SHS squads picking up pace at mid-season

While defense can be used as the name of the game for Sidney’s High School basketball teams, common sense says no team can win without putting a shot in the basket.

OK, there is the forfeit loophole, and perhaps there’s a 2-0 game sitting out there where a player scored for the other team.

That said, it appears both Raiders teams might be picking up the pace somewhat, both teams having.

And neither team is leaning one particular way when seeking scoring.

Karissa Segelke is the top scorer for Tyler Shaw’s Lady Raiders, but during the extended-weekend sweep of Kimball and Ogallala, others pitched in. Segelke scored all 14 of her points by halftime of Saturday’s win at Kimball, while her Sidney teammates picked up the remaining tab in a 51-34 victory.

In Monday night’s makeup game with Ogallala, Segelke was saddled with early foul woes, but Jeni Heeren came up big with 18 points as SHS cruised.

Likewise, Erik Kohl’s boys are getting consistent scoring and rebounding from Casey Mabey, but from there, it’s anyone’s guess where scoring might come from. Lane Harvey tossed in 16 and Paxton Ehler 12 at Kimball, but on Monday against Ogallala, it was Sam Arterburn with the hot hand. Arterburn had 16 first-half points en route to a 19-point performance.

But one player who is quietly gaining confidence is 6-foot-3 sophomore southpaw Tyler Wintholz. Wintholz’s production and playing time has increased lately, and for good reason.

Wintholz tossed in eight points Saturday and finished in double digits Monday against Ogallala. As a team that has very little size in its starting lineup, Sidney could afford Wintholz’s presence down the stretch.

Junior Nick Castner, at 6-5, has also seen quite a bit of playing time in the rotation, and could also be a factor in the late stages of the season for the Raiders.

Both squads play at Bridgeport Friday, then break up the routine Saturday: Shaw’s Lady Raiders go to Scottsbluff for an afternoon junior varsity/varsity doubleheader, and the boys host Sterling, Colo.

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There’s plenty of action happening at the Sidney Middle School this weekend, with the Minuteman Activities Conference girls’ and boys’ tournaments going on. Semifinals are happening today and this evening, with the final rounds slated for Saturday.

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Talk about losing interest fast!

In a span of 24 hours, my own Super Bowl picks went down the drain, with Denver and Seattle both losing at the gun in last weekend’s divisional playoffs.

Both teams lost in the same fashion, losing leads late in the game due to inept secondary play by the Broncos and Seahawks.

Seattle had to look awfully good Saturday evening after the 49ers slaughtered the “Wise Guy” choice, Green Bay.

Denver?

Well, when you have $30 million worth of defensive talent on the field — with a distinct advantage over a Baltimore offense which had no timeouts and two snaps left in its season — and a secondary can’t even rotate on a fly pattern in the final 31 seconds, you don’t deserve to win, plain and simple.

And as a Tennessee Volunteers fan, I personally witnessed Peyton Manning, in his junior season, flop in a mind-boggling loss to Memphis at the Liberty Bowl in 1996. So watching efforts such as last weekend’s from Manning isn’t altogether new.

So, for this weekend, we have Baltimore at New England and San Francisco at Atlanta.

No Brady vs. Manning, no upstart Seattle offense and Aaron Rodgers. Rather, we get more of the Ray Lewis Redemption Tour in the AFC title game and in the NFC, a 49ers team which couldn’t do better than a tie and a loss against the Rams, of all teams.

Make it New England and the Falcons in the Super Bowl, with the Patriots, who always seems to re-invent themselves around Bill Belichick and Brady, winning it all.

Next: NCCA bracket time!

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May have set a new mark in the Guinness Book of World Records this morning.

Twenty-five dollars work of gas pumped in 27 minutes, established outside Cheyenne, Wyo.

If indeed it is a record, rest assured I won’t go back to try and better the standard.

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The coaching staffs for the 35th annual West Nebraska All-Star game have been selected, and the area won’t be represented along the sidelines for the game, which will be played Saturday, June 1 at 7 p.m. MDT inside Scottsbluff’s Bearcat Stadium.

Dan Lenners from Chase County High School will direct the West team.

Lenners’ team finished 6-4 last fall, losing to Boone Central in the second round of the Class C-1 playoffs.

This year will mark Lenners’ second time serving as head coach for the West team, and his third time coaching in the game.

He previously served as the head coach for the West team in 2008, and was an assistant coach in 2004.

Lenners’ assistants will be Mitchell’s Chris Bailey, Scottsbluff’s Jud Hall and Sioux County’s Barry Swisher.

The East All-Stars’ head coach will be Randy Geier of Wauneta-Palisade, who will be coaching for the second time, having served as an assistant in 2007.

Geier’s East assistant coaches will be Southern Valley’s Jeremy Epp, Arapahoe’s Dustin Sealy and Wauneta-Palisade assistant Joe Frecks.

A portion of the proceeds from the West Nebraska All-Star Games benefit many local charities including the Scotts Bluff County Volunteer Center.