Sidney freshmen stay unbeaten

The Sidney High Red Raiders' freshman boys' basketball team didn't take long before sending the message that they intended to keep its perfect record intact.

The Raiders stormed out of the gate at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Monday night and cruised to a 55-34 win over the Alliance Bulldogs. The Raiders won their ninth game against no losses this season despite the absence of three players usually at their service. Jake Burke and Mitch Porter, who also play with the varsity and junior varsity, have been released from their three-team workload.

"Well, at least for now," said Sidney head coach Bryan Schoening.

Also out was Jeremy Lawler, who was home with the flu.

Tyler Bergstrom topped the Raiders' scoring sheet with 14 points, while Jon Smith and Josh Schaub each dropped in 13. Connor Dorman was also productive with nine points. Peyton Pinedo matched Bergstrom's total to lead the Bulldogs.

Though Nathan Lauder scored the first bucket of the game for Alliance, Sidney responded with 13 straight points to take the lead for good. Schaub had seven of the Raiders points during the run including a 3-pointer. After Lauder's hoop, the Alliance offense was limited to just three foul shots for the rest of the opening period.

"We run much the same offense as the varsity team does," Schoening said. "We have some special stuff and of course they run things we don't, but for the most part we want to have some consistency throughout the program."

Smith rattled the strings from downtown to open the Raiders' second eight minutes. His three got the Raiders off on a 9-3 opening run. Pinedo slowed Sidney's momentum briefly by completing a three-point play, but Dorman and Bergstrom finished the half with a bucket apiece for a 30-13 lead.

Like Smith did to open the second quarter, Dorman did likewise for Sidney in the third. His net bender for three put Sidney up by 20 at 33-13. An 8-2 stretch followed for Alliance, however, as they finished the third with a 12-9 scoring advantage.

Sidney recovered in the final eight minutes by opening up with 14 straight points to put the game away. Sidney's run included a pair of 3-pointers from Schaub. He drained both from the right corner.

"Intensity and improvement, that's our goal every game," Schoening said. "I've seen a lot of improvement in this team so far and that continued today."

The Raiders are back in action on Feb. 2 at the Cabela's Athletic Facility when they meet Scottsbluff at about 5:30 p.m. Sidney's game at Torrington, Wyo., on Feb. 9, has been rescheduled as a home game. The girls will open the action at 4:30 p.m.