Sidney Falls To Roncalli Catholic

Sidney's Red Raider boys basketball team was defeated 59-52 by the Roncalli Catholic Crimson Pride in the Class B District 8 final in Omaha on Saturday. Sidney ends their season with an 18-8 record (8-2 in district) while Roncalli Catholic (19-5, 7-2 in district) moves on to the State Tournament.

The game itself was a close contest in the first half, with Sidney leading at halftime 29-28, but the Crimson Pride went on a 15-0 run starting midway through the third period and extended it into the fourth, giving Roncalli a 51-39 lead with about six minutes left to play in the final period. The Red Raiders battled back in the final moments, getting within five points twice, but were unable to hold off the Crimson Pride and grab a lead. Roncalli was able to hold on and hit their free throws at the end to give the Crimson Pride the victory and punch their ticket to the State Tournament. Connor Dormann led the Sidney scoring with 18 points on the night.

After the loss, Sidney head coach Austin Lewis had time to reflect upon the game, and the entire season which he considers a great success.

"Roncalli is a very solid team and played a great game. They had guys step up and do some things we hadn't even seen on film", Lewis said.

He continued, "There was a one and a half minute span in the 3rd that ended up deciding the game, when we went from a 39-38 lead to a 49-39 deficit. Against a team as solid as Roncalli, it ended up being insurmountable."

He also spoke about the season, and how the team kept battling throughout the year saying, "Overall, I couldn't be more proud. This team could have packed it in after losing three tough games in a row in January, when our record was 10-7 and we just couldn't get over the hump in big games. From that point we won eight games in a row, and finished our season in the district championship. That is a team who took a tough situation and made it into something special, and a group of seniors refusing to go quietly. It's exactly why we compete."