Raiders win wild one over Scottsbluff

Time slowed agonizingly between the moment Scottsbluff guard Dillon Hernandez pushed off toward the rim and the first hum of the final buzzer.

Paxton Ehler erased that second from his mind.

"I saw him go up," the Raiders senior recalled, "then I was helping him off the floor."

To Tyler Wintholz, that instant brought to mind another buzzer-beating effort.

"I was thinking 'not Gering again,'" he said.

On Friday night, Gering's Jose Palomo burst Sidney's hopes for a road win by sinking a last second three. At Cabela's Athletic Facility on Saturday, however, Hernandez's attempt at a game tying layup rolled out, leaving a relieved Raiders squad on top 56-54.

"Back to back nights," Sidney head coach Erik Kohl said, shaking his head. "I'd hate to have someone check my blood pressure right now."

Hernandez's miss was merely the breathtaking crescendo to a fourth quarter of frantic action. The Raiders, who had held sway since late in the first period, a 7-2 Bearcats run at the end of the third set up the finale. Sidney clung to a 37-35 advantage thanks to Ehler's clever one arm lob over Scottsbluff's 6-8 center Landon Walker.

"Ideally I would have gotten closer," Ehler said of the critical points in the midst of the run. "I wanted to shoot the runner, but that kid's so big. We'll call it luck."

But the Raiders lost that narrow lead just after the throw in, when big Austin Clarkson drained a three.

In a game where every point ultimately meant the difference between victory and defeat, Wintholz tipped the balance back in Sidney's favor-39-38-with a deft backhand layup after fighting through black jerseys for the rebound.

"I knew we needed to score," he explained. "We practice reverse layups every day in practice. In my mind I could hear coach yelling 'hit the reverse.'"

Hernandez countered immediately, putting the visitors back on top 40-39.

It was a momentary swing, however. The Raiders went on an unexpected 8-0 spree, pieced with four Ehler free throws, a tap in by Lane Harvey and an Ehler coast to coast steal and layup. Sidney vaulted to a seemingly commanding 47-40 lead with just 3:30 left to play.

Yet there was little sense of comfort in the Raiders' camp.

"They're as good a shooting team as any in the state," Kohl said of the visitors.

Scottsbluff stomped on the fire before it flared out of control. As if to prove Sidney's coach right, Trent Harris banged one off the glass, Dru Kuxhausen hit a runner then followed moments later with two more from the line-a 6-0 counterstroke.

With 1:28 on the clock, the Raiders found themselves teetering on a 47-46 precipice.

Lucas Rosenbaum pulled Sidney back from the ledge with a personal 4-0 run. First he worked into an open spot along the baseline and converted a Harvey pass. Seconds later he picked Scottsbluff's pocket and raced back up the court for a barely contested lay in, shedding the pursuit with a little pump fake.

"I checked the ball so he wouldn't get a hand on it," Rosenbaum explained, referring to the chasing Scottsbluff defender. "I didn't think I would hit free throws."

The senior's heroics gave Sidney some breathing space-51-46 with less than a minute to go.

"Lucas was a big factor," Kohl said. "That steal was crucial."

Indeed, the Bearcats' Harris drained threes on consecutive possessions following Rosenbaum's lay up. Sidney counted with free throws from Harvey and Logan Lewis. As the clock ran down under the 15 second mark, the margin was just 3 points, at 55-52.

With just six seconds on the clock, Scottsbluff's Kuxhausen made local hearts screech to a stop when he skidded at the edge of the arc and drained a jumper. Although the scoreboard registered three points, the nearest referee determined immediately that the Bearcats' shooter had a foot on the line, judging it a two.

Fouled instantly, Harvey hit one from the line to set up the even more dramatic end.

The wild finale obscured the game's other memorable moments. Wintholz, Lewis, Jake Sager and Nick Castner took turns in the paint, subduing the Bearcats' towering tandem of Clarkson (6-6) and Walker. Sager hit a critical put back just before the halftime buzzer. Castner and Wintholz teamed up on a neat backdoor play midway through the third. And Harvey nailed a three ahead of the horn ending the first quarter.

"I've hit quite a few of those this year," the reliable junior explained.

The win soothed Friday night's disappointment, giving the Raiders a 14-5 record heading into the final stretch before districts.

"It makes the weekend feel a lot better," Ehler pointed out.

More importantly, it confirms the squad's strength against opponents that matter.

"It's huge-one of the biggest wins this season," Harvey said. "It's the first time in a long time we've beaten Scottsbluff both times."

The Raiders begin preparing on Monday for the long trip to Chadron on Friday, where Sidney will face the Cardinals.

Boys Basketball

Sidney 56

Scottsbluff 54

Saturday