Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sidney senior Carli Black drives for two points during recent action. The Lady Raiders have settled in and are playing their best basketball of the season.
SIDNEY--2024 didn't have the best ending for Sidney's Lady Raider Basketball team as the girls dropped a hard-fought game against Cheyenne East in overtime on December 21. But a new year brought some much-needed confidence, and the girls have run through their initial 2025 schedule with four straight wins.
The girls started the new year on January 3, when they traveled to take on the Lady Bulldogs of Alliance. This contest wasn't even close as the Lady Raider turned an early 19-to-0 run into a 23-to-7 first quarter lead and never looked back. The game ended in a 61-to-18 rout. The Lady Raider defense held the Lady Bulldogs to single-digit scoring in every quarter and generated 26 turnovers. Senior Carli Black led the scoring with 12 points.
Sidney leaned on their defense again on January 7 when they traveled down to Sterling for a matchup with the Lady Tigers. After the game opened at 2-to-2, Sidney went on a 15 point run to put Sterling in the rear-view mirror. Sidney shot 57% from the field and had a season-low 8 turnovers in a big 81-to-18 win. Senior Kayla Westby led the scoring with 14 points.
Next up, the Lady Raiders were headed for tournament action in Kearney as they were again selected to compete at the Girls's Basketball Showcase at Kearney High School. Last year, the Lady Raiders played very well, knocking off top-ranked Lincoln Christian 57-to-54. Sidney opened their weekend with a contest against a strong Broken Bow team, and trailed but kept pace throughout most of the contest. In the fourth quarter, Sidney finally took a lead then the teams traded points until Sidney came out on top, 39-to-38. Junior Kierra Schrader led the Lady Raiders with 14 points.
On Saturday, the Lady Raiders matched up with NCN number 5 ranked Arlington. The Lady Raiders kept pace with Arlington, trailing 14 to-12 after the first period. The game turned not the a defensive battle in the second quarter, then Sidney went on an 8-to-0 run to end the half up 28-to-21. Sidney continued their strong defensive play into the second half and opened a 39-to-23 lead in the third. Arlington fought back, but Sidney finished the game with an 8-to-2 run and took the win, 53-to-39. Schrader again led the scoring with 18 points. Sidney is now 10-and-3 on the year and host Ogallala on Friday, January 17.
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