Last-second shots lifts Sidney past Alliance

It was Tyler Wintholz to Cutter O'Connell for the win Monday night.

O'Connell hit the game-winner with about a second left after receiving the pass off a Wintholz drive to lift Sidney to a 54-53 victory over Alliance in the District B6 semifinals in Ogallala. The Raiders (22-3) now face Scottsbluff, a 65-41 winner against Gering, in Tuesday's 6 p.m. district title game in Ogallala.

"We've had a lot of close games and games that have come down to the last possession, and we're really fortunate to be on the winning side in all of them," Sidney coach Erik Kohl said.

On Monday, the Raiders had just enough time on the clock for the final play. Wintholz took the ball with about 8 seconds left, drove in the lane and dished it to O'Connell, who hit the game-winner on a layup to give Sidney the win.

It was the third last-second win for the Raiders this season, and the second last-second game-winning shot by O'Connell.

"Our guys are just really resilient," Kohl said. "Their willingness to keep fighting and do whatever it takes to win has paid off for us this year."

O'Connell led Sidney with 18 points in Monday's win, while Wintholz added 17.

The Raiders now face Scottsbluff on Tuesday night in the district title game. The two teams have split a pair of games this season, with each team winning at home. The Bearcats won 58-45 on Jan. 22, while the Raiders won 43-41 on Feb. 6.

Kohl said his team needs to play really good defense, contest shots, make good decisions and be aggressive on both sides of the ball to pick up another win over Scottsbluff.