Pender Boys 0-3 in last three games; Girls 1-2 in same stretch

The Pender Boys Basketball Team lost 58-47 at home to Wisner-Pilger Thursday night, 59-44 at home to Wynot Friday night, and 54-40 at Howells-Dodge on Saturday.

The Gators led the Pendragons 13-11 after one before Pender won the 2nd quarter 16-13 to take a 27-26 lead into the locker room.

Wisner-Pilger outscored the Pendragons 14-8 in the 3rd quarter to go up 40-35 at the end of three.

The Gators outscored Pender 18-12 in the 4th quarter.

Sam Mailoux had 24 points and 12 rebounds, good enough for a double-double, while Jaxon Maise notched 10 points.

The Blue Devils went up 12-0 after one and won the 2nd quarter 15-13 to make it a 27-13 game at halftime.

Wynot tripled up the Pendragons 21-7 in the 3rd quarter to go up 48-20 at the end of three.

Pender outscored the Blue Devils 24-11 in the 4th quarter.

The Jaguars got out to a 17-10 lead after one, and won the 2nd quarter 12-7 to take a 29-17 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored the Pendragons 13-11 in the 3rd quarter to lead 42-28 at the end of three.

Both teams scored 12 points in the 4th quarter.

Three not so easy to take losses for Pender. I thought the Pendragons played well against the Gators, but sort of slipped against Wynot and Howells-Dodge you could say.

Pender (6-11) takes on Howells-Dodge (9-7) at Howells-Dodge in the first round of the East Husker Conference Tournament on Saturday.

This doesn't figure to be an easy second battle with the Jaguars whatsoever.

Howells-Dodge plays Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Thursday though so the Pendragons will have some good scouting material at the very least.

I look for Pender to put together a good game plan and execute it, and play better this time around than they did against the Jaguars in round one.

Mailoux has to have a huge game for the Pendragons, and Pender has to go out there and want it more than Howells-Dodge.

The Pendragons have to play with sheer guts, grit, determination, heart, fire, passion, and pride.

Pender has to come out on fire and set the tone early with a strong start.

The Pendragons also have to sustain a high level of play throughout the game, and work their tails off until the very end.

Pender has to give the Jaguars all they can handle and then some, and do their best to make it to BRLD on Tuesday.

The Pendragons have to come out and play as if their season is on the line because we are getting to that point in the season.

Pender only has a few ball games remaining in the regular season after this tournament so the Pendragons have to make the most of their opportunities this weekend and next week.

Pender has a big opportunity in front of them, an opportunity to take another step in their program.

Beating a team like Howells-Dodge would be a big deal.

I feel like the Pendragons have been close to breaking through this year, they just haven't quite done it yet.

Pender is having a much better season than they've had in recent years, but the Pendragons probably feel they've left a few wins out there and could of kept things closer with some teams than they did.

It's time to try and make amends if you are Pender.

A win over Howells-Dodge would probably allow the Pendragons to forget about some of the tough losses they've incurred so far this season.

The Pender Girls Basketball Team lost 41-28 at home to Wisner-Pilger Thursday night before upsetting Wynot 41-30 at home Friday night, and losing 56-47 at Howells-Dodge on Saturday.

The Pendragons led Wisner-Pilger 9-6 after one before the Gators won the 2nd quarter 11-8 to tie the game at 17 at halftime.

Wisner-Pilger won the 3rd quarter 11-10 to lead 28-27 at the end of three.

The Gators outscored Pender 13-1 in the 4th quarter.

Faith Morris had a team-high 8 points.

The Pendragons got out to a 13-5 lead on the Blue Devils at the end of one, and won the 2nd quarter 10-9 to take a 23-14 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 3 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 26-17 at the end of three in favor of Pender.

The Pendragons won the 4th quarter 15-13.

Sarah Krueger had 15 points while Ashley Ostrand totaled 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Against Howells-Dodge, the Pendragons raced out to a 16-10 lead at the end of one before the Jaguars outscored Pender 13-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 23-20 halftime lead.

Howells-Dodge won the 3rd quarter 14-13 to go up 37-33 at the end of three.

The Jaguars outscored the Pendragons 19-14 in the 4th quarter.

Morris posted a game-high 18 points while Krueger had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Ostrand chipped in 8 points.

I thought Pender really responded well to the Wisner-Pilger loss, and played great on Friday, and well on Saturday.

The Pendragons (8-10) take on Winnebago (7-8) on the road Thursday night.

The Indians lost 54-52 at home to Pierce Friday night.

This figures to be a tough game given the fact Winnebago is good and is a C-1 team.

The Indians have some girls that can play, and they include Charli Earth, Kae Earth, Isabel Earth, and Jayla Price.

These 4 have led Winnebago all year, and are great players.

Pender is going to have to play an exceptional game to win, but it can definitely be done.

The Pendragons just have to be on top of their game and perform up to their potential.

Pender has to play strong defense like they did against Wisner-Pilger and Wynot.

The Blue Devils beat the Indians 69-55 so the Pendragons can definitely win this one.

Pender has to believe that they can beat Winnebago, and has to visualize beating the Indians on their home floor and what that would feel like.

The Pendragons have a vital stretch of games coming up with this one on Thursday, and then Twin River on Friday in the East Husker Conference Tournament, so Pender has to be on top of their game.

The Pendragons are having a nice season for the most part, but a win over Winnebago would be huge.

It would be excellent momentum and a confidence booster heading into the East Husker Conference Tournament.

Pender could definitely use a victory Thursday night, and if they pick one up it will definitely be earned.

The Indians are an exceptional team, especially at home, so it doesn't figure to be easy to go into Winnebago and pick up a win.

The Indians are 4-1 at home this season with the one loss coming to the Bluejays so Winnebago definitely defends their home court well.

It will be interesting to see how many fans show up for this one with the Winnebago Boys playing at BRLD the same night.

Perhaps a smaller crowd for the Indians, if it is smaller, will help the Pendragons.

Either way I encourage Pender fans to get out there and support the team Thursday night!

Wisner-Pilger Boys and Girls defeat Pender

The Wisner-Pilger Boys Basketball Team won 58-47 at Pender Thursday night.

The Gators led the Pendragons 13-11 after one before Pender won the 2nd quarter 16-13 to take a 27-26 lead into the locker room.

Wisner-Pilger outscored the Pendragons 14-8 in the 3rd quarter to go up 40-35 at the end of three.

The Gators outscored Pender 18-12 in the 4th quarter.

Not the prettiest win by any means for Wisner-Pilger, but I'm sure the Gators will take it.

Wisner-Pilger (12-4) hosts North Bend Central (12-2) Thursday night.

The Tigers are coming off a 73-66 win at Oakland-Craig in overtime Friday night.

North Bend Central figures to be tough, but the Gators are a very good and tough team too, in my opinion.

These two teams are both very good, and Wisner-Pilger could very well come away with the win.

The Gators have to play strong offense and try and slow down John Emanuel, Tanner Wietfeld, Jaxon Wietfeld, and Austin Endorf.

The Tigers have a lot of offensive weapons, but so does Wisner-Pilger.

Both teams are stacked with talent a lot like Friday's game between North Bend Central and Oakland-Craig so this should be another star studded game for the Tigers.

This game is a big opportunity for the Gators, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger has a chance to pick up a big win over a really good team, and give themselves a lot of confidence and momentum heading into the East Husker Conference Tournament.

The Gators have a very tough road to Columbus, but there's no doubt Wisner-Pilger is capable of getting there.

Teams like Oakland-Craig and Logan View/Scribner-Snyder stand in the Gators' way of making the championship, but Wisner-Pilger can deal with those teams if and when they play them in the tournament.

Right now the task at hand is trying to beat North Bend Central.

That's a very tall task in itself given how good and talented the Tigers are.

It can definitely be done, but it won't be easy for the Gators to pick up the win Thursday night.

Wisner-Pilger has to have multiple kids go off on offense, and the Gators have to play a strong defensive game.

Wisner-Pilger let Pender's Sam Mailoux go off for 24, and so the Gators have to try and not let any of North Bend Central's players score that many on them Thursday night.

Easier said than done, but Wisner-Pilger has to get the job done defensively to come out on top, in my opinion.

The Wisner-Pilger Girls Basketball Team won 41-28 at Pender Thursday night.

The Pendragons led 9-6 after one before the Gators won the 2nd quarter 11-8 to tie the game at 17 at halftime.

Wisner-Pilger won the 3rd quarter 11-10 to lead 28-27 at the end of three.

The Gators outscored Pender 13-1 in the 4th quarter.

This was a really good win for Wisner-Pilger. I wasn't sure if the Gators would be able to pick it up.

Wisner-Pilger (6-11) plays host to North Bend Central (12-3) Thursday night.

The Tigers won 35-26 at Oakland-Craig Friday night.

North Bend Central is a good team, but the Tigers have been scuffling some lately.

I feel this is a game the Gators can steal and win.

This would be a great win for Wisner-Pilger heading into the East Husker Conference Tournament, and would give them some momentum heading into Friday's game against Howells-Dodge without a doubt.

Jordan Wegner has to have a big game on the inside for the Gators, and try and slow down Brooke Fredrickson.

Wegner is a great player, but Wisner-Pilger has to deal with her, Kristin Lux, and Lauren Emanuel inside.

I don't know if the Gators have the horses to slow those three down, but if Wisner-Pilger can limit one of them, it might be good enough to win.

The 3 combined for 29 of North Bend Central's 35 points against Oakland-Craig so you can definitely see who Wisner-Pilger has to slow down offensively to come out on top.

I think this is as good a time as any for the Gators to be playing the Tigers.

Wisner-Pilger has to feel confident and optimistic that they can win.

If the Gators can hang around and keep things close for 3 quarters then have a strong 4th quarter like they did against Pender then Wisner-Pilger could very well win.

North Bend Central isn't the type of team to blow many people out so I look for the Gators to compete and keep things close.

The Tigers have kind of struggled the last two games so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues or if North Bend Central plays better than they have been over the last week or so.

Regardless of what the Tigers do, Wisner-Pilger has to be licking their chops in anticipation of this one.

Huge opportunity in front of the Gators.

A win over North Bend Central would be a milestone win and big momentum booster heading into the Conference Tournament without a doubt.

North Bend Central Boys and Girls beat Oakland-Craig

The North Bend Central Boys Basketball Team topped Oakland-Craig 73-66 in overtime on the road Friday night in action heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Both teams' offenses were strong early on as North Bend Central got out to a 21-19 lead at the end of one.

The Knights held a 30-29 lead in the 2nd quarter, but the Tigers ended the half on a mini 5-0 run to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig Head Coach Aaron Meyer says that was a key point in the game. "One of those deals where we didn't end the 1st half well. We gave up a 3. Went from a one point lead to a 4. Loved the way we made a big run at the end of regulation. But you get into overtime, and maybe I made the mistake of telling the guys you got to be one of the first ones to draw blood. They got a 2 and then they got a 3, and in overtime that's just hard to get behind the 8 ball on the first two possessions like that. But North Bend's very, very talented. And we were up to the challenge. That was a great game."

North Bend Central scored the first 4 points of the 3rd quarter to make it a 38-30 game, capping off a 9-0 run.

The Tigers eventually led 48-42 heading into the 4th quarter.

The Knights outsored North Bend Central 18-12 in the final period to force OT with the game tied at 60.

The Tigers scored the first 7 points of overtime in outscoring Oakland-Craig 13-6 in the extra session.

North Bend Central Head Coach Jon Baehr says that was the difference in the game. "Yeah we talked on the bench just to stay with it, do our job, make sure we're communicating on defense, and make sure we got a good offensive possession. And we were able to do that. Just fortunate to come away with it this time."

Baehr adds it was a great battle between the two teams. "I thought our guys responded very well. When it got tough towards the end I thought we had some opportunities to maybe kind of put the game away, but credit to Oakland for doing what they needed to do to get us into overtime. And then I thought we did some great things in overtime to kind of propel us in the end. So great high school basketball game for sure."

John Emanuel finished with a team-high 23 points for the Tigers, who improve to 12-2 on the year. Tanner Wietfeld added 19 while Austin Endorf scored 11. "When you're playing these guys you need multiple guys to step up and play good basketball. And we were fortunate enough tonight to have guys hit some big shots at some key times. Austin Endorf he hit a couple huge 3's for us there late in the game. And Jaxon Wietfeld took a huge charge for us late in the game. You need so many guys to step up and play when you're playing a team like this, and we were able to do that tonight." 

North Bend Central takes on Wisner-Pilger (12-4) on the road Thursday night.

The Gators won 58-47 at Pender this past Thursday night.

The Pendragons certainly challenged and gave Wisner-Pilger a great game, and I look for the Tigers to do the same except win.

I feel that North Bend Central is a bit of a stronger team than the Gators. Not by a lot, but just by a little bit.

This game is huge in terms of confidence and momentum heading into the East Husker Conference Tournament.

I feel the Tigers have the easier road back to the finals than Wisner-Pilger has to getting there, but I think both teams have a good chance to be playing at Central Community College in Columbus next Saturday.

Emanuel, Tanner Wietfeld, Jaxon Wietfeld, and Endorf were all clutch and key for North Bend Central down the stretch against Oakland-Craig, and that was a really good win for the Tigers.

The road back to the East Husker Conference Finals is certainly a tough and challenging one for the Tigers, but it's a road I think North Bend Central is eager to take.

I think the Tigers are hungry and fueled to get back to the East Husker Conference Tournament Championship Game.

Standing in the way includes the likes of West Point-Beemer, Howells-Dodge, Pender, and BRLD.

The road and path back to Columbus is not an easy one, but I'm sure North Bend Central would tell you they would rather have it no other way.

You want things to be tough, you want to be able to earn your wins and championships, and if the Tigers make it back to Columbus this year they will have done just that.

I think the Cadets pose a huge threat to the Tigers given how well West Point-Beemer has played lately.

North Bend Central should have no issues with Tekamah-Herman in the first round, but the game against the Cadets figures to be tricky should the Cadets get past Madison in their first game.

Things get tougher the further the Tigers advance in the tournament so we will see just how good and prepared North Bend Central is.

First things first though the Tigers have to worry about beating Wisner-Pilger on Thursday.

The North Bend Central Girls Basketball Team overcame a slow start offensively to beat Oakland-Craig 35-26 on the road Friday night in action heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Oakland-Craig got out to a strong start and held an early lead, 11-8, at the end of the 1st quarter.

North Bend Central battled back to go up 16-12 in the 2nd quarter before the Knights went on a mini 5-0 run to conclude the first half, capped off by Mya Guzinski's 3-pointer to end the half.

Head Coach Aaron Sterup says his team got off to a sluggish start. "Yeah we didn't have a lot of intensity I don't think to start the game. I told the girls twice I felt like they were walking in cement there. Not our usual intensity. And so we picked it up a little bit in the 2nd half. We still weren't perfect in that area I don't think, but they picked it up enough and played enough defense that we were able to win on a bad offensive night."

5'11 Sr. Brooke Fredrickson, a Midland Volleyball signee, scored 9 of her team-high 11 points in the final 16 minutes as North Bend Central outscored Oakland-Craig 13-5 in the 3rd quarter to go up 29-22 at the end of three. "Yeah we knew we had an advantage inside. We wanted to get the ball in there. And we didn't do a very good job in the first half, partly because she was in foul trouble, but she was kind of able to control that area in the 2nd half, and it was really the reason that we were able to kind of get that run that got us ahead," Sterup said.

North Bend Central went on an 11-0 run in the 3rd quarter to lead 32-22 after trailing 22-21.

The Tigers won the 4th quarter 6-4.

In addition to Fredrickson's offensive numbers, West Virginia Volleyball signee Kristin Lux and Lauren Emanuel totaled 9 points apiece for North Bend Central, who upped their record to 12-3 on the year.

Slow start for the Tigers, but North Bend Central came through in the 2nd half when it mattered most.

The Tigers take on Wisner-Pilger (6-11) on the road Thursday night.

The Gators won 41-28 at Pender this past Thursday night.

I've said all along that Wisner-Pilger is a better team than their record.

I think North Bend Central will win, but the Tigers have to play much better than they did against the Knights.

The Gators have a great post player in Jordan Wegner, and you can bet her and Fredrickson will have a great battle inside.

This figures to be a great battle between two solid teams.

Wisner-Pilger features Wegner, Maci Batenhorst, Ariel Meyer, Ashton Meyer, Karrin Jindra, Aspin Waterman, and others.

I think the Tigers are going to have to hit their close range shots and free throws to knock off the Gators.

North Bend Central isn't the strongest team when it comes to scoring from the outside so the Tigers have to rely on their strong post and inside play to propel them to a win.

Fredrickson, Lux, and Emanuel have to score and produce for North Bend Central just like they did against Oakland-Craig.

The trio combined for 29 of the team's 35 points against the Knights so you can see by that how important these three are to the Tigers.

I think North Bend Central has a chance to make another run in the East Husker Conference Tournament and get to the finals, but teams like Howells-Dodge, Wisner-Pilger, and West Point-Beemer figure to stand in their way.

The Tigers have to get out of this little slump they're currently in and right the ship on Thursday.

I think it's good North Bend Central has this game on Thursday so they can fine tune and fix anything that is currently hampering them prior to the tournament.

I feel a win, especially if it's by double digits, will give the Tigers more confidence and reassurance heading into the Conference Tournament.

North Bend Central had a tough loss to Columbus Scotus, but hopefully the struggles of that game and the struggles on offense against Oakland-Craig are out of the Tigers' system by now.

Howells-Dodge Boys and Girls beat Pender

The Howells-Dodge Boys Basketball Team won 54-40 at home over Pender on Saturday.

The Jaguars got out to a 17-10 lead after one, and won the 2nd quarter 12-7 to take a 29-17 lead into the locker room.

Howells-Dodge outscored the Pendragons 13-11 in the 3rd quarter to lead 42-28 at the end of three.

Both teams scored 12 points in the 4th quarter.

Connor Blum finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Dax VanLengen notched 15 points. Kade Hegemann added 8 points while Lane Hegemann scored 7.

Head Coach Cole Fischer on the win. "It was a good win to get us back on track. We have a tough couple weeks coming up and we are looking forward to it."

The Jaguars (9-7) take on Logan View/Scribner-Snyder (14-2) on the road Thursday night.

The Raiders won 37-32 at West Point-Beemer on Saturday.

The same Cadet team Howells-Dodge beat 62-40.

Granted West Point-Beemer is playing much better basketball now than they were then, but that game on Saturday has to give the Jaguars the confidence to go into Scribner and come away with the win.

It all depends on which team shows up though.

If Howells-Dodge plays the way they did against Wisner-Pilger then a win figures to be very hard to come by.

This game could either be very good for the Jaguars or Howells-Dodge could get blown out.

It really just depends how well the Jaguars play.

Perhaps the win over the Pendragons will get Howells-Dodge back on track and allow the Jaguars to go on a late season run.

Howells-Dodge needs to find some consistency with their play, and a win over the Raiders would provide that, in my opinion.

If the Jaguars play like they did against the Pendragons I think they stand a shot to win Thursday night.

But if Howells-Dodge plays poorly like they did against Wisner-Pilger then I give the advantage to LVSS.

The opportunity is there for the Jaguars.

All Howells-Dodge has to do is go out there and make the most of it.

The Jaguars have to try and limit Ben Moxness and Jacob Polk as much as possible.

If Howells-Dodge can bottle up one or both of them then the Jaguars could very well find themselves in the winner's circle Thursday night.

But if both go off and have their typical big games then there's probably a good chance the Raiders will win.

West Point-Beemer held Moxness to 7 points so if Howells-Dodge can do that to either him or Polk then things could get mighty interesting.

The Howells-Dodge Girls Basketball Team beat Pender 56-47 at home on Saturday.

The Pendragons raced out to a 16-10 lead at the end of one before the Jaguars outscored Pender 13-4 in the 2nd quarter to take a 23-20 halftime lead.

Howells-Dodge won the 3rd quarter 14-13 to go up 37-33 at the end of three.

The Jaguars outscored the Pendragons 19-14 in the 4th quarter.

Macey Kulhanek led the way with 17 points while Erin Prusa scored 13 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Madyson Cech added 10 points while Grace Dvorak registered 8. Jessi Brester posted 8 rebounds.

Great effort for Howells-Dodge from the standpoint of getting a lot of players involved in the offense.

The Jaguars (9-8) take on Logan View/Scribner-Snyder (4-12) on the road Thursday night in Scribner.

The Raiders lost 60-33 at West Point-Beemer on Saturday, and have dropped 4 in a row and 6 out of their last 7.

Howells-Dodge is seeing LVSS at the perfect time, in my opinion.

The Jaguars are peaking while it could be said that the Raiders are sort of reeling a bit.

I think Howells-Dodge has a chance to make a run at the end of the regular season and put themselves in a position to make a postseason run.

The Jaguars are the defending Class C-2 State Champs, and are starting to figure it out, in my opinion.

Howells-Dodge turned in two strong performances last week, and I look for the Jaguars to play well again Thursday night.

The East Husker Conference Tournament starts on Friday for the girls, and I think Howells-Dodge has an opportunity to make some noise in that tournament as well.

The Jaguars have made it to Central Community College all five years they've been Howells-Dodge, and it wouldn't totally shock me if the Jaguars somehow found a way to make it 6.

Howells-Dodge gets Wisner-Pilger Friday night, and if the Jaguars can get by the Gators, I think an upset win over North Bend Central is not out of the realm of possibility.

Reason being the Tigers have struggled some on offense lately.

I'm sure there will be a lot of interest in Thursday's North Bend Central/Wisner-Pilger game in Wisner from a Howells-Dodge standpoint.

If the weather had cooperated Tuesday and the Jaguars had played Tuesday night instead of Thursday it would of worked out for Howells-Dodge to go watch that game.

Either way, the Jaguars should get a good scouting report from that game seeing as the two are playing each other right before the Conference Tournament.

Howells-Dodge may not do anything in the tournament as North Bend Central or Wisner-Pilger might beat them, but the chance and opportunity to do something is there for the Jaguars, in my opinion.

So it wouldn't shock me to see Howells-Dodge make a run is what I'm trying to say.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys 3-0 in last three games; Girls winless in same stretch

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys Basketball Team went 3-0 last week, downing Arlington 66-41 at home last Tuesday night, Raymond Central 70-19 at home Thursday night, and West Point-Beemer 37-32 in overtime on the road Saturday.

LVSS and Arlington came out slugging early as it was back and forth in the first half.

The Raiders led 17-12 after one before the Eagles won the 2nd quarter 14-13 to make it a 30-26 game at halftime.

Leading 41-35 in the 3rd quarter, LVSS's Ben Moxness threw down a two handed dunk and then proceeded to knock down a 3-pointer to give the Raiders a 46-35 lead.

LVSS went on a 16-4 run spanning the 3rd and 4th quarters to lead 55-39 after leading by just 4 at 39-35.

The Raiders led 46-35 after three, and outscored Arlington 20-6 in the 4th quarter.

Moxness had a game-high 20 points for LVSS while Jacob Polk added 17. Alex VonSeggern totaled 9.

Head Coach Sean Forbes says Arlington came to play. "Yeah Arlington's a really good team. I mean they got a lot of nice pieces. I knew this would be a tough one. They mix in some freshmen with some seniors. So I thought this was going to be a tough one, but second half we just kind of settled down and played our game, turned them over a little bit, and then we got it going."

The Raiders led the Mustangs 27-7 after one, and outscored Raymond Central 27-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 54-13 lead into the locker room.

LVSS outscored the Mustangs 10-2 in the 3rd quarter to go up 64-15 at the end of three.

The Raiders won the 4th quarter 6-4.

Moxness led all scorers with 36 points while Polk and Alex Hagerbaumer notched 18 and 8, respectively.

The Raiders led the Cadets 11-4 after one and doubled up West Point-Beemer 8-4 in the 2nd quarter to lead 19-8 at halftime.

Both teams scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 29-18 at the end of three in favor of Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

The Cadets outscored the Raiders 13-2 in the 4th quarter to tie the game at 31 and force overtime.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder outscored West Point-Beemer 6-1 in the extra session.

Polk finished with a game-high 16 points while Nathan Taylor and Moxness contributed 9 and 7, respectively.

The Raiders (14-2) host Howells-Dodge (9-7) Thursday night.

The Jaguars won 54-40 at home over Pender on Saturday.

This figures to be a very good and hotly contested game.

LVSS has to be on top of their game given what happened on Saturday.

The Cadets are tough, but that game was too close for comfort for the Raiders.

Howells-Dodge beat West Point-Beemer 62-40 so the Jaguars figure to be just as tough if not tougher than the Cadets.

LVSS has to be ready to bring it and play a four quarter game.

Hopefully having no school and being able to rest is a positive thing for the Raiders.

LVSS has to be sharp and ready to go on Thursday.

The Raiders have to realize that they can be upset if they're not on top of their game.

I fully expect Howells-Dodge to come out and play a great game Thursday night so LVSS has to play well too.

The game will be played in Scribner with the girls game starting at 5:30 so the Raiders have to be prepared and ready to go Thursday night.

LVSS has to be sharp and raring to go from the get go Thursday night.

The Raiders have to have a bounce to their step and must play with authority.

LVSS has to play the way they did against Raymond Central, and in the 2nd half against Arlington, and 1st half against West Point-Beemer.

The Raiders have to turn in a complete game performance to come away with a victory, in my opinion.

I don't know if LVSS can get away with playing just two good quarters of basketball.

I feel the Raiders are going to need to play a complete game to come out on top of and beat the Jaguars.

Moxness and Polk need to have big games, and LVSS has to play their usual strong defensive game too.

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Girls Basketball Team lost 63-39 at home to Arlington last Tuesday night, 62-43 at home to Raymond Central Thursday night, and 60-33 at West Point-Beemer on Saturday.

Arlington started the game on a 20-0 run and led 22-2 at the end of one.

The Eagles won the 3rd quarter 17-14 to take a 39-16 lead into the locker room.

Arlington outscored LVSS 16-12 in the 3rd quarter to go up 55-28 at the end of three.

The Raiders won the 4th quarter 11-8.

Head Coach Nick Hegge on the loss. "Obviously the start we really struggled, and they were hitting on all cylinders before we snapped into the game. Before the game we just kind of told them if we could hang around and be in the game at half we'll feel good about our chances, and we were just a little off tonight. We didn't come out quite ready, and we were a step slow, and Arlington was hitting so credit to them they really played well tonight."

Morgan Morgan paced LVSS with a team-high 14 points while Kaylee Boyle chipped in 9. "Morgan shot the 3 really well, which we've needed her to do. And Kaylee got to the free throw line. Sierra Beacom played an awesome second half. She got a ton of steals and touches and assists. So we did some good things in the 2nd half. And despite probably definitely one of our worst games of the year overall, we came out scoring 39 points, which is more for us. And we're going to bounce back, and we're going to play better next time out," Hegge said.

The Mustangs got out to a 12-2 lead after one, and outscored the Raiders 24-16 in the 2nd quarter to take a 36-18 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score after three was 47-29 in favor of Raymond Central.

The Mustangs won the 4th quarter 15-14.

Boyle led the way with 13 points while Josie Kahlandt and Ashley Peters scored 7 each. Morgan added 8 rebounds.

The Cadets held a 19-11 lead on the Raiders at the end of one before outscoring Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 18-8 in the 2nd quarter to take a 37-19 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer won the 3rd quarter 8-6 to go up 45-25 at the end of three.

The Cadets outscored the Raiders 15-8 in the 4th quarter.

Boyle finished with a team-high 11 points.

Tough stretch of games for LVSS. Slow starts really hurt the Raiders last week.

LVSS (4-12) hosts Howells-Dodge (9-8) Thursday night in a game that will be played in Scribner at 5:30 p.m.

The Jaguars won 56-47 at home over Pender on Saturday.

Howells-Dodge is starting to play some of their best basketball of the season, in my opinion.

The Jaguars have started to peak at the right time I would say.

The timing of this game probably comes at the right time for Howells-Dodge, and maybe not at the right time for the Raiders.

The Jaguars have won 3 out of their last 4 while LVSS has dropped four in a row and 6 out of their last 7.

All indications are pointing towards a Howells-Dodge win, but the Raiders are definitely capable of coming out on top.

LVSS just has to fix their problem of starting slow and not scoring a lot of points at the beginning of games.

The Raiders dug themselves holes too deep to climb out of last week, and have to start faster if they are to come out on top Thursday night.

Even in the Madison came I called a couple of weeks ago LVSS's offense wasn't hitting in the 1st quarter.

I thought the Raiders' offensive effort was much better to start Saturday's game though.

So keys to this game for LVSS in my book are starting strong offensively and play good, sound, fundamental defense.

The Raiders aren't going to have games turn out in their favor very often when they give up 60+ points.

LVSS isn't built to score a ton of points and comeback from large deficits so the Raiders have to play strong defense and play well and keep things close throughout like they did against Wisner-Pilger.

I really feel that game against the Gators is the blueprint for success for LVSS so if the Raiders can revert back to that game and find a way to play like that Thursday night, then the game could very well go in LVSS's favor.

Boyle, Morgan, Kahlandt, Shaylin Daugherty, Peters, and others all need to have big games offensively and score a lot of points for the Raiders.

West Point-Beemer Boys beat Twin River, lose to Logan View/Scribner-Snyder; Girls fall to both

The West Point-Beemer Boys Basketball Team won 48-40 at Twin River Friday night before losing 37-32 in overtime at home to Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Saturday.

The Titans raced out to a 9-5 lead before the Cadets won the 2nd quarter 10-7 to make it a 16-15 game at halftime.

West Point-Beemer outscored Twin River 21-11 in the 3rd quarter to lead 36-27 at the end of three.

The Titans won the 4th quarter 13-12.

Chase Streeter led the team with 12 points while Blake Anderson had 10 points and 9 rebounds. Tate Ernesti added 9 points while Austin Streeter scored 8.

The Raiders led the Cadets 11-4 after one and doubled up West Point-Beemer 8-4 in the 2nd quarter to lead 19-8 at halftime.

Both teams scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 29-18 at the end of three in favor of Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

The Cadets outscored the Raiders 13-2 in the 4th quarter to tie the game at 31 and force overtime.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder outscored West Point-Beemer 6-1 in the extra session.

Anderson had a team-high 13 points while Chase Streeter notched 8.

I thought the Cadets played the Raiders very tough. Very strong showing for West Point-Beemer.

The Cadets (10-6) host Wayne (10-8) Thursday night in High School Basketball on 107.9 the Bull.

The Blue Devils lost 59-56 to Boys Town at Ralston Arena on Saturday after topping Hartington Cedar Catholic 74-67 on the road Friday night.

Wayne is a nice team, but lost to Logan View/Scribner-Snyder by nearly 40.

Yet the Blue Devils only lost to North Bend Central by 2, and Wahoo by 10.

This figures to be a close, intriguing, and great ball game nonetheless.

I look for both teams to really get after each other, and make it a great ball game.

The Cadets are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now as is Wayne.

You couldn't ask for a bigger matchup and a better opportunity if you are West Point-Beemer.

This is the type of game the Cadets could really use a win in.

A quality, signature win over the Blue Devils would be great for West Point-Beemer.

The Cadets have to take the fight to Wayne, and go hard for all 32 minutes.

West Point-Beemer has to be physical and defend the 3-point line with authority.

The Cadets have to be relentless with their attack on offense and must play suffocating defense.

West Point-Beemer has to defend the perimeter well and force Wayne to drive in and try and score on their big men down low.

This figures to be a good matchup from a size standpoint.

I would say the Blue Devils matchup pretty well with the Cadets in terms of height.

It should be a great battle between two good teams, and I look for both squads to really get after things Thursday night.

I think this game will come down to the very end, and could very well go into overtime.

I feel West Point-Beemer will win being at home, but Wayne could very well win too.

I just don't see the Cadets being denied though, especially since they're at home.

The game will tip-off on the Bull after the Girls Game, which is set to start at 6:00 p.m.

The West Point-Beemer Girls Basketball Team won 45-25 at Twin River Friday night before beating Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 60-33 at home on Saturday.

The Cadets led the Titans 16-6 after one before Twin River outscored West Point-Beemer 14-8 in the 2nd quarter to make it a 24-20 ball game at halftime.

The Cadets tripled up the Titans 12-4 in the 3rd quarter to go up 36-24 at the end of three.

West Point-Beemer outscored Twin River 9-1 in the 4th quarter.

Makenna Weddle had 11 points while Sidney Swanson totaled 8. Brittney Hinkel added 7 points and 8 rebounds.

The Cadets held a 19-11 lead on the Raiders at the end of one before outscoring Logan View/Scribner-Snyder 18-8 in the 2nd quarter to take a 37-19 lead into the locker room.

West Point-Beemer won the 3rd quarter 8-6 to go up 45-25 at the end of three.

The Cadets outscored the Raiders 15-8 in the 4th quarter.

Hinkel led the way with 13 points while Andrea Hoffman totaled 11. Weddle added 9 while Swanson scored 7. Katie Pilakowski chipped in 7 rebounds.

Two big wins for West Point-Beemer, who has now won 9 in a row.

The Cadets (13-4) host Wayne (12-7) Thursday night in High School Basketball Action on 107.9 the Bull.

The Blue Devils won 65-46 at Hartington Cedar Catholic Friday night.

Wayne has some good wins and some interesting losses.

I think this game could go either way.

The Cadets have to guard Kylie Hammer well, and try and slow her down as much as possible.

The strength of this West Point-Beemer team is their defense, and their D will really get put to the test Thursday night, in my opinion.

The Cadets have been on a roll lately and are at home though so those are reasons I like and look for West Point-Beemer to win.

The Cadets are a tough team, and have a lot of depth and experience.

Both teams are about equal height wise it appears so this could very well be a guard oriented game.

I feel West Point-Beemer might have better guards overall than Wayne.

Hammer is probably better than anyone the Cadets have, but overall guard talent goes to the Cadets, in my opinion.

Wayne is 0-7 when they're held under 50 points and 12-0 when scoring over 50 so that's the key to the game right there.

If West Point-Beemer's defense shows up and does what they have been all season long then they should be able to beat the Blue Devils.

But if Wayne finds a way to score in the 50's or 60's then the Cadets could very well lose.

I look for West Point-Beemer to hold the Blue Devils to under 50 and win though.

I think the Cadets and their defense are the real deal, and will continue to dominate Thursday night.

West Point-Beemer's offense has to be top notch too though.

The Cadets have to score in the 50's or 60's to be able to win and get over the hump, in my opinion.

It should be a great game and I hope you will join us for the all of the action.

Thursday's game is set to start at 6:00 p.m. on the Bull.

Howells-Dodge Boys fall to Wisner-Pilger; Girls 2-1 in last 3 games

The Howells-Dodge Boys Basketball team lost 57-38 at Wisner-Pilger last Friday night.

The Gators tripled up the Jaguars 12-4 in the 1st quarter, and won the 2nd quarter 15-13 to take a 27-17 lead into the locker room.

Wisner-Pilger won the 3rd quarter 16-14 to go up 43-31 at the end of three.

The Gators doubled up Howells-Dodge 14-7 in the 4th quarter.

Connor Blum had 11 points while Dax VanLengen and Lane Hegemann totaled 9 and 8, respectively.

I'm sure the Jaguars probably felt they should of and could of kept things closer.

Howells-Dodge (8-7) hosts Pender (6-9) on Saturday.

The Pendragons lost 58-47 at home to Wisner-Pilger Thursday night.

Based on that score this figures to be a very compelling and entertaining game.

It's Sam Mailoux and others against the likes of Blum, Hegemann, VanLengen, and others.

There's a lot of star power on both teams, and I look for both squads to really get after things.

The Jaguars really need this one as they've been scuffling lately.

Howells-Dodge has lost 3 out of their last 4 and doesn't want to make it 4 losses in their last 5 games.

The biggest issue lately has been defense.

I don't think the Jaguars are playing as good of defense as they were prior to the skid.

Howells-Dodge has given up season highs of 62, 64, and 57 in their last three losses.

The magic number for the Jaguars is 50.

If Howells-Dodge can hold the Pendragons under 50 they could very well win.

Reason being the Jaguars are undefeated in games that they allow fewer than 50 points.

I don't think there's any doubt Howells-Dodge will need to play with great effort to win.

The Jaguars have to be hard nosed, physical, and tough minded on the defensive end of the floor.

Howells-Dodge has to get out of this slump they are in, and find a way to play better basketball.

There's no doubt in my mind the Jaguars can do it, it's just a matter of going out there and making it happen.

I think whoever wins the battle of the boards has a great shot to win this game.

I look for both teams to be tenacious and really get after one another.

I feel this game can go either way. It should be a good competitive ball game.

I think the Jaguars have a good chance to win and give them the edge being the home team, but Pender is fully capable of going in there and coming away with the win.

The Howells-Dodge Girls Basketball Team is 2-1 in their last three games, winning 45-30 at Wisner-Pilger last Friday night, falling 49-36 at home to Columbus Scotus on Saturday, and beating Tekamah-Herman 53-33 on the road Friday night.

The Jaguars led the Gators 10-8 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 10-9 to go up 20-17 at halftime.

Both teams scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 30-27 at the end of three in favor of Howells-Dodge.

The Jaguars outscored the Gators 15-3 in the 4th quarter.

Macey Kulhanek had 23 points while Erin Prusa totaled 8 points and 8 rebounds. Jessi Brester recorded 8 points.

The Shamrocks led 13-7 at the end of one, and outscored Howells-Dodge 19-9 in the 2nd quarter to take a 32-16 lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars won the 3rd quarter 10-9 to make it a 41-26 game at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge won the 4th quarter 10-8.

Prusa had 16 points while Kulhanek notched 11 points and 8 rebounds. Brester finished with 7 points and 12 rebounds.

The Jaguars led the Tigers 15-4 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 14-11 to lead 29-15 at halftime.

Tekamah-Herman outscored Howells-Dodge 14-9 in the 3rd quarter to make it a 38-29 game at the end of three.

The Jaguars outscored the Tigers 15-4 in the 4th quarter.

Kulhanek notched 17 points while Prusa scored 14.

I think Howells-Dodge is starting to play very strong basketball and peak at the right time.

The Jaguars (7-8) host Pender (8-9) on Saturday.

The Pendragons upset perennial power Wynot 41-30 at home Friday night.

Big emotional win for Pender without a doubt.

It will be interesting to see how the Pendragons handle themselves on Saturday.

Regardless of what Pender does though, Howells-Dodge has to focus on themselves.

The Jaguars started and finished very strong against Tekamah-Herman, and I look for Howells-Dodge to turn in another strong performance against the Pendragons.

Kulhanek and Prusa need to have big games again for the Jaguars.

Anytime you combine for over half of the team's points you know you are doing things right from an individual standpoint.

This figures to be a pretty even matchup, but I give Howells-Dodge the advantage being they're the bigger school and at home.

There's a lot of talented players on both teams, players who went to state last year.

Both teams may be under .500, but you can bet both will play really well and get after things on Saturday.

I feel the Jaguars have a chance to pull an upset or two in the East Husker Conference Tournament, and getting back to .500 would be a positive step towards making that happen.

Howells-Dodge should win at Logan View/Scribner-Snyder on Tuesday so the Jaguars figure to be above .500 heading into the conference tournament if they can take care of business on Saturday.

Howells-Dodge has to turn in a strong defensive performance and play well offensively too.

Pender played superb defense against the Blue Devils so the Jaguars are going to have to really bring it on offense.

I think defense is the key to this game though.

Both teams play great defense, and if Howells-Dodge can defend up to their potential then a win is very possible I would say.

This is a big one for both teams. The Jaguars have to go out there and seize the day, opportunity and moment, and take the win from the Pendragons.