West Point-Beemer Boys beat Stanton, lose to North Bend Central; Girls lose to both

The West Point-Beemer Boys went 1-1 last week, downing Stanton 51-41 on the road Tuesday night before falling 71-30 at North Bend Central Thursday night.

The Mustangs led the Cadets 15-9 after one. West Point-Beemer doubled up Stanton 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 23-22 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored Stanton 17-11 to go up 40-33 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer won the fourth quarter 11-8.

Blake Anderson had a game-high 19 points while Chase Streeter and Austin Streeter totaled 11 and 10, respectively. Tate Ernesti added 7.

North Bend Central doubled up the Cadets 18-9 in the first quarter.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 23-5 in the second quarter to lead 41-14 at the half.

North Bend Central won the third quarter 10-8 to make it a 51-22 game at the end of three.

The Tigers notched 20 points in the fourth quarter and held the Cadets to 8 to make up the final score.

Chase Streeter led West Point-Beemer with 12 points and 9 rebounds while Austin Streeter had 7 points.

I thought the Cadets played well against the Mustangs, but the game against the Tigers was one to simply forget about.

West Point-Beemer (2-2) hosts Howells-Dodge (2-3) Tuesday night.

The Jaguars lost 58-42 at home to Oakland-Craig on Saturday.

Howells-Dodge started the season well, picking up wins over Stanton and David City Aquinas, but has since struggled.

This is a game between two teams looking to find some consistency.

Both teams have done some nice things this year, and struggled at times, so it should be a pretty good and even matchup.

A win is much needed for the Cadets with it being their last game before the Wayne Holiday Tournament.

West Point-Beemer doesn't want a loss to think about over the Holidays.

This game is big for the Jaguars too, and you can bet Cole Fischer will have his boys ready to play.

West Point-Beemer's strength is their defense, while Howells-Dodge has been good and bad at times offensively and defensively this season.

I look for this game to be a low scoring, defensive battle and slugfest.

Every possession is going to be critical, and limiting turnovers and getting to and converting at the free throw line is going to be important for both teams too.

I think defense will be there for both teams so whoever plays better offensively could be the team who comes out on top.

I think it's important for the Streeter boys to take charge and have big games. Both need to be aggressive with the basketball when they have it.

Tuesday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull. It's set to follow the girls game, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.

The West Point-Beemer Girls went 0-2 last week, losing 40-29 at Stanton Tuesday night, and 54-31 at North Bend Central Thursday night.

The Cadets led Stanton 9-8 at the end of one. The Mustangs tripled up West Point-Beemer 18-6 in the second quarter to make it a 26-15 game at halftime.

Stanton won the third quarter 8-3 to lead 34-18 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 11-6.

Brittney Hinkel notched 9 points and 8 rebounds while Abbey Dale had 8 points.

The Tigers doubled up the Cadets 14-7 in the first quarter. North Bend Central won the second quarter 12-8 to take a 26-15 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers outscored West Point-Beemer 14-4 in the third quarter to go up 40-19 at the end of three.

North Bend Central put up 14 points in the fourth quarter compared to 12 for the Cadets.

Hinkel led West Point-Beemer with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Head Coach Craig Theis says the Tigers outplayed his squad.

"Kind of outphysicaled us there, and rightfully so. They really have some good looking athletes there. And really hurt us in transition, which I didn't expect."

Theis adds he needs a player to step up.

"And you're kind of seeing we're kind of lacking that player who we get it to them, and they can get us a really good shot. And that's something we got to really work on."

The Cadets (1-3) host Howells-Dodge (5-0) Tuesday night.

The Jaguars downed Oakland-Craig 69-47 at home on Saturday.

Howells-Dodge has been on a terror lately while West Point-Beemer has struggled so far this season.

The Cadets are going to need to be stellar offensively and defensively to have a chance in this game I would say.

West Point-Beemer is going to need to play out of their minds to be successful and win, in my opinion.

The Cadets need some girls to step up and score, and must do what they can to try and slow down Sam Brester, Erin Prusa, and others.

This Jaguars' team is loaded with talent and is really good so it's time for this young West Point-Beemer team to step up and play up to their potential.

The Cadets can't be afraid of or intimidated by this Howells-Dodge team. The Jaguars are a really tough and great team, but West Point-Beemer is very capable of doing great things themselves.

These girls just have to become tough physically and mentally, and play up to their capabilities.

The Cadets have to play hard, and play with tremendous effort and heart throughout the contest.

I feel West Point-Beemer has played well at times this year, but has struggled at other times.

The Cadets just need to perform at a high level all the time and become a consistent, tough ball club.

West Point-Beemer is capable of getting their season turned around, and if the Cadets can at least play Howells-Dodge tough and close, it could give them some momentum heading into the Fremont Bergan game next week.

Tuesday night's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

Stanton Boys 1-2 on the season so far; Girls 2-1

The Stanton Boys are off to a slow, 1-2 start, beating Tekamah-Herman 56-32 at home last Thursday night to open up the season, before falling 58-43 at Howells-Dodge Friday night, and 51-41 at home to West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Mustangs tripled up the Tigers 18-6 in the first quarter. Tekamah-Herman won the second quarter 17-14 to make it a 32-23 game at halftime.

Stanton outscored the Tigers 13-5 in the third quarter to lead 45-28 at the end of three.

The Mustangs notched 11 points in the fourth quarter and held Tekamah-Herman to 4.

Trey Erbst totaled 21 points and 9 rebounds while Myles Nickolite notched 15 points and 7 rebounds. Broderick Sieh registered 10 points and 8 rebounds. Sam Bates added 8 points.

The Jaguars held a 19-15 lead on Stanton at the end of one. Howells-Dodge won the second quarter 13-10 to lead 32-25 at halftime.

The Jaguars erupted in the third quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 16-2 to lead 48-27 at the end of three.

Stanton notched 16 points in the fourth quarter while Howells-Dodge scored 10.

Nickolite had 20 points and 7 rebounds while Erbst recorded 11 points.

The Mustangs led the Cadets 15-9 after one. West Point-Beemer doubled up Stanton 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 23-22 lead into the locker room.

The Cadets outscored Stanton 17-11 to go up 40-33 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer won the fourth quarter 11-8.

Nickolite registered a team-high 16 points while Beau Wilke and Marcus Spotanski recorded 10 and 7, respectively.

I'm surprised the Mustangs have struggled the way they have. I feel Stanton is a much better team than what they have showed so far.

The Mustangs (1-2) host North Bend Central (3-0) Tuesday night.

The Tigers beat West Point-Beemer 71-30 at home Thursday night.

North Bend Central is the real deal this year, and really showed it against the Cadets, in my opinion.

I really think the Tigers are a legit state tournament team again this year, and Stanton is going to have their hands full with North Bend Central I have a feeling.

I think the Mustangs can make things competitive though.

I don't think Stanton has played their best basketball so far, and feel their best games are ahead of them.

Erbst and Nickolite have been really consistent for the Mustangs this season, but everyone else has been off and on.

Stanton needs more efforts like the one they got against Tekamah-Herman. The Mustangs played real well offensively and defensively in that contest.

This game with North Bend Central on Tuesday has a chance to be close or get really ugly, in my opinion.

The way the Tigers beat the Cadets was no fluke in my mind, and I just think it's going to be awfully difficult for Stanton to beat North Bend Central, but anything can happen.

There aren't a lot of easy games on the schedule coming up so the Mustangs have to strap up and get ready for the ride.

Stanton has to start performing at the level they are capable of. I think the Mustangs have kind of underachieved to this point.

We'll see what Stanton can do Tuesday night. The Mustangs desperately need to play well to give themselves some confidence moving forward.

The Stanton Girls are 2-1 this season, beating Tekamah-Herman 50-36 at home last Thursday night, and losing 34-25 at Howells-Dodge last Friday night, before winning 40-29 at home over West Point-Beemer Tuesday night.

The Mustangs held a 15-9 lead on the Tigers at the end of one. Stanton won the second quarter 12-7 to go up 27-16 at halftime.

The Mustangs tripled up Tekamah-Herman 9-3 in the third quarter to lead 36-19 at the end of three.

The Tigers outscored Stanton 17-14 in the fourth quarter.

Jessie Brandl notched 17 points while MacKenzie Brandl totaled 12 points and 8 rebounds. Hannah Heppner added 10 points and 12 rebounds, good enough for a double-double.

The Jaguars jumped out to a 9-1 lead on the Mustangs after one. Howells-Dodge won the second quarter 14-11 to go up 23-12 at halftime.

The Jaguars outscored Stanton 8-6 in the third quarter to make it a 31-18 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 7-3.

Bree Burtwhistle finished with a team-high 8 points while MacKenzie and Jessie Brandl notched 7 points apiece. Mackenzie added 7 rebounds.

The Cadets led Stanton 9-8 at the end of one. The Mustangs tripled up West Point-Beemer 18-6 in the second quarter to make it a 26-15 game at halftime.

Stanton won the third quarter 8-3 to lead 34-18 at the end of three.

The Cadets won the fourth quarter 11-6.

MacKenzie Brandl and Heppner notched 14 points apiece. Heppner added 16 rebounds to record another double-double. MacKenzie Brandl also had a double-double, totaling 10 rebounds. Jessie Brandl and Burtwhistle registered 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively.

I think the Mustangs are playing pretty good basketball. The loss to Howells-Dodge was certainly understandable.

Stanton (2-1) hosts North Bend Central (3-1) Tuesday night.

The Tigers beat West Point-Beemer 54-31 at home Thursday night.

North Bend Central played their best game of the year by far against the Cadets, and really broke out as a team offensively.

As good as the Mustangs have been this year, I think their offense is going to need to step up and do more if they want to beat the Tigers.

Stanton is definitely good enough defensively to win, but can their offense step up and score enough points to come away with a win? That's the biggest question mark surrounding this game, in my opinion.

The Mustangs need Heppner, Burtwhistle, and both Brandl's to perform at a high level like they have been lately, and play really good games Tuesday night.

This should be a really good game between Stanton and North Bend Central.

The Mustangs have to come out fired up, and cut down on turnovers and mistakes on offense.

Stanton also has to play tough defense, contesting shots, pressuring the ball, and rebounding well.

The Mustangs also have to stay out of foul trouble and get to the free throw line.

I don't think there's any doubt Stanton can beat North Bend Central, but it's going to take a big game on the Mustangs' part for them to come away with a win.

It's a big week for Stanton next week, and if the Mustangs can get two out of three, I think they would be happy.

The goal of course is to try to win them all, and if Stanton could take all three games next week, that would be an incredible accomplishment.

We'll see what happens. The Mustangs are off to a solid start so far.

Howells-Dodge Boys start season 2-2; Girls unbeaten so far

The Howells-Dodge Boys are off to a 2-2 start, losing 53-34 at Pierce last Thursday night, beating Stanton 58-43 at home last Friday night, and David City Aquinas 37-35 at home Tuesday night, before losing 66-47 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Thursday night.

The Bluejays led the Jaguars 12-10 at the end of one. Pierce won the second quarter 16-11 to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored the Bluejays 10-2 in the third quarter to make it a 38-23 game after three.

Pierce put up 15 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for the Jaguars.

Connor Blum led the way with 15 points.

Head Coach Cole Fischer says the Bluejays proved to be too much.

"Pierce is so good defensively that it is hard to get into any flow offensively. We had a poor 3rd quarter and that was the game. This young team plays hard and we will continue to get better."

Howells-Dodge did get better as the win over the Mustangs really showed it I think.

The Jaguars held a 19-15 lead on Stanton at the end of one. Howells-Dodge won the second quarter 13-10 to lead 32-25 at halftime.

The Jaguars erupted in the third quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 16-2 to lead 48-27 at the end of three.

Stanton notched 16 points in the fourth quarter while Howells-Dodge scored 10.

Blum totaled a team-high 14 points while Lane Hegemann notched 12. Dax VanLengen recorded 11 points and 9 rebounds while Zach Bayer registered 8 points.

Fischer says his team played really well.

"We played a great second half defensively and were able to hit some shots in the 3rd quarter. I very proud of the boys effort. This was a team win."

The Jaguars led the Monarchs 15-11 after one. David City Aquinas outscored Howells-Dodge 6-2 in the second quarter to tie the game at 17 at halftime.

The Monarchs won the third quarter 12-8 to take a 29-25 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars doubled up David City Aquinas 12-6 in the fourth to make up the final score.

Blum registered 15 points and 7 rebounds while Bayer had 8 rebounds.

Fischer says his team played a great game.

"This was a great defensive basketball game. Our boys battled and fought all 4 quarters. We had a lot of young guys step up to get a win. We need to build on this and use this momentum in December."

The Bulldogs led Howells-Dodge 16-11 at the end of one. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family outscored the Jaguars 16-9 to make it a 32-20 game at halftime.

Howells-Dodge won the third quarter 13-8 to make the deficit 40-33 at the end of three.

The Bulldogs erupted for 26 points in the fourth quarter, and held the Jaguars to 14.

Blum and Bayer had 12 points apiece to lead Howells-Dodge. VanLengen notched 10 points while Josh Brester totaled 7.

Fischer says his team had an off game.

"We lacked energy on defensive end of the floor and did not take care of the ball. As a young team we have to do the little things. "

Howells-Dodge (2-2) faces Oakland-Craig (2-2) at home on Saturday.

The Knights defeated Pender 75-36 on the road Tuesday night.

Oakland-Craig is a tough team, and appears to be due to have a breakout year, but the Jaguars have been really good this year too.

This should be a good game as long as both teams play up to their potential.

Howells-Dodge has to play well defensively, and try and slow down Garrett Seagren, Kobe Benne, Carter Thiele, and others.

I felt the Jaguars played well alright for three quarters against the Bulldogs, but let things get away in the fourth quarter.

There's no doubt Howells-Dodge is a better team than what they showed in Thursday night's game at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

This is a big game for the Jaguars as Howells-Dodge has West Point-Beemer, BRLD, and rival Clarkson/Leigh next week.

A win for the Jaguars on Saturday and a win Tuesday would be much needed for the game with the Wolverines.

I think Howells-Dodge is capable of beating the Knights, the Jaguars won't be able to win if they play the way they did against the Bulldogs,

The biggest thing for Howells-Dodge is becoming consistent as a team. Blum has been consistent scoring, but everyone else has been off and on.

The Jaguars need consistent scoring and consistently good defense to be successful all the time, in my opinion.

All teams go through struggles and inconsistencies, but at some point Howells-Dodge has to find their way and become the basketball team they are capable of becoming.

The Howells-Dodge Girls are off to a great start, drilling Pierce 68-49 on the road last Thursday night to open up the season before winning 34-25 at home over Stanton last Friday night, 51-40 at home over David City Aquinas Tuesday night, and 49-30 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Thursday night.

The Jaguars led the Bluejays 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. Howells-Dodge outscored Pierce 25-9 in the second quarter to take a 36-16 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars won the third quarter 17-14 to go up 53-30 at the end of three.

The Bluejays notched 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to 15 for Howells-Dodge.

Sam Brester had a game-high 20 points for the Jaguars while Kalli Brester and Erin Prusa totaled 12 apiece. Emily Ritzdorf and Macey Kulhanek notched 8 points each while Chelsea Bayer scored 7. Prusa added 7 rebounds.

The Jaguars jumped out to a 9-1 lead on the Mustangs after one. Howells-Dodge won the second quarter 14-11 to go up 23-12 at halftime.

The Jaguars outscored Stanton 8-6 in the third quarter to make it a 31-18 game at the end of three.

The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 7-3.

Sam Brester finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds while Prusa recorded 7 points and 12 rebounds.

Howells-Dodge led the Monarchs 12-7 at the end of one. The Jaguars outscored David City Aquinas 16-11 in the second quarter to go up 28-18 at halftime.

Howells-Dodge won the third quarter 12-10 to lead 40-28 at the end of three.

The Monarchs put up 12 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for the Jaguars.

Both Sam Brester and Prusa recorded double-doubles as Brester had a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds while Prusa registered 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Jaguars held a 5-2 lead on the Bulldogs after one. Howells-Dodge outscored Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 20-11 in the second quarter to go up 25-13 at halftime.

The Jaguars doubled up the Bulldogs 12-6 in the third quarter and led 37-19 after three.

Howells-Dodge won the fourth quarter 12-11.

Sam Brester posted 20 points and 7 rebounds for the Jaguars while Prusa and Kulhanek notched 8 and 7 points, respectively.

The Jaguars are off to a great start. You couldn't ask for more if you are Howells-Dodge.

The Jaguars (4-0) host Oakland-Craig (3-1) on Saturday.

The Knights lost 49-41 at Pender Friday night.

Oakland-Craig was down 33-12 to the Pendragons, but made a furious comeback in the second half to make the game respectable.

The Knights are a good team, and Dacey Nelson is one of the better players in the area.

Howells-Dodge has to work on slowing down Nelson, Shannon Pille, and Kennedy Benne.

The Jaguars appear to be very strong defensively so I would say Howells-Dodge has a good chance to limit those three.

The Jaguars also need Sam Brester and Prusa to continue to play the way they have.

Getting a lot of girls to score a good amount of points would be good for Howells-Dodge in this game.

I don't think the Jaguars will score a high amount of points by any means, but I feel this game will be similar to the Aquinas and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family games.

I look for Howells-Dodge to win anywhere from 10-15 points, and remain undefeated on the season.

The Jaguars have passed every test so far this season, and I look for Howells-Dodge to pass test number 5 on Saturday.

It's important for the Jaguars to play well with three more quality teams on the slate for next week.

Howells-Dodge can't get too ahead of themselves though. The Jaguars have to continue to take things one game at a time, and play well in every single game like they have so far this season.

Howells-Dodge is a very good team, and we all knew they would be this good this year, but it's pretty cool to see the Jaguars doing what they are doing.

A 5-0 start would be real good for this team.

Clarkson/Leigh Boys 0-4 so far; Girls off to 2-2 start

The Clarkson/Leigh Boys are winless so far, losing 66-26 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Friday night, 70-57 at home to Madison on Saturday, 80-37 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night, and 50-47 at home to Winside Thursday night.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family took control early and never looked back. The Bulldogs led 20-3 at the end of one and outscored the Patriots 20-9 in the second quarter to lead 40-12 at halftime.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family won the third quarter 19-7 to go up 59-19 at the end of three.

Both teams scored 7 points in the fourth quarter.

Blake Paprocki paced Clarkson/Leigh with 7 points.

Head Coach Jay Knaak.

"I just looked and we had 30 turnovers in the game, and that was with them playing a half court zone the whole second half. And we still turned the ball over."

Knaak says his team is inexperienced and it showed.

"Not only did we play not very good defense, we didn't play very good offense. And we shot the ball at about 20 percent. And it's tough to win games when you shoot the ball at 20 percent and have 30 turnovers in a game. It just makes life tough."

The Dragons led the Patriots 21-12 at the end of one. Madison outscored Clarkson/Leigh 26-17 in the second quarter to go up 47-29 at halftime.

The Dragons won the third quarter 18-13 to make it a 65-42 game at the end of three.

The Patriots tripled up Madison 15-5 in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Bruhn had 24 points and 8 rebounds while Paprocki and Garrett Schroeder notched 11 points apiece.

The Knights led the Patriots 22-6 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig outscored Clarkson/Leigh 18-11 in the second quarter to lead 40-17 at halftime.

The Knights doubled up the Patriots 18-9 in the third quarter to go up 58-26 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig doubled up Clarkson/Leigh 22-11 in the fourth quarter.

Bruhn registered a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats and Patriots were tied at 13 at the end of one. Winside won the second quarter 11-8 to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room.

Clarkson/Leigh outscored the Wildcats 17-9 in the third quarter to go up 38-33 at the end of three.

Winside notched 17 points in the fourth quarter compared to 9 for the Patriots.

Clarkson/Leigh really let one get away against the Wildcats. That loss has to really sting for the Patriots.

Clarkson/Leigh (0-4) takes on BRLD (3-0) at home Friday night.

The Wolverines beat Emerson-Hubbard 64-17 at home Tuesday night.

BRLD is tough, and is led by Kenyan Lovejoy, Trent Gatewood, Montana Riecken, and others.

The Wolverines have been really good offensively and great defensively.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have really struggled on both offense and defense.

Clarkson/Leigh has played well at times, but not consistent enough to pick themselves up a win yet.

The Patriots have to work on closing out teams when they have the opportunity.

I felt Clarkson/Leigh really let one get away against Winside, and the Patriots have to do a better job of finishing next time they're in that situation, whether it's Friday or another game.

Clarkson/Leigh is in a really tough situation right now. Losing to the Wildcats had to be a big emotional letdown.

But you know what? The Patriots have to forget about it quickly and be ready to play Friday night because BRLD will come ready to play, there's no doubt about it.

Clarkson/Leigh has to pick themselves and each other up, and be mentally tough.

The Patriots need to make progress against the Wolverines, regardless of if they win or lose.

I feel that progress was made against Winside so as tough as the loss is at least Clarkson/Leigh was competitive.

The Patriots have to be competitive again on Friday, and be ready to play hard for four quarters against BRLD.

The one thing Clarkson/Leigh can control is their effort, and the Patriots have to play with tremendous effort Friday night.

The Clarkson/Leigh Girls have started the season 2-2, losing 48-34 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Friday night, beating Madison 53-29 at home on Saturday, losing 47-43 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night, and winning 59-28 at home over Winside Thursday night.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family led 15-5 after one. The Patriots won the second quarter 13-11 to make it a 26-18 game at halftime.

Both teams scored 7 points in the third quarter, and the score after three was 33-25 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family outscored Clarkson/Leigh 15-9 in the fourth quarter to make up the final score.

Hannah Kasik had a game-high 14 points for the Patriots.

Head Coach Matt Murren says the slow start was too difficult to overcome.

"We came out, we got off to a little slow start there offensively. We were very tentative with shooting the basketball. We had plenty of looks, but we didn't want to shoot the ball early, and kind of caused us into some early turnovers. Kind of dug ourselves a hole. But I couldn't be more proud of the team. We got down there 26-7, and we battled back. From that point the ending score 27-22 there from that point on. So very proud of the girls the way they battled. And tell you what I'm very optimistic following that.

Murren says foul trouble was an issue.

"The one thing we've got to work on, and we've known this going in, is we've got to stay out of foul trouble. It was tough there we got into that third quarter, and we put them in the bonus two minutes and about five seconds into it."
Clarkson/Leigh led the Dragons 9-7 at the end of one. The Patriots won the second quarter 17-12 to take a 26-19 lead at halftime.

Clarkson/Leigh outscored Madison 17-5 in the second quarter to make it a 43-24 lead at the end of three.

The Patriots doubled up the Dragons 10-5 in the fourth quarter.

Ashlynn Novotony registered 15 points for Clarkson/Leigh. Shelby Paprocki added 10 points and 8 rebounds while Kasik and Kaegan Held notched 9 and 7 points, respectively. Halee Steffensmeier recorded 7 rebounds.
 
The Knights held a 6-5 lead over the Patriots at the end of one. Both teams scored 10 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 16-15 in favor of Oakland-Craig.

Clarkson/Leigh won the third quarter 15-10 to go up 30-26 after three.

The Knights outscored the Patriots 21-13 in the fourth quarter.

Kasik had a team-high 14 points while Paprocki and Steffensmeier registered 8 apiece. Held totaled 7.

Clarkson/Leigh led the Wildcats 21-4 at the end of one. The Patriots outscored Winside 16-7 in the second quarter to make it a 37-11 at halftime.

Clarkson/Leigh won the third quarter 8-5 to go up 45-18 at the end of three.

Paprocki recorded 16 points while Steffensmeier notched 13. Kasik added 9 while Paige Moore posted 8.

I think the Patriots are coming along nicely. Clarkson/Leigh is definitely an improved team from last year.

The Patriots (2-2) host BRLD (3-0) Friday night.

The Wolverines knocked off Emerson-Hubbard 80-27 at home Tuesday night.

BRLD has been very good this year, and I feel this Clarkson/Leigh has a big opportunity in front of them.

When you talk about building your program and changing the culture and things like that, these are the types of games you need to perform well in.

The Patriots are going to have to be very good on both ends of the court, even better than they were against Winside Thursday night.

I think Clarkson/Leigh has a chance to make things respectable against the Wolverines.

I feel like the Patriots are the toughest team BRLD will have faced so far this season.

It will be interesting to see how much gas Clarkson/Leigh has in the tank.

The Patriots have played two games so far this week so Clarkson/Leigh is going to have to dig deep and find some will within to play a good game Friday night.

The Patriots can rest after this game with the Wolverines so Clarkson/Leigh needs to be ready to go for four quarters.

The Patriots have to try and slow down Kelly Wakeley, Lexie Bacon, Tess Nottleman, Paige Peters, Vicki Gatzemeyer, Tiahna, Bonneau, and others.

BRLD has a lot of different weapons that can hurt you so it's important for Clarkson/Leigh to try and defend every one of these girls tightly.

Contesting shots and boxing out will be of the utmost important Friday night.

I really think the Patriots are going to need to keep up with the Wolverines scoring wise to have a chance.

Oakland-Craig Boys start season 1-2; Girls 3-0 so far

The Oakland-Craig Boys are 1-2 so far, falling 71-59 at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder last Thursday night, 81-46 at Boys Town on Saturday, before beating Clarkson/Leigh 80-37 at home Tuesday night.

The Raiders jumped out to a 22-16 lead after one. Logan View/Scribner-Snyder won the second quarter 16-13 to hold a 38-29 halftime lead.

The Knights won the third quarter 14-13 to make it a 51-43 game at the end of three.

The Raiders outscored Oakland-Craig 20-16 in the fourth quarter to make up the final score.

Garrett Seagren had a team-high 29 points, including 7 3's for the Knights while Kobe Benne and Carter Thiele recorded 10 and 9, respectively.

Head Coach Aaron Meyer says his team was just outplayed.

"Oh boy, that was pretty ugly out of us there at times. Every now and then we'd have a run, and give them credit they would come right back and score it seemed like every time we'd come out of a timeout that they called. They shot the ball really, really well. They were aggressive on defense. I mean they were better in just about every facet of the game."

The Cowboys held a 28-17 lead on Oakland-Craig at the end of one. Boys Town outscored the Knights 23-8 in the second quarter to take a 51-25 lead into the locker room.

The Cowboys doubled up Oakland-Craig 28-14 to make it a 79-39 game at the end of three.

The Knights put up 7 points in the fourth quarter compared to just 2 for Boys Town.

Seagren had 19 points to lead Oakland-Craig while Thiele notched 15.

Meyer says the Cowboys were simply too tough for his team.

"We game planned to try to slow down Teddy Allen. We did that in the half court. So we need to give his teammates credit for stepping up and making plays. Still, we struggled offensively due to their speed and athleticism. They speed teams up on offense so much that it's hard to think and run sets correctly. Many of our turnovers led to fast break baskets for them."

The Knights led the Patriots 22-6 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig outscored Clarkson/Leigh 18-11 in the second quarter to lead 40-17 at halftime.

The Knights doubled up the Patriots 18-9 in the third quarter to go up 58-26 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig doubled up Clarkson/Leigh 22-11 in the fourth quarter.

Seagren and Thiele notched 15 points apiece while Garrison Dodge and Jared Mulder registered 11 and 9 points, respectively. Wyatt Seagren recorded 10 rebounds while Thiele totaled 8.

Meyers says his squad did enough to win.

"We played ok, but it was far from our best. We struggled to finish around the hole just a bit, Defensively, we still need to keep wings from allowing penetration, then have bigs protect the rim better. But, we were able to get solid play from our bench and come out with a win."

The Knights (1-2) take on Pender (1-1) on the road Friday night.

The Pendragons beat Tekamah-Herman 45-34 last time out.

Pender is an improved team, and Oakland-Craig is going to have to play well offensively and defensively to win.

If the Knights play the way they did against Clarkson/Leigh they should be able to win without any problems I would say.

The Pendragons can't be underestimated though. Pender is a much improved team over last year I feel.

Oakland-Craig has to be pumped, energetic, and ready to take on the Pendragons.

You can bet Pender will be pumped up and ready to go so the Knights have to match their intensity.

The biggest things for Oakland-Craig are pushing the ball and running while also pressuring the ball.

The Knights need to get after things on both sides of the floor, and be on top of their game.

I look for Oakland-Craig to soar and be high flying on Friday.

I think you will see the Knights play a really good game and put things all together. I wouldn't be surprised if Oakland-Craig won by like 25-30.

I feel Oakland-Craig has a shot to win every game left on their schedule before Christmas.

The Knights are certainly capable of getting on a role, and winning a bunch of games before the Holiday Break.

This season has a chance to be special for Oakland-Craig, and I think the Knights really got themselves on track with the win over the Patriots
Friday night's game will be aired on 107.9 the Bull, and start after the conclusion of the girls game, which is set for 6:15 p.m.

The Oakland-Craig Girls are a perfect 3-0 on the season, winning 68-43 at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder last Thursday night, 77-48 at Boys Town on Saturday, and 47-43 at home against Clarkson/Leigh Tuesday night.

The Knights led the Raiders 18-9 after one. Oakland-Craig won the second quarter 18-11 to lead 36-20 at the break.

The Knights outscored Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 16-9 in the third quarter to go up 52-29 at the end of three.

Oakland-Craig put up 16 fourth quarter points compared to 13 for the Raiders to make up the final score.

Dacey Nelson led all scorers with 29 points and had 7 rebounds. Kennedy Benne and Shannon Pille added 9 points apiece while Melanie Snader notched 7. Pille totaled 7 boards.

Head Coach Joe Anderson.

"One thing we really wanted to improve on our defense from our jamboree game. I thought we did that early, and I think our legs got to us a little bit, we wore out. And credit Logan View.... as we left them open they knocked shots down."

Anderson adds what his team lacks in height...they make up for with athleticism.

"When we get open shots we got to knock them down because we're not going to be able to sit in there and pound it inside. If you notice our lineup we're about 5'4, 5'5 across the board. So don't have a lot size there. So we're going to try and use our speed and athleticism a little this year to create some offense."

The Knights led the Cowboys 27-12 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig outscored Boys Town 24-13 in the second quarter to lead 51-25 at halftime.

Both teams scored 11 points in the third quarter, and the score at the end of three was 62-36 in favor of the Knights.

Oakland-Craig won the fourth quarter 15-12.

Nelson led the way with 25 points while Emmy Bousquet and Pille recorded 11 and 10, respectively. Benne added 9 points and 7 rebounds while Natalia McNeill posted 7 points. Bousquet added 10 rebounds.

The Knights held a 6-5 lead over the Patriots at the end of one. Both teams scored 10 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 16-15 in favor of Oakland-Craig.

Clarkson/Leigh won the third quarter 15-10 to go up 30-26 after three.

The Knights outscored the Patriots 21-13 in the fourth quarter.

Benne had a game-high 18 points while Nelson notched 16 points and 7 rebounds. Pille added 7 points and 10 rebounds while Grace Maline registered 7 rebounds.

I think Oakland-Craig is playing good basketball so far. The Knights got a scare from Clarkson/Leigh, but had a big fourth quarter and won, and that's all that matters.

Oakland-Craig (3-0) is at Pender (2-0) Friday night.

The Pendragons won 54-33 at Tekamah-Herman last time out.

Pender is a very good team this year, and I think the Pendragons are going to be really tough for the Knights.

Oakland-Craig can definitely win though. The Knights have proven people wrong before, and it wouldn't shock me to see Oakland-Craig steal one from Pender.

With that said, Pender is very solid offensively and defensively, and are going to give the Knights all they can handle I would say.

Nelson, Pille, and Benne need to have big games for Oakland-Craig.

The Knights need to show up and have a good game offensively and defensively.

I think this game will definitely be close, and I look for both teams to really get after one another.

I just think the Pendragons' experience will outperform Oakland-Craig's youth.

The Knights are a fairly young team, and Pender has quite a few seniors.

Nonetheless, it should be a great game. I think Oakland-Craig will hold their own, and give Pender all they want and can ask for.

If the game was in Oakland I would give the Knights the benefit of the doubt, but with the game being in Pender I just think the Pendragons will be too tough.

We'll see though. I've been very wrong about predicting the outcomes of sports before so anything can happen for sure.

We'll find out what Oakland-Craig can do and what they are made of. This will be the Knights' toughest test of the season by far.

The game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull beginning at 6:15 p.m.

Emerson-Hubbard Boys 0-3, Girls 1-2 on year

The Emerson-Hubbard Boys are off to a difficult start, falling 78-22 to Lutheran High Northeast in the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic on Friday, 72-25 to Wisner-Pilger in the Classic on Saturday, and 64-17 at BRLD Tuesday night.

The Eagles led the Pirates 31-4 after one. Lutheran High Northeast won the second quarter 15-8 to make it a 46-12 game at halftime.

The Eagles outscored Emerson-Hubbard 20-8 in the third quarter to go up 66-20 at the end of three.

Lutheran High Northeast notched 12 points in the fourth quarter and held the Pirates to 2.

Taylor Donner had 12 points to lead Emerson-Hubbard.

Wisner-Pilger led the Pirates 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Gators tripled up Emerson-Hubbard 28-7 in the second quarter to take a 49-13 lead into the locker room.

Wisner-Pilger outscored Emerson-Hubbard 13-9 in the third quarter to lead 62-22 at the end of three.

The Gators won the fourth quarter 10-3.



Joshua Sebade paced the Pirates with 10 points.

The Wolverines held a 9-4 lead on the Pirates at the end of one. BRLD outscored Emerson-Hubbard 19-4 in the second quarter to take a 28-8 lead into the locker room.

The Wolverines won the third quarter 17-6 to make it a 45-14 game at the end of three.

BRLD notched 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to just 3 for the Pirates.

Donner led the way with 7 points.

Sebade and Donner have performed well offensively for Emerson-Hubbard so far, but otherwise the Pirates are really struggling on offense and defense.

Emerson-Hubbard (0-3) is at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (2-0) Friday night.

The Bears won 77-27 at Homer last time out.

Jayden Reifenrath is a tall and athletic player the Pirates have to watch out for.

Emerson-Hubbard obviously wants to win Friday night, but being competitive would be a good step in the right direction for this team.

The Pirates have had a tough go of things so far, and I don't know if many thought things would go the way they have so far for Emerson-Hubbard, but there's a long season left, and a lot of room for improvement.

The Pirates just have to take things one game at a time, and focus on getting stops defensively and hitting shots.

Emerson-Hubbard has to be able to handle ball pressure, and make smart passes to find easy baskets.

Getting to the free throw line often is also essential for the Pirates.

Emerson-Hubbard has to continue to fight and play hard, and do the best they can.

The Pirates can't let a few tough losses get the best of them. Emerson-Hubbard has to play with toughness and moxie, and continue to play and fight hard no matter the situation.

The Pirates have some winnable games coming up so now is the time to start turning things around if you are Emerson-Hubbard.

The Pirates can take some positive steps in the right direction Friday night by competing with and maybe even upsetting Laurel-Concord-Coleridge.

The Bears are a really good team, but Emerson-Hubbard can't be afraid of or intimidated by Laurel-Concord-Coleridge.

The Pirates just have to play their game, and see what happens.

The Emerson-Hubbard Girls are off to a 1-2 start, losing 66-33 to GACC in the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic last Thursday night, beating Lutheran High Northeast 38-29 in the Classic on Saturday, and losing 80-27 at BRLD Tuesday night.

The Bluejays led the Pirates 33-5 after the first quarter. GACC outscored Emerson-Hubbard 17-10 to go up 50-15 at halftime.

Both teams scored 10 third quarter points to make it a 60-25 game at the end of three.

The Pirates won the fourth quarter 8-6.

Emerson-Hubbard held a 9-6 lead on the Eagles after one. Lutheran High Northeast outscored the Pirates 7-2 in the second quarter to make it a 13-11 game at halftime.

Emerson-Hubbard won the third quarter 11-10 to make it a 23-22 game at the end of three.

The Pirates notched 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 6 for the Eagles.

The Wolverines led the Pirates 18-10 at the end of one. BRLD won the second quarter 20-11 to lead 38-21 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored Emerson-Hubbard 24-6 in the third quarter to go up 62-27 at the end of three.

BRLD shutout the Pirates 18-0 in the fourth quarter.

Caleigh Mackling registered 12 points while Mercedes King and Melanie Gentrup recorded 9 and 7 rebounds, respectively.

Emerson-Hubbard played well against Lutheran High Northeast, but really struggled against both GACC and BRLD.

The Pirates (1-2) square off with Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (1-1) on the road Friday night.

The Bears won 55-41 at Homer last time out.

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge appears to be somewhat of a decent team, and could in fact knock off Emerson-Hubbard.

Emily Hangman, Bethany Kardell, and Lorna Maxon are players to watch out for for the Bears.

The Pirates have to do their best to slow these three down and force other players to beat them.

Offense and defense has been a challenge for Emerson-Hubbard this season while the Bears have been a little bit better in that regard so based on scores alone one would have to give Laurel-Concord-Coleridge the advantage.

I think the Pirates can definitely win though.

If Emerson-Hubbard turns in a performance similar to the one they had against Lutheran High Northeast they should have a good chance to win.

The Pirates really finished that game strong, and I think it might take that kind of fourth quarter effort again for Emerson-Hubbard to come out on top.

I look for the Pirates to play much better Friday night than they did Tuesday night.

I'm sure Emerson-Hubbard knows they didn't have their best effort, and will do everything they can turn in a better performance against the Bears.

A win would be big for the Pirates seeing as two out of their three games next week are very winnable.

Emerson-Hubbard could very well be 4-3 or better heading into the Holiday Break, and that would not be too bad honestly.

We'll find out what the Pirates are made of Friday night.

BRLD Boys and Girls 3-0 on the season

The Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Boys are 3-0 on the year, downing Omaha Nation 65-52 on the road last Thursday night, winning 69-27 at Homer on Saturday, and 64-17 at home over Emerson-Hubbard Tuesday night.

The Chiefs led 15-12 after one. BRLD outscored Omaha Nation 17-7 in the second quarter to lead 29-22 at halftime.

The Wolverines won the third quarter 17-12 to go up 46-34 at the end of three.

BRLD put up 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to 18 for the Chiefs.

Montana Riecken had 12 points while Trent Gatewood added 11. Kenyan Lovejoy and Hunter Ferguson notched 9 points apiece. Lovejoy totaled 11 rebounds while Cole Christofferson recorded 8.

The Wolverines led the Knights 21-9 at the end of one. BRLD won the second quarter 12-5 to take a 33-14 lead into the locker room.

The Wolverines outscored Homer 24-10 in the third quarter to go up 57-24 after three.

BRLD quadrupled up the Knights 12-3 in the fourth quarter.

Lovejoy registered 17 points and 8 rebounds while Gatewood had 15 points. Jaxon Johnson added 9 points while Nick Ronnfeldt managed 8 rebounds.

The Wolverines held a 9-4 lead on the Pirates at the end of one. BRLD outscored Emerson-Hubbard 19-4 in the second quarter to take a 28-8 lead into the locker room.

The Wolverines won the third quarter 17-6 to make it a 45-14 game at the end of three.

BRLD notched 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to just 3 for the Pirates.

Lovejoy totaled 12 points while Riecken notched 10.

The Wolverines are off to a terrific start, in my opinion. BRLD has looked good this season, especially in their last two games.

The Wolverines (3-0) take on Clarkson/Leigh (0-3) on the road Friday night.

The Patriots lost 80-37 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night.

It has been a really tough start to the season for Clarkson/Leigh. The Patriots have really struggled on both ends of the floor so far this season.

BRLD has played great so far, and I look for the Wolverines to roll to another big win Friday night.

Lovejoy, Riecken, and Gatewood have been real good consistent performers for BRLD so far this year, and I look for all of them to have great games against the Patriots too.

You couldn't ask for much more right now if you are the Wolverines.

BRLD is having a fine season so far, and this co-op appears to be really clicking.

Of course Bancroft-Rosalie started off real good last year and then struggled the rest of the season so hopefully the Wolverines don't go through that this year.

BRLD just has to remain focused, determined, and hungry, and they should be just fine.

The Wolverines have to continue to get the most out of themselves, and keep improving.

BRLD has to play lockdown defense against Clarkson/Leigh, and look to get out and run and score in transition on offense.

The Wolverines need to build a big lead and never look back. This is a game where everyone on the varsity roster should see the floor for BRLD.

As I said before, the Patriots have really struggled this year, and the Wolverines need to take advantage of that.

BRLD has to perform at a high level, and pick up a big victory Friday night.

The Wolverines have a couple of tough games coming up after this so BRLD has to make the most of their opportunity against Clarkson/Leigh.

It's important for the Wolverines to be on top of their game and sharp against the Patriots. BRLD can't afford to have an off game or play sloppy.

The BRLD Girls are also 3-0 so far this season, beating Omaha Nation 79-36 on the road last Thursday night, Homer 72-49 at home on Saturday, and Emerson-Hubbard 80-27 at home Tuesday night.

The Wolverines held an 18-7 lead on the Chiefs at the end of one. BRLD doubled up Omaha Nation 24-12 in the second quarter to make it a 42-19 game at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored the Chiefs 25-14 in the third quarter to go up 67-33 at the end of three.

BRLD quadrupled up Omaha Nation 12-3 in the fourth quarter.

Lexie Bacon led the way with 22 points while Kelly Wakeley totaled 15. Vicki Gatzemeyer notched 14 while Tess Nottleman recorded 7 points and 7 rebounds. Tiahna Bonneau totaled 9 rebounds.

The Wolverines led the Knights 20-7 after one. BRLD outscored Homer 23-9 in the second quarter to take a 43-16 lead into the locker room.

The Wolverines won the third quarter 15-13 to make it a 58-29 game after three.

Homer put up 20 points in the fourth quarter compared to 14 for BRLD.

Bacon, Wakeley, and Gatzemeyer notched 13 points apiece while Bonneau and Paige Peters totaled 10 apiece. Peters added 9 rebounds.

The Wolverines led the Pirates 18-10 at the end of one. BRLD won the second quarter 20-11 to lead 38-21 at halftime.

The Wolverines outscored Emerson-Hubbard 24-6 in the third quarter to go up 62-27 at the end of three.

BRLD shutout the Pirates 18-0 in the fourth quarter.

Bacon had a game-high 24 points while Peters totaled 12. Gatzemeyer and Wakeley chipped in 11 apiece while Kelcee Bacon added 7.

The Wolverines are playing amazing basketball right now. A lot of girls are scoring a lot of points night in and night out, and that's a great sign for BRLD.

The Wolverines (3-0) battle Clarkson/Leigh (1-2) on the road Friday night.

The Patriots lost 47-43 at Oakland-Craig Tuesday night, and are much improved.

I think this will be BRLD's toughest test of the season so far.

I think it's a test the Wolverines are more than capable of passing though.

BRLD has been so good offensively and defensively, and while Clarkson/Leigh hasn't been as good offensively, they've been really good defensively.

I think the Wolverines are the more complete team though, and that's why I like them to win.

BRLD has so many different players that can hurt you, and has so many different players that can score the ball.

This co-op is stacked with talent, and I really feel there's something special brewing with BRLD.

This team is on a whole nother planet right now as far as I'm concerned. The Wolverines are playing really good basketball.

With that said, BRLD has some really tough games coming up after this so we will really find out how good the Wolverines are.

I look for BRLD to win this game against the Patriots fairly handily, but I think Clarkson/Leigh may keep the game closer than some might think.

I think this game will be closer than of the Wolverines' other games so far this season.

Nottleman, both Bacons, Wakeley, Peters, and Gatzemeyer have to keep it up.

If BRLD can keep scoring and defending the way they have been they will be tough to beat.

The Wolverines are really going to find out a lot about themselves in their three games after the contest with Clarkson/Leigh, but BRLD has to be focused on beating the Patriots at the moment.

The Wolverines can't afford to look ahead to Howells-Dodge, Pender, and Ponca.

Simply put...it's important for BRLD to take care of business against Clarkson/Leigh. The Wolverines can't overlook the Patriots whatsoever.