Sports

After what was to be the Mustangs January home opener was cancelled with Centura, due to winter weather, the Sutton boys basketball team began a five-game road streak with action at Cross County and Centennial this past week.

The Mustangs got off to a shaky start at Cross County, Jan. 5, with the Cougars claiming a 17-point, 48-31 win over Sutton, before the Mustangs bounced back to win their second overtime battle of the season, upending Centennial 29-26 in Sutton’s third overall overtime game of the 2022-23 season.

Thursday’s trip to Cross County would see the Mustangs stay within striking distance in the first three quarters, as a 19-15 halftime lead for the Cougars grew to a 29-22 lead over Sutton at the end of the third stanza.

Cross County then stepped on the gas pedal in the final eight minutes, outscoring Sutton 19-9 to gain the 17-point victory dropping Sutton to 2-7 on the year.

A tough overtime loss to the Osceola Bulldogs and a tense last-second win over the St. Mary Cardinals headlined the Sutton boys basketball action on the hardwood, as the Mustangs placed third in the Grand Island Central Catholic holiday tournament.

Sutton pushed Osceola to the limit in the tournament opener, Friday, Dec. 30, but an 8-2 overtime push by the Bulldogs gave Osceola a 5549 win, as Sutton fell to 1-6 with the loss.

Osceola gained a 27-23 halftime lead, fueled by a 15-11 second-quarter run that broke a 12-12 first-quarter tie.

The Bulldogs seemingly took full control of the game in the third with a 14-5 run to take a 41-28 lead into the fourth quarter, but a huge 19-6 run by the Mustangs in the fourth deadlocked the game at a 47-47 tie to the force an overtime period, where the six-point rally by the Bulldogs pushed Osceola to 7-0 on the year with the 55-49 victory.

Harvard senior Maria Perez, the lone female wrestler for the Harvard Cardinals wrestling squad, came up big in action at the Fillmore Central Invitational Friday, Dec. 30, in Geneva.

Perez ran her season record to 9-4 by winning four out of five matches in the 115-pound weight class and tallied 22 points in the process.

Perez pinned her way to the championship match, earning four straight wins to start the day. She opened her action with a 46-second pinfall win over Savannah Leiting of Seward, before pinning Kaylie Vandervort of Palmyra in 4:51 in round two.

A round three 2:03 pinfall win over Jaelyn Palser of Wood River led Perez into the championship bracket, where she earned a 3:25 pinfall win over Mia Cobian of Seward to advance to the title match, where unbeaten Sophia Shultz of Raymond Central pinned Perez in 31 seconds to claim gold, while Perez finished with the silver medal.

The sophomore duo of Connor Rempe and Rowan Jarosik again paced the South Central Red Raider wrestling team in action at the Fillmore Central Invitational Friday, Dec. 30, as Rempe came away with the 120-pound weight class title, while Jarosik placed fourth overall in the 126-pound class. Rempe and Jarosik combined to score 41 of the Red Raiders’ 45 team points, as South Central placed 12th as a team. York ran away with the team title, outscoring the host Panthers 202-155, while Bishop Neumann gained 144 team points to place third in the final standings.

REMPE ROLLS

Rempe improved to 23-3 on the year with five wins, all of which came by pin.

Brenner McCann-Coen of Fillmore Central fell to Rempe in 41 seconds, while Kane Kucera of Palmer fell in 29 seconds, and Jager Barnes of Louisville fell in just 43 seconds.

The Sutton wrestling team closed out the 2022 portion of their season Tuesday, Dec. 20 with their home dual meet, hostings four other teams during the afternoon of action on the mats.

The Mustangs claimed one win in five duals, beating the Freeman Falcons 2418, while falling in action against Wood River (60-15), Columbus Scotus (46-21), Centennial (57-9), and Thayer Central (69-12).

Airan Hernandez gained five individual wins while competing in the 138-pound weight class.

Hernandez opened the meet with a 1:29 pinfall win over Wood River’s Alex Wagner, before an exciting win in action against Scotus, as the Mustang sophomore, in the closing seconds of a match against Rudy Brunkhorst gained a takedown to beat Brunkhorst 7-6 to set the tone for the rest of his day.

Hernandez went on to gain a 6-4 win over Centennial’s Cael Payne, followed by a forfeit win in the Freeman dual, while gaining a 5:36 pinfall win over Thayer Central’s Caylan Lee.

A tough night of action for the Sandy Creek girls left the Cougars with a 2-6 record, after Doniphan-Trumbull forced 19 turnovers and gained 12 steals to guide the Cardinals to a 14-point, 48-34 win over the Cougars Dec. 20.

The road game would see the Cardinals race out to a 15-3 first-quarter lead and hold on for a 24-19 halftime lead after the Cougars had a 16-9 run in the second quarter.

Doniphan-Trumbull then outscored Sandy Creek 24-15 in the second half to chart the 14-point victory.

Freshman Emma Fisher and sophomore Ryleigh Skalka paced Sandy Creek’s offensive effort with eight points each, while junior Lexi Shuck added seven and sophomore Sophie Dane scored six points in the loss.

The Cougars were 12-40 from the floor (30%), while sinking just two of 14 threepoint shots (14.3%).

Before the annual Nebraska School Activities Association’s holiday moratorium hit, the Sandy Creek boys basketball team headed north to Doniphan-Trumbull High School to take on a formidable Cardinals squad that came into the Dec. 20 game unbeaten at 7-0.

In the end, the host Cardinals retained their unbeaten status, gaining a 54-37 win over the now 2-6 Cougars.

Sandy Creek held their own in the first half of play, trailing 18-10 after the first quarter, but behind a 13-10 scoring run in the second frame, Sandy Creek trimmed the Cardinals lead to five points, 28-23.

Doniphan-Trumbull, however, outscored the Cougars 26-14 in the second half to post the 17-point win.

The Cougars shot right at 35 percent in the loss, making 14 of 40 total shots, including a 3-12 effort from three-point range (25%).

Sophomore Ethan Shaw led the Cougars offensive attack with 18 points to run his season scoring average to 15.1 points per game.

A weekend split with the Wilber-Clatonia Wolverines and the Kearney Catholic Stars left the Sandy Creek boys basketball team with a 2-5 record as the Cougars are set to enter the Blizzard Battle at Fort Calhoun High School Dec. 29-30.

The Cougars used strong runs in the second and fourth quarters to take down Southern Nebraska Conference foe, Wilber-Clatonia 43-37. Twelve hours after thw win over the Wolverines, Kearney Catholic, paced by a 16-11 halftime lead, held off a late Sandy Creek rally to upend the Cougars 35-34 in the first game of the Heartland Hoops Holiday Classic at Hastings College, Saturday, Dec. 17.

Friday night’s bout with the Wolverines would see W-C open with a 16-11 first quarter lead before the Cougars heated up and outscored the Wolverines 14-7 in the second frame to claim a 25-23 halftime lead.

As the Sutton Fillies headed into week three of the 2022-23 basketball season, the Fillies were looking at a big rebound to the season, but a Sutton 42-38 loss at Bruning-Davenport/Shickly started the week off in a rough way, falling to 1-4 with the Dec. 13 loss in Davenport.

Week three challenges would get no easier after the loss to the unbeaten BDS girls, as Class D-1 top -anked Hastings St. Cecilia, and Class D-1 ninth-ranked Nebraska Christian paid a visit to the Fillies in the dome Friday, Dec. 16, and Saturday, Dec. 17, respectively.

The Fillies after the tough road loss to BDS took their own will into their own hands Friday, Dec. 16, as the St. Cecilia Hawkettes, unbeaten at 6-0 coming in would see their unbeaten string come to an end, as senior Alivia Huxoll pulled her fourth double-double of the young season, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to help Sutton stomp the Hawkettes 34-32.

Harvard’s boys earned wins over Dorchester and Heartland Lutheran Dec. 13 and 16, while losing to Riverside Dec. 17.

The Cardinals first win of the week came on their home court Dec. 13 against Dorchester.

Harvard gained leads of 11-9 and 14-11 in the first half for a 25-20 advantage heading into the second half.

Runs of 16-13 in the third quarter and 11-7 in the fourth gave way to a 52-40 win for the Cardinals.

Harvard (2-2).....................11 14 16 11 -52

Dorchester........................ 9 11 13 7 -40

Riverside was a force to be reckoned with Dec. 16, as they wasted little time taking a 26-8 first-quarter lead, and then a 22-2 second scoring edge.

A 48-10 lead heading into the second half gave a boost to the Chargers, as they scored another 29 points over Harvard’s five, ending the night with a 77-15 win.

Cody Fishler and Xavier Marburger led the Cardinals in points with five and four, each.