Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sidney High's Abby Heller tries to drive past a teammate during an intersquad scrimmage earlier this week.
The Sidney High girls' varsity basketball team will kick off its new season Thursday night, hosting Greeley West at the Cabela's Athletic Facility in the first round of the Western Conference Tournament. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.
Greeley struggled last season, going 4-19 overall and 1-15 in league play, but that was against a schedule full of strong Colorado schools. This game will be a measuring stick for where Sidney is at as a team, even if it's early in the year.
Sidney head coach Tyler Shaw says he is pleased with how his team has looked at practice over the last couple of weeks. For him, the goal is clear.
"We have done a good job of being focused in our practices," Shaw said. "We want to play hard and be competitive in this tournament."
As the Lady Raiders are relatively inexperienced at the varsity level – only two starters are back from last year's team – Sidney will lean on its most experienced players in seniors Savanna Rosenbaum and Maddie Stafford.
Unlike Greeley West, Sidney isn't a team that boasts explosive scorers, but rather is one where everyone chips in and willingly accepts roles for the benefit of the team. Sidney also has some team speed, which lends itself well to getting out on the break and forcing the issue offensively.
Leading the Lady Spartans this season will be 5-foot, 10-inch senior forward Harper Sheets, who tallied 12.4 points and 6.6 boards per game in 2013-'14. She led the team in total shots attempted and field goal percentage (39 percent) last season.
Spartan senior guard/forward Elena Davidson also figures to attract some attention from the Lady Raider defense. Davidson averaged six points and 2.8 rebounds per contest last season.
With some of the less experienced Sidney players, there are likely to be a few jitters in the moment when the Lady Raiders open their season against such a big school. But the home crowd should be a nice advantage, which could give Sidney the early boost it needs in this game.
"We have told our younger players and inexperienced players to just play hard and play how they have been coached to play," Shaw said. "We are excited about opening up in front of our home crowd. When you open up with a 5A school, it's nice to do it at home."
Regardless of Thursday's result, the Lady Raiders will play at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. A win lands them at Western Nebraska Community College, while a loss puts them in the consolation bracket at Scottsbluff High.
Western Conference Tournament
Girls' Division
Thursday, Dec. 4
Greeley West (Colo.) at Sidney, 5:30 p.m.
Chadron at Gering, 5:30 p.m.
Omaha Gross at Alliance, 5:30 p.m.
Mitchell at Scottsbluff, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 5
At Western Nevada C.C.-Scottsbluff campus
Greeley West (Colo.)-Sidney winner vs.
Chadron-Gering winner, 3:30 p.m.
Omaha Gross-Alliance winner vs.
Mitchell-Scottsbluff winner, 5 p.m.
At Scottsbluff High School
Greeley West (Colo.)-Sidney loser vs.
Chadron-Gering loser, 3:30 p.m.
Omaha Gross-Alliance loser vs.
Mitchell-Scottsbluff loser, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6
At Scottsbluff High School
7th-place game, 10 a.m.
At Western Nevada C.C.-Scottsbluff campus
5th-place game, 10 a.m.
3rd-place game, 1:30 p.m.
Championship game, 5 p.m.
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