A key Class C1 basketball clash Thursday that looked like a blowout early, turned into a nailbiter for Omaha World-Herald #2 Scotus, who remained unbeaten with a 60-49 victory at #5 Boone Central/Newman Grove.
Once Boone Central/Newman Grove found its mojo, the hosts gave Scotus all it could handle with a spirited rally. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were staring at a 19-point deficit before taking wing.
Scotus – thriving on tenacious, trapping full-court pressure defense and a cutting, slashing offensive attack – ripped off an 8-0 run midway through the second period to take its largest lead of the game, 29-10.
BC/NG regrouped from that point, trimming the deficit to 33-20 by halftime and closing the deficit to five points late in the game, but couldn’t sustain that drive in the final minutes.
“Scotus is a really good team and to beat a good team you need to put together four quarters of quality basketball,” noted Cardinal Coach Justin Harris. “We had a poor second quarter that put us in too big of a hole. After being down by 19 at one point, I was proud that the boys cut it to a five-point lead.
“We have the potential to beat a team like that. We just have to be consistent throughout the game.”
Boone Central/Newman Grove needed to shrug off Thursday’s disappointment quickly, with a trip to Ord (9-7) quickly at hand Friday.
After another slow start, the Cardinals were able to finish their rally in this one, claiming a gritty 59-55 win that boosted BC/NG’s season mark to 9-5.
The host Chants used a big run to close the first quarter and open the second, building a lead as large as 14 points at one point. BC/NG finished the first half with a furious charge, closing the gap to 30-24 by intermission, then used that momentum to spark a strong second half. The Cardinals finished the comeback effort by outscoring Ord 19-12 in the fourth period.
“I knew Ord would give us a battle and that it would be tough after playing a tough opponent the night before,” Harris noted. “We had a solid start, then let them make a run. They extended to a 14-point lead before we made a great run to close out the half.
“We did a good job of making necessary plays down the stretch, especially when they went man defense at the end. We had too many unforced turnovers that we need to clean up before our upcoming Mid-State opponents.”
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