Winter Sports - December 2020

Winter Sports - December 2020

WINTER SPORTS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

WINTER SPORTS

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THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

4 players return to anchor team that went 19-5 Bulldog girls hope for return to Lincoln Telegraph file photo Gracie Haneborg (2) puts up a running shot against several Gering defenders in February 2020. Haneborg averaged 18.6 points, 7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 5.6 steals per game as a junior.

won’t have much of a problem going 10 or 11 deep if we want to.” Hammond said. “We re- turn a core from last year and we kind of know how they are going to play and what we are going to do with them. “It’s trying to figure out how the rest (of the roster) kind of fit together and what our good combinations are (on the court). Defense will be what drives the success of the Bulldogs this season, regardless of the line- up combinations. “The biggest thing is that we can always control how we play on defense,” Hammond said. “That’s where everything starts for us. We want to get out and pressure opponents and make them have to do things (offensively) that they are not comfortable with. “Easy buckets are huge throughout the course of the game,” Hammond said. “If we can get eight to 12 transition points game because we are able to pressure people, force turnovers and get out and run, that’s huge.”

(to state) but there are so many things that go into it,” Hammond said. “You have to stay healthy and you have to figure out how everything fits together. Then we have to find a way to make sure we are playing our basketball at the end of the year again this sea- son.” There is reason to believe North Platte should be a force again. Junior Sedina Hayes and seniors Carly Purdy, Abby Orr and Gracie Haneborg are returners back from a team that finished with a 19-5 mark last year and lost to Lincoln Piux X in the opening round of the state tournament. Haneborg, a 5-foot-8 guard, is considered among the top players in the state. She aver- aged 18.6 points, 7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 5.6 steals per game as a junior. “Gracie is incredibly com- petitive but the thing most people don’t know is what she does on her own outside of reg- ular practice,” Hammond said.

Schedule Dec. 19............................................................................... Norfolk Dec. 29-30............................................Beatrice Holiday Tourney Jan. 5............................................................................at Kearney Jan. 9................................................................. Kearney Catholic Jan. 15....................................................................... at Lexington Jan. 16................................................................................Sidney Jan. 19.......................................................................... Northwest Jan. 22......................................................................... at McCook Jan. 23.................................................................................... York Jan. 30.............................................................................. Alliance Feb. 2...................................................................... Lincoln Pius X Feb. 5...........................................................................at Hastings Feb. 11..................................................................... at Scottsbluff Feb. 12............................................................................ at Gering

By TIM JOHNSON [email protected] The Bulldogs advanced to the state girls basketball tour- nament last season for the first time in 11 years. With a solid returning core of four players, it would seem that North Platte making a return trip this year is well within reason. It’s a challenge that coach Tyson Hammond said his play- ers are ready for. “I don’t think we don’t re- ally think of it as pressure (to return) at this point,” said Hammond, who is in his fourth year with the pro- gram. “We’re just going out and playing. We want that opportunity to have (high) ex- pectations. “That’s the goal, to give our- selves a chance to get back

“Carly is just a great ath- lete,” Hammond said. “She is still learning how to play bas- ketball right now but she has desire to rebound and a will- ingness to guard different people on defense.” Hammond said with a mix of experienced and new players, the team is going about eight or nine players deep, but there are some individuals on the roster battling injuries right now. “I think once we get healthy and get everybody going, we

“She puts extra workouts in and will work on her ball-han- dling and shooting. She is incredibly driven to be good at what she does.” Purdy and Orr averaged 10 and 9.4 points last season, re- spectively, and combined for more than 13 rebounds per game. “Abby is 6-2 and athletic,” Hammond said. “Her ability to score, pass, rebound and just create things (offensively) re- ally opens things up for what we do.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Sophomore leads Bulldogs into 2021

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger @nptelegraph.com

North Platte boys basketball coach Matt Kaminski knows his team isn’t big compared to Class A standards. The two tallest players on the team are both sophomores who don’t have the experience yet to put that height to good use. But what Kaminski does know is he expects his players to continue improving throughout the season, and even for some of them to make that jump from decent to great. “We are a young team but have enough expe- rience and some good senior leaders,” he said. “I think several players will make a big jump this season and we will be a steadily improved team as the year pro- gresses.” The Bulldogs are up for the challenge. Some players have al- ready made the jump. Sophomore River Johnston has been North Platte’s go-to scorer so far this sea- son, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting a team-high 41 percent from the field this season. “River is one of the most talented play- ers we’ve had in a long time, but the fact that he is one of the hard- est workers and humble makes him pretty spe- cial,” Kaminski said. “He will put a lot of stress on opposing de- fenses and can score at all three levels.” Another player posed for a breakout season is senior Luke Zimbelman. Kaminski said Zimbelman was showing strides last season until an injury kept him out for 10 games and derailed some momentum. Zimbelman is second on the team in scor- ing at eight points per game, and is one of a handful of players to provide another scoring outlet for the Bulldogs. “He is explosive and athletic around the rim and is an excel- lent shooter,” Kaminski said. “He will need to be a consistent rock for us game in game out.” There’s also Kade Mohr, who has become a featured player inside for North Platte. He has only shot six times from beyond the arc this sea- son, and is third on the team with 7.8 points per game. He leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.

Telegraph file photo Gavyn Brauer of North Platte celebrates after winning the Class A, 182-pound Championship in February 2020 at CHI Health Center in Omaha. Brauer, Diaz, Ruffin return for talented Dawgs

Schedule Dec. 19....................................................... Norfolk Dec. 29-30....................Beatrice Holiday Tourney Jan. 5....................................................at Kearney Jan. 9......................................... Kearney Catholic Jan. 15............................................... at Lexington Jan. 16........................................................ Sidney Jan. 19.................................................. Northwest Jan. 22................................................. at McCook Jan. 23............................................................ York Jan. 30...................................................... Alliance Feb. 2................................................. Lincoln Pius Feb. 5...................................................at Hastings Feb. 11............................................. at Scottsbluff Feb. 12.................................................... at Gering Feb. 19....................................................... Minden Telegraph file photo Luke Zimbelman puts up a shot against Gering during the 2020 regular season. Head coach Matt Kaminski believes the now senior is poised for a breakout season.

By JAKE DREILINGER jake.dreilinger @nptelegraph.com

If there’s anything the North Platte wrestling team is lacking, it defi- nitely isn’t talent. It’s hard not to notice who the Bulldogs have back this season: » 2019 state champion and 2020 state runner-up Darian Diaz is compet- ing in the 138 weight class this year. » 2020 state runner-up Jaylan Ruffin is out for another shot at the ti- tle, this time in the 132 weight class. » Then there’s Gayvn Brauer, fresh off a 2020 state title in the 182-pound class. They also have other state qualifiers in Cash Arensdorf, Luke Rathjen and Brock Little, all of whom make the Bulldogs a threat in any meet. “I would say any of our guys who are return- ing state qualifiers (are role players),” coach Dale Hall said. “Those guys need to be expected to be counted on.” North Platte also add- ed Vincent Genatone, a state medalist from Wyoming who moved to North Platte. The way Hall’s team is stacking up, it’s looking like the Bulldogs could make a deep run in the state tournament. “I think as a team, we can be one of the best teams in the state,” Hall said. “And that’s regard- less of class or any of those things. The biggest thing is whether or not we want to … injuries, staying healthy, staying eligible. Those things are going to be some of the biggest factors. Based on North Platte’s start to the season, the Bulldogs have backed up Hall’s belief. They currently boast an unde- feated record, picking up wins against Broken Bow in a home dual, then win- ning the Chieftain Duals by defeating Elkhorn South 57-21, Bellevue East 78-4, Gretna 51-19 and Fremont 51-18.

Telegraph file photo Jaylan Ruffin of North Platte wrestles Rylie Steele of Kearney during a Class A 126-pounds state semifinal.

66-59, a close game the Bulldogs closed out by making free throws in the last minute. In their last three games, however, North Platte fell to Millard West, Skutt Catholic and Grand Island Central Catholic. Skutt Catholic and GICC were both No. 1-seeds in last season’s state basket- ball tournament, where Skutt Catholic won and GICC was runner-up. “If we can get out and create some turnovers and score in transi- tion we will be tough,” Kaminski said. “Our schedule is heavy early. We have the opportuni- ty to compete against some top tier teams be- fore January. If we stay healthy and avoid Covid issues, we have the tal- ent and ability to have a winning season and host a district game with a young team.”

“Kade Mohr has got- ten stronger and more confident,” Kiminski said. “The game is slow- ing down for him and he has better anticipa- tion and knows his role well. He has a high bas- ketball IQ.” Other players Kiminski mentioned as taking the next step were Caleb Kinkaid, Ryan Kaminski, Caleb Tonkinson and Carter Kelly. It’s not easy play- ing a Class A schedule. It means far travel distances, most- ly to Lincoln or Omaha, and it usually means a quick turnaround from playing a game at home to waking up early the next day and traveling somewhere else. It has also led to some stiff competition early on. North Platte edged out Northwest in the season opener at home

Schedule Dec. 19. ........................................ at Valentine Invite Jan. 2........................................... North Platte Duals Jan. 8....................................... at Lincoln North Star Jan. 9........................................................at Beatrice Jan. 14......................................................at Kearney Jan. 15-16........ at Kelly Walsh Invite (Casper, Wyo.) Jan. 21................................ Grand Island Northwest Jan. 23......................................... at Lexington Invite Jan. 28..................................................... at McCook Feb. 4................................................. at Gothenburg Feb. 13............................................................District Feb. 17-20..................................... State Tournament

Ethan Jackson (126), Ruffin (132), Diaz (138), Fox (145), Santana Morin (152), Rathjen (160), Arensdorf (170), Brauer (182), Genatone (195), Mason Newland (220) and Jaacob Kohler (285). Hall said if his wres- tlers can buy into the team and what they are doing, there’s little that can stop them from suc- ceeding. “Wrestling’s one of those deals where it’s an individual sport,” Hall said. “But if these guys decide they want to work together as a team and make everyone better, the sky’s the limit. I real- ly believe that.”

There are a few wres- tlers Hall hopes can make the jump to the next level. Following the Broken Bow home dual, Hall praised Ryan Fox (145) and Carson Songster for their match- es before saying he was pleased with how the en- tire team did. “I thought Carson Songster, freshman at 120, it was his first var- sity win,” Hall said. “Hasn’t wrestled a whole lot prior to varsity I guess. That was a good win for him. He battled.” In the Broken Bow dual, Hall went with Kole Weigel (106), Jace Kennel (113), Songster (120),

Telegraph file photo River Johnston (10) is expected to handle much of the scoring duties for the Bulldogs this season.

C4 WINTER SPORTS Heiss leads young, but experienced, Irish girls THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

By TIM JOHNSON [email protected] Rachel Heiss is the lone senior on the roster but it doesn’t mean that the Irish are an inexperienced team. St. Pat’s returns three starters — Tonja Heirigs, Kate Stienike and Jenna Kimberling — to join Heiss, who is back after suffering a knee injury last season. Jayla Fleck also made a handful of starts as a sophomore. The core returners lead a group that posted a 17-8 mark in the 2019-20 campaign. St. Pat’s has won four of its first five games to open this year and done it with a style that addresses the team’s short- comings. “There’s not a lot of height (on the roster) so we have to make up for the lack of that by playing fast, pressing and shooting (3-pointers),” Irish coach Nathan Stienike said. St. Pat’s has held each of its five opponents so far to 40 points or less, but Stienike said the Irish don’t set any defensive goals going into a game. “We don’t really do that. We just try to have as much ball pressure as we can,” Stienike said. “We trap, we press and try to get (an oppo- nent) to turn it over as much as possible to get those add- ed possessions that we might lose on the rebounding bat- tles. “We don’t have too many goals,” Stienike said. “Our main one is to look at the scoreboard at the end (of the game) and hope that we had done enough good things to get the win.”

Telegraph file photo Tonja Heirigs of St. Pat’s lifts a shot over the outstretched hands of a several Chase County defenders during a game at McGahan Activities Center in February 2020.

Heirigs did a lot of good things last year as a freshman. She scored 478 points to set the program record for a season.

She averaged a team-high 18.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game overall. “The nice thing is that she can score from about any- where,” Stienike said. “She is a very good 3-point shoot- er, got a good mid-range game and then she is pretty cagey around the hoop. She also is a good free throw shooter — a complete offensive package. “It’s definitely nice hav- ing her back again,” Stienike said. “She already is averag- ing around 19 points a game and our offensive definite- ly runs through her. Then we also have a lot of guards who can shoot and (sophomore) Mae Siegel has done a good

job running the f loor and getting some layups in tran- sition. “We’re trying to score in a lot of ways,” Stienike said. “We’re not really going to post anybody. We are just going to have good ball move- ment and try and get a good shot up each possession.” The Irish have 11 players on the roster and seven have been in the main rotation so far this year. Bridgeport, which re- turns experience and size, and Chase County appear to be the teams to beat in the SPVA this season. The Irish finished third in the confer- ence tournament — losing on

a buzzer-beater in the semi- finals — and Stienike feels his team should be in the mix again this season. “We feel really comfortable with that top seven and we might go to eight eventually,” Stienike said. “We’ve got a group where every game and every practice we are trying to get better. Hopefully we are playing our best basketball come SPVA tournament- and district time. I think we will. “We are a work in prog- ress and still have quite a few things to work on,” Stienike said. “Once we get some lit- tle things cleaned up, I really am encouraged about how our season is going to go.”

Schedule Dec. 22. ...................................................................... at Ogallala Dec. 28-29........................................Arapahoe Holiday Tourney Jan. 5............................................................. at Anselmo-Merna Jan. 8.................................................................. Perkins County Jan. 9.............................................................................at Cozad Jan. 12...............................................................................Mullen Jan. 15............................................................................ Overton Jan. 18-23.......................................................SPVA Tournament Jan. 30......................................................................... at Kimball Feb. 2............................................................................ at Paxton Feb. 5................................................................ at Chase County Feb. 6......................................................................... Cambridge Feb. 9..................................................... Dundy County-Stratton Feb. 11............................................................................Hershey

Irish boys team shows early signs of being explosive

to No. 4-seed Laurel-Concord- Coleridge. As the Irish continue to play their early contests, O’Malley said he’s seeing areas where St. Pat’s need to improve. “I think probably just over- all execution improved, and it needs to continue to improve,” he said after the Sutherland game. “I thought in the half- court, they did a really good job being physical with us, and we need to be a lot better screening and getting one an- other open going forward.” St. Pat’s has a variety of scoring options, and it usu- ally differs depending on the night. Corby Condon is in the point guard role and aside from dishing the ball to his teammates, he also has a sol- id long-range shot. He hit St. Pat’s first 3-pointer of the sea- son in the first quarter against the Sailors. Jack Heiss has proven to be a threat from all over. He can shoot from outside, and he has a knack for attacking the bas- ket. Once inside, he’ll either go up with the ball or find the open man for an easy basket. “Jack is a really difficult matchup,” O’Malley said. “He’s able to shoot the ball with a good deal of accura- cy, and his athleticism when he puts the ball on the f loor creates a lot of offense for the rest of our guys too. He’s real-

By JAKE DREILINGER [email protected] The St. Pat’s boys basketball team only put up 36 points in its season opening win against Broken Bow on Dec. 4. At the time, coach Bill O’Malley said he wasn’t sure what he was going to get out of his team since it was the first game. “I think both teams had pret- ty good matchups,” O’Malley said. “Athletically, there weren’t a lot of spots where anybody had a real decided ad- vantage.” Since then, the Irish have exploded in games that com- pletely differed from the opener, earning a 67-24 win over Sutherland the next day, then dropping 72 points against Creek Valley and de- feating district rival Maxwell 55-29. Then came the Hershey game. St. Pat’s struggled to keep their late lead afloat, and when they desperately need- ed points to combat a surging Panthers team at the end, only an Alex Davies floater in the paint provided the only points. It’s 39-37 last-second loss to Hershey is the only blemish on an otherwise great start for a team looking to make it back to the state tournament. Last season, the Irish entered state as the No. 1-seed in Class D1, but fell in the semifinals

Telegraph file photo Jack Heiss (2) of St. Pat’s drives to the basket against Sandhills/Thedford during the district tour- nament in February 2020.

Schedule Dec. 22. .......................................................................at Ogallala Dec. 28-29........................................ Arapahoe Holiday Tourney Jan. 5.............................................................. at Anselmo-Merna Jan. 8................................................................... Perkins County Jan. 9..............................................................................at Cozad Jan. 12................................................................................Mullen Jan. 15............................................................................. Overton Jan. 18-23....................................................... SPVA Tournament Jan. 30.......................................................................... at Kimball Feb. 5.................................................................at Chase County Feb. 6.......................................................................... Cambridge Feb. 9...................................................... Dundy County-Stratton Feb. 11.............................................................................Hershey Feb. 19...........................................................................at Paxton

“The games are coming pretty quickly here at the be- ginning of the season, and the coaches biggest concerns were just that we would come out and play with a lot of energy,” O’Malley said after the Creek Valley game. “We weren’t real sharp execution wise from the beginning, but I thought we did have good energy and so that got us off to a good start.”

ecution in working the ball inside. Caleb Mundon has emerged off the bench lately and excelled in providing some spark in the offense late in the game. Even with St. Pat’s great start to the season, O’Malley said he wants to see his team come out and play with a lot of energy, especially with how quickly the games are coming.

ly a key guy for us.” Joseph Heirigs is another player who can help move the ball around and can get some easy baskets when open. Logan O’Malley was the hot-hand during the Sutherland game, where he dropped a team-high 16 points in the win. Davies has slid mostly into St. Pat’s big-man role and is usually part of the Irish’s ex-

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Telegraph file photo

Junior Austin Hoelscher will be one of the scoring options for a deep Hershey Panthers team that is almost half seniors.

Hershey boys show ‘grit’ in hot start

move forward. We’re not go- ing to change a lot, we’re going to put in some new things, and let’s just have good energy all week,’” he added. As of press time, it’s uncer- tain why a coaching change was made, and Lowther said he wasn’t really sure himself. That hasn’t stopped Hershey from finding some success, ei- ther. The Panthers are 2-2 and have wins against Perkins County and Cozad, but fell to Gothenburg and St. Pat’s. No game has been close. Sophomore Tahlia Steinbeck leads the team with 11.3 points per game, and junior Shayda Vaughn and senior Carly Sexson have provided second- ary scoring options as well. Sexson, Vaughn and soph- omore Michalee Brownawell and freshman Emma Hall have averaged over four re- bounds per game. “Mentally, I think our team is very strong,” Lowther said. “They’ve shown it in these last few weeks as well.”

After winning their first two games handily — a 64-36 win over Perkins County and a 43- 27 victory against Gothenburg — the Panthers played Cozad (43-42 OT win) and St. Pat’s to the wire. Jorgenson said Spearman is the kind of player to spend most of his time in the gym, and he even thought Spearman would spend more time shoot- ing even after hitting the game winner over St. Pat’s. “The kid puts in so much time,” Jorgenson said. “I know he lives in the gym and I can guarantee he’s probably going to be shooting again tonight.” Half of Hershey’s roster are seniors who have gained experience over the years. Spearman has filled into a scorer’s role, but other seniors have made contributions as well. Bryce Butterfield forced a turnover on an inbounds pass that set up the game-winning 3. Sage Young and Hoelscher added four points each in the win.

By JAKE DREILINGER [email protected] When Cayden Spearman let a 3-pointer from the corner fly with the Hershey boys basket- ball team’s game against St. Pat’s on Dec. 12 in the balance, he also held the weight of the Panthers’ undefeated season with it. As it sunk in and St. Pat’s called a timeout to figure out its next move, Spearman and the Hershey bench celebrated for a second before regrouping. The Panthers have won its first four games for the first time since the 2010-11 season. They went 20-4 that year. “I thought we showed a lot of grit,” coach Dustin Jorgenson said following the St. Pat’s game. “Both teams deserved to win and played their tails off, and we just happened to hit a couple big shots.” Spearman scored 15 points that day, and was helped with seven points each from Thomas Gosnell and Austin Hoelscher.

Schedule Dec. 19..............................................................................Ogallala Dec. 29-30............................................Hershey Holiday Tourney Jan. 2......................................................................... Broken Bow Jan. 5.......................................................................... South Loup Jan. 8............................................................................at Maxwell Jan. 9............................................................................Bridgeport Jan. 12......................................................................... Sutherland Jan. 15............................................................................ Valentine Jan. 16........................................................................ at Holdrege Jan. 18-23........................................................ SPVA Tournament Jan. 30....................................................................Chase County Feb. 2.................................................................................. Mullen Feb. 6...................................................at Dundy County-Stratton Feb. 9..............................................................................at Paxton Feb. 11..........................................................................at St. Pat’s

“It everybody,” Spearman said. “If I didn’t have those two screens down there, I wouldn’t have made anything happen. It’s all on my teammates.” took Alex Lowther joined the Hershey girls basketball team over the summer as an as- sistant coach. Only a couple games into the season, how- ever, he was promoted to head coach. A coaching change that early

into the year could cause prob- lems adjusting, but Lowther said the girls continued prac- ticing as if everything was normal. “Obviously it was just a lit- tle shocker, but the girls did a great job,” Lowther said. “We just moved forward with it. We had a great week of practice. “I had a talk with them af- ter that announcement was made and said, ‘Hey, let’s just

A work in progress as Sutherland gains experience

many varsity minutes yet and are still getting adjusted to taking on a larger role. One junior who is an ex- ception to that is point guard Andrew Dowse, who also has 5.3 points per game and leads the team with 1.7 assists per game. “He’s been a really calm- ing, steady force for us,” Dyer said. “He has been our best perimeter defender. We’ve been really pleased with Andrew’s work ethic.” At the end of the day, Dyer said he wants to see his team continue to improve and that wins and losses don’t always ref lect how much a team has grown. “We know there are things we need to get better at during the course of the sea- son,” Dyer said. “We want to be playing at our peak and at the best of our abilities.” The Sutherland girls bas- ketball team has found some success early on in the sea- son, defeating Brady 62-13 and Sandhills Valley 44-27. In its other games, it has fallen to Mullen 48-23, St. Pat’s 64-30, Bridgeport 78-16 and Wallace 46-36. Juniors Faith Stewart and Allie Hiatt and sophomore Mataya Roberts lead the team offensive. In the Sailors loss to St. Pat’s on Dec. 5, those three combined for 25 of the team’s 30 points. In that game, Sutherland start-

“Luke is, in terms of point production, a guy we knew we would need to count on,” Dyer said. “He’s taken on a differ- ent role. I think he’s starting to realize offensively we’re going to need to get things out of him.” So far, he has been Sutherland’s main option on offense. He leads the team with 8.7 points per game across six contests and in rebounds with 6.7 a game. Dyer said Martinez is more of a laid-back leader. The vo- cal leadership comes from Ty Monie, the other senior on the team. Monie has added 5.3 points per game and 4.5 re- bounds per game. “He’s probably our most vo- cal guy in terms of rallying the troops and talking during games,” Dyer said. Sutherland boasts a large junior class, some of whom Dyer said haven’t played

By JAKE DREILINGER [email protected] Sutherland boys basketball coach Daniel Dyer main focus is getting his team to play like one and stray away from indi- vidual basketball. At times, Dyer said he can see the team working to- gether and playing well. But sometimes, they revert back to that solo mentality. “It’s still a work in prog- ress,” he said. “At times I feel like we’re playing together us- ing our strength and at times we’re playing more individual- ly than we should be.” Dyer said that’s something they work on in practice. They figure out who should be where and what to look for in certain moments. And more importantly, who’s going to give them the best opportuni- ty to score. So far, that’s been senior Luke Martinez.

Schedule Jan. 8..............................................................Sandhills/Thedford Jan. 9.................................................................... Perkins County Jan. 12......................................................................... at Hershey Jan. 15.....................................................................at Cambridge Jan. 18-23........................................................ SPVA Tournament Jan. 26...................................................................at Creek Valley Jan. 29............................................................................... Kimball Feb. 2....................................................................Garden County Feb. 5........................................................... at Wauneta-Palisade Feb. 9............................................................................at Maxwell Feb. 11................................................................................Paxton Feb. 19............................................ at Chase County (boys only)

Telegraph file photo Junior Luke Martinez is expected to be a go-to scorer for Sutherland this season.

ed Stewart, Roberts, juniors Casidee Miller and Ashtyn

Gunderson and sophomore Cyndie Wilson.

C6 WINTER SPORTS New Maxwell coaches adapt on the fly THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

Swedberg is in his first sea- son as coach and the Wildcats have just one returning starter from last year — junior Harley Kuenning. “We definitely knew com- ing into this season that our athletes were going to have to step up into roles that had pre- viously been filled by seniors,” Swedberg said. “We graduat- ed nine seniors, so not only did it involve varsity starters, but players who came in off the bench. “We have players back this year that might have got play- ing time last season but they weren’t necessarily scorers,” Swedberg said. “They are go- ing to have to step up into those roles this year. That is what we have been figuring out so far — who fits in what roles.” The Maxwell boys have av- eraged 48.0 points per game with their motion offense so far with senior Troy Breinig and junior Jack Meyer both av- eraging a team-high 10.6 ppg. Senior Connor McKeeman has added 8.6 ppg. The Wildcats employ a man- to-man defensive system and have the goal of their oppo- nents to under 40 points a game. They have accomplished

By TIM JOHNSON [email protected] MAXWELL — Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it wasn’t until around July that first-year Maxwell boys bas- ketball coach Quin Conner was able to work with his play- ers. And it wasn’t on the basket- ball court for the most part. “I was at the (school) weight room every day this summer and we had really good partici- pation from both our boys and girls athletes,” said Conner, who was an assistant coach at Conestoga High School. “I was there so I could get that inter- action with (the players) before we were able to get a basketball in our hands. “I just built that relationship piece early in the summer,” Conner said. “No one told me I needed to be there, I just felt that I should be. That helped lay the groundwork. I think it also helps a lot too that I’m a young guy. I can still relate to a high school kid pretty decently.” Maxwell has looked like a co- hesive group so far this winter with wins in four of their first five games. The Maxwell girls are also in a season of transition. Lane

Telegraph file photo Jack Meyer (10) of Maxwell drives to the basket during the distrct tournament at Hershey in February 2020.

that three times in their first five games of the year. “I think we have had really good attention to details when it comes to the defensive end,” Conner said. “That’s what we are starting to hang our hat on and kind of being grinders. “We don’t know if we are going to be a 70-point a game offensive juggernaut but we have found out pretty quickly that defense travels,” Conner said. “We know if we play good defense, we will pretty much be in every game.” The Wildcats girls also run a motion offense and the while the program has traditionally

played a pack-it-in tight zone, there is a slight twist this year. “I am having them explore a new avenue of what its like to maybe match up a little more (defensively),” Swedberg said. “I’m not saying we are going to completely abandon our zone and stuff that they know. “I just want them to be more versatile in what they can do defensively and not feel that they have to sit in their zone area to guard whoever comes into it,” Swedberg said. “Sometimes you might have to match up and deny a little bit more to make some stops.” The Wildcats have just a

win in their first five games, but Swedberg said the record doesn’t indicate the team’s ef- fort. “This is a very coach- able group and that’s what I have told them since Day 1,” Swedberg said. “Everything I have thrown at them, they have took it and run with it. We might not have the num- ber of wins we want and there might be other things that come up that cause us frustra- tion,” Swedberg said, “but as long as we are coming to prac- tice every day and working on ways to get better, then we are achieving our goals.”

Schedule Dec. 21-22. ................................... Maxwell Pre-Holiday Tourney Jan. 2............................................................................ Arapahoe Jan. 8...............................................................................Hershey Jan. 9........................................................................... at Overton Jan. 12...................................................Maywood-Hayes Center Jan. 15................................................................... at South Loup Jan. 16........................................................................ Cambridge Jan. 19.............................................................................at Brady Jan. 21..............................................Sandhills Valley (Girls only) Jan. 23-30. ..................................................... RPAC Tournament Feb. 2............................................................... at Perkins County Feb. 5............................................................................at Wallace Feb. 9.......................................................................... Sutherland Feb. 11.................................................................Medicine Valley FEb. 19. .....................................................at Loomis (Boys only)

Young Brady teams look for experience

leaders from last year and we are kind of learning how to be a team without them. “We’re a work in progress but I hope to continue to see the same amount of improve- ment that we’ve had so far with every game,” DaMoude said. “(The players) improved so much from the third game to our fourth. It was very clear and very evident.” DaMoude said she likes to run a motion offense because, “it gives the girls options. It’s good for them to read the de- fense and react accordingly.” Brady has employed a 2-3 zone for the majority of the season so far and used a 1-3-1 zone for a stretch as well. “We have been struggling with our shooting (so far) so we definitely going to have to shut teams down defensively,” DaMoude said. “We’ve done some good things defensive- ly so far. We’ve never worked on a 1-3-1 zone before and I threw it at him at halftime of our game (last week). They re- acted great to that and I think defensively, we are getting somewhere.”

By TIM JOHNSON [email protected] BRADY — The Eagles have had a challenging start to the season. But the early adversity has not dampened the attitude of the Brady girls basketball team. “The girls have just kept their heads up,” said Eagles first-year coach Mariah DaMoude. “They’ve stayed ex- tremely positive. We came off a game last week that we lost by about 50 (points) and the next day in practice their attitudes were still fantastic.” DaMoude was an assistant coach with the Eagles the last two years and takes over a pro- gram that returns three key starters from last season: Abby Jurjens, Ava McGown and Kyla Most. The trio are all se- niors. “They are the ones who have the experience from last year and brought that with them this season,” DaMoude said. “Everyone else is kind of growing, learning and kind of processing all at the same time. “We lost four good senior

Telegraph file photo Ava McGown (4) joins Abby Jurjens and Kyla Most as the Brady girls’ three seniors. Both Eagles teams are young and looking to build experience in 2020-21.

Schedule Dec. 19............................................................................... Loomis Dec. 21-22. .................................... Maxwell Pre-Holiday Tourney Dec. 28-29................................................Brady Holiday Tourney Jan. 8.............................................................................. at Mullen Jan. 9...................................................................... Arthur County Jan. 12.......................................................................... at Overton Jan. 16.................................................................... at South Loup Jan. 19..............................................................................Maxwell Jan. 23-30. ................................ MNAC Conference Tournament Feb. 2................................................................................ Wallace Feb. 4................................................................... Sandhills Valley Feb. 5............................................................................. Arapahoe Feb. 12............................................................. at Medicine Valley Feb. 19.................................... at Sandhills/Thedford (boys only)

Eagles returning players. He averaged 5.2 points and 4.1 re- bounds per game last year. Lusk averaged 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in a reserve role as a freshman. “We are a pretty fresh team this year,” Eagles coach Chris Blecha said. “This group works well together and wants to get better. They have got- ten better every day but we are still learning what it takes to play consistently on a varsity level.”

points in a win over Garden County on Dec. 4. Blake Lusk (10.7 ppg), a 6-2 sophomore, is the other Brady player who has averaged dou- ble figures through the first few weeks of the season. Lusk also has averaged a team-best 8.7 rebounds per game through five games, and Most has averaged eight re- bounds and four blocks per game. The duo have most var- sity experience among the

The Brady boys graduat- ed seven seniors from a team that finished the 2019-20 cam- paign with an 11-12 mark during the 2019-20 campaign. That includes Shane Merrill, who led the team in scoring as he averaged 14.2 points per game. Brady, with a core group of sophomores and juniors, has won two of their six games opening six game. Shane Most, a 6-foot-3 junior, has averaged 17 ppg so far that includes 20

WINTER SPORTS COMPOSITE BASKETBALL SCHEDULES

C7

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020

THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH

Boys

Ogallala at Hershey Perkins County at Dundy County- Stratton Sandhills Valley at Wauneta-Palisade Schuyler at Lexington St. Paul at Broken Bow Wallace at Dundy Country-Stratton Dec. 21 Pleasanton Holiday Tourney (Anselmo-Merna) Dundy Country-Stratton at Cambridge Maxwell Holiday Tourney (Brady, South Loup, Sandhills Valley Paxton Holiday Tourney (Maywood- Hayes Center, Mullen) Perekins County Holiday Tourney Runza Holiday Tourney Dec. 22 Pleasanton Holiday Tourney (Anselmo-Merna) Dundy Country-Stratton at Cambridge Maxwell Holiday Tourney (Brady, South Loup, Sandhills Valley Paxton Holiday Tourney (Maywood- Hayes Center, Mullen) Perekins County Holiday Tourney Runza Holiday Tourney Southwest at Southern Valley Wauneta-Palisade at Dundy County- Stratton Dec. 28 Runza Holiday Tourney Brady Holiday Tourney (Anselmo- Merna,Maywood-Hayes Center) Arapahoe Holiday Tourney (St. Pat’s, Wauneta-Palisade) Broken Bow Holiday Tourney South Platte Holiday Tourney Broken Bow at Hershey Hyannis at Cody-Kilgore Northwest at Gothenburg Ogallala at Perkins County SEM at Sandhills Valley Southwest at Hi-Line Jan. 5 Broken Bow at McCook Dundy County-Stratton at Chase County Hi-Line at Maywood-Hayes Center North Platte at Kearney Ord at Cozad South Loup at Hershey South Platte at Kimball Southwest at Hitchcock County St. Pat’s at Anselmo-Merna Jan. 7 Hi-Line at SEM Mullen at Wallace Ogallala at Bridgeport Sandhills/Thedford at South Loup Sandhills/Thedford at South Loup Jan. 8 Cozad at Ogallala Arapahoe at Medicine Valley Brady at Mullen Cozad at Ogallala Creek Valley at Sandhills Valley Gothenburg at McCook Hershey at Maxwell Hitchcock County at Wauneta- Palisade Holdrege at Broken Bow Hyannis at South Platte Paxton at Maywood-Hayes Center (Dundy County Stratton) Hershey Holiday Tourney (Gothenburg) Jan. 2 Arapahoe at Maxwell Perkins County at St. Pat’s Southwest at Cambridge Jan. 9 Anselmo-Merna at St. Mary’s Arthur County at Brady Bertrand at South Loup Bridgeport at Hershey Centura at Gothenburg Kearney Catholic at North Platte Louisville at Mullen, UNK Oakland-Craig at Broken Bow Perkins County at Sutherland Sandhills Valley at Cody-Kilgore South Platte at Potter-Dix St. Pat’s at Cozad Sutherland at Maxwell Wauneta-Palisade at Southwest Jan. 11 Paxton at Sutherland Jan. 12 Brady at Overton Dundy County-Stratton at Hitchcock County Haxtun, CO at Creek Valley Lexington at Cozad Maywood-Hayes Center at Maxwell Medicine Valley at Sandhills Valleyt Mullen at St. Pat’s Sutherland at Hershey Jan. 14 Alma at Hi-Line Anselmo-Merna at Sandhills/ Thedford Broken Bow at Kearney Catholic Dundy County-Stratton at Medicine Valley Gothenburg at Cozad Paxton at Creek Valley Perkins County at Chase County Wallace at South Platte Jan. 15 Anselmo-Merna at Central Valley Arapahoe at Hi-Line Arthur County at Maywood-Hayes Center Chase County at Gothenburg Maxwell at Overton McCook at Sidney Jan. 9 Minatare at Creek Valley

Center Cambridge at Sutherland Chase County at Gothenburg Crawford at Hyannis Maxwell at South Loup McCook at Hastings Ogallala at Sidney Overton at St. Pat’s Paxton at Wallace Sandhills Valley at Sandhills/ Thedford

Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, Wauneta-Palisade) Bayard at South Platte Garden County at Creek Valley Hi-Line at Axtell Jan. 30 SWC Tourney (Gothenburg, Ogallala, Cozad, Broken Bow) SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County- Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, Wauneta-Palisade) Broken Bow at Lexington Hay Springs at Hyannis Hershey at Mullen Maxwell at Perkins County Medicine Valley at Maywood-Hayes Center Mullen at Hershey Spalding Academy at Anselmo- Merna Wallace at Brady Feb. 4 FKC Tourney (Hi-Line) GICC at Cozad Sandhills Valley at Brady Twin Loup at Anselmo-Merna Wauneta-Palisade at Medicine Valley Feb. 5 FKC Tourney (Hi-Line) Arapahoe at Brady Arthur County at South Platte Cozad at Minden Dundy County-Stratton at Southwest Leyton at Creek Valley Maxwell at Wallace Maywood-Hayes Center at North Platte at Hastings Paxton at Sandhills Valley South Loup at Mullen St. Pat’s at Chase County Sutherland at Wauneta-Palisade Valentine at Gothenburg Feb. 6 FKC Tourney (Hi-Line) Cambridge at St. Pat’s Gothenburg at Minden Hershey at Dundy County-Stratton Hitchcock County at Arapahoe Ogallala at Broken Bow FKC Tourney (Hi-Line) Alliance at North Platte Chase County at Hershey St. Pat’s at Kimball Feb. 2 FKC Tourney (Hi-Line) Hitchcock County McCook at Ogallala Perkins County at South Platte Sandhills/Thedford at Mullen South Loup Southern Valley Creek Valley at Peetz, CO at Hershey at Dundy County-Stratton Feb. 9 Anselmo-Merna at South Loup Creek Valley at Perkins County Dundy County-Stratton at St. Pat’s Hershey at Paxton South Platte at Maywood-Hayes Center Medicine Valley at Maxwell Mullen at Sandhills Valley Feb. 12 Ainsworth at Gothenburg Anselmo-Merna at Ansley-Litchfield Axtell at Southwest Brady at Medicine Valley Broken Bow at Cozad Cody-Kilgore at Sandhills/Thedford Creek Valley at South Platte Elba at Sandhills Valley Garden County at Hay Springs Maywood-Hayes Center at Wauneta-Palisade Mitchell at Ogallala South Loup at Hi-Line Southern Valley at Dundy County- Stratton Feb. 13 Loomis at Mullen Minatare at Hyannis Sterling, CO at Ogallala Chase County at Cambidge Feb. 18 Cozad at McCook Feb. 19 Brady at Sandhills/Thedford Bridgeport at Perkins County Creek Valley at Wallace Elm Creek at Hi-Line Gothenburg at Ogallala Maxwell at Loomis Medicine Valley at Dundy County- Stratton Minden at North Platte Sandhills Valley at Hyannis SEM at South Loup FSouth Platte at Hitchcock County Southwest at Maywood-Hayes Center FSt. Pat’s at Paxton Wauneta-Palisade at Mullen Girls Dec. 19 Ainsworth at Cozad Burwell at Anselmo-Merna Loomis at Brady McCook at Holdrege Sutherland at Maxwell Wallace at Southwest Aurora at Lexington Feb. 11 Paxton at Sutherland Hershey at St. Pat’s

Dec. 19 Burwell at Anselmo-Merna Ainsworth at Cozad Loomis at Brady

McCook at Holdrege Ogallalal at Hershey Perkins County at Dundy County- Stratton Sandhills Valley at Wauneta-Palisade Dec. 21 Pleasanton Holiday Tourney (Anselmo-Merna) Schuyler at Lexington Maxwell Holiday Tourney (Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) Paxton Holiday Tourney (Garden County, Maywood-Hayes Center, Mullen Perkins County Holiday Tourney Runza Holiday Tourney (Cozad) Dec. 22 Pleasanton Holiday Tourney (Anselmo-Merna) Maxwell Holiday Tourney (Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) Paxton Holiday Tourney (Garden County, Maywood-Hayes Center, Mullen) Perkins County Holiday Tourney Runza Holiday Tourney (Cozad) Chase County at Bridgeport Southwest at Southern Valley Wauneta-Palisade at Dundy County- Stratton Dec. 28 Runza Holiday Tourney (Cozad) Brady Holiday Tourney (Anselmo- Merna, Maywood-Hayes Center) Arapahoe Holiday Tourney (St. Pat’s, Wauneta-Palisade) Dec. 29 Brady Holiday Tourney (Anselmo- Merna, Maywood-Hayes Center) Arapahoe Holiday Tourney (St. Pat’s, Wauneta-Palisade) South Platte Holiday Tourney (Dundy County-Stratton) Dec. 30 Brady Holiday Tourney (Anselmo- Merna, Maywood-Hayes Center) Arapahoe Holiday Tourney (St. Pat’s, Wauneta-Palisade) South Platte Holiday Tourney (Dundy County-Stratton) Jan. 2 Arpahoe at Maxwell Broken Bow at Hershey Hyannis at Cody-Kilgore Northwest at Gothenburg Ogallala at Perkins County SEM at Sandhills Valley Southwest at Hi-Line Jan. 5 Broken Bow at McCook Dundy County-Stratton at Chase County Hi-Line at Maywood-Hayes Center North Platte at Kearney Ord at Cozad South Loup at Hershey South Platte at Kimball Southwest at Hitchcock County St. Pat’s at Anselmo-Merna Jan. 7 Hemingford at Garden County Hi-Line at SEM Mullen at Wallace Sandhills/Thedford at South Loup Ogallala at Bridgeport Jan. 8 Arapahoe at Medicine Valley Brady at Mullen Cozad at Ogallala Creek Valley at Sandhills Valley Gothenburg at McCook Hershey at Maxwell Hitchcock County at Wauneta- Palisade Hyannis at South Platte Paxton at Maywood-Hayes Center Perkins County at St. Pat’s Southwest at Cambridge Jan. 9 Anselmo-Merna at St. Mary’s Arthur County at Brady Bertrand at South Loup Bridgeport at Hershey Centura at Gothenburg Kearney Catholic at North Platte Lexington at Hastings Perkins County at Sutherland Sandhills Valley at Cody-Kilgore South Platte at Potter-Dix St. Pat’s at Cozad Wauneta-Palisade at Southwest Jan. 12 Brady at Overton Dundy County-Stratton at Hitchcock County Maxwell at Overton McCook at Sidney Minatare at Creek Valley Garden County at Minatare Haxtun, CO at Creek Valley Lexington at Kearney Catholic Maywood-Hayes Center at Maxwell Medicine Valley at Sandhills Valley Mullen at St. Pat’s Sutherland at Hershey Jan. 14 Alma at Hi-Line Anselmo-Merna at Sandhills/ Thedford Gothenburg at Cozad Paxton at Creek Valley Perkins County at Chase County JWallace at South Platte Jan. 15 Anselmo-Merna at Central Valley Arapahoe at Hi-Line Arthur County at Maywood-Hayes

Southwest at Bertrand Valentine at Hershey Wauneta-Palisade at Perkins County Jan. 16 Brady at South Loup Cambridge at Maxwell Cody-Kilgore at Hitchcock County Cozad at Centura Garden County at Wauneta-Palisade Sidney at North Platte Valentine at Ogallala Jan. 18 SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) Jan. 19 SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) Arcadia/Loup City at South Loup Gothenburg at Amherst Hitchcock County at Paxton Hershey at Holdrege Minden at McCook Mullen at Arthur County Sandhills Valley at Hyannis Maxwell at Brady Overton at Hi-Line Sandhills Valley at Arthur County SEM at Anselmo-Merna Wallace at Dundy County-Stratton MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) Jan. 21 SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) Ansley-Litchfield at South Loup Dundy County-Stratton at Cambridge Gothenburg at Broken Bow Hi-Line at Medicine Valley Lexington at Cozad Maywood-Hayes Center at Bertrand Paxton at Wauneta-Palisade Jan. 22 SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) Alliance at Ogallala Anselmo-Merna at North Central Jan. 23 SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County- Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, SWC Tourney (Gothenburg, Ogallala, Cozad, Broken Bow) SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County- Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, Wauneta-Palisade) Jan. 26 SWC Tourney (Gothenburg, Ogallala, Cozad, Broken Bow) SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County- Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, Hi-Line at Loomis Mullen at Hershey Wauneta-Palisade) Holdrege at Cozad Ogallala at Ainsworth York at North Platte Jan. 25 Wauneta-Palisade) Hi-Line at Amherst Holyoke, CO at Perkins County Sutherland at Creek Valley Jan. 28 SWC Tourney (Gothenburg, Ogallala, Cozad, Broken Bow) SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County- Stratton, Maxwell, Maywood-Hayes Center, Paxton, Southwest, Wauneta-Palisade) Creek Valley at Potter-Dix Sedgwick, CO at Perkins County South Platte at Garden County Jan. 29 SWC Tourney (Gothenburg, Ogallala, Cozad, Broken Bow) SPVA Tourney (St. Pat’s, Perkins County) MAC Tourney (Creek Valley, South Platte) MNAC Tourney (Anselmo-Merna, Brady, Sandhills Valley, South Loup) RPAC Tourney (Dundy County-

Please see SCHEDULE, Page C8