2015 Nebraska Class B State Tournament: Familiar foe awaits

The Matchup

Who: No. 3 Sidney (20-4) vs. No. 6 Scottsbluff (21-4)

What: State Class B quarterfinal

When: Thursday, 9:45 a.m. MDT

Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln

Sidney High basketball fans won't have to familiarize themselves with any unknown names when the Red Raiders take to the floor Thursday morning in their state tournament quarterfinal game

Like an old married couple, the No. 3-seeded Red Raiders (20-4) and No. 6 Scottsbluff Bearcats (21-4) will have few secrets between them when they tip off at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln at 9:45 a.m. MDT on Thursday in their opening round game of the NSAA Class B State Tournament.

In fact, many of the Sidney and Scottsbluff players have been playing basketball against each other since they were kids. But never before have they played with the stakes so high.

Besides Sidney and Scottsbluff, the Class B bracket will include No. 1 Gretna (24-2), No. 2 Beatrice (21-1), No. 4 Elkhorn South (18-5), No. 5 Adams Central (21-4), No. 7 Plattsmouth (16-8) and No. 8 Mount Michael Benedictine (13-9). The winner of the Scottsbluff-Sidney game will meet the winner of the Beatrice-Plattsmouth game in the semifinals.

For the Raiders, it's the first time since they've made the state tournament since 2010 when they were upended by South Sioux City 67-55 in the first round. The last time the Raiders won a game at state was in 2009 when they topped Columbus Lakeview 51-44 in the opening round. More interesting, however, was that Sidney (17-8) beat Scottsbluff (25-5) 52-42 in the third-place game that year.

As for the present state of the rivalry, the Raiders have dropped two of three contests to the 'Cats this season and split four games in 2013-14. Scottsbluff earned its way into the tournament by winning the District B-6 championship with victories over Gering and Alliance. Sidney punched their ticket as a wild card team by finishing the season as the third-ranked team on the NSAA points list.

While the winner of the state championship will need to win three games in three days, the Raiders have too much respect for their district partners to look past them. While some Sidney fans view the Scottsbluff-Sidney matchup as a little too familiar, the Raiders have a different point of view.

"I think it's great that we get to play Scottbluff," said Raiders' senior center Jared Ross. "We got kicked out of districts and didn't get to play Scottsbluff [in the finals]. We didn't get the chance to prove that we were the better team.

"And yeah, they're a great team but I just think we're better and now we'll have the chance to prove it," added Ross.

What is it that makes Scottsbluff such an outstanding basketball team?

"They have a lot of depth, they run the floor really well and they're one of the best shooting teams I've ever seen in Class B," said Raiders' head coach Erik Kohl. "They're multi-dimensional. They can score with their guards and they have two good post players in (Landon) Walker and (Austin) Clarkson.

"So they can inside-out punch. I mean there's a lot of strengths there. Somehow we're going to have to find a weakness," added Kohl.

As for the 6-foot, 8-inch Walker and the 6-6 Clarkson, Jake Heeren (6-4) and Ross (6-7) will have the task of trying to slow down the talented Bearcats' duo. Walker, a sophomore, is second on the team in scoring average at 13.3 points per game. The junior Clarkson pumps in just shy of six points per contest. Walker leads the 'Cats in rebounds at nearly eight a game. Walker and Ross are both trouble defensively, as each have 37 blocked shots to their credit.

"I'm thinking what we're going to try and do is full front," Ross said. "We have to make sure they have to throw lob passes and make sure we always have that back-side help like in past games."

The talented backcourt of Scottsbluff includes Drew Kuxhausen (5-11), Jackson Hinze (5-10) and Trent Harris. The sophomore Kuxhausen leads the Bearcats in scoring (14.6 ppg). Hinze is the Scottsbluff assist leader (55) and Harris tops the list in steals (47). All are capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor.

"They've got a lot of guys who can score, and we do too," said the Raiders' leading scorer and rebounder Tyler Wintholz, who will play much of the game opposite Harris. "I'm just going to have to play tight 'D' against him, box him out and contest every shot."

The Raiders' backcourt will include point man Lane Harvey and Brady Radcliffe. Harvey, a senior, has been the starting point guard for Sidney since he was a freshman. He averages just shy of 10 points a game and leads the team in assists with 96.

Though Harvey can score from anyplace on the court, he is most often a distributor. Radcliffe tops the team in free-throw shooting at 83 percent and helped ice the win over Scottsbluff with his steadiness at the line in the fourth quarter.

Wintholz tops the Raiders scoring at 15.7 ppg. with Cutter O'Connell not far behind at 12.3 ppg. O'Connell may be the Raiders best 3-point shooter while Wintholz can slice up a defense with his speed, quickness and aggressiveness. O'Connell will also penetrate for points.

Off the bench, Ryan Birner has proved a steady rebounder and defensive player while scoring 3.5 ppg.

"We have to execute on offense and defense," said Kohl. "We have to take care of the ball on every possession while continuing to play team basketball. When we play good team basketball, good things usually happen."

Though the Raiders have topped the 20-win mark this season and qualified for state, they're still hoping for more. While the field of eight is deep and talented, the Raiders feel they have as good a chance as anyone so long as they continue to do what got them to Lincoln.

"It's just incredible the team goals we've accomplished and the records we've set this year," Kohl said. "But the records are all team stuff, not just individual things. It's all these things that require five guys playing together well that's brought us to this point. That's what's so special about this team."