Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper

Raiders hold edge in defensive struggle

There was little reason to peek at the scoreboard on Saturday. Points, after all, were hard to come by in Sidney's 27-16 win over visiting Hershey.

The Raiders held Hershey to a mere two points in the first period. The Panthers returned the favor in the second. And until the game's waning moments, it was doubtful either team would break the 20 point mark.

"It was a defensive battle, that's for sure," said Katelin Cole.

Sidney's Abbi Porter, Cody Rowley and Savanna Rosenbaum clogged the low post area, repeatedly forcing the visitors into desperate shots. Cole and Sarah Mahr caused multiple turnovers, breaking up Hershey's possessions into a series of agonizing fits and starts.

But the Panthers proved equally stingy, thanks in a large part to 6-1 center Maddie Seamann, who claimed the space under the glass as her own.

"Number 24 was blocking shots left and right," Mahr pointed out.

Time after time, Raiders guards or forwards would drive into the paint, only to be shut down by Seamann. Sidney tested Hershey's back line several times, sending guards and forwards pounding into the paint to no avail.

"It wasn't pretty," Raiders head coach Tyler Shaw said. "Those are usually plays we finish."

Seamann and her teammates were so stout, in fact, that Sidney could not pierce the net until midway through the first quarter, when Cole found some space in the circle and drained a jumper.

Normally a three point threat, the senior guard explained "I drive when it's open."

Rachel Petik followed up with a three and Ashley Stafford sank a pair from the line. In a span of one minute, the Raiders staked out a 7-2 lead.

In the second quarter, however, Rowley's short jumper from a clever inbounds play amounted to the Raiders' only points. The shot came with 1:56 remaining before halftime-more than five minutes after Hershey's Ryce Troyer hit for Hershey.

"In the first half we played solid defense-both sides did," said Porter, who rejected 6 shots on the night. "It was hard to score."

The focal point, for those in attendance, was not the rim or the tactics designed to create an open shot. Rather, attention turned to the strenuous fight inside the arc meant to prevent points from appearing on the scoreboard.

"It was tough-there was a lot of pushing," Rosenbaum reported. "But you have those games."

At the break, Sidney stood on top by the improbable score of 9-6. But the Raiders came out of the break with a sense of purpose, Mahr taking advantage of a rare defensive miscue by the Panthers and Cole backing her up with fast break points.

Mahr started her drive from beyond the arc. Curling over the top of the key, with a Hershey guard in pursuit, she looked up to see an unexpected path to the rim.

"Somehow they moved," she said of the resulting layup. "It was a momentum changer."

Seconds later, an act of pilfery by Cole, who intercepted a Panthers' pass and took it to the rim, gave Sidney a 13-6 advantage.

"It came right to me," she said of the steal.

But Hershey clawed back to within easy striking distance. With 5:25 left in the game, Brooke Munsen hit a jumper from the wing to narrowed things to 17-14.

Porter put an end to two consecutive Hershey possessions with blocks. Meanwhile Sidney earned the bonus. Mahr and Cole converted the front end of one-and-ones to extend a 19-14 advantage with just under three minutes to go in the game.

Seamann reeled things back to 19-16 from the line with 2:20 remaining, and the game still teetered in the balance.

Yet somehow the chance of a Panthers comeback seemed slim. Porter, Rowley and the rest of the Sidney squad formed a wall around the glass. Hershey took increasingly desperate measures, flinging uncharacteristic shots.

With just over two minutes left to play, Mahr took the ball coast to coast, weaving between and past Hershey defenders on her way to a hard-earned layup. It started an 8-0 Sidney run that ended the low scoring affair-with all remaining Sidney points scored from the line as the visitors tried desperately to foul.

"We'll take it," coach Shaw said of the win.

Girls Basketball

Sidney 27

Hershey 16

Saturday

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/17/2024 20:49