Sidney KOs Gering via late technical

With the seconds ticking away and opportunities for victory at Gering dwindling, Tyler Wintholz found himself just where he'd been much of the night – in perfect position to score.

But with just seconds remaining, he would only get one chance.

Despite being fouled, Wintholz proved steady and true while returning Lane Harvey's last-second drive through the hoop. It came just an instant before the final tick of the clock. The Wintholz deuce – helped in part by a fortuitous technical foul call – capped a career-high 29 points for the junior as the Raiders capped a 71-69 win on Friday night.

The Red Raiders backed up the win less than 24 hours later when they cruised past district rival McCook 65-49 at the Cabela's Athletic Facility.

The other high scorers for Sidney at Gering included Cutter O'Connell with 17 points and Lane Harvey with nine. Ryan Birner came off the bench to score six with the completion of two three-point plays.

Sidney upped its season mark to 10-2 which includes a five-game winning streak. The Red Raiders now find themselves atop of the NSAA Class B points list – something that could prove critical to state playoff hopes should they fail to win the District B-6 crown. The Raiders are now 3-1 in the district with their only loss being to Scottsbluff early in the season. The Bearcats visit Sidney on Jan. 16.

To the surprise of no one, Gering proved a tough and resilient adversary. Even though the Raiders put together an 11-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 40-27 lead, past history taught that the game was far from over. As Sidney extended its lead, Wintholz brought the crowd to its feet when he slammed home a dunk with 5:11 to go in the half. Even some in the crowd wearing blue were moved to cheer.

"We know (Gering) isn't going to quit," Wintholz said. "We made it easier on them in the second half when we started turning the ball over so much. When we settled down we gave ourselves a chance."

True to form the Bulldogs mounted a furious second-half rally initiated by Brent Barge. The Gering junior injected some life into the home sideline when he sank a three pointer to open the second half. It was the beginning of a 9-0 run and a 31-13 stretch to start final 16 minutes. Despite some costly turnovers by Sidney and exceptional shooting by Gering, the Raiders still held a 53-50 lead after three.

But the Bulldogs took their first lead since early in the second period when Austin Hoffman rattled the strings 50 seconds into the final frame. Hoffman and Barge each scored 17 points for Gering.

"We had to weather the storm and keep fighting," Birner said.

The storm had reached its lowest point when the Bulldogs gained an eight-point lead with five minutes to play. Wintholz began the comeback with four straight points. First he made a quick steal and converted for two. Then a perfect pass from O'Connell accounted for the second.

Gering maintained the upper hand until the Raiders completed a team three-point play of sorts. After Jake Heeren made the first of two foul shots, O'Connell returned the missed second shot to knot the game at 67 with 56 seconds left.

Heeren found himself in the middle of the action again soon after his trip to the free-throw line. With Gering leading 69-67 with about 30 seconds left, Sonny Salazar took excection to being stepped on by Heeren. Words were exchanged and a double foul was called.

Sidney caught a break when Kraiger Ebbers, who had earlier fouled out, stepped onto the court to get involved. When Ebbers was called for a technical, the Raiders were given two shots and possession. Harvey sank both free throws to know the game. With about 40 seconds left on the game clock, Wintholz finished the job with a basket with .3 remaining on the scoreboard..

"After Lane moved in, I just waited there and it came my way," Wintholz said.

Saturday's game

Sidney 65, McCook 49

Wintholz was again the high man with 16 points on Saturday when the Raiders disposed of the McCook Bison. O'Connell and Birner also scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points respectively.

The Raiders had little trouble taking out McCook once the early back and forth slid decidedly Sidney's way. O'Connell broke an 11-11 tie with 1:36 left in the opening quarter to put the home Raiders ahead to stay. Harvey scored the final six points of the quarter with a pair from behind the arc. His second trey fell as the clock reached zero.

"Playing three games in a row can really wear on you," Jared Ross said. "We've had some tough opponents over the last couple of days and Gering is a tough place to play. As tiring as it was, we all picked each other and stayed motivated."

Ross concluded the first half by completing a three-point play which gave Sidney a 30-22 lead. Heeren drove hard to the hoop for two in the latter stages of the third quarter to help the Raiders gain a 43-32 lead after 24 minutes.

Brady Radcliffe put the final stamp on a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter from three-point land to give Sidney a 17-point lead. Earlier in the run, Wintholz brought the crowd to its feet when he converted on Radcliffe's alley-opp pass.

"I have 8th period off and I've been spending it shooting in the gym lately," said Radcliffe, who hit on three treys over the weekend.

Now that Sidney has found itself among the leaders in Class B, Heeren expects the road to get harder.

"We're one of the best teams in the panhandle now and everybody knows it," he said. "We have to watch out for everybody now because they're all going to bring their 'A' game when they play us."

Sidney returns to the hardwood on Friday when they host the Ogallala Indians at 7 p.m.