Lady Raiders win pair over the weekend

GERING – The Sidney High Lady Raiders took a big step forward over the weekend with a pair of wins over district opponents.

Sidney improved its record to 7-5 on the season and more importantly are 3-0 in District B-6. They are now tied with Scottsbluff (4-4, 3-0) atop the district standings.

Sidney began by breaking open a close contest at Gering (3-7, 1-1) midway through the second quarter on Friday night to win in convincing fashion, 44-29. Back home at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Saturday, the Raiders dominated from start to finish against the McCook Bison in a 49-22 victory.

"I've seen improvement and we're beginning to find our way in practice," said Raiders' head coach Tyler Shaw after the McCook game. "This weekend our shots started to fall which is always a big help. If we continue to play solid defense, we can continue to improve."

Kelsey Knight had a strong weekend as she led Sidney in scoring on Friday with 12 points, with Ashley Stafford chipping in eight more.

While the Raiders shots eventually began to fall with more regularity, their start at Gering was slow. Sidney's defense held its ground, however, and the Raiders took a 4-3 lead after the first quarter. The Raiders' offense heated up over the second eight minutes.

Early in the second period, Ashley Stafford converted on a layup after a sharp feed from sister Maddie. From there the Raiders never again trailed. Later in the quarter the Raiders took the advantage for good when Jasmine Jallen started Sidney off on a 9-0 run with a free throw. Maddie Stafford and Abby Heller sank the big blows with three pointers.

"It was a little slow to start but we started to play better together," said Ashley Stafford. "We didn't play well for four quarters but we played hard for four quarters."

Sidney parlayed its strong run to finish the half with a 21-12 lead. Knight opened the second half with a near court-length drive for a breakaway layup. About 45 seconds later, she disturbed the twine again after a nice pass from Ashley Stafford down low. By the end of the third Sidney advanced its lead to 33-21.

"We played at our own pace and definitely picked up our defensive intensity tonight," said senior Savanna Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum had a tendon stepped on late in the third quarter and was removed from the game. She was back out to start the final eight minutes.

"It's a little sore. I'll be fine," she said.

Sidney finished the job with a strong final period at both ends of the court. With the aid of a 7-0 run late in the fourth, Sidney outscored the Bulldogs 11-8.

Saturday's game

Sidney 49, McCook 22

Sparked by 12 points from Emily Mahr, including eight in the first 4:19, the Raiders never trailed against the Bison on Saturday. Knight continued her fine play with 10 as Sidney never trailed in front of its home fans.

Mahr scored Sidney's first eight points of the contest with a driving layup and a pair of three pointers. After her second trey fell, Sidney had an 8-2 advantage. Vanessa Riley and Maddi Porter upped the advantage to 12-2 before the quarter ended at 12-3.

"We're starting to get to know eachother better and that's helped us to understand how we fit together as a team," said sophomore Annalise Lecher who plays both varsity and junior varsity. "We went 3-0 with jv also so we're feeling pretty good now."

Knight opened the second quarter with a swish from behind the arc for a 15-3 advantage. From there the Sidney defense did much of the rest as the Raiders shut out the Bison over the second eight minutes to take a 23-3 halftime lead. The third quarter ended when Heller banked a three off the glass at the buzzer for a 32-12 advantage.

"I think (assistant) coach (Matt) McKay said we haven't won three games on a weekend in three years," Knight said. "I think we're really starting to put the puzzle pieces together."

Sidney opened the final stanza with a 14-3 run to win going away.

Sidney will host Ogallala on Friday at 5:30 p.m.