Raiders Hit Rough Stretch

The young Sidney Red Raider Basketball team continues to gain experience and play better basketball as the season progresses, but the improved play has not translated into wins for the struggling team.

Sidney started a three game week by hosting the Mitchell Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and hoped that the Tigers being without their leading scorers Blake and Austin Thyne would give the Red Raiders an edge in the game.

Sidney started with a series of missed shots and turnovers and quickly found themselves down 8-to-1. The Raiders focused and put together a few series of good offensive and defensive play and narrowed the Mitchell lead to 19-to-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Sidney did their best to hang in with Mitchell, with junior Zach Burke hitting two three pointers and the Raiders were within striking distance at 34-to-30 when the Tigers hit a last second three pointer to go up by seven at the half.

Mitchell's defense stiffened through the rest of the game, limiting Sidney shots and winning the battle under the boards. The Raiders scored only eight points in the third quarter and six in the fourth, falling to the Tigers by a final score of 61-to-44. Burke led the Sidney scoring with 15 points in the loss.

The Raiders then traveled to Ogallala on Friday to take on the 9-and-2 Indians, and Sidney head coach Austin Lewis said prior to the game that his team would have to be relentless and get their shots to fall to gain the confidence they would need to beat a team like Ogallala.

The game started slowly with the first score finally coming after two minutes had passed. Ogallala then turned up the defensive pressure and Sidney could not seem to go a possession without a turnover.

Senior Skylar Heineman's two three point hits in the first quarter kept the Raiders going, but down 29-to-14 after the first quarter. Ogallala continued to play effective defense and kept building their lead until Sidney could not keep up with the Indians inside dominance and outside shooting and lost by a final score of 85-to-43. Heineman led the Sidney scoring with 22 points in the loss.

Sidney was back home on Saturday to host the Class A North Platte, a team with a 4-and-11 record against a very high level of competition. Sidney's challenge was even greater as they were without Arik Doty and leading scorer Skylar Heineman, as both seniors were sidelined with ankle injuries.

The big and athletic Bulldogs started slowly, but gave the Raiders very little opportunity to score. After the Bulldogs started hitting outside shots, they continued to keep up the defensive pressure and score, building an insurmountable 36-to-8 halftime lead.

The Raiders fared better offensively in the second half as North Platte freely substituted, but were unable to cut into the North Platte lead and fell by a final score of 66-to-33.

Sophomore Sawyer Dickman led the Sidney scoring with 18 points in the defeat. Sidney fell to 1-and-14 on the season with the loss. The Raiders next face the Yuma Indians on Saturday, and the Colorado team will make the trip up to Sidney for an afternoon matchup.