Red Raiders Starting to Roll

Sidney’s Red Raider Basketball team had a busy and successful week, going 2-and-1 in the Sidney Holiday Tournament then defeating the Holdrege Dusters on Saturday to improve their record to 6-and-4 on the season.

Head Coach Austin Lewis’ young team has shown promise in their passing game and ability to battle under the boards, and a well-played loss to Alliance prior to Christmas had the Raiders eager to get back on the court and continue their progress.

First up on Monday Dec. 28, Sidney matched up with the Gordon-Rushville Mustangs, and started to pull away as the first half wound down. A strong scoring burst gave the Raiders a double digit lead late in the third period, and good defense and strong shooting kept the Dusters at bay and Sidney earned the 46-to-41 win. Junior Sawyer Dickman had 17 points in the victory. Sidney next faced off against a Mitchell team surging from a slow start to their season. Sidney started the game playing tough defense and patiently working their shots.

A surge at the end of the first period narrowed Sidney’s lead, and Mitchell eventually tied the game at 19-to-19 with just over two minutes left in the half. Mitchell pushed ahead at the end of the period for a 24-to-21 lead, but Sidney battled back to take a 28-to-27  lead midway through the third quarter. Both teams battled hard and traded points, and the game was tied 44-to-44 going into the fourth quarter.

Again the teams traded scores until a series of Sidney turnovers finally put Mitchell on top, and Sidney battled the rest of the way to come back. Mitchell pulled away in the final seconds to earn the 65-to-60 win. Sophomore Micah Schneider had 20 points to lead Sidney in the loss.

Sidney next matched up with the Ord Chanticleers in the consolation game, and built a quick lead powered by senior Zack Burke’s three-point shooting. But Ord erased an 8-to-0 deficit with a scoring surge to tie the game at 10-to-10 at the end of the first period. Sidney went on a 7-to-0 run to start the second period, shooting well from the outside to open a 26-to-17 lead at the half.

Sidney’s shooting stayed sharp, with Burke continuing to drain three pointers while Schneider and Dickman kept up the scoring pace until the Raiders had a double digit lead early in the fourth period. Sidney held off Ord for the rest of the game and earned the victory by a 57-to-45 final score. Burke recovered from a poor outing against Mitchell where he had problems with turnovers to light up the scoreboard with 29 points while hitting six three pointers in the win.

Sidney then continued their good play against the visiting Holdrege Dusters on Saturday, and a well played first quarter by both teams had Sidney up 12-to-11. A low scoring second period capped with a buzzer-beating layup by Burke had Sidney leading 25-to-22 at the intermission. Both team’s good play continued in the third period, with Sidney playing well under the boards while the teams matched scores. The game remained tight until midway through the fourth quarter when Dickman and Schneider went on scoring runs to open a seven point lead with under three minutes to play.

Sidney was able to outpace the Dusters to secure the 53-to-47 victory. Sidney’s young talent is starting to gain a comfort level on the court, with smoother passing and strong play under the boards. The Red Raiders seem to be finding the right players to win games as they start their January schedule.