Heartbreak in Lincoln: Raiders fall in double OT

Sidney never quit Thursday night against Aurora.

The Raiders battled back time after time in double overtime, but ultimately fell 77-74 to the Huskies in the first round of the state tournament in Lincoln.

Sidney ends the season with a 22-5 record, while Aurora (25-1) advances to the semifinals to take on top-seeded Scottsbluff on Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, the Raiders trailed 70-64 early on in the second extra period, before a pair of Cutter O'Connell three-pointers kept them in the game, trailing 74-72 with less than a minute to go. The Huskies stretched their lead back out to 77-72 with under 20 seconds remaining, before a Zach Means layup cut that lead to 77-74.

After Aurora big man Austin Allen missed a pair of free throws with five seconds left, Sidney had one last chance to stay alive. O'Connell quickly took the in bounds to the other side of the floor, but his 3-point attempt went in and out of the rim as time expired, as the Raiders fell in double overtime.

O'Connell led the Raiders offensively with a whopping 32 points, while Tyler Wintholz and Means added 12 points each. Allen led the Huskies with 23 points, while three other Huskies scored in double figures.

Fouls and free throws were a huge factor in the game. Sidney was whistled for 26 fouls, while just nine fouls were called on Aurora. Three Raiders - Jake Heeren, Brady Radclifee and Wintholz - each fouled out.

The Huskies also went to the foul line 34 times, compared to just five trips for the Raiders. The Raiders hit 2-of-5 free throws, while the Huskies hit 23-of-34 foul shots on the night.

Sidney came out of the gate hot as Wintholz hit back-to-back layups for a 4-0 lead. Aurora came back to take a brief lead, before an O'Connell trey put Sidney back on top. A Wintholz bucket gave the Raiders an 11-7 lead heading to the second quarter.

A Wintholz basket and a Heeren trey extended Sidney's lead to 16-7 out of the gate early in the second quarter. The Raiders kept the Huskies at bay for most of the second quarter, and went up 22-14 on back-to-back Means layups. Aurora slowly crept back into things near the end of the half, outscoring Sidney 8-2 down the stretch. The Raiders entered halftime with a 26-23 advantage.

It was all Raiders early in the third quarter as they pushed their lead to double digits. After Aurora cut its deficit to 26-25, Sidney roared back with a 12-3 run, with treys from Radcliffe and O'Connell and baskets from Means, Birner and Mitch Porter, to take a 38-28 lead. Aurora slowly cut into the deficit, as Sidney led 48-41 heading to the fourth quarter.

Sidney led 52-43 in the fourth quarter when Aurora used a 7-2 run to get back in the game and make it manageable. The Raiders led 54-47 on Heeren's putback, when the Huskies exploded for a 9-0 run to take a 56-54 lead with just over a minute left in the game. Allen missed a pair of free throws and a chance to put the game away with under 40 seconds left, and that left Sidney with another chance. O'Connell drained a pair of free throws to knot the game at 56-all with 30 seconds left, and that sent the game to the extra period.

Aurora jumped out to the early lead in overtime, getting a Henry Penner 3-pointer to break the ice and a pair of Allen free throws for a 61-56 lead. The extra frame for Sidney belonged to O'Connell. He hit a trey to cut the Huskies lead to 61-59, hit another 3-pointer that made the Raiders' deficit 64-62, and then knocked down a jumper with less than 20 seconds on the clock that tied the game at 64-64 and sent it to the second overtime period.

The Huskies took the early lead in the second extra period with a 5-0 run, and never trailed again.

Thursday's game was also the final for six Sidney seniors - Radcliffe, Ryan Birner, Heeren, O'Connell, Wintholz and Seth Trost.