' speed and athleticism as much as possible.

The Jaguars have to control pace and tempo of the game, and not get into too much of a track meet with Oakland-Craig.

I'm sure Howells-Dodge can get out and run too, but don't necessarily want to play too fast you could say.

The Howells-Dodge Girls Basketball Team is off to a 2-2 start as the Jaguars won 51-49 at home over Pierce last Thursday night in the season opener before losing 56-50 at Stanton last Friday night, winning 49-34 at David City Aquinas Tuesday night, and losing 37-36 at the buzzer at home to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Thursday night.

The Bluejays doubled up the Jaguars 12-6 in the 1st quarter. Pierce won the 2nd quarter 17-11 to take a 29-17 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays put up 14 points in the 3rd quarter and held Howells-Dodge to 12 to make it a 43-29 game at the end of three.

The Jaguars outscored Pierce 22-6 in the 4th quarter.

Macey Kulhanek had 21 points to lead all scorers while Erin Prusa totaled 18 points and 7 rebounds.

The Mustangs led 16-14 after one. Both teams scored 8 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 24-22 in favor of Stanton.

The Mustangs outscored Howells-Dodge 15-8 in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 39-30 at the end of three.

The Jaguars won the 4th quarter 20-17.

Kulhanek had a game-high 22 points while Prusa and Grace Dvorak totaled 16 and 8, respectively.

Howells-Dodge outscored Aquinas 20-11 in the 1st quarter and 16-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 36-17 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars won the 3rd quarter 10-4 to go up 46-21 at the end of three.

The Monarchs notched 13 points in the 4th quarter and held Howells-Dodge to 3.

Prusa had 15 points while Kulhanek registered 12. Jessi Brester chipped in 9 while Dvorak notched 7.

Humphrey-LHF’s Brittney Veik hit a short jump shot as time expired to give the Bulldogs the win.

Kulhanek led the Jaguars with 12 points including a pair of three pointers. Cassie Pieper totaled 9 while Prusa notched 7. Brester collected 14 rebounds while Tonya Brester registered 12.

Not a bad start to the season for Howells-Dodge. The Jaguars probably feel they should of beaten the Bulldogs though.

Howells-Dodge (2-2) takes on Oakland-Craig (3-1) on the road Saturday.

The Knights defeated Pender 55-48 at home Friday night.

This figures to be another difficult game for the Jaguars.

Oakland-Craig is led by Kennedy Benne, Mya Guzinski, Natalia McNeill, and others.

Howells-Dodge has to be upset and must have a quick memory given what happened Thursday night.

The Jaguars have to respond and deal with adversity in a good way.

It will be interesting to see how Howells-Dodge responds to the adversity that's hit them.

The Jaguars have to be much better at the free throw line than they were against Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

Howells-Dodge has to figure out how to close out games when they have the opportunity.

The Jaguars have to be assertive on offense, and have to continue to play good defense.

Howells-Dodge has been really good defensively the last couple of games, now the Jaguars just need to kick the offense in high gear.

Someone besides Kulhanek and Prusa have to step up and score in double figures.

These two can't be relied upon to carry the load this season if this team wants to win.

Howells-Dodge has done a good job of getting other players involved, now it's a matter of those other players stepping up their game and contributing more offensively.

The Jaguars have to continue to press forward and fight. Howells-Dodge is going through tough times right now and has a lot of difficult games coming up, but all the Jaguars can do is step up their game and play better.

Howells-Dodge has to be flat out upset about losing Thursday night, and has to come out and do something about it on Saturday.

I look for this to be a good game. I feel things can go either way.

Emerson-Hubbard Boys and Girls off to 0-3 starts

The Emerson-Hubbard Boys Basketball Team is 0-3 on the season so far as the Pirates lost 70-34 at Wisner-Pilger last Friday night in the 1st round of the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic, 56-39 to GACC in the consolation game of the Classic at home on Saturday, and 65-25 at home to BRLD Tuesday night.

The Gators led the Pirates 15-4 after one, and outscored Emerson-Hubbard 18-7 in the 2nd quarter to go up 33-11 at halftime.

Wisner-Pilger won the 3rd quarter 19-13 to go up 52-24 at the end of three.

The Gators put up 18 points in the fourth quarter and held the Pirates to 10.

Joshua Sebade had 10 points and 9 rebounds while Jacob Kneifl registered 7 points and 8 rebounds.

Emerson-Hubbard led the Bluejays 14-12 at the end of one. GACC outscored the Pirates 17-2 in the 2nd quarter to take a 29-16 lead at halftime.

Emerson-Hubbard won the 3rd quarter 10-8 to make it a 37-26 game at the end of three.

The Bluejays notched 19 points in the 4th quarter compared to 13 for the Pirates.

Kneifl led the way with 11 points while Sebade and Chandler Emmons notched 10 and 8, respectively.

Emerson-Hubbard competed well with GACC I thought, the Pirates just really struggled against Wisner-Pilger and BRLD.

Emerson-Hubbard (0-3) hosts Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (3-0) Friday night.

The Bears defeated Homer 76-56 at home Tuesday night.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge may be 3-0, but I don't think the Bears have really played anyone good yet.

I think the Pirates have a chance to compete and hold their own.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge is a very good offensive team, but suspect defensively, in my opinion.

I look for Emerson-Hubbard to have their highest scoring output of the season so far.

The Pirates have struggled defensively so Emerson-Hubbard may give up some points, but I look for the Pirates to score quite a few points as well.

I don't know if Emerson-Hubbard will win, but I look for this game to be one of the Pirates' closer games of the season.

If Emerson-Hubbard can compete the way they did against GACC, only play 4 good quarters of basketball, and not have any bad quarters, then Friday night's game could be very interesting.

The Pirates just have to play to the best of their ability, and step up their game.

I think playing teams like the Gators and Wolverines is only going to help Emerson-Hubbard in this game.

I feel both Wisner-Pilger and BRLD are better than Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, and don't think the Bears will be quite as tough to contend with as those two.

The Pirates have to play their game, and play at the highest level possible.

Emerson-Hubbard has to give a complete team effort, and has to fight and play hard for 4 quarters.

The Pirates have to be relentless in their pursuit of picking up their first win.

Emerson-Hubbard has to want it more than the Bears, and must play like they mean it.

The Emerson-Hubbard Girls Basketball Team is also 0-3 on the season as the Pirates lost 64-23 at GACC last Thursday night in the 1st round of the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic, 49-27 to Wisner-Pilger in the Classic's Consolation Game on Saturday and 50-36 at home to BRLD Tuesday night.

The Bluejays led the Pirates 19-11 at the end of one, and won the 2nd quarter 15-10 to lead 34-21 at halftime.

GACC outscored Emerson-Hubbard 15-2 in the 3rd quarter to take a 49-23 lead at the end of three.

The Bluejays blanked the Pirates 15-0 in the 4th quarter.

Courtney Bokemper had 8 points and 10 rebounds while Melanie Gentrup and Taylor Lamp registered 8 points and 7 rebounds, respectively.

The Gators quadrupled up the Pirates 12-3 after one, and tripled up Emerson-Hubbard 15-5 in the 2nd quarter to take a 27-8 lead into the locker room.

Wisner-Pilger doubled up the Pirates 10-5 in the 3rd quarter to go up 37-13 at the end of three.

Emerson-Hubbard notched 14 fourth quarter points compared to 12 for the Gators.

Bokemper led the way with 9 points while Gentrup totaled 8 points and 7 rebounds.

The Wolverines doubled up the Pirates 10-5 in the 1st quarter. Both teams scored 17 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 27-22 in favor of BRLD.

The Wolverines outscored Emerson-Hubbard 14-6 in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 41-28 at the end of three.

BRLD won the 4th quarter 9-8.

Gentrup notched 17 points while Addison Mackling recorded 9. Bokemper chipped in 7 rebounds.

I thought the Pirates did a better job of competing against the Wolverines. Scoring and defense is an issue for Emerson-Hubbard right now though I would say.

The Pirates (0-3) host Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (1-2) Friday night.

The Bears won 47-44 at home over Homer Tuesday night.

I think Emerson-Hubbard has a really good chance to pick up their first win of the season.

If the Pirates can hold Laurel-Concord-Coleridge under 50 points and score over 50 themselves that would be really good.

The bottomline though is to win, and it doesn't matter how it happens, as long as it happens.

Gentrup, Mackling, and Bokemper all need to have big games for Emerson-Hubbard.

The Pirates need all three of them to score 7+ to ensure a win I would say.

Emerson-Hubbard has done a nice job getting a couple girls to knock down shots and score quite a few points, now it's matter of getting more girls to do the same.

The Pirates only have 8 girls out for the team so I realize that handcuffs them so to speak, but that just means Emerson-Hubbard has to step up their game even more.

I'm sure it's hard for the Pirates to stay fresh and not be worn out by the end of games, but at the end of the day Emerson-Hubbard has to make do with what they've got.

The Pirates have to step things up, and continue to grow and improve.

Each game has been better so far, and so Emerson-Hubbard has to keep getting better and continue to narrow the gap.

The star players on this team have to pick up the rest of the team and hold them accountable during practice and in games.

Everyone has to continue to raise their level of play, and must keep progressing and moving forward.

The Pirates have to really try and get this one. It's their best chance at a win so far this year, and so the need to play at a really high level, with a lot of desire, and a sense of urgency is super critical, in my opinion.

BRLD Boys 3-0 so far; Girls off to 2-1 start

The BRLD Boys Basketball Team is 3-0 so far this season, defeating Omaha Nation 57-53 at home last Thursday night, Homer 86-41 on the road Saturday, and Emerson-Hubbard 65-25 on the road Tuesday night.

The Wolverines led the Knights 12-8 after one. BRLD won the 2nd quarter 23-16 to take a 35-24 lead into the locker room.

The Wolverines outscored Homer 35-15 in the 3rd quarter to go up 70-39 at the end of three.

BRLD put up 16 points in the 4th quarter, and held the Knights to just 2.

Great start to the season for the Wolverines. BRLD had a close first game, but has been magnificent in their last two contests.

The Wolverines (3-0) host Clarkson/Leigh (0-3) Friday night in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Patriots lost 73-35 at home to Oakland-Craig Tuesday night.

I look for this game to be similar to the way the Homer and Emerson-Hubbard games went for BRLD.

It's important for the Wolverines to be sharp Friday night with Howells-Dodge and Ponca coming up before the Holiday Break.

BRLD has to flex their muscles and be as impressive as possible prior to those two contests.

The Wolverines are off to an excellent start, but there's a lot of work to be done.

This game with Clarkson/Leigh is one BRLD has to not only win, but win big.

The Wolverines have to be driven, motivated, animated, vocal, and energized.

BRLD has to light a fire under themselves, and go out there and perform at an extremely high level.

The Wolverines have to find some motivation from within to go out there and play well.

It might be easy to be unmotivated or complacent given the Patriots' record so far, but every opponent deserves respect.

BRLD has to treat this game like they're playing Winnebago or something like that.

The Wolverines have to come out pumped and flat out angry and fired up.

BRLD has to go full throttle, and take it to Clarkson/Leigh for 4 quarters.

The Wolverines have to be relentless with their attack, and must give the Patriots everything they've got and then some.

BRLD simply has to go out there and take care of business and leave no doubt.

The game will be heard on 107.9 the Bull at 6:00 p.m.

The BRLD Girls Basketball Team lost 66-57 at home to Omaha Nation last Thursday night to open the season before winning 58-46 at Homer on Saturday, and 50-36 at Emerson-Hubbard Tuesday night.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 19-12 lead at the end of one. The Wolverines won the 2nd quarter 15-14 to make it a 33-27 game at halftime.

BRLD won the 3rd quarter 16-10 to go up 49-37 at the end of three.

The Wolverines notched 20 points in the 4th quarter compared to 17 for Omaha Nation.

Paige Peters led the way with 20 points while Caragan Tietz and Vicki Gatzemeyer registered 14 and 7, respectively.

BRLD led the Knights 17-8 at the end of one and won the 2nd quarter 14-10 to take a 31-18 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 44-31 after three.

Homer won the 4th quarter 15-14.

Peters led the way with 14 points while Gatzemeyer notched 11. Mariah Petersen and Tiahna Bonneau added 9 apiece while Kelsey Larsen registered 8.

The Wolverines doubled up the Pirates 10-5 in the 1st quarter. Both teams scored 17 points in the 2nd quarter, and the halftime score was 27-22 in favor of BRLD.

The Wolverines outscored Emerson-Hubbard 14-6 in the 3rd quarter to extend their lead to 41-28 at the end of three.

BRLD won the 4th quarter 9-8.

I thought the Wolverines did a nice job bouncing back following the loss to Omaha Nation.

BRLD (2-1) hosts Clarkson/Leigh (2-1) Friday night in a game that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Patriots knocked off Oakland-Craig 36-30 at home Tuesday night.

Clarkson/Leigh is a great team, especially defensively, and it doesn't figure to be easy for the Wolverines to score.

Peters, Garzemeyer, and others have to step up and have big games for the Wolverines.

BRLD has to work the ball around the court for good shots, and work the ball inside as well as look to get out and run.

I'm not sure if the Patriots want to play fast so the Wolverines have to look to get out and run and push tempo as much as possible.

I think if BRLD can score in the 50's again they should have a good chance to win.

The Wolverines have been solid offensively this season, but not great.

The defense has also been solid, in my opinion.

BRLD has to step up their game if they want to win Friday night though.

The Wolverines have to play at a higher level than they have been, and score more and give up less than they have so far this season.

I look for this game to be a low scoring affair that comes down to the final minutes or seconds.

BRLD has to come out fired up and ready to fight and get physical with Clarkson/Leigh.

The Wolverines have to play inspired, and have to want to raise their level of play and play better than they have so far this season.

I think from a scoring margin standpoint BRLD has improved in each and every game so far this season so we'll see what happens Friday night.

The game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull after the boys game.

Tekamah-Herman Boys off to 0-2 start; Girls 0-3

The Tekamah-Herman Boys Basketball Team is 0-2 on the season so far, losing 57-38 at home to Stanton last Thursday night before falling 60-21 at Pender Friday night.

The Mustangs led 12-7 after one, and outscored the Tigers 14-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 26-11 lead into the locker room.

Stanton doubled up Tekamah-Herman 18-9 in the 3rd quarter to ho up 44-20 at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 18 points in the 4th quarter compared to 13 for the Mustangs.

Clay Beaumont had 18 points while Cole Freidel totaled 11.

Pender led 34-4 at halftime and went on to win.

Beaumont was the lone player in double digits for the Tigers, scoring 11 points.

Tough sledding so far for Tekamah-Herman. The Tigers have definitely gotten out of the gates slow.

Tekamah-Herman (0-2) hosts Wisner-Pilger (1-1) Friday night.

The Gators lost 63-53 to Lutheran High Northeast at the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic Championship Game at Emerson-Hubbard on Saturday.

I'm sure the Tigers will give it their all and do their best to compete Friday night, but Wisner-Pilger is very tough.

Tekamah-Herman has to try and slow down Jayden Raabe, Keegan Ruskamp, Hunter Waterman, and others.

A lot of players should see the floor for the Tigers so that's a plus even if the game is lopsided.

Tekamah-Herman has to have fun, and go out there and play hard and do their best.

Beaumont and Freidel need to have big games for the Tigers.

Tekamah-Herman has to play their hearts out and give it their all for 4 quarters.

Obviously the Tigers want to win, but that may not happen so Tekamah-Herman should focus on improving and growing throughout the course of the game.

The Tigers have to stay positive and must continue to work hard, persevere, and get better.

Tekamah-Herman can't quit and be in bad spirits.

The Tigers have to continue to have a willingness to learn and improve, and must continue to progress every time they take to the floor.

Tekamah-Herman has to care about each other, and play for their teammates and school pride.

The Tigers have to give the Gators their best shot, and leave it all out on the floor.

Tekamah-Herman has to shake negative plays off, and move on to the next play or possession.

The Tigers have to keep fighting no matter what happens.

The Tekamah-Herman Girls Basketball Team lost 52-24 at home to Stanton last Thursday night before falling 59-36 at Pender Friday night, and 40-39 at DC West Tuesday night.

The Mustangs doubled up the Tigers 12-6 in the 1st quarter. Stanton outscored Tekamah-Herman 15-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 27-10 lead into the locker room.

The Mustangs outscored the Tigers 17-7 in the 3rd quarter to make it a 44-17 game at the end of three.

Stanton won the 4th quarter 8-7.

Marin Jetensky led the Tigers with 13 points.

Pender exploded for 26 points in the first quarter and went on to take a 34-16 lead at halftime.

Jetensky led Tekamah-Herman with 16 points, with Jadyn Fleischman adding 10.

The Tigers led the Falcons 7-5 at the end of one. DC West won the 2nd quarter 10-9 to make it a 16-15 game at halftime.

The Falcons outscored Tekamah-Herman 14-8 in the 3rd quarter to lead 29-24 at the end of three.

The Tigers put up 15 points in the 4th quarter compared to 11 for DC West.

Jetensky had a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Fleischman added 11 rebounds while Gabby Mercier registered 8 points.

Rough start to the season for Tekamah-Herman. I'm sure the Tigers didn't think they would be 0-3 at this point.

Tekamah-Herman (0-3) hosts Wisner-Pilger (1-1) Friday night.

The Gators downed Emerson-Hubbard 49-27 in the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic Consolation Game on Saturday.

This could be an interesting game with Alexis Heller out for Wisner-Pilger.

The Tigers have to be flat out upset given what happened Tuesday night.

Tekamah-Herman had no business losing to DC West.

Nothing against the Falcons, but they aren't a team the Tigers should of lost to.

Jetensky and Fleischman need to play big offensively again for Tekamah-Herman, and Mercier needs to have a big game scoring the ball as well.

The Tigers also have to play outstanding defense, and limit Wisner-Pilger to one shot per possession.

Tekamah-Herman has to win the battle of the boards, and create 2nd and 3rd scoring opportunities at the basket.

The Tigers have to play with more heart and must hustle more than the Gators.

Tekamah-Herman has to play hard and inspired, and has to want to right the ship.

The Tigers should flat out be mad and upset, and should do everything they can to do something about their early season struggles.

Tekamah-Herman has to play better than they have been, especially offensively, and they can definitely do that.

The Tigers just have to keep things positive and keep believing that if they continue to work hard and persevere that they will get their season turned around.

Tekamah-Herman hosts Twin River on Saturday.

Pender Boys lose to Wakefield; beat Tekamah-Heman; Girls beat both

The Pender Boys Basketball team lost 56-33 at Wakefield Thursday night before beating Tekamah-Herman 60-21 at home Friday night.

The Trojans jumped out to an 18-8 lead after one. Wakefield won the 2nd quarter 13-11 to take a 31-19 lead into the locker room.

The Trojans outscored the Pendragons 12-7 in the 3rd quarter to go up 43-26 at the end of three.

Wakefield notched 13 points in the 4th quarter compared to 7 for Pender.

Sam Mailoux had 11 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Chris Rutar added 8 points.

Pender led 34-4 at halftime against the Tigers.

Jordan Springer hit five three pointers and led the way with 17 points while Tyler Nelson had 11. Mailoux chipped in 13 rebounds.

I thought the Pendragons played a great game against Tekamah-Herman. Pender struggled in the opener, but really stepped things up against the Tigers I thought.

The Pendragons (1-1) take on Oakland-Craig (1-2) on the road Friday night.

The Knights won 73-35 at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

Oakland-Craig has been without Garrett Seagren for the whole season so far, and if he plays against the Pendragons Friday night, then it might be pretty difficult to beat Oakland-Craig.

If figures to be really tough even without Seagren given what the Knights did to the Patriots Tuesday night.

I thought Pender played a really nice game against Tekamah-Herman, and will need that same kind of offensive and defensive effort Friday night.

Mailoux, Rutar, Springer, and Nelson all need to step up and score at the same time for the Pendragons.

Only getting a couple of them in double figures most likely isn't going to be good enough to beat a team like Oakland-Craig.

The Pendragons need mass production from their scorers, and must contain the likes of Kobe Benne, Robby Mayberry, Garrison Dodge, and Wyatt Seagren.

Pender is a solid team, in my opinion, but the Knights have played some great teams and are a great, fast, and athletic group.

Oakland-Craig went to state last year, and has everything working on their side right now.

I feel the Knights are one of the better teams in the area, but the Pendragons are a good team in their own right.

Pender has to go into this game with no fear. The Pendragons can't be in awe of or intimidated by the Knights.

Oakland-Craig has done some great things in recent games, but I feel Pender is an up and coming team that has to continue to take steps forward.

If the Pendragons can't win, I think a close loss or a competitive loss would be a moral victory and a positive step in the right direction for Pender.

A win would be nice of course, but a loss to the Knights isn't exactly devastating or the end of the world.

The Pendragons have a trio of very winnable games coming up after this so Pender has to find positive things to take away from the game, win or lose.

The Pender Girls Basketball Team won 62-34 at Wakefield Thursday night, and 59-36 at home over Tekamah-Herman Friday night.

The Pendragons led the Trojans 18-7 at the end of one. Pender won the 2nd quarter 16-11 to take a 34-18 lead into the locker room.

The Pendragons outscored the Trojans 13-6 in the 3rd quarter to go up 47-24 at the end of three.

Pender won the 4th quarter 15-10.

Against Tekamah-Herman, Pender exploded for 26 points in the first quarter and went on to take a 34-16 lead at halftime.

Ashley Ostrand scored 19 points, including a trio of three pointers, to go along with 14 points from Faith Morris.

Great opening week for the Pendragons. I must admit I didn't expect Pender to come out of the gates like this.

The Pendragons (2-0) battle Oakland-Craig (2-1) on the road Friday night.

The Knights are coming off a 36-30 loss at Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

I thought before this game Pender might lose their first game of the season, and they still could, but given Oakland-Craig's loss to the Patriots, I feel the Pendragons have a better chance to win than if the Knights were coming off a win.

Oakland-Craig could still win as Clarkson/Leigh is a great team, but I feel Pender is a great team too, and will be equally as difficult for the Knights to hang with and beat.

The Pendragons have a gauntlet of a schedule following Monday's game against Allen up until around the Holiday Break or a little after so Pender has to play well against Oakland-Craig to give themselves confidence and a belief that they are a great and legitimate team, and that they can hang with and compete against the best of the best.

The Pendragons have to keep working hard and persevering and must continue to prove their doubters wrong.

This will be Pender's toughest contest to date yet I would say, and a win over the Knights would be a big boost for this team, in my opinion.

It's never easy going on the road and winning in the East Husker Conference, but if there's a team that can do it it's the Pendragons.

Pender has to continue to do the fundamental things well that have gotten them to this point, and must stay level headed and hungry.

The Pendragons can't be cocky or complacent given what they've done so far.

I think Pender is a really good team, and is going to have a fine season, but they have to go out there and prove it.

The Pendragons have done that so far by blowing out Wakefield and Tekamah-Herman, but there's no doubt that Oakland-Craig is a step or two up in competition.

As well as Pender played the first two games of the season, they need to play even better against the Knights to win.

Kennedy Benne scored 16 of Oakland-Craig's 30 points Tuesday night, and if the Pendragons can hold everyone else down and just let her get her points then they should be in good shape. Holding her down and forcing other players to step up and score might not be a bad game plan either.

Pender has to play to win, and can't go out there and play not to lose.

The Pendragons have to play a complete 4 quarter game, and must take the fight to the Knights.

North Bend Central Boys and Girls 2-0 to start season

The North Bend Central Boys Basketball Team is 2-0 so far this season, defeating Twin River 69-45 on the road Thursday night, and winning 72-41 at home over Schuyler Tuesday night.

The Tigers led the Warriors 13-10 after one, and outscored Schuyler 22-9 in the 2nd quarter to take a 35-19 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central won the 3rd quarter 16-12 to go up 51-31 at the end of three.

The Tigers outscored the Warriors 21-10 in the 4th quarter.

Tanner Wietfeld had 29 points while John Emanuel and Austin Endorf registered 20 and 9, respectively.

Great start to the year for North Bend Central. Nothing to be disappointed about when you win by over 20 points the first two games of the season.

The Tigers (2-0) battle West Point-Beemer (2-1) on the road Thursday night.

The Cadets won 48-24 at home over Stanton Tuesday night.

West Point-Beemer is a very tall team, and is senior laden.

I don't think there's any doubt North Bend Central can win, but it's going to be the Tigers' first real test of the year.

The Cadets are experienced and big, compared to North Bend Central, who I view as an athletic, big, and fast team.

Both teams are very good, and this should be a great game, and I think the Tigers have a great chance to come out on top.

I think a win over West Point-Beemer would give North Bend Central a boost of confidence and momentum heading into near future tough games with Parkview Christian and Milford.

The Tigers have an explosive offense, and a really good defense, something that usually is championship pedigree.

I think that explosive offense is kind of the difference between the Cadets and North Bend Central.

I don't think West Point-Beemer is quite as explosive offensively as the Tigers as North Bend Central has proven they can light it up from anywhere.

At the same time, I think the Cadets have faced some tougher teams, but still you play the hand you are dealt.

I think the battle down low will be key in this as will guard play.

The Tigers have to try and contain Chase and Austin Streeter, and also key on Ben Vander Griend and Cole Hughes.

North Bend Central has to have Wietfeld, Emanuel, and Endorf play the way they did against Schuyler.

If the Tigers get those three to combine for 58 points again they figure to be in great shape.

North Bend Central has to bring it for 4 quarters and be prepared to take West Point-Beemer's best shot.

You know the Cadets will bring a hard nosed, physical style of play to the table, and so the Tigers must do the same.

The North Bend Central Girls Basketball Team is also off to a 2-0 start as the Tigers topped Twin River 29-24 on the road Thursday night, and Schuyler 60-14 at home Tuesday night.

The Titans doubled up the Tigers 10-5 in the 1st quarter. North Bend Central won the 2nd quarter 11-9 to make it a 19-16 game at halftime.

Both teams scored 4 points in the 3rd quarter, the score at the end of three was 23-19 in favor of Twin River.

The Tigers outscored the Titans 9-1 in the 4th quarter.

North Bend Central tripled up the Warriors 15-5 in the 1st quarter. The Tigers outscored Schuyler 18-2 in the 2nd quarter to take a 33-7 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central won the 3rd quarter 16-5 to go up 49-12 at the end of three.

The Tigers put up 11 fourth quarter points and held the Warriors to just 2.

Slow start against Twin River, but it seems like North Bend Central has really picked things up from the 4th quarter of that game on.

Good overall start to the year for the Tigers. North Bend Central should be happy to be undefeated so far.

The Tigers (2-0) battle West Point-Beemer (2-1) on the road Thursday night.

The Cadets lost 33-30 at home to Stanton Tuesday night.

This should be a great game.

North Bend Central should work it into their post players down low like Brooke Fredrickson and Kristin Lux, and look to get to the free throw line and convert easy layups.

I think rebounding will be really big in this game, and feel the Tigers have the advantage in overall size and athleticism.

Those 2nd and 3rd chance points are going to be big, and I feel North Bend Central will get plenty of them.

This is a really big game for the Tigers with Stanton and Pender coming up next week.

North Bend Central has to step up their game and play with a sense of urgency and purpose Thursday night.

These next three games and the Milford game before Christmas are really big for this team.

The Tigers have to step up and perform to the best of their ability, and continue to improve on their offensive game.

North Bend Central is a great defensive team, and could be a state team if they get their offense to the same level as their defense, in my opinion.

The Tigers have to be aggressive with the ball at the basket, and have to go up strong against West Point-Beemer.

The Tigers have to hit a high percentage from the field and free throw line, and really make it an emphasis to work the ball inside to their posts.

North Bend Central figures to have a height advantage in this game so the Tigers have to use that to their advantage.

North Bend Central has to play a complete four quarter game much like they did against Schuyler.

I feel the game with the Warriors was a really good tune up for the Tigers heading into this game.

I look for North Bend Central to play a great game Tuesday night, and perhaps pull out a win.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Cadets found a way to win though.