Lady Raiders fall to Laramie, 59-42

The Sidney Lady Raiders fell to Laramie (Wyo.) Tuesday at the 2015 Cabela's Holiday Shootout on a 59-42 final score, forcing a third-place game against Wheatland on Wednesday morning.

It was a game against Laramie that saw perennial scoring leader and defensive star Kelsey Knight held to two points and relegated to the bench after she fouled out in the fourth period.

The Lady Plainsmen took the win after going up 31-20 in the first half and then, despite a serious push by Sidney, outscored the Lady Raiders again 28-22 in the final two periods.

Knight's foul trouble started early as she earned three in the first half.

After sitting on the bench for the remainder of the third period – and looking visibly helpless while watching her team trail – she came back into the game late in the quarter.

Knight made a solitary two-pointer in the fourth before earning her fifth foul to end her night.

On the brighter side, Emily Mahr and Annalise Lecher led Sidney in scoring with nine points apiece, with Lecher earning five of those points in the first half off two deuces and a free throw.

Mahr led the Lady Raiders from the line as she went 5-of-9 and scored six of her nine points in the second half.

Another bright spot for the Lady Raiders, if only on a personal playing level, was Meaghan Ross; the Sidney freshman made the only three-pointer of the night in the early moments of the third quarter.

Ross said the game was tough all the way through thanks to the pressure Laramie used in defending in the paint.

"They played great defense and pressured us quite a bit," Ross said. "We brought more energy in the second half and the fans really helped, even though we lost."

Sidney was able to come to within five points late in the fourth period, though a stifling defense by the Lady Plainsmen, combined with accurate shooting, eliminated any chance at a Sidney comeback.

Lady Raider head coach Tyler Shaw said the energy level of Sidney, early in the game, was a factor.

"I think we had some ups and downs and we started with the downs early on," Shaw said. "They came out with a lot of intensity early on and we weren't able to match that."

Other scorers for Sidney (6-2 overall) were: Maddi Porter (6), Abby Heller (4), Janay Brauer (3), Natalie Radcliffe (2), Katelyn Sylvester (2) and Jasmine Jallen (2).

Results for Sidney-Wheatland game were not available by deadline. See Thursday's edition of the Sun-Telegraph for game results.