Winter Sports Season Highlights

Peetz Girls Basketball

Second year Head Coach Stephanie Weber saw improvement with the Lady Bulldogs, although it did not translate into a significant change in their overall record. Finishing with a 2-and-18 overall record, both of the Lady Bulldog's wins came against the Caliche Lady Buffaloes. At the start of the season at the Carlisle Classic, Peetz was able to defeat Caliche 37-to-25, followed by another victory against the Lady Buffs on February 4, 43-to-34. The Peetz season ended with a 80-to-16 loss to top seeded Briggsdale in the 1A District Tournament. Sophomore Paige Maddox led the team with a 6.7 points per game average.

Peetz Boys Basketball

The Bulldogs had a high bar for success coming off of State Championships and deep drives into the State tournament in recent years, so an 11-and-11 record for Head Coach Sean Fehringer's squad falls short of the expectations set by previous teams. But the Bulldogs had a solid year, ending December with a 6-and 1 record but then struggling against rivals Briggsdale, Fleming and Merino to go 2-and 5 in January. A close loss to Fleming at the end of the season gave the Bulldogs momentum, and they were able get revenge and beat the Wildcats in the first round of the 1A District Tournament 63-to-45. Consecutive losses to Merino and Briggsdale ended the Bulldog's season without a State Tournament appearance. Senior Cooper White was the spark of the Bulldog's offense, averaging 22.6 points per game while junior Nolan Hill pulled down 9.8 rebounds per game.

Leyton Girls Basketball

With a 14-and-9 overall record and a Subdistrict title, the Leyton Lady Warriors can count the season as a success although they fell to powerhouse Mullen in the District Finals. A solid a deep team, Head Coach Jed Benish used his weapons effectively, and the Lady Warriors only lost two games in a row once during the season. Leyton made easy work of rivals Creek Valley and Potter-Dix, but struggled against teams like Bridgeport and Sioux County. The season's highlight was the Lady Warrior's come-from-behind victory against Minatare in the D2-12 Subdistrict finals when they broke out in the final seconds to take a lead and hold on for the Subdistrict title. Senior Madelyn Watchorn led the team with 17 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

Leyton Boys Basketball

First year Head Coach Chris Murphy took over a team with young talent with a few challenges to overcome, and dropped their first four contests of the season by lopsided scores. But the Warriors continued to battle and saw success as the season progressed, stringing together three wins in a row to start January. With senior Drew Haley adjusting to his prosthetic leg, the Warriors were able to establish a presence on the inside that translated into wins for the team. A big road win against South Platte on February 26 was the highlight of the season. Sophomore KJ Bush led the offense averaging 10 points per game while junior Zach Henke grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game.

Creek Valley Girls Basketball

With seniors Chloe Stupka, Kayla Collins and Catie Koenen anchoring the team, a 5-and-16 season was not what Head Coach Missy Koenen expected for the Lady Storm. However, the underclass players were able to gain valuable experience and junior KK Fletcher continued to improve as the season progressed. An eight game losing streak that went from the middle of January until the end of the first week of February told the story of Creek Valley's fortunes. The Lady Storm's victories came only against the weakest of opponents, and although they battled hard against more talented teams, their inconsistency kept them out of the victory column. Look for a strong rebound next year with an athletic group of underclass players ready to take their on their roles for the Lady Storm. Catie Koenen led the scoring for the Lady Storm averaging 10.3 points per game.

Creek Valley Boys Basketball

Head Coach Bill Wilbur's squad never quite got on track in the 2019-20 season, opening with four straight losses before finally getting in the win column with a 1 point victory against a good Bayard squad. But the losing continued, with the Storm winning back-to-back games just once in the entire season, ending with a 5-and-17 overall record. Talented junior Oakley Hodges and speedy senior Patrick Hansen had their moments, but could not consistently keep their play at the level necessary to win in their district. Creek Valley also had to play powerhouse teams like Bridgeport, Sedgwick County and Perkins County, offering very few easy chances for victories. Fortunately, the Storm returns a strong underclass for their senior season next year and look to significantly improve. Junior Justin Ningen led the Storm's offense with 11.4 points per game while Hodges pulled down 8.5 rebounds per game for Creek Valley.

Potter-Dix Girls Basketball

This was a tough season for first year Head Coach Garrett Stricklin, going winless in December and January until finally breaking through with a victory against Peetz on February 11. The experience of seniors Ginny Herboldsheimer and Makayla Williamson wasn't nearly enough to overcome the lack of height and speed by the Lady Coyotes. Turnovers and poor defense were the main culprits of the Lady Coyote's losses, but as the season progressed there was improvement in both of these key areas. Although the improvement did not put wins in the boxscores, the losses became less lopsided as the season progressed, marking improvement on both offense and defense. Hopefully the experience will help the underclass players as they slot into new roles next year.

Potter-Dix Boys Basketball

A 6-and-15 record is disappointing, but Head Coaches Jeff Einspahr and Cory Michelman have to be pleased with the future prospects of the Coyote squad. Although they will lose 6'2" senior Terell Gray to graduation, they have a talented group of younger players led by freshman Luke Kasten that kept them competitive throughout the season. Look for Kasten, 6'4" sophomore Anthony Tovar and sophomore guard Jared Anton led by a healthy junior Donnie Moench to turn many of this season's losses into wins and make the Coyotes a top team in their district. Kasten had an outstanding freshman campaign, averaging 15 points per game and 11.4 rebounds for the Coyotes.

Sidney Girls Basketball

Head Coach Tyler Shaw had a challenge this year, losing two of his top scorers to graduation, but set up a successful plan and returned to the State Tournament for the fourth straight year. After starting the season 1-and-3, the Lady Raiders churned out a 10 game win streak capped with a victory over the unbeaten Ogallala Lady Indians. Led by seniors Mattie Johnson and Nicole Birner on offense, the scorers were complimented by a tough and physical Sidney defense that dictated the pace of games and never let up. Junior Karly Sylvester continued to develop into a dominating force inside and under the boards. Although the Lady Raiders had a few misfires, they were able to qualify for a District Final game, and pushed around the visiting Blair Lady Bears for a 34-to-28 win and a trip to the State Tournament. Sidney battled a tough Northwest team all the way to the finish, losing a heartbreaker by three points in the first round. Although they lose Johnson and Birner to graduation, a talented underclass and Shaw's effective system will ensure Sidney will once again be the team to beat in the region next year.

Sidney Boys Basketball

Head Coach Austin Lewis knew he'd have a big challenge ahead of him with senior starter Eli Ahrens hobbled by an ankle injury for much of the season. An athletic but inexperienced team relied on senior Skylar Heinemann to set the offense and score, but the inexperience of the younger players proved to be too much for the Red Raiders to overcome, and they finished their season with a 3-and-20 record. However, there is much to be excited about for next year's squad, with a group of talented underclassmen in Sawyer Dickman, Dylan Gunkel, Zack Burke and Sam Hashman returning with a valuable season of experience under their belts. Sidney faced strong competition from rivals Alliance, Gering and Scottsbluff this season, and will again battle their rivals but with a more experienced and athletic team. Look for Sidney's record to improve as they begin to win the close games they dropped this season and start to stay competitive with the top teams in the district.