Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
While coaches are always insistent on their players taking it one game at a time, it’s not so for press and fans. We can look forward all we like.
With that in mind, we can’t help but look ahead as the Minuteman Activities Conference and District tournaments creep ever closer.
Now that we find ourselves at about the halfway mark of the 2014-15 season, using the term “big game” becomes ever more meaningful. There are several such contests on the hardwood in the coming week.
With the MAC Tournament set to begin Monday, a possible preview of the girls’ final could be on tap Friday night in Dalton. The Potter-Dix Coyotes have been installed as the top seed in the upcoming tournament while the Leyton Warriors hold the No. 2 spot.
Considering Potter-Dix won by a convincing 50-30 score on its home ground back on Dec. 16, it may be fair to consider the Coyotes (7-2) a strong tournament favorite. But as the defending MAC champions, the prideful Warriors will fight hard to keep their crown.
The Coyotes are young with just two seniors on the roster. They are led in scoring by freshman Audrey Juelfs at 11.8 points per game. She has stepped in admirably for the departure of her sister, Taylor, who led the team in scoring last season as a senior.
The balanced Coyotes’ scoring attack includes two sophomores and a junior behind Juelfs. Sophomores Alexus Rozelle and Dawson Sharman each average 8.3 ppg, while junior Anna McLaughlin comes in at 7.9.
The Warriors counter with senior Kaitlyn Berner, who scores just under eight a game, and Diedra Waite, who’s at nearly seven. Seniors Shaela Jenkins and Dani McKay also help provide veteran leadership. Waite leads the Warriors in rebounding (6.9 per game). Rozelle pulls down more than eight boards a contest for Potter-Dix.
The Creek Valley girls, also a young squad, are the No. 3 seed. They have improved steadily since the beginning of the season. Head coach Bill Wilber believes his team has a chance to win it all as he watches his freshmen improve by the week. He told me a couple of weeks ago, “It doesn’t matter what seed you are. History has proven anybody can win this tournament.”
Wilber’s Storm team was the No. 1 seed going into the tournament last year and lost in the semifinals to Leyton. Jesse Straber and Jill Behrends have replaced Summer Mueller and Jesse’s older sister Jerry as the offensive leaders for Creek Valley. Hannah Schievelbein is the Storm’s most notable presence in the middle.
As for the schedule, the Coyotes will host No. 8 Minatare, the Storm will host No. 6 South Platte and Leyton will take on No. 7 Banner County in Dalton. All games tip off at 7 p.m. on Monday evening.
The highest local seed in the boys’ bracket are the defending champion Warriors, who completed the Leyton sweep last year. They take the No. 3 spot with No. 1 going to Minatare and No. 2 awarded to Bayard. Since the Warriors have played a number of larger schools – and struggled – it’s hard to gauge exactly how strong they stand in their own district. While they are 5-5 overall, they are 3-0 against Class D2 schools. They have also beaten D1 Potter-Dix.
Cody McKay has stepped up as the go-to scorer this year for Leyton after the departure of Dylan Brenner and Brennen Cruise.
Brenner’s brother Drew, a sophomore, has also shown an ability to score and improves by the day according to coach Gary Oltmann. McKay takes an average of better than 16 ppg. into the MAC tournament. Brenner’s average is just north of 10 ppg.
The Warriors will face No. 6 Creek Valley in the opening round at Dalton on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The Storm have lost top scorer Lane Godfrey, but younger brother Brett (11.7 ppg) is back as the No. 1 offensive threat. Another sophomore, Colin Brott scores close to 10 points a contest and pulls down five-plus rebounds. Senior Roy Koch is the top rebounder with nearly seven boards a game.
The Coyotes are the No. 5 spot and travel to Oshkosh to face No. 4 Garden County on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Coyotes lost their top two offensive threats from a year ago in Bryant Knigge (18.1 ppg) and Tyler Magninie (10.9 ppg). Knigge graduated, while Magninie transferred to Kimball. Seniors Cameron Purcell and big man Trevor Harms (6-7) have returned as major offensive threats.
Outside the MAC, cast your eyes over the border where the Peetz boys’ team plays its biggest game to date on Friday. They make the 45-mile trip to Fleming to meet the Wildcats. Fleming and Peetz are both undefeated in 1A North Central, with the champion of the district likely to come from one of those schools.
The matter may have to be settled on the final day of the regular season on Feb. 21 when the Wildcats visit Peetz. The Colorado district playoffs begin just three days later.
The Sidney girls and boys are both in the hunt for a district crown. Both face a big game against district rival Scottsbluff on Jan. 23 (boys at home, girls are away). Before those critical match-ups, however, each play Ogallala (home) and Lexington (away) on Friday and Saturday.
The Red Raider boys (10-2) should be heavily favored against both the Indians (1-10) and Minutemen (2-10) as both have struggled this year. The Minutemen girls are also struggling at 1-11, but Sidney could face a test at Cabela’s Athletic Facility against C1 District 12’s Ogallala (8-3).
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