Sports

Accomplished, according to Websters Dictionary, is something, or someone that is established beyond doubt or dispute. In the eyes of many in the Nebraska high school girls basketball world, former Sandy Creek girls basketball coach Russ Ninemire could certainly be termed as an accomplished coach.

But in the eyes, and heart of Coach Ninemire, he feels accomplished because of the many student-athletes, and coaches that he’s had the luxury of coaching, and coaching with.

Sandy Creek dropped two games in the Blizzard Blowout to Centura and then to Fort Calhoun, with their record falling to 1-8 as they prepare this week for the 2024 portion of the basketball season.

Friday the Cougars took on Centura, falling to the Centurions 52-41, as Sandy Creek came out a little slow after a long break getting back into things, but Centura came out with their running shoes onwith many fast break points to claim a 24-12 first quarter lead.

Then the Cougars got into a groove and shots were falling from deep as that would keep the game close, and after halftime, Sandy Creek’s three-point shooting continued bringing them within nine, and in the fourth quarter Centura stepped up their defense and the Cougars couldn’t get any more rhythm from deep.

Leading scorer the first night for the Cougars was Emma Fisher with 12 points, as she had four field goals and was 4-6 from the freethrow line.

Friday the Cougars took on the Centura Centurions and came out on top 50-37.

The game was a slugfest from the beginning, with the Cougars pulling away in the fourth quarter with the help of some key steals and easy fast break points to come away with the win.

A key player for the night was Oliver Oglesby as he had 18 points and shot lights out shooting 80 percent for the night and had nine rebounds and two steals.

Ethan Shaw poured in 16 points, as Oglesby and Shaw combined for 34 of the Cougars’ 50 points in the win.

The Cougars came away with 25 rebounds, 17 defensive, and eight offensive rebounds.

Sandy Creek had 14 steals. The Cougars ball movement was good that night finding the open man and getting easy buckets, and they came away with 11 assists, led by Kaeden Schmidt with three.

The Sutton Mustangs wrestling team earned fourth place overall in the 2023 Sutton Duals home tournament, Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The Mustangs won two of their five duals, defeating both Exeter-Milligan/Friend, 60-9, and the Freeman Falcons, 54-12.

Thayer Central earned a 45-18 victory on the mats over Sutton, while Centennial, who placed first in the final overall standings, beat the Mustangs, 46-24, with the Wood River Eagles capturing a narrow three-point, 39-36 win over the Mustangs.

SUTTON 60-EMF 9

106- Double forfeit.

113- Double forfeit.

120- Korey Poppe, wins by forfeit.

126- Lane Shore, wins by forfeit.

132- Connor Hinrichs, wins by forfeit.

138- Shawn Westmoreland, wins by forfeit.

144- Landon Scheidemann, wins by forfeit.

150- Airan Herndandez, wins by forfeit.

157- Javin Jordan, wins by forfeit.

165- Brody Schelkopf falls to Dayton Kremer (EMF),

0:56.

The Sandy Creek Cougars wrestling team hosted their only home action of the 2023--

24 season, Thursday, Dec. 21, hosting the Cross County/Osceola matmen, and the Warcat wrestling team, made up by wrestlers from Red Cloud and Blue Hill High Schools.

Sandy Creek gained a narrow 30-28 win over CCO in the opening dual of the meet, while Red Cloud/Blue Hill registered a 42--

20 win over the Cougars.

SC 30 • CROSS COUNTY/OSCEOLA 28 106- Double forfeit.

113- Double forfeit.

120- Double forfeit.

126- Double forfeit.

132- Devin Nuttelman (CCO) won a major decision over Connor Rempe (SC), 11-0.

138- Jed Berggren (CCO), wins by forfeit.

144- Zaeden Hughes (CCO), wins by forfeit.

150- Rowan Jarosik, wins by forfeit.

157- Liam White (CCO), wins by forfeit.

165- Richard Hauck (SC) pins Paxton Burke (CCO),

0:44.

175- Calob Troy (CCO), wins by forfeit.

The Cougar boys basketball team had a true test of their abilities Tuesday, Dec. 19, as the fast-paced Doniphan-Trumbull Cardinals came calling on Sandy Creek, in the Cougars Den.

Sandy Creek was unable to find their rhythm offensively, and dropped a 57-34 decision to the Cardinals, dropping Sandy Creek to 6-1 after their first loss of the young 2023-24 season.

Doniphan-Trumbull played an up-tempo game and could really shoot from the three-point line and the Cougars just couldn’t find the bottom of the net.

Sandy Creek was 15-40 from the field (37.5%), and missed all four of their attempted foul shots, while sinking four of 15 threepoint shots (26.7%).

The Cougars’ leading scorer was junior Jack Clark, as he had 12 points, while sophomore Oliver Oglesby added 10 points in the loss.

Sandy Creek brought down 17 rebounds with junior Ethan Shaw leading the Cougars with six.

It didn’t take the Sutton Fillies long to establish their dominance during their Dec. 12 home clash with the Bruning-Davenport/ Shickley girls, as the Fillies pressed hard on both the offensive and defensive side of the game to produce a crushing 41-21 win over the Eagles to improve to 4-1 on the year.

Sutton held the Eagles to just six first half points, while outscoring BDS 17-6 during the first-half.

The offens and defens continued into the third quarter, where the Fillies held a 15-6 scoring edge to lead 32-12 going into the final eight minutes. Both teams tallied nine fourth quarter points to produce the 20 point win for Sutton.

Sophomore Miranda Nuss led all scorers in the game, hitting for 13 points, while shooting 75 percent, making six of eight shots, and hitting on one of two foul shots.

Juniors Jacee Haight and Avery Robinson added eight points each to the win.

Cougars won a physical battle against the Holdrege Dusters, Tuesday, Dec. 12, as Sandy Creek held off a fourth-quarter Dusters rally to claim a 43-36 victory and run their record to 5-0, while taking over the top spot in the Nebraska School Activities Association’s power points standing in Class C-2.

In the first half ,it was a tight one with Cougars winning the paint battle and the Dusters starting to fall back on the three-point shot. Sandy Creek, behind a 13-11 first-quarter run, and an 8-5 secondquarter run held the halftime lead, 21-16.

Right out of halftime break, the Cougars came out running, outscoring Holdrege 12-5 in the third quarter but the Dusters refused to quit, as Holdrege played a very physical fourth-quarter, as the Cougars were rushed and couldn’t get their offense rolling, as they did in the first three quarters, but coming down the stretch Sandy Creek made some key free throws to close out the game and gain the seven-point win.

In the final home game for the 2023 portion of the Sutton Mustangs basketball season proved to be a big night, as the Mustangs drew their young season record to an even 2-2, after holding off the Bruning-Davenport/Shickley Eagles 48-45 in the Sutton Dome, Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Sutton raced out to a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, and held a 23-18 halftime lead before the Eagles battled back in the third quarter to cut Sutton’s lead to just one point at the end of the third, 34-33.

Sutton then stretched their eventual winning margin to three points with a 14-12 fourth-quarter run.

Junior Aidan Jones went wild from the floor, hitting on eight of 12 shots, including a 5-7 effort from three-point land to score 21 points.