2015 Boys' State Basketball Championships: Familiar foe awaits Red Raiders

The Sidney Red Raiders have qualified for the 2015 Class B NSAA Boys' State Basketball Championships.

While the Raiders and their fans were on pins and needles for a little more than 24 hours after an early exit from the Class B-6 District Tournament on Monday night, Sidney's inclusion as a wild-card into the eight-team tournament became official Tuesday night. Needing a win by either Beatrice or Gretna to qualify, Sidney got both.

"The first thing is, I want to take some time to enjoy it and I want the team to do the same," said Raiders' head coach Erik Kohl. "This afternoon we're going to have a meeting and talk about how proud they should all be about what they've accomplished. It's a pretty special thing and I want them all to recognize that."

The Red Raiders are the No. 3 seed and will face a familiar rival in the first round. They will meet the No. 6 Scottsbluff Bearcats at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Thursday, Mar. 12 at 10:45 a.m. CDT. Scottsbluff qualified by virtue of its 51-39 win over Alliance Tuesday night in the district final. The Bearcats and Raiders met three times during the regular season, with the Bearcats winning two.

"Scottsbluff is as good as anybody in the state if not better," said Kohl. "We have to find a way to do things better than the last time we played them. It's going to be like a chess match. It's going to be two very good basketball teams facing each other."

Though Scottsbluff (21-4) is the district champion, it received a lower seed than Sidney (20-4) based on a season-long tabulation of points by the NSAA. The points system is based on a number of factors including wins, losses and strength of opponents. An average is then calculated for each school to determine their place on the wild-card points list.

Sidney earned an average of 44.5 points-per contest leaving them in third on the Class B list behind Gretna and Beatrice. Seeding is solely based on the points list.

The Class B tournament includes the six district champions and two wild-card teams. Sidney earned the first wild-card berth and No. 4 Elkhorn South the second. The district champions in the tournament, with their tournament seeds, include No. 1 Gretna, No. 2 Beatrice, No. 5 Adams Central, No. 6 Scottsbluff, No. 7 Plattsmouth and No. 8 Mount Michael Benedictine.

Scottsbluff and Adams Central actually tied for fifth on the wild-card list.

Adams Central, however, was awarded the fifth seed based on an NSAA tie breaker. Since the two teams had not played each other during the regular season, the determining factor came down to the number of first-division teams they played.

Adams Central played six first division teams while Scottsbluff faced only three. In fact, Sidney was the only first division team the Bearcats faced this season. A first division team is one that won more than 75 percent of its games.

"I've been here four years now and we haven't had to break a tie until this year," said NSAA Assistant Director Jon Dolliver. "This year we've had to break four ties. The system is designed to avoid ties, but as we've learned this year, it can happen."

Scottsbluff was also hurt by virtue of one of its early season opponents having lost its final two games of the season. After the record was updated for Rock Springs (Wyo.), it slipped from a division 3 to a division 4 team. The Bearcats defeated Class A Rock Springs back on Dec. 11.

The Rock Springs' losses cost the Bearcats three total points. Instead of earning 46 points for beating a Class A, Division 3 team, Scottbluff was awarded just 43 points for beating a Class A, Division 4 team. The difference, though slight in the average, was enough to forge the tie with Adams Central.

A Division 3 team is one that has won more than 25 percent of its games and less than 50 percent. A division 4 team has won less than 25 percent of its games. Had Rock Springs won at least one of its last two games, Scottbluff would have been the fifth seed – and Sidney would have faced a fresh face rather than its district rival.

"(Qualifying for the tournament) is just one more opportunity for us to prove ourselves," Kohl said. "We're going to go there and give everything we have. It's all icing on the cake now."

BOYS' CLASS B STATE TOURNAMENT

Thursday, March 12

At Pinnacle Bank Arena

No.2 Beatrice (21-1) vs. No. 7 Plattsmouth (16-8), 9 a.m. CDT

No. 3 Sidney (20-4) vs. No. 6 Scottsbluff (21-4), 10:45 CDT

At Devaney Center

No. 1 Gretna (24-2) vs. No. 8 Mount Michael Benedictine (13-9), 7 p.m. CDT

No. 4 Elkhorn South (18-5) vs. No. 5 Adams Central (21-4), 8:45 p.m. CDT

Friday, March 13

At Pinnacle Bank Arena

Semfinals

Beatrice-Plattsmouth winner vs.

Sidney-Scottsbluff winner, 2 p.m. CDT

Gretna-Mount Michael Benedictine winner vs.

Elkhorn South-Adams Central winner, 3:45 p.m. CDT

Saturday, March 14

At Pinnacle Bank Arena

State championship game

Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. CDT