The Wayne High boys were victorious while the Blue Devil girls went down to defeat in the first day of the 2023 Elkhorn Valley Bank Great Northeast Nebraska Shootout Thursday at Wayne State College.
The Blue Devil boys took control early in their game against Plattsmouth and rolled to a 61-43 win in the final game of the day. Caiden Backer led three Wayne hoopsters in double figures with a 14 points, followed by Jace Jorgensen with 11 and Drue Davis with 10. Plattsmouth’s Gage Olsen led all scorers with 15 points.
The Wayne girls couldn’t get anything going offensively in the second half and lost to Plattsmouth 39-32. Haley Kramer led all scorers with nine points and Frantzdie Barner added eight for Wayne
In other first round action for the boys:
— Hartington Cedar Catholic got a game-high 23 points from Nolan Becker as they defeated Winnebago 71-49. Timothy LaPointe led the Indians with 17 points.
— LCC’s Gibson Roberts hit three free throws with no time left to force overtime, but Pender held on to edge the Bears, 61-60. Aiden Beckman scored 18 for the Pendragons.
— Pierce beat South Sioux City 58-56 on a buzzer-beating jump shot by Champion White, who led the Bluejays with 20 points. Prestin Blackhawk scored a game-high 23 for the Cardinals.
In girls action:
— Hartington CC edged Winnebago 52-47 behind Katelyn Arens’ 12 points. Jolon Blackbird, Charlize Frenchman and Tressa BigBear shared high scoring honors with 13 points apiece.
— Pender used a big first quarter to steer themselves to a 70-42 win over LCC. Maya Dolliver led four Pendragons in double figures with a game-high 20 points. Rena Rasmussen scored 17 and Mallory Eriksen added 13 for the Lady Bears.
— South Sioux City’s girls outlasted Pierce 55-46 behind Brooklyn Heneiman’s 14 points. Bailee Durant added 13 and Bella Moret had 10 for the winners. Hadley Wragge led Pierce with 14 points.
Action continues Friday and Saturday at Wayne State College, with fifth- and seventh-place games Saturday at Wayne High School.
