Cougars avenge loss to Sutton during SNC semifinal round, claim 53-45 win

Sandy Creek rebounds for win over Mustangs after Sutton dealt the Cougars a 59-52 loss Jan. 29

Only one week removed from a 59-52 loss to the Sutton Mustangs, during their Jan. 29 clash at Sandy Creek, the Cougars and Mustangs met up once again in the semifinals of the Southern Nebraska Conference tournament Thursday, Feb. 5. Sandy Creek used a 16-8 third quarter run to coast into a 53-45 win over Sutton and advance to the championship game of the tournament this past Saturday against Tri County.

Sandy Creek’s last trip to the championship game in the SNC tournament was in 2024, when the Cougars beat Centennial 33-28.

During Thursday night’s battle with the Mustangs, the Cougars opened the game with a 14-10 run in the first quarter, but a 9-6 Sutton run cut the Sandy Creek lead to 20-19 at halftime.

The eight-point run in the third quarter lifted the Cougars to a 36-27 lead, before Sutton held a slight 18-17 scoring edge in the final eight minutes to deliver the eightpoint win to Sandy Creek.

Sandy Creek shot just under 40 percent in the win, going 18-46 overall, including a 4-14 shooting effort from three-point range (28.6%).

At the foul line, Sandy Creek made good on 13 of 24 attempts (54.2%).

The trio of Kamerin Sealey, Wes Biltoft, and Logan Tomky combined for 40 of the Cougars 53 points, with Sealey hitting for 16, Biltoft, 13, and Tomky 11.

Wyatt Hemberger added five points to the win, while Christian Shaw and Alex Watts both hit for four points.

Sutton was led in scoring by Payton Reed with 13 points, followed by Mason Ehly with 10, and Max Huxoll, nine.

Rounding out the scoring for the Mustangs was Myles Smith with six, Jacob Huxoll, four, and Keith Kliewer, three.

Sutton was 17-39 from the floor (43.6%), while making five of eight free throws (62.5%).

The Sealey, Biltoft, and Tomky trio also combined for 21 of Sandy Creek’s 30 rebounds, with Sealey grabbing eight, Biltoft, seven, and Tomky, six.

Ehly led Sutton’s rebounding efforts with six, while Reed had five, and Jacob Huxoll, three.

Sealey led the Cougars with five assists, while Tomky led in steals with four, and Sealey gained four.

Ehly led Sutton in assists, dishing out four, while Smith had three. Smith gained four steals in the loss.

Sandy Creek..................... 14 6 16 17 -53 Sutton............................. 10 9 8 18 -45 Sandy Creek Scoring: FG FT Pts Kamerin Sealey............................. 4-12 8-8 16 Wes Biltoft..................................... 5-7 3-6 13 Logan Tomky................................. 4-11 1-2 11 Wyatt Hemberger.......................... 2-3 0-0 5 Alex Watts...................................... 1-1 1-2 4 Christian Shaw............................... 2-8 0-6 4 Sam Watts...................................... 0-4 0-0 0 Sandy Creek Totals:............... 18-46 13-24 53 3-pt FG: Tomky 2-7, A. Watts 1-1, Hemberger 1-2, Sealey 0-1, S. Watts 0-3. Total: 4-14. Rebounds: Sealey 8, Biltoft 7, Tomky 6, Shaw 4, A. Watts 4, Hemberger 1. Total: 30. Assists: Sealey 5, A. Watts 1, Tomky 1, S. Watts 1, Biltoft 1. Total: 9. Steals: Tomky 4, Sealey 3, A. Watts 1, Shaw 1. Total: 9.

Sutton Scoring: FG FT Pts Payton Reed.................................4-6 3-3 13 Mason Ehly...................................4-7 0-0 10 Max Huxoll...................................4-5 1-3 9 Myles Smith.................................2-7 0-0 6 Jacob Huxoll.................................2-6 0-0 4 Keith Kliewer................................1-7 1-2 3 Harrison Schurman......................0-1 0-0 0 Sutton Totals:..................... 17-39 5-8 45 3-pt FG: Reed 2-3, Ehly 2-5, Smith 2-7, Kliewer 0-5. Total: 6-20. Rebounds: Ehly 6, Reed 5, J. Huxoll 3, M. Huxoll 2, Kliewer 2, Smith 2. Total: 20. Assists: Ehly 4, Smith 3, J. Huxoll 1, Juan Reyes 1, Kliewer 1, Reed 1.

Total: 11. Steals: Smith 4, M. Huxoll 1, Kliewer 1, Ehly 1, J. Huxoll 1. Total: 8.