Raiders headed back to state tourney

For the second straight year, the Sidney boys basketball team is headed to the state tournament.

The Raiders (22-4) clinched one of two wild card spots and will join the six district winners in the eight-team field. The fourth-seeded Raiders open state tournament play against fifth-seeded Aurora (24-1) at 8:45 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 10, at the Sports Center in Lincoln.

"To get rewarded, to go to state because of your regular season is pretty cool," Sidney coach Erik Kohl said. "That was one of their main goals. They're going to be really excited to go back down there and play. The fun thing is, we get another week and a half to be around these guys."

If the Raiders top Aurora, they will face the winner of top-seeded Scottsbluff and eighth-seeded Platteview. The semifinal game is set for 3:45 p.m. CST in Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday, March 11. The finals are set for 1 p.m. CST Saturday, March 12, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Possible finals opponents include Gretna, York, Bennington and Skutt Catholic.

Sidney was the third seed and advanced to the finals in last year's state tournament. The Raiders opened with a 65-63 win over Scottsbluff and then topped Beatrice 51-48 in the semifinals. In the finals, they suffered a 60-51 defeat against Elkhorn South.

CLASS B STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

3. Skutt Catholic (21-4) vs. 6. Bennington (20-4)

9 a.m. CST on Thursday, March 10

Pinnacle Bank Arena

2. Gretna (24-1) vs. 7. York (17-7)

10:45 a.m. CST on Thursday, March 10

Pinnacle Bank Arena

1. Scottsbluff (22-3) vs. 8. Platteview (16-8)

7 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 10

Sports Center

4. Sidney (22-4) vs. 5. Aurora (24-1)

8:45 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 10

Sports Center