Raiders Roll to 8-0

Both Sidney High School Basketball teams continued their perfect starts to the 2023-24 season with big wins over Gering and Holdrege last week. The teams go into the Holiday Shootout with matching 8-and-0 records.

The teams started the week hosting Gering on December 19, and the girls game was first up. Sidney ran out to a big lead from the start, burying seven three point shots in the first quarter. The defense smothered the Lady Bulldog's scoring attempts and generated turnovers at will, and the Lady Raiders streaked out to a 29-to-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was a thorough domination of a quality opponent in all facets of the game, with Sidney's sharp passing, tough defense and sharp shooting proving too much for the visitors. A highlight right before halftime was sophomore Kiera Schrader chasing down a fast-break scoring attempt by Gering, swatting the ball out of bounds at the last moment before an attempted layup, eliciting a roar from the Sidney faithful. Sidney's dominance showed as the team went into the halftime break up 46-to-9.

The Lady Raiders simply ran the Lady Bulldogs off the court in the third quarter, extending their lead to 55-to-11 and initiating a running clock. Head Coach Tyler Shaw kept up his substituting five players at a time, with very little decrease in the quality of play. Freshman Jordynn Schnell buried a 10 foot jumper at the buzzer to finish the 74-to-16 victory, one of the Lady Raiders' most complete performances in some time. 10 players hit the scoring column, with senior Karsyn Leeling leading the way with 14 points in the victory.

The boys' contest started a bit tighter, as Gering matched the Sidney scoring through most of the first quarter. The Raiders were a bit sloppy with their passing at the beginning, but started to look sharper as the first period progressed. Sidney ended the first quarter with an 18-to-16 lead, but Gering fought back and played sharp in the second quarter, taking a 36-to-30 lead into the halftime intermission.

Sidney started to put it all together in the third quarter, and tied the game at 53 going into the final frame. Sidney turned up the offense and shut down the Bulldogs on defense, outscoring Gering 20-to-6 in the final frame to pull away with a 73-to-59 victory. Senior Isak Doty led the Sidney scoring with 23 points.

On December 20, the teams made the long trip to Holdrege to match up against the Duster teams. Perhaps feeling the effects of the long drive, the Lady Raiders opened a bit sluggish on offense, only opening an 8-to-7 lead midway through the first quarter, before the Lady Raiders took off, going on a 10-to-0 run to end the first period, and continued to score while holding down the Lady Duster's offense, holding a 44-to-22 lead going into the fourth quarter. Holdrege tried to come back in the forth, but the Sidney lead was too big, and the Lady Raiders came away with the 58-to-36 win. Junior Kayla Westby led the scoring for Sidney with 13 points.

The boys never trailed as they opened a 6-to-0 lead to start the game, and pulled away to a 31-to-19 lead at the half. Holdrege had their moments, but Sidney had opened too great of a lead for the Dusters to overcome, and Sidney earned the 20-point win, 56-to-36. Isak Doty again led the Sidney offense with 23 points.

Sidney's back in action on Friday at Sidney High School when the Raider teams host the Sidney Holiday Shootout. The teams face Lexington first, with the Lady Raiders playing at 4:30 and the the Red Raiders tipping off at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the consolation games start at 10 a.m. and the championship games start at 1 p.m.